Brazilian comics (known in
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...
as ''HQs, gibis, revistinhas, historietas'', ''quadrinhos'' or ''tirinhas'') started in the 19th century, adopting a satirical style known as
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
, charges or
caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
that would later be cemented in the popular
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
s. The publication of magazines dedicated exclusively to comics, in Brazil, started at the beginning of the 20th century. Brazilian artists have worked with both styles. In the case of American comics some have achieved international fame, like
Roger Cruz
Roger Cruz (born Rogério da Cruz Kuroda on February 22, 1971, in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian comic book artist.
Biography
Cruz started his professional career as a letterer for Editora Abril, the Brazilian publishing house, for whom he ...
with
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
and
Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato (; born May 23, 1963), sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.
Early life
Mike Deodato was born on May 23, 1963 in Campina Grande, Paraíb ...
with
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
,
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
and others.
History
Precursors and initial steps (1837–1895)
![1837 first caricature in Brazil - Regency](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/1837_first_caricature_in_Brazil_-_Regency.png)
Brazilian comics have a long history, that goes back to the 19th century. As a
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqua ...
, the first drawing was circulated in 1837, sold in separate like a
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
, by
Manuel de Araújo Porto-alegre
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
. This author would latter create a magazine of political humor in 1844.
![Angelo Agostini-Pires](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Angelo_Agostini-Pires.jpg)
In the late of the 1860s,
Angelo Agostini
Angelo Agostini (April 8, 1843 – January 23, 1910) was an Italian-born Brazilian illustrator, journalist and founder of several publications, and although born in Italy, is considered the first Brazilian cartoonist.
Biography
Agostini was b ...
continued the tradition of introducing the Brazilian journalistic and popular publications, drawings with themes of political and social satire. Between his most popular characters, drawn as protagonists of stories in comics, were
Nho Quim (1869) and
Zé Caipora (1883). Agostini published in magazines like ''Vida Fluminense'', ''
O Malho
''O Malho'' (Portuguese: ''The Mallet'') was a Brazilian weekly satirical magazine published from 1902 to 1954. It was based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first commercially successful Brazilian satirical magazine during the Republican re ...
'', and ''Don Quixote''.
''O Tico-Tico''
Released on October 11, 1905, the magazine ''
O Tico-Tico
''O Tico-Tico'' was a weekly Brazilian children's magazine, published between 1905 and 1977. It was the first magazine to publish comics in Brazil. It also featured stories and educational activities. Among its famous readers were Erico Verissimo, ...
'' is considered the first comic book in the country. Designed by the cartoonist Renato de Castro, the project was presented to Luís Bartolomeu de Souza e Silva, the owner of the magazine ''O Malho'' (where Angelo Agostini worked after the cancellation of ''Don Quixote'').
After being approved, the magazine was attended by Angelo Agostini, who created the logo and some stories.
The format was inspired by the French children's magazine ''
La Semaine de Suzette
''La Semaine de Suzette'' was a French magazine aimed at girls, which appeared from 1905 until 1960. It contained early comics like '' Bécassine''.
History
''La Semaine de Suzette'' (''Suzette's Week'') started in 1905 as a magazine aimed at c ...
'', which had some of its characters adapted to a Brazilian version. The magazine had the collaboration of renowned artists such as
J. Carlos (responsible for the graphic changes in 1922), Max Yantok, and Alfredo Storni.
The most successful character in the magazine was
Chiquinho (published between 1905 and 1958), considered for many years an original Brazilian creation (however, in recent publications the character has been accused of being a rip-off of the American character
Buster Brown
Buster Brown is a comic-strip character created in 1902 by Richard F. Outcault. Adopted as the mascot of the Brown Shoe Company in 1904, Buster Brown, along with Mary Jane, and with his dog Tige, became well known to the United States of America ...
).
Other characters who starred in the magazine were
Reco-Reco, Bolão e Azeitona by
Luiz Sá,
Lamparina by
J. Carlos,
Kaximbown by
Max Yantok,
Max Muller
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) (1 ...
by A. Rocha, and others.
In the 1930s, some American strips and characters, such as
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
,
Krazy Kat
''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an US, American newspaper comic strip, by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Journal-American, New Yor ...
