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miércoles, 5 de agosto de 2009

Carlos Giménez: no rest for the wicked


It isn’t easy for me trying to explain the importance of Carlos Giménez in the Spanish comic-book industry.
A plain writing on his life story, or a checklist on his work, wouldn’t pay justice to his figure. Spain has always been a soil of great comic-book artists, and Carlos Giménez is one of the most important mainstays in the contemporary Spanish comic-book medium.


Carlos Giménez (Madrid 1941) lived, as a child, the great explosion of the medium, which became a very popular format during the 40’s and the 50’s. This explosion made him set up his mind on becoming a professional artist, so he moved to Barcelona, and started working for some of the comic production agencies that were in the city.
It meant the beginning of an extensive career, where he has taken many different little steps in his evolution towards maturity. His growth took place at the same tine that the Medium’s development. From his training period —where he produce many anonymous work related to different comic genres—, and his stories for agencies —epoch that later he recreated so truthfully in Los Profesionales—, to his consolidation as an author with his unique and differenced style with Paracuellos.
In this story he recreates the memories of his own childhood confined in institutions, where “El Franquismo” shut away orphans or the children of those who had lost the Civil War.






During his spree, Giménez develops his own storytelling; but, at the same time, he aims to get to the biggest possible audience. Science-fiction, political and social humor, adaptations of literary works —where should stand out his recreations of Jack London’s novels, which include that masterpiece in the comic medium named Koolau el Leproso— and many other issues are the topics he works with in a more and more depurated and intense graphic language.
This explains how he manages to consolidate his works, although they are really linked, and even compromised, to the time and the people that surrounded their creation.
I mean, even though, his roots go deeper in his local influences, his works had and still have a universal repercussion, in the limited version of the comic universe.
Both Paracuellos and Los Profesionales belong to the most autobiographical part of his work.
They equally came to life thanks to his own memories and those of the ones who shared his experiences with Carlos: a childhood in the represive educational institutions of Franco’s regime; or being part of the staff of such an agency as Selecciones Ilustradas, in the Barcelona of last century’s beginning and middle 60’s.
The secret that explains why stories set in a concrete time of the memories of Spanish society, touch the spirits of readers who belong to different cultures with different memories may lay on his skill for mirroring the dark places of fear, starvation, or poverty which are common to all human beings.
And, of course, we must considerate the way he tells his stories, his ability at sharing feelings and emotions, his task as a narrator —a graphic narrator—, the same kind of narrator who gave warmth and illusion to the hard days of his childhood, as he represents in Paracuellos. His ability at creating characters, and use them in different situations with credible behaviors, measured dialogs, and strength in their expressions.



There are counted times, in the history of the medium, that eyes have had such a communicative intensity. There is also his authority over timing and especially those death periods where words and gestures reveal pain or expectatives.
And let’s not forget his handiness at making emerge an emotional impact —hopes, fears, disappointments, illusions…— both in everyday life anecdotes or vital situations.
These are just some of the reasons why Ven y enloquece shyly supports Carlos Giménez nomination for the Príncipe de Asturias awards.
May one day we all see the light.

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©Nino Ortea Gijón, 5-VIII-09


9 comentarios:

  1. Ese Marce y su ingles, estás hecho todo un profe...
    MUAC!!!

    ResponderEliminar
  2. Oh my god! What a great post and congratulations for your English Nino, who is the Master now? jejeje. I adore Gimenez's works, in special Paracuellos.
    See you
    Bye

    ResponderEliminar
  3. Es esa la superbañera de la que siempre me hablas y nunca enseñas?
    Estas mas mono con la careta, jajaja

    Un besin con sabor a sabado

    ResponderEliminar
  4. Bien, bien, bien.
    Una vez más, mis anónimos lectores optan por comentar anónimamente. Así que aprovecharé para aplicar mis inoperantres dotes detectivesco/intuitivas, je je.
    Como hoy es jueves, y ahora está lloviendo, por las huellas dejadas por las palabras, mi capricho me lleva a segurar que cada firma anónima enmascara a una leidecilla.
    En el primer caso, a alguna antigua alumna, quizás aficionada al chelo por lo melódico de sus palabras.
    En el segundo, juraría que pese a estar ya en agosto eres tú.
    Desde luego, lo de desfacer entuertos es de quijotes; pero lo de desanonimar anónimos no es para torpes.
    Voy por un café.

    ResponderEliminar
  5. ¡Oh, my Crowley!

    Pues ruborizado me has con tu comentario, da vero. Además, todos sabemos que la tele no miente, así que si tú lo dices es verdad. je je.

    No sé a ti, pero a mi esto del "Master & Servant" me suena muy depechmodiano. Así que, I just can't get enough.

    Creo que, la importancia de Carlos Giménez trasciende lo artístico, pues es una persona de marcada conciencia social y un creador que siempre ha luchado por defender el medio de la Historieta.

    La verdad es que me cuesta elegir una obra suya, aunque quizás la nostalgia me lleve a Dani Futuro. ¡Cosas de la edad!

    Take care.
    Soon.

    ResponderEliminar
  6. Jo! Se me olvido firmar
    Sorry
    Eso de agosto no lo entiendo. Porque iba a dejar de leerte en este mes? Tienes unas cosas de english teacher...
    MUAC y MUAC!
    Sara

    ResponderEliminar
  7. ¿También escribes en revistas extranjeras?

    ResponderEliminar
  8. Verás, Ismael, por escribir escribo hasta en las paredes de los w.c.
    Este artículo estaba pensado para la edición palpable de Play Boy, pero lo rechazaron por lisérgico.

    Sí, tengo alguna cosilla publicada por ahí en lenguas bárbaras. Incluso un libro en Inglés lleva mi nombre. Pero eso fue en otros tiempos más nuevos y menos salvajes, antes del año de la oscuridad.

    Pero, hace unas semanas he recibido una oferta de escribir para ultramar en el pérfido lenguaje de Mr. Bean., por lo que perfecionar mi inglis-pitinglis tengo que, por si la propuesta se convierte en realidad sin ser un show.
    Así que, a partir de ahora, cada vez que me encuentro un hueso en una aceituna deshuesada, cual Hamlet craneal, a la pepita le dedico un ripio en inglés. Sólo para practicar, pues acostumbrado estoy a que el eterno femenino me conteste con su silencio más inmortal.

    A cuidarse y abrigarse, que ya falta menos para Navidad.
    Un abrazo

    ResponderEliminar
  9. Sara, dulce Sara:

    Agosto puede ser un mes muy cruel, pero su amargura nada tiene que ver con tu dulzura.
    Simplemente, hay personas que (quizás deslumbradas por el sol) prefieren hacerse las ciegas a verme pasar, y simulan ser iletradas con tal de no reconocer que leen lo que no les escribo.

    Pero bueno, tu otrora English teacher se ha convertido en maestro de escapismo.
    ¡Chas!

    ResponderEliminar

Gracias por tu lectura comentada.

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