Carlos Giménez’s autobiographical account of the plight of children in post-World War II Fascist Spain has won virtually every comics award in Europe, including Best Album at the 1981 Angoulême Festival, and Angoulême’s Heritage Award in 2010.
Paracuellos is a work of great courage, created at a time when telling the truth about Spain's political past could get one killed. Its publication precipitated constant death threats from right-wing groups.
Author photo from the 1982 Spanish edition of Paracuellos.
“Carlos Giménez uses his mastery of the comic strip medium to create a new paradigm that establishes a dialogue between history and memory, and converts it into a demand for moral justice.” — From the Afterword by Carmen Moreno-Nuño, University of Kentucky “A powerful and heartrending book…a compelling product of a post-dictatorship era. “ —Sarah D. Harris, Bennington College
CARLOS GIMÉNEZ was born in Madrid in
$24.99 • EuroComics.us • idwpublishing.com
His other non-fiction works include the trilogy Spain United, Great, and Free (a chronicle of the political transition after Franco’s death), Barrio (tales of his teenaged years after leaving the orphanage), and The Professionals (his much lauded inside story of the Spanish comics scene in the 1960s). In 2003 Giménez was recognized with the Gold Medal in Fine Arts by Spain’s Ministry of Culture.
“The stories transcend just being about a historical moment in Spain. Their humanity will speak to everyone. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, these timeless works rank with the finest that comics has to offer, standing shoulder to shoulder with the best of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Eisner.” — William Stout, artist and illustrator HISTORY/GRAPHIC NOVELS
CARLOS GIMÉNEZ
1941. His first series in comics was Drake & Drake, followed by the popular Gringo, Delta 99, and Dani Futuro. It was with the publication of his powerful and moving tales of childhood in Franco’s Spain—Paracuellos in 1977 and Paracuellos 2 in 1982 (collected here in one volume)—that Giménez made the transition from craftsman to artist.
P A R A C U E L L O S
In the late 1930s when Spanish fascists led by Francisco Franco, and aided by Hitler and Mussolini, overthrew the democratically elected government, almost 200,000 men and women fell in battle, were executed, or died in prison. Their orphaned children— and others ripped from the homes of the defeated—were shuttled from State and Church-run “Home” to “Home” and fed a steady diet of torture and disinformation by a totalitarian state bent on making them “productive” citizens. Carlos Giménez was one of those children. In 1975, after Franco’s death, Carlos began to tell his story. Breaking the code of silence proved to be a milestone, both for the comics medium and for a country coming to terms with its past. EuroComics is proud to present this longawaited English translation of a comics masterpiece.
Placing the comics in historical perspective are illustrated essays by Carmen MorenoNuño, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Kentucky, and Antonio Martin, the foremost historian of Spanish comics.
EDITED AND DESIGNED BY Dean Mullaney TRANSLATION Sonya Jones COVER COLORING AND HAND-LETTERING William Stout ART DIRECTOR Lorraine Turner CONSULTING EDITOR Bruce Canwell Digital lettering font created from hand-lettering by Carlos Giménez.
EuroComics.us EuroComics is an imprint of IDW Publishing a Division of Idea and Design Works, LLC 2765 Truxtun Road San Diego, CA 92106 www.idwpublishing.com Distributed by Diamond Book Distributors 1-410-560-7100 ISBN: 978-1-63140-468-9 First Printing, March 2016 IDW Publishing Ted Adams, Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Greg Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer/President Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic Artist Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Matthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer Dirk Wood, VP of Marketing Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services Jeff Webber, VP of Licensing, Digital and Subsidiary Rights Jerry Bennington, VP of New Product Development
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Giménez, Carlos, 1941- author, illustrator. | Mullaney, Dean, 1954- editor, book designer. | Jones, Sonya, translator. | Stout, William, 1949- illustrator. Title: Paracuellos / by Carlos Gimenez ; preface by Will Eisner ; edited and designed by Dean Mullaney ; translation, Sonya Jones ; cover coloring and hand-lettering, William Stout. Description: San Diego, CA : EuroComics/IDW Publishing, [2016] Identifiers: LCCN 2015048812 | ISBN 9781631404689 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Giménez, Carlos, 1941---Comic books, strips, etc. | Spain--History--1939-1975--Comic books, strips, etc. | Graphic novels. | GSAFD: Comic books, strips, etc. Classification: LCC PN6777.G54 P3713 2016 | DDC 741.5/946--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015048812
© 1977, 1982, and 2016 Carlos Giménez. All rights reserved. Translation © 2016 The Library of American Comics. “The National Works of Social Aid” © 2016 Antonio Martin. “Paracuellos by Carlos Giménez: Confronting Spain’s Absent Past” © 2016 Carmen Moreno-Nuño. All rights reserved. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved. The EuroComics logo and colophon is a trademark of The Library of American Comics, LLC. All rights reserved. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the comic strips in this publication may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Korea.