, and
Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...
, were published in the magazine. J. Carlos was the first Brazilian artist to draw characters from the
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
in the pages of ''Tico-Tico''.
The magazine lost popularity in the 1930s when new comic books and newspaper comic strips were released in Brazil. The magazine ended in 1957, with some republications until 1977.
Supplements and the creation of the Publishers
In September 1929, the newspaper A Gazeta creates a comic supplement in tabloid format, based on the
Sunday supplements of the American comics; in the following month, Casa Editorial Vecchi (an Italian origin publisher) published the magazine: ''Mundo Infantil'', but the success of the supplements was given in 1934 with the creation of the magazine ''Suplemento Infantil'' (later renamed as ''Suplemento Juvenil'') by
Adolfo Aizen
Adolfo Aizen (Ekaterinoslav, June 10, 1907 – Rio de Janeiro, May 10, 1991) was a Russian Empire-born Brazilian journalist and editor. He grew up in Salvador, moving to Rio de Janeiro at the age of 15. In Rio, he worked at the publisher O Malho ...
. Aizen was known to work in the newspaper ''
O Globo
''O Globo'' (, ''The Globe'') is a Brazilian newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. ''O Globo'' is the most prominent print publication in the Grupo Globo media conglomerate.
Founded by journalist Irineu Marinho, owner of ''A Noite'', it was orig ...
'', and also in magazines ''
O Malho
''O Malho'' (Portuguese: ''The Mallet'') was a Brazilian weekly satirical magazine published from 1902 to 1954. It was based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first commercially successful Brazilian satirical magazine during the Republican re ...
'' and ''O Tico-Tico''. His project was loosely inspired by American comics, he formed partnerships to publish the stories with characters like
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
,
Mandrake the Magician
''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloon ...
,
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...
,
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.[Roberto Marinho
Roberto Pisani Marinho (December 3, 1904 – August 6, 2003) was a Brazilian businessman who was the owner of media conglomerate Grupo Globo from 1925 to 2003, and during this period expanded the company from newspapers to radio and television.
...](_blank)
to compete against the Suplemento Juvenil. ''O Globo Juvenil'' was responsible for introducing characters such as
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
,
The Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...
,
Prince Valiant
''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretc ...
,
Li'l Abner
''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn ...
,
Alley Oop
''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...
, and the republication of some titles from Suplemento Juvenil.
In 1937, a new character was created through the newspaper supplements called ''A Garra Cinzenta'', created by Francisco Armond and
Renato Silva. The character has become known for its mature themes involving
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
,
horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
* Horror film, a film genre
*Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
. The comics ended in 1939 totaling 100 pages, and was later republished in the
Franco-Belgian market.
Titles
*''
Turma do Pererê
Turma do Pererê, or just Pererê, was a Brazilian comic book series created by writer and cartoonist Ziraldo in 1959. The series was originally launched in single-panel cartoons originally published in the pages of magazine ''O Cruzeiro'' that ...
''
*''
Turma da Mônica
''Monica's Gang'' or ''Monica and Friends'' (Portuguese: ''Turma da Mônica''; British English: ''Monica & Friends'') is a Brazilian comic book series and media franchise created by Mauricio de Sousa.
The series originated in a newspaper comic ...
''
*''
O Menino Maluquinho
O Menino Maluquinho (''The Nutty Boy'') is a comic book and comic strip series created by Brazilian writer and cartoonist Ziraldo. It was based on the eponymous children's book published in 1980 which for many years was regarded as a classic of ch ...
''
*''
Senninha''
*''
Combo Rangers
''Combo Rangers'' is a series of webcomics created in 1998 by Japanese-Brazilian author Fábio Yabu. It is based on Japanese manga and the Super Sentai series. It started off as a parody, then developed more serious storylines that still included ...
''
*''
Holy Avenger
''Holy Avenger'' is a Brazilian comic book series by writer Marcelo Cassaro{{cite web, title=Creator Bios, url=http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/features/117704-kickstart-my-heart-hero-party.html, website=The Outhouse, accessdate=23 April 2 ...
''
*''
Sítio do Picapau Amarelo''
*''
Geraldão''
*''
Níquel Náusea''
References
{{Comics