Carlos Giménez, España, Una, Grande y Libre (1976-1977), and Comics of the Transition

Francie Cate-Arries

doi:10.7238/dd.v0i9.391141

Abstract

I reexamine the Spanish Transition in terms of the interventions that cartoonists in the 1970s used to lay bare the machinations of the old regime still in power. Specifically, I analyze Carlos Giménez’s España, Una, Grande y Libre series, an exemplary counter-narrative against the dominant discourse produced by post-Franco government officials and economic power brokers. This collection—which denounces state-sanctioned violence and champions popular mobilizations in the name of a more just society—is also a pioneering work that makes visible the victims of the long-silenced crimes of Francoism.

Highlights

I reexamine the Spanish Transition in terms of the interventions that cartoonists in the 1970s used to lay bare the machinations of the old regime still in power
Countless other cartoons by Máximo that appear in subsequent issues of Por Favor offer insight into the hopes and fears of divergent sectors of Spanish society who would contemplate the uncharted and barely discernible path ahead in the earliest post-Franco years
A 1976 comic depicts members of the far-right—supporters of the most stalwart, firmly entrenched Franco-era officials who swore not to give an inch in any future negotiations with the opposition, the diehards of the bunker—who would resort to deadly violence before accepting democratic reforms

Summary

Introduction

I reexamine the Spanish Transition in terms of the interventions that cartoonists in the 1970s used to lay bare the machinations of the old regime still in power.

Results

Conclusion