Now!
AraGon HIGhway 14 km from Madrid Ow ! SShHhH !
There are some orANGE RINDS in HERE, but THEY’re ALL Greasy !
There’s NothiNG in HERe.
Antonio, I CAUGHT thesE two GOINg Through the GARbagE.
If You’ve BeEn eATing TrasH, one would assume that you are no longer hUNGRY.
I said, Hard !
Have THEM give you their snacks today.
Now, you -hit him back @
16
And you’re Going to slap your friend now, but goOD and HARD, because if You Don’ t, you’re going to to get one from me!
Very GoOd ! KeEp it up @
What are you waiTING for ?
Enough ! That’s Enough ! What do you want to do ? Kill Each other ?
now these TWO CAN Stay Right here;
; and the rest of YOU get in line AND go to chapel.
GET IN LiNE !
17
Just wait ‘til later ! I’m goinG to bust your lip. Praises for tHE EMpire’s Heroic deEds; are sailing on every breeze ;the Phalanx cadets are we; @
HAIl MARY ;
THE VISIT Listen! Today the national delegate is coming for an INSPECTION. She’lL be herE SHORTLY.
Lord, bless this foOd that we are about to take from your merciful hands.
Who’Ll Play [BugS in the FoOd] with me ? NOT ME.
Me Neither !
I Would Have Won anyWAY. I got FourteEn.
Do YOU LIke Milk ? Yes, Ma’Am.
SIlence !
ARE YOU STIlL Hungry ? UhH ; no ; No, m a’AM.
18
; conceived withOUT SIN !
I don’ t Want ANY trouble on YOUR acCount. you know how you have to behave yourselves.
ON YOUr FeEt!
WHAT’S Your NAme #
In the name of the Father , the Son, and the Holy GHOST; AMEN@
Today, after supPer , you’lL all get a cup of MILK as a rewarD. Be SEATED @
No. No, have them sit down. Let them KeEp EAting.
Elias, to servE You AND THE Lord.
And don’ t you want another cup OF MILK, ELIAS?
Uh; Sure.
No, Elias, not you. Stay here.
elias Sure is late.
What a LuckY guy!
He Must be about to BURST.
GET goinG now. single FIle. No talking, no noise. Hands behind your backs. Let’s Go, quickly!
Lord, we give THANKS for the FoOd we’ve received from your Merciful HANDS.
HeadmisTReSs, give this BOY ANOTHER cUp of Milk.
You’RE Going to have some more milk.
MA’am ; i Don’ t want any more MILK.
But the KETtle IS StilL full.
It ’s Elias.
He’S finAlLy coming out.
What a shame ; all that waSTED MILk.
19
DRink up!
THE NIGHT OF THE MAGI
this is epiphany eVe -- the night of the magi.
so ?
this is RUDY. His Father’s in Jail for being a comMunist.
ON THE night of January 5th, we had dinner just like on any other night;
;and like any other night;
thank you, lord, for the food we have received;
Nothing. Shall we make up stories ?
WHAT IF they catch us talking ?
This is GraBby. He doesn’ t have a father or mother, but his brother is in another orphanage.
; we went to bed. With god I go to sleep and wake ;
This is modesto, alias [Demon.” He doesn’ t have a mother or father.
this is CARLos. He doesn’ t have a father. His mother is in a T.B. sanitorium in BilBao.
this is Antolín. He’s an albino. They call him a BroOder and say he can see in the dark.
tHIS is pirracas. He eats flies, butTerflies, and Wasps -- and goes throuGh the garbage.
AND so On and so FORTH...
20
Modesto, are you asLeEp ?
No.
This is [Sweetmeat.] His faTHER abandoned him and his mother is a streetwalker.
This is “Dead Tuna.” He WETS his Bed.