JUAN SALVO: THE ONCE AND FUTURE PROTAGONIST
The History and Evolution
of The Eternaut
of The Eternaut
From its humble beginnings to "Part II"
“I had worked on that extraordinary collection called Más Allá, published by Abril,” Oesterheld said in an interview. “Ever since then, I had been toying with the idea for a short story that began with a group of friends playing truco while the city around them is dying under a deadly snowfall. The idea was to write a story with a quick ending, but it was such a success that it turned into a weekly serial that lasted two years. It was illustrated by Solano López, who kept a shining performance throughout its more than 350 pages, each with 12 panels, creating a popular comic with tremendous communicative power.”
That’s how the author himself described the beginnings of The Eternaut. The first installment of the strip appeared in Hora Cero Semanal magazine, on September 4th, 1957. It is clear that its author had not yet grasped its significance. As can be readily seen, The Eternaut wasn’t even featured on that issue´s cover. (Also: this issue contained no comic whatsoever with Japanese soldiers in it, so go figure!)
That’s how the author himself described the beginnings of The Eternaut. The first installment of the strip appeared in Hora Cero Semanal magazine, on September 4th, 1957. It is clear that its author had not yet grasped its significance. As can be readily seen, The Eternaut wasn’t even featured on that issue´s cover. (Also: this issue contained no comic whatsoever with Japanese soldiers in it, so go figure!)
El primer número de la revista Hora Cero Semanal, en la que se publicó la primera entrega de El Eternauta.
Sin embargo, ya desde la primera viñeta se presentaba con descripciones a la vez poéticas y ambiciosas:
The first issue of Hora Cero magazine, on which the first installment of The Eternaut was published.
"Una cita con el futuro"= "A rendez-vous with the future"
"Memorias de un navegante del porvenir" = "The memoirs of a navigator of the future"
In Oesterheld’s own words:
The Eternaut began as a short story of just 70 panels. It later turned into a long narrative, a sort of adaptation of the Robinson Crusoe theme. I was fascinated by the idea of a family left alone in the world, surrounded by death and by an unknown, unreachable enemy. I thought of myself, of my family, isolated in our house, and I began to wonder "What if..."
The process of answering that question lasted throughout two years and involved an extraterrestrial invasion and the desperate efforts that the protagonist, Juan Salvo, along with his family and friends, must undertake in order to survive the ensuing post-apocalyptic setting in a wrecked and desolate Buenos Aires. Even though by now many stories about alien invasions, The Eternaut stands apart from all the others for several reasons.
First: in the case of The Eternaut the aliens abandon their usual targets—New York, London, or Paris—and focus on an altogether unexpected target: Buenos Aires. For those of us who grew up in this city, it is especially unsettling to see iconic streets and corners occupied or destroyed by extraterrestrials. The Eternaut is, without a doubt, a gripping adventure story, but it is also far more than that. The events it narrates allow Oesterheld to explore the great themes of existence: the meaning of life, time, memory, transcendence, and death. Moreover, as in other works by the author, nothing in The Eternaut is quite what it seems: not all humans are entirely good, nor all invaders entirely evil. Among all the mysteries the story presents, the true purpose of the invasion proves to be the most elusive. Oesteheld´s prose is also admirable for its remarkable expressive power.
The final installment of the story was published on the September 15, 1959 of Hora cero semanal. Since then, its popularity has only continued to grow. No fewer than ten further editions have been published, and the story has been translated into translated into several languages.
Versions and Reinterpretations
Oesterheld attempted to rewrite The Eternaut on several occasions. None of them ever matched the power of the original. In the mid-1960s, he considered turning it into a prose novel. The idea lingered in his mind for many years, but he never managed to bring it to fruition. In 1969, he wrote a new comic version for the Argentine version of People magazine (appropriately called Gente, an exact translation of its US counterpart). This time, however, the illustrator was Alberto Breccia, known for his originality and creative license.
"Memorias de un navegante del porvenir" = "The memoirs of a navigator of the future"
In Oesterheld’s own words:
The Eternaut began as a short story of just 70 panels. It later turned into a long narrative, a sort of adaptation of the Robinson Crusoe theme. I was fascinated by the idea of a family left alone in the world, surrounded by death and by an unknown, unreachable enemy. I thought of myself, of my family, isolated in our house, and I began to wonder "What if..."
The process of answering that question lasted throughout two years and involved an extraterrestrial invasion and the desperate efforts that the protagonist, Juan Salvo, along with his family and friends, must undertake in order to survive the ensuing post-apocalyptic setting in a wrecked and desolate Buenos Aires. Even though by now many stories about alien invasions, The Eternaut stands apart from all the others for several reasons.
First: in the case of The Eternaut the aliens abandon their usual targets—New York, London, or Paris—and focus on an altogether unexpected target: Buenos Aires. For those of us who grew up in this city, it is especially unsettling to see iconic streets and corners occupied or destroyed by extraterrestrials. The Eternaut is, without a doubt, a gripping adventure story, but it is also far more than that. The events it narrates allow Oesterheld to explore the great themes of existence: the meaning of life, time, memory, transcendence, and death. Moreover, as in other works by the author, nothing in The Eternaut is quite what it seems: not all humans are entirely good, nor all invaders entirely evil. Among all the mysteries the story presents, the true purpose of the invasion proves to be the most elusive. Oesteheld´s prose is also admirable for its remarkable expressive power.
The final installment of the story was published on the September 15, 1959 of Hora cero semanal. Since then, its popularity has only continued to grow. No fewer than ten further editions have been published, and the story has been translated into translated into several languages.
Versions and Reinterpretations
Oesterheld attempted to rewrite The Eternaut on several occasions. None of them ever matched the power of the original. In the mid-1960s, he considered turning it into a prose novel. The idea lingered in his mind for many years, but he never managed to bring it to fruition. In 1969, he wrote a new comic version for the Argentine version of People magazine (appropriately called Gente, an exact translation of its US counterpart). This time, however, the illustrator was Alberto Breccia, known for his originality and creative license.
Despite Breccia´s undisputed talent, the style he employed never quite matched with the plot. Breccia´s style was certainly more artistic than Solano Lopez´, but it is also much darker and less realistic. Consider, for example, how he depicted the alien creatures known as "Hands":
In 1976, Oesterheld wrote The Eternaut: Part II. Unlike the first part, which was a story of survival, this sequel tells a story of resistance. To make the plot plausible, Oesterheld reduced the power and resources of the enemy. Instead of a full-scale invading fleet—before which humanity had proven defenseless—in this second part, the enemy is a lone alien who has been left stranded after his fellow aliens have retreated back into space.
This "Second Part" neither seeks nor reaches the mythical heights of the original 1957–1959 version. Moreover, rather than a true sequel, it feels more like—to use producers´jargon—a spin-off: a lateral story, which in spite of sharing some of its settings and/or characters, remains independent of the original. Despite this, it remains an excellent science fiction tale.
There were later sequels as well, based on scripts by other authors. But that, fellow humans, is another story.
There were later sequels as well, based on scripts by other authors. But that, fellow humans, is another story.