Comic Strips Come of Age
By Sergio Sinay (1975)
By Sergio Sinay (1975)
The decade of 1940 was coming to a close when a young Argentine geologist came face to face with a disheartening reality that, even today, remains sadly relevant in Argentina: after spending several years working on his university studies, he realized that working in that capacity would not provide him with sufficient earnings. Before long, Oesterheld embarked on a different, unexpected path—he became a writer of children’s stories for Editorial Abril, one of Argentina´s most important publishing houses in thos years. His time of employment in that role, however, would be limited. In 1951, Abril fully embraced the publiucation of comic strips —Salgari, Misterix, Rayo Rojo, and Cinemisterio would become landmark titles of that endeavor—and the young geologist was offered to join the effort: would he be willing to write some scripts for these publications? Oesterheld accepted—and this in turned set him on a succesful and rewarding path.
H. G. Oesterheld
Thus was the true calling of Héctor G. Oesterheld revealed. In the years elapsed since then his reputation would only grow, until he became known as the most outstanding Argentine comic scriptwriter and one of the most highly regarded worldwide.
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What´s rather curious is that before writing those scripts, I hadn’t even been a regular reader of comics. As a child, I had always preferred actual books. I had always felt that illustrations constrained the reader´s imagination. In spite of this, I had no trouble writing the scripts. I simply set out to write the kind of adventures I myself would have enjoyed reading"
With the goal of hiring the world´s top talent, Editorial Abril brought built a team that was formed by Italian illustrators that were then at the forefront of the genre. Important artists such as Hugo Pratt, Mario Faustinelli, Ivo Pavone, Guillermo Letteri, Sergio Tarquino, and scriptwriter Alberto Ongaro arrived in Argentina to become pioneers of a true revolution in comics. Oesterheld joined them. And alongside them were other national figures: Solano López, Carlos Vogt, Carlos Freixas, Walter Ciocca in illustration as well as Carlos Nalé Roxlo and Julio Portas as scriptwriters
Comics were beginning to come of age. While they did admittedly borrow a number of techniques from literature, the graphic arts, or cinema, comic strips proved that they were far from a mere imitation of any of the above arts, but rather a genre of their own, with its own distinctive rules and character.
Comics were beginning to come of age. While they did admittedly borrow a number of techniques from literature, the graphic arts, or cinema, comic strips proved that they were far from a mere imitation of any of the above arts, but rather a genre of their own, with its own distinctive rules and character.
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Many consider comic strips to be a minor genre and view them pejoratively. However, it is enough to read quality comics for one to realize that this is not at all the case. It is also highly unlikely that reading comics would be deleterious to someone who already has the habit of reading. On the contrary, in the case of children, comics can act as a intermediate step that leads them to actual literature. It is the responsibility of those who create comic strips to ensure that they act as a healthy and positive introduction. The genre certainly allows for this possibility."
Misterix magazine would become both the media and the source of the finest comic strips of that era, and this would go on until it ceased being published in 1957. And it would be through its pages—as was the case with its counterpart publication Rayo Rojo—that Oesterheld would launch his first characters: Sergeant Kirk (drawn by Pratt); Bull Rockett (Campani); Ray Kitt (Pratt); El Indio Suárez (Freixas). Also featured were Kim de la nieve (Kim of the snow, drawn by Faustinelli); Drake, the Adventurer (by Ongaro and Freixas); Fuerte Argentino (by Almada—actually Portas—and Ciocca); and Mark Cabot (by Ongaro and Vogt); among other legendary titles.
A combination of factors—most of them financial—caused the golden age of comic magazines in Argentina to being to fade as the 1950s drew to a close. In addition to Abril's titles, others had joined the market, such as Patoruzito, Puño Fuerte, El Gorrión, Hacha Brava, Bucaneros, Superhombre, Batman, and the magazines from Columba publishing house, like D’Artagnan, El Tony, and Fantasía, the latter three still in existence at the time of this writing.
