Héctor Germán Oesterheld ( ; ; born 23 July 1919; disappeared and presumed dead 1977), also known by the common abbreviation HGO, was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

journalist, comics editor and writer of

graphic novels A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and ...

and

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

. He is widely celebrated as a master in his field and as one of the pioneering artists in modern Argentine comics. Through his comics, Oesterheld criticized the numerous military dictatorships that beleaguered the country in different periods ranging from 1955 to 1983, as well as different facets of

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

and

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

, choosing a subtle criticism in his early comics during the 1950s and early 1960s, and a stronger and direct approach in his later work, after the execution of

Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...

in 1967, and onwards from then on: in 1968 he wrote a biographical comic book of Che Guevara, which was subsequently banned and destroyed by the ruling military dictatorship self-styled as "Argentine Revolution" (1966–1973). However, it was later republished (and for the first time in complete form) in 2008. Shortly before the start of Argentina's last military dictatorship (1976–1983), Oesterheld and his daughters had joined the

Montoneros Montoneros (, MPM) was an Argentine far-left politics, far-left Peronism, Peronist, Camilism, Camilist and Catholic Church, Roman Catholic revolutionary Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla organization, which emerged in the 1970s during the "Argentine ...

, a leftist (and former

peronist Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Pe ...

) guerrilla group that immediately opposed the military junta. HGO continued to publish works in clandestine form while hidden in secret locations, but he was ultimately kidnapped and disappeared in 1977. His daughters were also arrested and disappeared, as were his sons-in-law. Only HGO's wife, Elsa Sánchez de Oesterheld, escaped the family's fate.

Biography

Oesterheld was born on 23 July 1919 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

to a German/mestizo father, Fernando Oesterheld and a Spanish

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

mother, Elvira Ana Puyol. His early studies were in geology, which has been said to contribute to his acuity as a science fiction writer. He began his journalistic career in the early 1940s. His first work appeared in the daily '' La Prensa'' newspaper and then was published by Codex. He moved to Abril publishers, where he began his extensive career as a

writer. During his student years he also begann learning the constructed language

Esperanto Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...

and had international correspondence in it. Soon after, he married Elsa Sánchez. Their first daughter, Estela, was born in 1952, Diana a year later, Beatriz in 1955, and Marina in 1957. Oesterheld was befriended by a group of postwar Italian comics writers, including Mario Faustinelli,

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), better known as Hugo Pratt, was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as '' Corto Maltese''. He was indu ...

, Ivo Pavone, and Dino Battaglia, also known as the ''Venice Group''. Together these artists and writers became part of what is known as the " Golden Age of Argentine Comics." They merged into an international scene of artists and writers whose works were published worldwide. In 1957 Oesterheld and his brother Jorge founded Editorial Frontera. Together they published various comic magazines, including ''Hora Cero Semanal'' (weekly), ''Hora Cero Mensual'' (monthly), and ''Frontera Mensual'' (monthly). In 1958 he started writing '' El Eternauta'', probably his most popular and critically acclaimed work. The strip, with artwork by

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

, told the story of his meeting with a time traveler, who had already lived over 100 lives and has journeyed to the past to warn the protagonist of a future catastrophe. The strip was published in ''Hora Cero'' over 106 weekly episodes and was a massive success. His publishing house closed five years later due to a combination of the economic crisis sweeping Argentina in the 1960s, foreign competition, and the exodus of Argentine comic artists to Europe. Oesterheld continued writing for other magazines such as ''Zig-Zag''. His work slowly acquired a greater political emphasis. His 1968 biography of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, a year after Che's death, was removed from circulation by the government and the originals destroyed. In 1970 he wrote a biography of Evita Peron, dedicated to

. In 1973 he published ''450 Years of War Against Imperialism''. During the

military government A military government is any government that is administered by a military, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue or by an occupying power. It is usually administered by military personnel. Types of m ...

of the 1970s, Oesterheld is believed to have joined, following his four daughters, a leftist

