Background
Coching was born in Buting, Pasig, Rizal Province in the Philippines. He was the son of Gregorio Coching, a Filipino novelist in the Tagalog-language magazine Liwayway.
Coching was born in Buting, Pasig, Rizal Province in the Philippines. He was the son of Gregorio Coching, a Filipino novelist in the Tagalog-language magazine Liwayway.
He served as both illustrator and writer for his comic book stories, Coching is referred to as the "King of Komiks", and as the "Dean of Philippine Comics". Coching was unable to finish his studies in order to be an illustrator for Liwayway under the apprenticeship of Tony Velasquez. In 1934, at the age of fifteen, Coching created Bing Bigotilyo (Silahis Magazine).
Coching had been influenced by Francisco Reyes, another pioneer in the Filipino comic book industry.
In 1935, he created Marabini (an amazon warrior in Bahaghari Magazine). World World War II interrupted Coching’s career in comics.
He became a guerrillero (guerilla) for the Kamagong Unit of the Hunters-Reserve Officers Training Corps resistance organization. After the Second World War, Coching created Hagibis, a Tarzan-like and Kulafu-like character in Liwayway Magazine.
El Negro (1974) was his last komiks novel.
After 39 years in the komiks industry, Coching retired in 1973 at the age of 54. Coching was able to produce 53 komiks novels overall. He died at age of 79 on September 1, 1998.
Coching influenced many other Filipino illustrators.
Among them were Noly Panaligan, Federico C. Javinal, Carlos Lemos, Celso Trinidad, Emil Quizon-Cruz, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, and Emil Rodriguez. Almost all of Coching’s komiks novels were adapted into films, with the exception of three titles.
Among those that were made into a movie was El Negro in 1974.