The first major devaluations of the Argentine peso threw production costs into disarray, international agencies lured artists and writers away with better pay, and publishing houses decided to pursue new ventures.
A combination of factors—most of them financial—caused the golden age of comic magazines in Argentina to being to fade as the 1950s drew to a close. In addition to Abril's titles, others had joined the market, such as Patoruzito, Puño Fuerte, El Gorrión, Hacha Brava, Bucaneros, Superhombre, Batman, and the magazines from Columba publishing house, like D’Artagnan, El Tony, and Fantasía, the latter three still in existence at the time of this writing.
The first major devaluations of the Argentine peso threw production costs into disarray, international agencies lured artists and writers away with better pay, and publishing houses decided to pursue new ventures.
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"Those were the main factors behind the decline that the genre began to experience. But other oft-cited reasons such as a supposed lack of interest from readers or hypothetical competition from TV actually played no role at all. A reader of good comic strips starts young and does not lose their taste for such adventures as an adult. Besides, I don’t think TV was ever a real competitor. Comics have a universe of their own—something other media cannot offer, simply because they are different.”
Oesterheld himself would go on to prove that the genre was far from exhausted. Around 1957, just as the future of other comic magazines was clouded by uncertainty, he—together with his brother Jorge—embarked on a new venture: the magazines Frontera and Hora Cero, without a doubt the highest pinnacle ever reached by Argentine comics. Artists such as Hugo Pratt, Solano López, Carlos Roume, Ivo Pavone, Arturo del Castillo, Daniel Haupt, Jorge Molinterni, and Alberto Breccia raised aesthetic standards to match the remarkable maturity of the scripts. This was the period that saw the birth of those characters who are now considered classics, and who offered definitive proof of Oesterheld’s point: Randall, Ticonderoga, The Eternaut, Ernie Pike, Sherlock Time, Leonero Brent, and Sargent Kirk himself, among many others.
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We had total freedom to create whatever we wished. The stories could be very short—around 70 panels—barely reflecting an anecdote or a situation, or very long (like El Eternauta, which reached 3,000) and become the equivalent of a novel. But in every case, I always tried to develop what I consider essential: both the crafting of good plots, and the creation of strong characters—believable individuals with well-defined profiles and their own human conflicts.”
That depth of character is, for Oesterheld, almost a doctrine—and ultimately, it is the defining element of his work, the one that raised it above the naiveté and simplicity that would often fuel the argument of those who underestimate comics.
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No artist, no matter how brilliant, can rescue a bad script. And it isn´t possible for a writer to arrive at a good script unless he has certain cultural and spiritual curiosities. I believe what helped me was the humanistic education I had received through my studies. Also, the fact that I have always stayed in touch with good literature. Great literature is timeless, and within it lie the major themes of human existence. Ultimately, writing comics is about reflecting those same themes—within the limits of the medium—while narrating adventures. Personally, I’ve never been interested in supermen or invincible, all-powerful heroes. Only bad comics can come out of them. I prefer to write about ordinary people, about living stories that might actually happen to the reader.”
Plagued by financial difficulties—which had nothing to do with a decline in sales but rather with financial inexperience— Oesterheld´s magazines Hora Cero and Frontera ceased to be published in 1960. The value attributed to them can be illustrated by a single fact: in Parque Lezica—a true bazaar for everything ever published in Argentina in every genre—a complete collection of either magazine, if available, can fetch up to one million pesos in national currency. A single issue rarely sells for less than ten thousand pesos.
The graphic and literary impoverishment that marked Argentine comics after the disappearance of Oesterheld´s outstanding magazines seems to have only stopped about a year ago, with the arrival of Skorpio, a magazine that signaled the return of several excellent artists and showed a clear intent to revive “Oesterheldian” scripts, though still tinged with melodrama and concessions that Oesterheld had always avoided. Well received, that magazine became the spearhead for the emergence of Corto Maltés and Tit-Bits, two new publications aimed at revitalizing that tradition and recovering some of the finest works ever produced in Argentine comics.