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

group, the

. His story ''El Eternauta, Part II'' (1976) described a futuristic Argentina under a dictatorship. In 1977 Oesterheld disappeared. He was last recorded as seen alive in late 1977 or early 1978, the year when he was presumably murdered by the dictatorship. His family believed he was among the tens of thousands to have disappeared and been killed by the government. His four daughters, along with their respective partners, were also abducted and either killed or remain missing to this day: * Beatriz, by then 19 years old, was abducted by the military on June 19, 1976 in Martínez, after meeting with her mother to announce that she was leaving political activism and would begin studying medicine at university. Her body was handed to her mother several days later. * Diana, who was 23 at the time, was abducted a month later, on August 7, 1976 in

San Miguel de Tucumán San Miguel de Tucumán (), usually called simply Tucumán, is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Argentin ...

. She was taken along with her one-and-a-half-year-old son, Fernando. She was pregnant at the time of her abduction, and she may have given birth in captivity. However, nothing was ever heard of her or this possible second child. Her body has never been recovered. * Marina, by then 20, was abducted on November 27, 1976 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires Province. She was eight months pregnant, and it is believed that she, like her sister Diana, may have given birth in captivity. Her body was never located and nothing has ever been learned about the fate of her possible child. * Estela, the eldest of the four sisters, was 25 when she was killed in a shootout in Longchamps, Argentina on December 13, 1977, along with her partner, Raúl Mórtola. The military took their bodies, which have never been found. Out of the whole family, the only survivors were Oesterheld´s wife Elsa and two grandsons: Martín and Fernando. Martín (born in 1974 to Estela and her partner Raúl Mórtola) was handed to Elsa by the military after his mother Diana had been killed Fernando (born 1975 to Diana and her partner Raúl Araldi) was left by the military at an orphanage after the abduction of her mother. He was left there without any identifying information with the goal of erasing his identity. His paternal grandparents found out about this, rescued him and raised him themselves. Elsa Sánchez participated in the protests of the

Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo () is an Argentina, Argentine human rights association formed in response to abuses by the National Reorganization Process, the military dictatorship by Jorge Rafael Videla. Initially the association worked to find ...

. She became one of the spokeswomen for the

Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo () is a human rights organization with the goal of finding the children stolen and illegally adopted during the National Reorganization Process, 1976–1983 Argentine military dictatorship. The president is Este ...

, which advocates for the return of children of the " disappeared" to their birth families. When the Italian journalist Alberto Ongaro enquired about Oesterheld's disappearance in 1979, he received the reply: "We did away with him because he wrote the most beautiful story of Ché Guevara ever done". Argentine journalist Jacobo Timmerman, in his memoir of his own captivity, ''Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number'' (1981), recalls seeing Oesterheld in 1977 across the hall in a prison. In a report to the Argentine

National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (Spanish: ', CONADEP) was an Argentine organization created by President Raúl Alfonsín on 15 December 1983, shortly after his inauguration, to investigate the fate of the (victims of force ...

, which published its findings in 1984 entitled ''Nunca Más'', Eduardo Arias recalls seeing Oesterheld between November 1977 and January 1978. He said the man was in terrible physical condition and at the secret detention center , which prisoners had sardonically named "".

Legacy

Oesterheld worked with artists including

, Alberto Breccia,

, Ivo Pavone, Dino Battaglia, as well as Horacio Altuna, José Massaroli, Eugenio Zoppi, Paul Campani, Gustavo Trigo, Julio Schiaffino and others.

Bibliography

Early period

* ''Alan y Crazy'', artwork by Eugenio Zoppi. * ''Bull Rocket'', artwork by Paul Campani,

, and others * '' El Sargento Kirk'', artwork by Hugo Pratt and others * ''Ray Kitt'', artwork by

. * ''Tarpón'', artwork by Daniel Haupt. * ''Uma-Uma'', artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Indio Suárez'', artwork by Carlos Freixas and Carlos Cruz.

