Costa Rica.
Costa Rica
1973
Costa Rican comics developed late and unevenly, because political caricature dominated the press in the early decades.
Noé Solano and Paco Hernández used picture sequences mainly for satire, and Juan Díaz's Glupy, begun in La Nación in 1973, is described as the first Costa Rican comic strip. Hugo Díaz Jiménez and groups such as La Pluma Sonriente kept comics and graphic humor going through the 1980s and 1990s. Since the 2000s a new generation has published fanzines and graphic novels, among them Edo Brenes's Puerto Langosta.
13
16
1973
1970s
Artists from Costa Rica in the archive.
Comics from Costa Rica in the archive.
Glupy, the earliest comic from Costa Rica in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Costa Rica began.
historieta
Costa Rica in 4 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Costa Rica.
4 chapters
Chapter 1
1901
to 1972
Caricature before comics
1901
to 1972
Chapter 01
Caricature before comics
Ezequiel Jiménez Rojas drew satirical caricatures of everyday life in papers such as El nuevo Bocaccio in 1901. The Colombian cartoonist Alfredo Greñas, exiled from his home country, settled in Costa Rica and ran the newspaper La Prensa Libre. Noé Solano (1899 to 1971), who drew the strip Candelario, and Paco Hernández (1895 to 1961) used picture sequences mainly for political satire rather than as a comics art form.
1973
to 1979
Chapter 02
The first strips
Juan Díaz began Glupy in La Nación in 1973, and it reached more than 35 Latin American newspapers through King Features. Fernando Zeledón Guzmán started La semana en serio in the magazine Adelante in 1974, and Carlos Alvarado Salazar created the adventure strip Carlos Pincel in 1975. Hugo Díaz Jiménez published the satirical collection El mundo de Hugo Díaz in the late 1970s, while imported US strips and Mexican comics inspired local artists.
1980
to 1999
Chapter 03
Humor groups and magazines
La Pluma Sonriente, a movement for graphic humor and comics, began in the 1980s and held annual salons, inviting the Mexican cartoonist Rius in 1992 and 1997. Óscar Sierra Quintero drew Mitos y leyendas de Costa Rica (1984 to 1991) and edited the humor magazines De Oreja a Oreja and La cabra en patines (1985 to 1990). Zeledón's La semana en serio ended in 1991, and the 1990s brought manga-influenced magazines such as Camaleón and K-Oz.
2000
to today
Chapter 04
New generations and international books
Francisco Mungía's Pantys led the daily comics section of La Nación in 2001 and 2002, and La Pluma Cómic took the first Costa Rican comics exhibition abroad to Milan in 2003. The alternative magazine Revista Fotocopia, later called Ultracomics, ran from 2009 to 2014. Edo Brenes, born in 1985, now publishes graphic novels such as Puerto Langosta (2019) and Memories from Limón (2021) in several languages.
The comics to know
- Glupy1973 · comic stripJuan Díaz. Described as the first Costa Rican comic strip; syndicated in more than 35 Latin American newspapers.
- La semana en serio1974 · comic stripFernando Zeledón Guzmán. Satirical strip in the magazine Adelante that ended in 1991.
- Carlos Pincel1975 · comic stripCarlos Alvarado Salazar. Adventure strip about a spy.
- Mitos y leyendas de Costa Rica1984 · comic stripÓscar Sierra Quintero. Ran in La Nación until 1991.
- Tricolíncomics magazineFélix Arburola Bustos. Children's magazine with a circulation of up to 50,000.
- Revista Fotocopia2009 · comics magazineIván and Andrés Ramírez Ortiz. Alternative comics magazine, called Ultracomics from August 2010.
- Puerto Langosta2019 · graphic novelEdo Brenes. Graphic novel published in four languages.
The people to know
- Hugo Díaz Jiménez1930 to 2001Caricaturist and author of El mundo de Hugo Díaz.
- Noé SolanoNoé Solano Vargas1899 to 1971Early caricaturist who drew the strip Candelario.
- Paco Hernández1895 to 1961Early caricaturist of political satire.
- Juan DíazCreated Glupy.
- Fernando Zeledón GuzmánCreated La semana en serio.
- Óscar Sierra QuinteroCartoonist and editor of humor magazines.
- Félix Arburola BustosDied 2015Comics artist and children's illustrator known for Tricolín.
- Edo BrenesEduardo José Brenes CerdaBorn 1985Graphic novelist published in several countries.
More artists from Costa Rica
More comics from Costa Rica
- Leyendas costarricenses en novela gráfica2011 · graphic novel
- Memories from Limón2021 · graphic novel
- Pantys2001 to 2002 · comic strip
- Aparthotel Deluxe2024 · graphic novel
- De Oreja a Oreja1985 to 1990 · comics magazine
- Candelariocomic strip
- Las fisgonas de Paso Anchocomic strip
- El mundo de Hugo Díazgraphic novel
- La cabra en patines1985 to 1990 · comics magazine