Zsazsa Zaturnnah (full name: Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah, translated to The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah) is a cult-favorite superhero comic from the Philippines. The story follows Ada, a gay man, who comes in contact with a large, spikey meteor which, when ingested, turns him into the Wonder Woman-esque superheroine Zsazsa Zaturnnah. Zsazsa soon finds herself in conflict with the man-hating Queen Femina from Planet XXX and her fellow Amazonistas. The writer, Carlo Vergara, is writing the sequel, Zsazsa Zaturnnah sa Kalakhang Maynila (Zsazsa Zaturnnah in Metro Manila)
The comic spawned a stage musical and, later, a feature film starring BB Gandanghari (as Ada), Zsazsa Padilla (as Zsazsa Zaturnnah) and Pops Fernandez (as Queen Femina).
The various versions of Zsazsa Zaturnnah provide examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Krystal just can't seem to take a hint.
- Amphibian at Large: One story has a giant frog emerge from a volcano.
- Arch-Enemy: Queen Femina Suarestellar Baroux
- Betty and Veronica: Demure Ada as Betty and the flamboyant Zaturnnah as Veronica.
- Bullet Time: Invoked and lampshaded in the first fight scene as Zaturnnah and her attackers get stuck in a frozen shot long enough for Didi to investigate and get hit when they move again
- By the Power of Grayskull!: "ZATURNNAH!"
- Camp Gay: Ada's assistant, Didi
- Canon Foreigner: Aruba, Poldo and Mang Justin in the movie
- Crossdresser: Ada and Didi
- Does Not Like Men: Queen Femina and her Amazonistas
- Eating the Eye Candy: Many people fall over themselves in front of Dodong's oft-shirtless body
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: Zaturnnah must face a zombie invasion partway through the movie, orchestrated by Queen Femina
- Gay Conservative: Ada. In The Movie she's not so much politically conservative as very self-conscious about her identity offending people.
- Henshin Hero: Ada needs to become Zsazsa Zaturnnah to acquire powers
- Human Aliens: The Amazonistas
- In a Single Bound: Zsazsa Zaturnnah can't fly, but she sure can jump.
- Informed Flaw: Ada mentions once in the movie that as Zaturnnah he loses his hair-styling skills, but this is never demonstrated in the movie. (Well, because he *can't* do it.)
- Kaiju: One of Zaturnnah's opponents is a giant frog
- Manly Gay: Dodong is a slightly downplayed example, nearly on the border with Straight Gay, except he gets lots of sculpted Shirtless Scenes, especially when he's helping out around the community (and helping Zsazsa battle enemies of course).
- Magical Queer: Invoked and Discussed, as to whether Bakla naturally resistant to Zombies, but ultimately Averted.
- Magic Meteor
- Most Common Superpower: which are able to deflect bullets
- The Movie: Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Moveeh
- The Musical: the stage show and movie
- Reluctant Warrior: Both Ada and Zsazsa need a lot of goading and persuading from Didi before they start kicking ass.
- Sequel Hook: the movie ends with one, after a second stone falls from the sky
- Shirtless Scene: Dodong in his introduction, and after his initial encounter with the zombies
- Shout-Out:
- he song "Ikaw Ang Superhero ng Buhay Ko" (You are the Superhero of My Life" mentions other superheroes from the Philippines, such as Darna, Lastikman and Captain Barbell.
- Zsazsa's origin story mirrors Darna's (finding a meteor from outer space, ingesting it grants the user a transformation into a superpowered woman).
- Straight Gay: Ada hews more to this, even if he does run a beauty parlour and is otherwise effeminate in lifestyle and chosen profession. He's not as outwardly expressive as his assistant Didi.
- Stripperiffic: Zsazsa Zaturnnah, but also the Amazonistas, with the comic version of Queen Femina especially
- Super Gender-Bender: Ada has no special powers, but Zsazsa Zaturnnah does
- Super Hero: Zsazsa Zaturnnah
- Super Hero Origin
- Super-Speed
- Super-Strength
- Start of Darkness: Planet XXX used to be No Woman's Land until the Amazonistas revolted and committed Gendercide.
- Third-Option Love Interest: Krystal thinks she's this, but Dodong shows no interest in her.
- Trans Equals Gay: Both Ada and Didi repeatedly self-identify as "Bakla," which is an umbrella term used for gay men, trans women, and any androphile who is born into a male body. In Fillipino society, Bakla are traditionally considered a third sex. The fact that the U.S. version of the subtitles translates Bakla as "Fag" doesn't help matters much.
- Transformation Trinket: The Zaturnnah meteor
- Villain Song: Queen Femina describing her backstory and motivations
- Womb Level: Zsazsa gets swallowed by that giant frog and has to cut her way out.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: The Amazonistas had a very compelling reason to rebel against their male captors. Outright killing them off was, understandable, given what they'd been through. Trying to wipe out every male in the universe, good or evil, was not acceptable.