The name Varga was under ownership of Bulaklak Komiks. When Ravelo left Bulaklak Komiks in 1949 after a falling out with its editor, Varga stayed behind. Ravelo took the concept to Pilipino Komiks and transformed it to "Darna". Although the concept remained the same, Ravelo assigned another artist, Nestor Redondo, to illustrate his creation. Darna's first adventure was first serialized in the pages of "Pilipino Komiks" (Ace Publications, Inc.) #77 on May 13, 1950, where she was pitted against the sultry snake goddess, Valentina. Here, Narda, a young girl, swallows a stone, which has the word "Darna" on it, and transforms into Darna by shouting out the latter's name. Likewise, Darna turns back into Narda by shouting Narda's name. The stone, which was from the planet Marte, stays in her body. Her secret is known to her grandmother and her brother, Ding, who becomes her sidekick. Darna quickly gained popularity among Filipino comic book readers. The original Darna comics series, written by Ravelo and illustrated by Redondo, ran for 28 issues.