Colombia.
Colombia
1890
Colombian comics, popularly called caricaturas, monos or monachos, lack a continuous tradition and developed late and in fits and starts.
Political caricature led the way in the 19th century with Alberto Urdaneta and Alfredo Greñas, and Pepe Gómez and Ricardo Rendón carried it into the 20th. The first Colombian comic strip is Mojicón, which Adolfo Samper began in 1924, and Ernesto Franco's Copetín ran in El Tiempo from 1962 to 1994. Since the 1990s magazines, festivals and graphic memoirs such as Power Paola's Virus Tropical have widened the scene.
30
19
1890
1990s
Artists from Colombia in the archive.
Comics from Colombia in the archive.
El Zancudo, the earliest comic from Colombia in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Colombia began.
historieta
Colombia in 5 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Colombia.
5 chapters
Chapter 1
1877
to 1923
Political caricature and the illustrated press
1877
to 1923
Chapter 01
Political caricature and the illustrated press
Alberto Urdaneta drew sharp caricatures in his paper El Mochuelo in 1877 and founded Papel Periódico Ilustrado in 1881. Alfredo Greñas published satirical papers such as El Zancudo (1890 to 1891) and was jailed and then exiled. In the 1910s and 1920s Pepe Gómez and Ricardo Rendón brought political cartooning into the 20th century.
1924
to 1960
Chapter 02
Mojicón and the first strips
Adolfo Samper began Mojicón in the newspaper Mundo al día on 19 February 1924, first adapting Walter Berndt's American strip Smitty and then writing his own stories. It is called the first Colombian comic strip. Samper later made Don Amancise, and children's magazines such as Chanchito (1933), Merlín (1940), El Fuete (1942), Michín (1945) and Pombo (1948) appeared.
1962
to 1989
Chapter 03
Copetín, native heroes and underground magazines
Ernesto Franco's Copetín began in El Tiempo in 1962 and ran until 1994, showing street life through the eyes of a gamín, or street child. Carlos Garzón published Calarcá in 1969 and Serafín Díaz published La Gaitana in 1970, both built on indigenous figures. Independent titles followed, including Click! (1979 to 1984), Los Monos from El Espectador (1981) and W.C. (1986).
1990
to 2009
Chapter 04
Magazines, festivals and Medellín titles
Bernardo Rincón founded Acme Comics in Bogotá in 1992, Diego Cardona began Zape Pelele in Medellín in 1993, and the Calicomix festival started in 1994. Nani's Magola (1995) and Vladdo's Aleida (1997) brought characters with social and feminist commentary. In the 2000s Medellín produced Robot and Shock, and Pablo Guerra's Biblia Shock del Cómic (2005) sold more than 80,000 copies.
2010
to today
Chapter 05
Graphic memoirs, conventions and digital catalogues
Power Paola's Virus Tropical (2011) took Colombian graphic memoir to international readers and became an animated film in 2017. Festivals now include SOFA (from 2009), Entreviñetas (2010), Comic Con Colombia (2013) and FICCO (2016). Digital catalogues such as ComicColombiano list independent publishers and creators.
The comics to know
- Mojicón1924 · comic stripAdolfo Samper. Considered the first Colombian comic strip; ran in Mundo al día.
- Copetín1962 · comic stripErnesto Franco. Strip in El Tiempo until 1994 about a street child.
- Calarcá1969 · comic stripCarlos Garzón. Comic built on an indigenous leader.
- Los Monos1981 · comics magazineDirected by Jorge Peña. Comics magazine from the newspaper El Espectador.
- Acme Comics1992 · comics magazineBernardo Rincón. Quarterly comics magazine that ran 13 issues.
- Magola1995 · comic stripNani. Feminist character.
- Aleida1997 · comic stripVladdo. Character commenting on relationships and gender.
- Virus Tropical2011 · graphic novelPower Paola. Graphic memoir adapted as an animated film in 2017.
The people to know
- Adolfo Samper1900 to 1991Made Mojicón, the first Colombian comic strip.
- Ricardo Rendón1894 to 1931Leading political cartoonist of the 1920s, active in El Espectador and El Tiempo.
- Alfredo Greñas1857 to 1949Satirical publisher and cartoonist of the 1880s and 1890s.
- Ernesto FrancoCreator of the strip Copetín.
- Bernardo RincónBorn 1959Founder of Acme Comics and the Museo Virtual de la Historieta Colombiana.
- VladdoBorn 1963Political cartoonist and creator of Aleida.
- NaniCartoonist and creator of Magola.
- Power PaolaBorn 1977Graphic memoir author of Virus Tropical.
More artists from Colombia
All 30 artists- Serafín Díazcomics artist
- Carlos Garzóncomics artist
- Jorge Orlando Soltaucomics artist
- Pablo Guerracomics artist
- Diego Cardonacomics artist
- Jorge Peñacartoonist
- Pepe GómezJosé María Gómez Castro1892 to 1936 · political cartoonist
- Débora Arango1907 to 2005 · cartoonist
- Fabián Tuñon Benzocomics artist
- Jagoillustrator
- Daniel Rabanalcomics artist
- Muyi Neiracomics artist
More comics from Colombia
- El Zancudo1890 to 1891 · comics magazine
- W.C.1986 · comics magazine
- Click!1979 to 1984 · comics magazine
- Robot2003 · comics magazine
- Don Amancise1943 to 1951 · comic strip
- La Gaitana1970 · comic strip
- Dreamtales2007 · webcomic
- Shock2003 · comics magazine
- Fantoches1926 to 1932 · comics magazine
- Zape Pelele1993 · comics magazine
- Güipascomics magazine