The graphic and literary impoverishment that marked Argentine comics after the disappearance of Oesterheld´s outstanding magazines seems to have only stopped about a year ago, with the arrival of Skorpio, a magazine that signaled the return of several excellent artists and showed a clear intent to revive “Oesterheldian” scripts, though still tinged with melodrama and concessions that Oesterheld had always avoided. Well received, that magazine became the spearhead for the emergence of Corto Maltés and Tit-Bits, two new publications aimed at revitalizing that tradition and recovering some of the finest works ever produced in Argentine comics.
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This goes to show that readers never actually turned away, and that good comics are always welcome and eagerly awaited. Throughout all these years in which this kind of comic was not being produced, any publisher who had tried to do so would have succeeded, because the readers were—and still are— eager for high-quality work. That said, I don’t think we can speak of a true revolution in comics just yet. The ones sold by international agencies often have mediocre scripts, even though, at that level, the activity has always been intense and growing.
Moreover, while it’s true that there has been great progress in illustration, the so-called modernization of scripts isn’t always real. What needs to happen is for comics to incorporate all the themes and concerns that are becoming part of human life. But it must be done in a way that never loses the value of adventure. Sex, violence, and politics—when used gratuitously, as mere gimmicks and stripped of any context—end up conspiring against the very nature of the art form.”
Moreover, while it’s true that there has been great progress in illustration, the so-called modernization of scripts isn’t always real. What needs to happen is for comics to incorporate all the themes and concerns that are becoming part of human life. But it must be done in a way that never loses the value of adventure. Sex, violence, and politics—when used gratuitously, as mere gimmicks and stripped of any context—end up conspiring against the very nature of the art form.”
Although he no longer works on his earlier characters, Oesterheld remains active today. Now the leading scriptwriter for Columba’s magazines—D’Artagnan, El Tony, and Fantasía—his current creations include Kabul de Bengala (a kind of mythological hero), Haakon (an independent, intellectual adventurer who unravels police cases), Tres por la ley, Brigada Madeleine (stories about lateral episodes of the war), as well as a brand-new Viking saga. He produces about a dozen scripts per month, and he admits that what takes the most time isn’t the writing itself, but coming up with a good idea.
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I believe the comic genre allows for many possibilities. But you have to start by loving it, respecting it, and giving it the place it deserves in its own right. Those who don’t do that cannot produce good work. Many novelists have turned to writing comic scripts just to make some money, and the results were terrible, because their disdain was evident. There are also those who take up scriptwriting because they see themselves as failed writers. And neither of those paths work. Being a comic scriptwriter is something in and of itself. You have to read, you have to enrich your cultural education, you have to work hard, revise, and constantly strive for improvement.”
Although his current characters differ from those of the Frontera and Hora Cero era (nowadays Oesterheld gives more prominence to plot, though depth of character and inner conflict remain distinctive elements), his scripts are still recognizable, as they exemplify the possible and desirable path for a genre that is both massively popular and deeply valuable due to the breadth of audiences it is able to reach.
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At least that’s the way I’ve always approached this craft. There are many people—broad sectors of workers and individuals from humble backgrounds—who, due to cultural, economic, or social reasons, only read comics, and that places a great responsibility on anyone writing scripts. You can’t take it lightly; for if you do so, you could potentially harm your readers by thinking that, after all, comics are something minor, and thus writing in a sloppy or careless way. Nowadays a successful novelist will usually reach approximately 20,000 readers. A comic strip will easily reach over 100,000. Without love for the genre and respect for those readers, the craft becomes dangerous."”
After twenty-five years of work, a review of Héctor Oesterheld’s body of work could serve as a way to uncover those guiding principles behind the magical panels of his comics.
Sergio Sinay