''Ediciones Frontera''

* ''Ticonderoga'' (1957), artwork by Hugo Pratt and Gisela Dexter * ''Rolo, el marciano adoptivo'' (1957), artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Nahuel Barros'' (1957), artwork by Carlos Roume * '' Ernie Pike'' (1957), artwork by Hugo Pratt, Francisco Solano López and others * '' El Eternauta'', artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Cayena'' (1958), artwork by Daniel Haupt * ''Dr. Morgue'' (1959), artwork by Alberto Breccia * ''Buster Pike'' (1959), artwork by Julio Schiaffino * ''Randall'', artwork by Arturo del Castillo * ''Lacky Piedras'', artwork by Carlos Cruz * ''Tipp Kenya'', artwork by Carlos Roume * ''Verdugo Ranch'', artwork by Ivo Pavone * ''Patria vieja'' (1958), artwork by Carlos Roume and Juan Arancio * ''Hueso clavado'', artwork by Ivo Pavone * ''Leonero Brent'', artwork by Jorge Moliterni * ''Rul de luna'', artwork by Francisco Solano López and Horianski * ''Capitán Lázaro'', artwork by Enrique Cristóbal * ''Pichi'', artwork by Carlos Roume * '' Sherlock Time'', artwork by Alberto Breccia * ''Tom de la pradera'', artwork by Ernesto García Seijas * ''Lord Crack'', artwork by Hugo Pratt, Bertolini, Moliterni and Flores * ''Amapola negra'', artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Joe Zonda'', artwork by Francisco Solano López and Julio Schiaffino * ''Pereyra, taxista'' (1960), artwork by Leopoldo Durañona * ''Mortimer'', artwork by Rubén Sosa * ''Doc Carson'', artwork by Carlos Vogt * ''Cachas de oro'' (1961), artwork by Carlos Vogt * ''Santos Bravo'', artwork by Arancio * ''Historias de la ciudad grande'', artwork by Leandro Sesarego, Ángel A. Fernández and García Seijas * ''Paul Neutrón'' (1962), artwork by Schiaffino.

Third period

* ''Capitán Caribe'' (1961), artwork by Dino Battaglia * '' The Eternaut 1969'', artwork by Alberto Breccia * '' Mort Cinder'' (1962), artwork by Alberto Breccia * ''León Loco'' (1963), artwork by García Seijas * ''Herida Mortal'' (1963), artwork by Durañona. * ''Birdman'' (1964), artwork by Eugenio Zoppi. * ''Futureman'' (1964), artwork by Eugenio Zoppi.Futureman
Oesterheld Library Blog * ''Lord Pampa'', artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Watami'', artwork by Moliterni * ''Artemio, el taxista de Buenos Aires'', artwork by Néstor Olivera and Pablo Zahlut * ''Tres por la ley'', artwork by Marchionne and José Massaroli * ''Argón el justiciero'', artwork awing by Vogt * ''Brigada Madeleine'', artwork by Sierra * ''Aakón'', artwork by Ángel A. Fernández and José Massaroli * ''Kabul de Bengala'', artwork by Horacio Altuna * ''Roland el Corsario'', artwork by

José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...

and others * ''Marvo Luna'', artwork by Francisco Solano López * ''Russ Congo'', artwork by Carlos Clement * ''Loco Sexton'', artwork by Arturo del Castillo * '' Vida del Che'' (1968), artwork by Enrique and Alberto Breccia, biography of

* ''La guerra de los Antartes'' (1970), artwork by León Napoo and Gustavo Trigo * '' Evita, vida y obra de Eva Perón'' (1970), artwork by Alberto Breccia, a biography of

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...

* ''450 años de Guerra Contra el Imperialismo'' (1973), artwork by Leopoldo Durañona * ''Nekrodamus'' (1975), artwork by Horacio Lalia * ''Watami'' (1976), artwork by Jorge Moliterni * ''El Eternauta II'' (1976), artwork by Francisco Solano López

References

External links

Agrupación Oesterheld

Héctor Germán Oesterheld´s Historical Archives

on Lambiek Comiclopedia

on Historieteca

on Henciclopedia

FFF

Bedetheque {{DEFAULTSORT:Oesterheld, Hector 1919 births 1970s missing person cases 1977 deaths Argentine comics writers Argentine science fiction writers Argentine journalists Argentine people of Basque descent Argentine people of German descent Missing Argentine people Enforced disappearances in Argentina Montoneros Writers from Buenos Aires People killed in the Dirty War