Brandon's Impotent Rage
21st March 2015, 07:53
If you're a fan of world comics culture, or just love historically important graphic novels....this is kind of a big deal.
Of course, you could be Argentine, in which case you already know about this.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qBsE9xd6L.jpg
This comic was originally created in the 50s, and has been continued off and on over the years. It's an apocalyptic space opera, epic in proportion and grim in nature. It's about a group of people from Buenos Aires who witness the wholesale destruction via a poisonous snowfall and invasion of the Earth by a hostile alien force that is bound and determined to subjugate the human race at all costs. Such themes as mutation, time travel, warfare and resistance are explored throughout.
This comic is famous for two reasons: For one, it's a rollicking apocalyptic adventure tale.
On the other hand, it's also political allegory. It rather brilliantly uses various science fiction tropes in order to comment on the political situation in Argentina during the authors' run. Things like imperialism, dictatorship, and the fear of nuclear war are all discussed within the panels.
There are two halves (well, two and a half) to the original comic. Originally created in the 1950s by famed comics scribe and journalist Hector German Oesterheld, and drawn by late Argentine legendary cartoonist Fransico Solano Lopez, the first part of this story ended in 1959. Oesterheld would eventually move on to other projects, such as the famed Western comic Sgt. Kirk (he was kinda like the Argentine Stan Lee, except he actually created everything credited to him and could actually write).
Then, things changed. By 1969, Argentina and much of Latin America was in turmoil. Apalled by the dictatorial regimes and American imperialism that had become a regular feature of Cold-War era South America, Oesterheld decided to remake the comic with a different artist (Alberto Breccia), adding more explicit political content and more violence. This story ran until the end of 1969.
Then, came the now famous second part. In 1974, after a coup de tat that led to the now infamous Argentine military junta (the same one responsible for the Falklands debacle), the new government began a system of rightist state terror that became known as La Guerra Succia, or 'The Dirty War'. Leftist guerrillas, Communist Party members, trade unionists, labor organizers, and anyone who was suspected of even remote socialist sympathies were targets of 'disappearing'. Oesterheld was appalled at what had become of his country and his government. Having already shown his left-wing sympathies with a graphic biography on Che Guevara, Oesterheld once again revived El Eternauta , reuniting with original artist and fellow dissident Lopez. For the next two years, the comic would become even more political in nature, openly attacking the evils of dictatorship and political corruption under the guise of science fiction adventure. Oesterheld was forced to go into hiding, and is believed to have had to change his location five or more times during this comic's run.
Then, in 1977, the worst case scenario happened. Oesterheld and his four daughters had become active in the Monteneros left-wing guerrilla movement. Between 1975 and 1977, all four of his daughters and their husbands were 'disappeared' by the Argentinian government (this is even reflected in the comic). Then in 1977, they finally came for him.
Oesterheld was never heard from again. It's believed he died in an internment came in 1979. Lopez was eventually forced to flee to Spain.
They couldn't kill his work, however. The character is now a symbol of rebellion in Argentina. It's not unusual to see graffiti featuring the character:
http://argentina.swred.com/el_eternauta_en_la_calle.jpg
It's being published by Fantagraphics and is set to be released in August.
If this sells well enough, we may be able to also get a translation of Oesterheld's Che graphic novel. It's supposed to be one of the best non-fiction comics ever published.
Of course, you could be Argentine, in which case you already know about this.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qBsE9xd6L.jpg
This comic was originally created in the 50s, and has been continued off and on over the years. It's an apocalyptic space opera, epic in proportion and grim in nature. It's about a group of people from Buenos Aires who witness the wholesale destruction via a poisonous snowfall and invasion of the Earth by a hostile alien force that is bound and determined to subjugate the human race at all costs. Such themes as mutation, time travel, warfare and resistance are explored throughout.
This comic is famous for two reasons: For one, it's a rollicking apocalyptic adventure tale.
On the other hand, it's also political allegory. It rather brilliantly uses various science fiction tropes in order to comment on the political situation in Argentina during the authors' run. Things like imperialism, dictatorship, and the fear of nuclear war are all discussed within the panels.
There are two halves (well, two and a half) to the original comic. Originally created in the 1950s by famed comics scribe and journalist Hector German Oesterheld, and drawn by late Argentine legendary cartoonist Fransico Solano Lopez, the first part of this story ended in 1959. Oesterheld would eventually move on to other projects, such as the famed Western comic Sgt. Kirk (he was kinda like the Argentine Stan Lee, except he actually created everything credited to him and could actually write).
Then, things changed. By 1969, Argentina and much of Latin America was in turmoil. Apalled by the dictatorial regimes and American imperialism that had become a regular feature of Cold-War era South America, Oesterheld decided to remake the comic with a different artist (Alberto Breccia), adding more explicit political content and more violence. This story ran until the end of 1969.
Then, came the now famous second part. In 1974, after a coup de tat that led to the now infamous Argentine military junta (the same one responsible for the Falklands debacle), the new government began a system of rightist state terror that became known as La Guerra Succia, or 'The Dirty War'. Leftist guerrillas, Communist Party members, trade unionists, labor organizers, and anyone who was suspected of even remote socialist sympathies were targets of 'disappearing'. Oesterheld was appalled at what had become of his country and his government. Having already shown his left-wing sympathies with a graphic biography on Che Guevara, Oesterheld once again revived El Eternauta , reuniting with original artist and fellow dissident Lopez. For the next two years, the comic would become even more political in nature, openly attacking the evils of dictatorship and political corruption under the guise of science fiction adventure. Oesterheld was forced to go into hiding, and is believed to have had to change his location five or more times during this comic's run.
Then, in 1977, the worst case scenario happened. Oesterheld and his four daughters had become active in the Monteneros left-wing guerrilla movement. Between 1975 and 1977, all four of his daughters and their husbands were 'disappeared' by the Argentinian government (this is even reflected in the comic). Then in 1977, they finally came for him.
Oesterheld was never heard from again. It's believed he died in an internment came in 1979. Lopez was eventually forced to flee to Spain.
They couldn't kill his work, however. The character is now a symbol of rebellion in Argentina. It's not unusual to see graffiti featuring the character:
http://argentina.swred.com/el_eternauta_en_la_calle.jpg
It's being published by Fantagraphics and is set to be released in August.
If this sells well enough, we may be able to also get a translation of Oesterheld's Che graphic novel. It's supposed to be one of the best non-fiction comics ever published.