Quadrinhos, that’s what I hope these comics from Brazil will be called. The most anyone hears about this region’s comics is because of two factors. From Mauricio de Sousa’s iconic Monica franchise to a deliberately bad Mega Man comic. That latter one however is not without merit. Brazil has a long history of relying on foreign content, that Sousa’s work typecast the comic scene. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing though. The comics much like Brazil itself have come to establish their own identity.
The Foreign Model
Like most comics, Brazil’s quadrinhos begin in political satire. Naturally, this is due to the Portugese presence… What? That’s it! The Portuguese printing press and newspaper production set the stage with political cartoons.
Pretty soon magazines in tribute to French publications appear. Of course most of their content and characters are knockoffs or imports like Felix the Cat. After a while, most people just began to rely on license imports like Flash Gordon. For pity’s sake there was even a Comics Code in reaction to the horror comics. It’s a blessing in disguise though; the restrictions allow for the development of Turma de Mônica.
The Quadrinhos’ Icon
Mauricio de Sousa’s groundbreaking series was inspired by the Peanuts while drawing on his own childhood. After a lot of trial and error, Sousa develops the characters until three protagonists take the spotlight. The title character proves popular enough to compete with the likes of even Disney comics. Heck Sousa’s work is so widespread he establishes himself as a Walt Disney-like figure, complete with a theme park. Unfortunately with that much fame comes a lack of competition.
A Period of Knockoffs
With most people in Brazil lacking formal knowledge on comics other than imports, it’s hard to establish an identity. Most of the time people just create pastiches of popular characters like Tarzan or Zorro. Some artists of Japanese descent even try pastiches of Astro Boy when not doing samurai tales. At times, creators try to recreate foreign characters. For example the Judoka based on Charlton Comics’ Judomaster. You know that campy bodyguard from the Peacemaker show. It’d be a few decades before anyone made more original content.
But with 70s Brazil dealing with a military dictatorship, that’s forgivable. Not that it was all bad, humor newspaper Pasquim proved influential long after it ceased printing. Some cartoonists had to make their own papers to get by. Not that it stopped politicians from taking legal action. Thankfully they didn’t last as long.
Quadrinhos Inspired by Manga
After years of missed opportunities and rise of comic associations in Brazil, manga-inspired projects arise. Noted webcomic Combo Rangers is a reaction to the growing presence of manga. So good it’s a semi-regular winner of the Troféu HQ Mix awards. That’s pretty much Brazil’s Eisners, you know Oscars for comics.
Others like Holy Avenger use the designs of 90s manga such as Record of Lodoss War while using Dungeons & Dragons-like systems. It’s notoriety not only wins the series HQ Mix awards but recognition in Japan. You wanna know the biggest means way of saying this is a success; Holy Avenger imitators! Before long even Monica gets the manga treatment.
Monica Adventures takes the kids from Monica’s Gang and has them reimagined as teenagers. The high school hijinks and absurdist commentary evoke both slice-of-life manga and even Archie Comics. Did it get imitators? Oh yes, comics like Monica’s main rival Luluzinha did so.
By now you probably see the point of that jerkish artist, José Roberto Pereira. What’s the point of having success if it’s just renewing existing content or trying to copy others? But who cares when international interest picks up?
International Quadrinhos
By the 2010s interest in Brazilian comics enter the 21st century. For example, brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá gain so much notoriety their series Daytripper won an Eisner. Thanks to the internet, some Brazilian creators follow suit to have their work licensed for the states.
Papercutz, a specialized license publisher got to bring in two Quadrinhos. Valente (Vincent in Papercutz’s Super Genius imprint) is a heartwarming series about dealing with puppy love.
But the one that gets the most international is Monica Adventures. No, not the translated strips, it’s the manga styled Monica Teens under a new name. First published in January, the series gets a piggyback through Papercutz’s Free Comic Book Day 2019 issue. Only for a lack of quality control to throw potential new fans off. Being published out of order or lacking formal character introductions can do that.
Nowadays Papercutz is too busy on their best-sellers and being bought by Mad Cave Studios. So yeah, I don’t know who holds the rights to the licenses, but they don’t seem to be a priority. Which since the Monica franchise is Brazil’s first impression of comics, that’s going to hold Quadrinhos back a bit. Maybe Pereira had a point; but did he have to try to kill off Mega Man?
Quadrinhos Are Here To Stay
So some people in Brazil have set up a crowdfunding website to get around limitations. Catarse much like Kickstarter allows creators to get funds through a campaign or a subscription payment like on Patreon. Aside from webcomics like Combo Rangers, original series like Tales of the Orixas have also come up. That series in turn is likely a reaction to the rise of Nigerian comics due to the focus on Yoruba deities. But you know what, that’s okay. The modern Brazil has built up an identity from all of the people living in there.
Besides one character from the 90s, Lagarto Negro has gotten a resurgence. The creator Gabriel Rocha gives out his superhero to a number of publishers to increase his profile. Which thanks to nostalgic fans proves to be a pretty big success.
A land’s identity isn’t just who lives there but how it reacts to the world around them. Brazil is a land that learns much from its surroundings. While many of their most notable stories are inspired by other ones, no Brazilian denies that help is great. In their attempts to stay relevant in a changing world, the country’s creatives take strides to innovate. From apps to interactive QR Codes, Quadrinhos show the world what they’ve got.
Where Exactly (In English)?
True, Quadrinhos aren’t exactly front page English news, but there are a few around. My first was a webcomic called Bear on Tapas. I’m not sure if this counts but Rafael Scavone has been making his presence known. You might know him from his Comixology Originals like Red Tag. Then there’s Felipe Cagno’s The Few and Cursed which is growing a cult following.
The ink’s not dry yet, there are probably more breakthroughs yet to happen. Thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.