Siopawman (literally, "Steamed bun Man") was a Filipino comedic superhero. It was also the title of the first comic strip created by Filipino cartoonist Lauro "Larry" Zarate Alcala after World War II.
Siopawman first appeared in Halakhak Komiks ("halakhak" means laughter in Tagalog) in 1947. Siopawman was described as a âÂÂSuperman parodyâÂÂ. After Halakhak, Siopawman became a feature series in the pages of Philippines Daily Express from 1972 to 1983. Siopawman reappeared in the reborn Daily Express in 2002.
Siopawman was described by writer Karl Gillespie as an âÂÂuglyâÂÂ, big-nosed, fat-bodied and bald-headed superhero. His costume had an âÂÂSâ mark on the chest. The super-abilities of Siopawman included being bulletproof and being âÂÂimmune from normal humansâÂÂ. Siopawman also had a sidekick named Okboy, who often addressed Siopawman as âÂÂSiopsâÂÂ. Although Siopawman's real identity is unknown, his enemies include Jelloman, Man-Hid, She-Mangot, She-Pilyo, She-Bat, She-Pon, She-Feet, Chopperman, Wesley "Kulang-Kulang" Moreno, Gene "Nguso" Castro, Gabrael "Mongoloid" Santos, Rene Jose "Ulo" Dalupan, and Marc Christian "Aspalto" Ontiveros. Siopawman is regarded as the first humorous superhero in the Philippines, but not as the "first true Filipino superhero".