Tiago Garcia
Contributing Writer
The world might seem rather bleak nowadays. The government is incompetent, extremist groups are on the rise and the other world superpowers do not seem to have the best intentions. In these tumultuous times, regular comedy might not seem to cut it anymore as it’s just too… “happy.”
If you sometimes feel this way, then I am happy to present to you one of the best cartoonists Latin America has to offer: Quino.
Born as Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón on July 17, 1932 in Mendoza, Argentina, Quino always had an interest in drawing. After the death of both of his parents, Quino decided to drop out of school and pursue a career as a cartoonist.
Despite being only 17 years old, he found success soon after. In 1954, Quino started publishing regularly in the magazine Rico Tipo as well as the journals Tía Vicenta and Dr. Merengue.
Quino published his first recompilation book in 1963, and later that year he created what would become his most famous character to date: a politically minded little girl called “Mafalda.”
The comic strip “Mafalda” follows the titular little girl and her friends as they engage in the mundane antics of everyday life. At first glance, the cast of little children might seem like Argentinian “Peanuts,” but that couldn’t be farther from the truth, as most of the humor in this comic strip starring six-year-olds consists of surprisingly cynical political commentary.
A good example is the strip where Mafalda gets a pet, which happens to be a turtle named “Bureaucracy.” Another example is when Mafalda goes on vacation and makes a new friend, a small girl named “Freedom,” who is also on vacation.
The juxtaposition between the political commentary and the cast of little children is a treat to read as Quino uses the simple viewpoints of the children to create the simplified world in which most political cartoons operate.
Sadly, most of the gags in “Mafalda” rely on what the characters say, rather than on what they do, so the language barriers between English and Spanish is quite troublesome. Regardless, anyone who either knows a little bit of Spanish or has the patience to translate the comics should definitely give them a read, but there is an alternative.
The most interesting thing about Quino is that, despite being most famous for his comic strip “Mafalda,” he was also a prolific political cartoonist.
As a political cartoonist, Quino was very interested in a “big picture” view of politics more than in individual characters or policies.
His strips deal with broad social or political tendencies, like the divide between different viewpoints, the manipulative rhetoric of politicians and the roles of women and youth.
Interestingly, these strips show Quino at his best, since without little children running around, the humor can range from cynical to mean spirited. Without their simplified viewpoints, the strips are an exercise in minimalism to the degree of throwing out words altogether.
The comic shown here is an excellent example, as it has no words, a simple premise, only one joke and is still hilarious regardless.
I hope you will go read some Quino and enjoy the wonders of a cartoonist that seems to become more relevant as time goes on.