Visconde Carlo San Juan Vergara or simply known as Carlo Vergara (born January 25, 1971) is a Filipino graphic designer and illustrator best known for creating the comic book character Zsazsa Zaturnnah.
The son of a tax lawyer and an English teacher, Vergara began to draw even before he started school. He considered drawing a hobby, and did not want it to be part of his profession. Though he had been accepted in the College of Architecture at the University of the Philippines, he opted to take Marketing Management at the De La Salle University, and graduated in 1990.
It was during his stay at the De La Salle when he won his first literary award from the university's annual awards for literature--Solitude bagged third place in the English poetry category. He was also an art staff of a university news publication The La Sallian. A few years after graduating, Vergara joined the university's theater organization, the Harlequin Theater Guild, where he acted in productions of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, Susan Glaspell's Trifles, Agatha Christie's Towards Zero, and Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero's Forever.
Beginning in 1993, Vergara spent almost a decade working in public relations and corporate communications as a staff writer, photographer, graphic designer, and on occasion, special events host. It was during this time when he began to take serious interest in graphic design.
Though drawing had always been his hobby, Vergara never attempted to tackle a full-blown comics project until mid-1993. Flashpoint was a comics series he co-created with friends from De La Salle, and was published by Straight Lines International. After four issues, Flashpoint was discontinued, and Vergara stopped drawing comics for a few years. He, however, became a member of Alamat, an informal group of comics creators and enthusiasts.
In 1994, he auditioned for a part in the New Voice Company production of the Asian premiere of Tony Kushner's Angels in America. He bagged a part, alternating the role of Louis Ironson with Philippine theater veteran Bart Guingona. Though reviews to his professional debut were mostly lukewarm to negative, Vergara continued his acting training with the New Voice Company. He subsequently performed in the independently-produced productions of David Gobeil Taylor's Waiting for Homo and Anton Chekhov's The Boor. It was during these years when he had feature articles published in the now defunct Cutting Edge magazine and The Manila Times.
In 1999, he went back to the De La Salle University to teach a website design course for a term. During this period, he collaborated with writer David Hontiveros on an independent comic book "Pantheon", marking his return as an artist to the comics medium.
His first foray into self-publishing was in 2001, when he produced, wrote and illustrated One Night in Purgatory, a short comics tale about homosexual love. The comicbook was nominated by the Manila Critics Circle for a National Book Award the following year, and was cited by the Sanghaya Yearbook of the state-run National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
In 2002, Vergara produced his second graphic novel, Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah (The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah). The graphic novel earned recognition from the Manila Critics Circle in 2003, thus giving Vergara his first National Book Award. The book was later adapted into a musical and feature film in 2006. In the nominees list of the 30th Gawad Urian (an award-giving body composed on film critics), Vergara was cited along with Dinno Erece in the screenplay category.
For the musical's soundtrack album, Vergara asked musical director/composer Vincent deJesus for a slot in the track list. deJesus did a piano arrangement for the song "Ayoko Nang Mabuhay Nang Ganito" ("I Don't Want To Live This Way Anymore"), the lead character's torch song, to which Vergara lent his vocals.
Formerly the art director of Summit Publishing's Real Living magazine, and creative director of the company's Special Publications group, Vergara is currently the creative director of the Philippine edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, a publication licensed through Hearst Magazines International. He is also developing the sequel to the Zsazsa Zaturnnah story.
One Night In Purgatory - producer, writer, illustrator, art direction
Angel Ace Next - contributing illustrator (published by Marco Dimaano for Alamat Comics)
"He Said, She Said" for Isaw, atbp. - illustrator (published by Quest Ventures)
The Lost #1 and #2 - cover art (published by Kestrel Studios)
2002
Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, parts 1 and 2 - producer, writer, illustrator, art direction
2003
Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, collected edition - writer, illustrator, art direction(contains bonus material, published by Visual Print Enterprises)
Siglo: Freedom - art direction(published by Quest Ventures and Kestrel Studios)
2004
"Palawan: 1944" for Siglo: Passion - writer, illustrator(published by Quest Ventures and Kestrel Studios)
2005
"Captain Blood" for Graphic Classics: Rafael Sabatini - illustrator (published by Eureka Productions)
2006
"The Myteries of Udolpho" for Graphic Classics: Gothic Tales - illustrator (published by Eureka Productions)
2008
"The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter" for Graphic Classics: Ambrose Bierce - illustrator (published by Eureka Productions)
Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila online preview - writer and illustrator
2009
"A Silent Reunion" for Komikero Anthology #1 - writer, illustrator
"Mission: Accomplished" originally for Love and Heartbreak, later published online - writer, illustrator
2010
"The Pit and the Pendulum" for Graphic Classics - illustrator (published by Eureka Productions)
2011 (tentative)
Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila - writer and illustrator
