Comic book industry in Mejico
The comic book industry in Mejico (Spanish: historieta, cómic, monitos) is one of the oldest in the Americas, and one of the most influential in the Iberoamerican world. Dating back to the early 20th century, the industry has flourished and become an integral part of Mejican popular culture. After Japan, the United American Dominions, Taiping China, Korea, and Argentina, Mejico is one of the largest producers of comic books, with the local industry being worth over 700 billion ₧.
The history of comic books in Mejico dates back to the early 1900s, with the publication of serialized comic strips in newspapers. The industry experienced its First Golden Age in the 1930s and 1940s, and its Second Golden Age in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it has been in decline ever since the 1980s, as local series and publications gave way to the growing market of Japanese manga, which is today one of the main influences of Mejican comic books. The main themes of Mejican comics today are diverse, ranging from superheroes and fantasy to historical and charro comics.
The main publishers in Mejico are Horibuchi Multimedios, dedicated primarily to serializing and publishing manga; Promotora ¡Ka-Búm!, publishing mainly superhero and fantasy comics; and Editorial Novaro, which remains an important player in the industry, specializing in reprints of classic and popular comic book titles. Nostrafort is currently the most popular digital publisher, supporting independent artists with the serialization and distribution of their works. Many comic strips are still published on newspapers, typically only a few panels long, but their influence has waned in recent years.
Popular Mejican comic book artists include Alberto Cubatas, known for his intricate superhero designs, and Lourdes Mendoza, whose fantasy artwork has captivated readers. Additionally, there are numerous independent comic book creators who have gained a following through online platforms and self-publishing.
History
The matter of the origin of Mejican comics is controversial. Many consider the main precursor of Mejican comics to be Indigenous codices, while others point to Nahuatl catechisms, which included rich pictorial depictions. Comic books, in general, are considered a byproduct of industrial modernity, and thus reject the hypothesis. Political cartoons have been present in Mejico since at least 1820, and were used as a form of satire and commentary on the political and social climate of the time, including the cartoons typical of Mejican polemic publications. During the Liberal Era, more politically neutral comics began to appear, and the cigarette company "El Buen Tono" introduced the first periodic series of "monos" (referring to characters), a series of 102 lithographies painted by Eusebio Planas.
In the coming decades, serial comic strips would be published in newspapers, such as Don Chepito (1902) and Aventuras de un turista (1903-1904), both of them with fixed protagonists. Anglo-American influence became more marked as the new century progressed, with the first strips with speech bubbles, kinetic lines, and drawn onomatopeias. During the Mejican Civil War, Mejican comics became more politicized and bellicose, typically conservative, with series such as Sisebut (1909-1910) and characters such as Panchito el corto. Anglo-American syndication influenced Mejican comics, and sold the right to publish American comics, providing newspapers such as El Sol, El Universal, and Excélsior with popular titles such as Superman, Batman, and Spiderman.
Newspapers were the primary venue for a long time, and many Sunday strips became largely popular. Charros, vaqueros, and rural life became largely popular themes in Mejican comics, with titles such as Don Catarino y su apreciable familia and Las polainas de Don Ceferino, while humorous titles such as El Señor Pestaña, Adelaido el Conquistador and Segundo I, Rey de Moscabia. Catholic cartoonists took the opportunity of the growth of comics to create religious-themed comic strips, such as Todos Santos and El Padre, mi compadre, with characters such as Padre Noriega, a detective priest. Later on, dedicated magazines were established to specifically focus on comic book content, such as Paquín, Paquito, Chamaco and Pepín. The latter was the most successful, achieving sales of more than 1 million copies per issue at its peak in 1944.
The Mejican comic industry reaches its First Golden Age in the 1930s, peaking in the 1940s, and ending in the 1950s, with titles such as A batacazo limpio, Los Supersabios, Adelita y las guerrillas, Don Isidoro Peralta y sus cristeros, Rolando Rabioso, Memín Pinguín, Los Superlocos, and La Familia Burrón. In 1949, Editorial Novaro introduced the Anglo-American format of the comic book, helping the superhero genre to reach new heights in Mejico, surpassing charro and vaquero comics. Locally produced and didactic comics were supported by the Mejican government, and Novaro became the "most prolific and important [company] dedicated to comics in Mejico". In the 1950s, the "historieta novelada de ancho lomo" format, typically known as "anchas", was introduced. These long and thematic stories tend to be 250-300 pages long. Erotic comics and luchador comics were also significant during this time.
In the 1960s and 1970s, nationalist series were promoted and supported by the Mejican government, with titles such as Tonatiuh, La Chichimeca, Yax Yopaat, and Mentes Mejicanas, which aimed to celebrate Mejican culture and history. Anti-government comics also emerged during this period, such as El Elektrón, although they were mostly suppressed by Salvador Abascal. The superhero genre experienced explosive growth, with characters such as Orión, Atlante, Kalimán, Tamakún, Kendor, Fantomas, Torbellino, Centauro Negro and El Águila gaining popularity among Mejican readers and becoming staples of Mejican pop culture. Other genres such as crime (Casos de Alarma, Tres veces maldito), horror (Tradiciones y leyendas de la colonia, El monje loco, Hermelinda Linda), humor (El Barón Fido, Jaimito Pineda), science fiction (Aníbal 5, Duda, Profesor Planeta), and children-oriented (Pipo, Vía Láctea) comics were also prominent at this time.
From the 1980s, with the popularization of Japanese manga came the rise of the mecha genre, with series like Karmatrón y los Transformables and Destrúktor, el Defensor Cósmico becoming hits among Mejican readers. The influence of manga also brought a shift in art style and storytelling techniques within the Mejican industry, resulting in the rise of the "mejicanime" genre, which blended elements of Mejican and Japanese culture, especially interested in kaiju, mechas, and ninjas and samurai. Samurái John Barry and Don Justo Ucondono were two iconic characters that emerged during this period. As the popularity of manga grew, the demand for translated versions of Japanese manga increased, leading to the establishment of Mejican Japanese manga publishing companies, such as Horibuchi Multimedios, today the largest graphic novel publishing company in Mejico.
The decline of the Mejican comic book industry has continued into the 21st century, with few local publications being produced. The industry has faced numerous challenges, including competition from foreign comics, changing consumer preferences, and the rise of digital media. However, there are still some notable Mejican comic book artists and creators who continue to produce unique works. Despite the decline, there have been efforts to revitalize the industry. The government has introduced initiatives to support local artists and promote the creation of Mejican comics. Independent publishers, such as Nostrafort and Empirio Editorial, have emerged to fill the void left by the decline of the mainstream comic book industry.
Recent titles such as the humorous strip Doña Nati Corrales, the charro strip ¡Arre, Arredondo!, the horror story Vórtice, and the fantasy El Ángel de la Justicia, have gained some popularity among Mejican readers, although they compete with a market heavily influenced by both Japanese manga and Anglo-American superhero comics.