Péricles de Andrade Maranhão (August 14, 1924 - December 31, 1961), who signed only as Péricles, was a Brazilian cartoonist and caricaturist. He moved to Rio de Janeiro around 1942, starting to work in Diários Associados magazines, where he published his first characters. Péricles also illustrated

Millôr Fernandes Millôr Fernandes (August 16, 1923"Millôr Fernandes"
''Releituras'' (in Portuguese) – March 2 ...

' texts in the Pif-Paf section of '' O Cruzeiro''. His greatest success, however, was the gag cartoon ''O Amigo da Onça'', a character he drew for nearly 20 years, from 1943 until his death. ''O Amigo da Onça'' ("The Friend of the

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

" in literal translation) is a cynical man whose main objective in life is to harm or tease others. The name came from a joke that has some variations, but usually involves a hunter who tells a friend how he ran away from a jaguar, but his friend doubts him or creates complicated situations, to which the hunter concludes by asking: "Are you my friend or ''friend of the jaguar''?". The expression gained popularity with Péricles' character and is still used in Brazil today as a synonym for untrustworthy people. Péricles committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

on New Year's Eve 1961, asphyxiated by cooking gas. He also left a note on his doorstep that said "Don't strike a match". Getúlio Delphim and Zé Geraldo (signing together as "Equipe de O Cruzeiro") did ''O Amigo da Onça'' for two years. After them, Carlos Estevão worked on the comic from 1964 until his death in 1972. In 1999, Péricles was awarded posthumously with the Prêmio Angelo Agostini for Master of National Comics, an award that aims to honor artists who have dedicated themselves to Brazilian comics for at least 25 years.

References

{{LatAm-comics-creator-stub 1924 births 1961 deaths Brazilian comics creators Prêmio Angelo Agostini winners Brazilian cartoonists People from Recife Suicides by gas Suicides in Brazil