El Eternauta
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El Eternauta is a science fiction comic book created by Argentine comic strip writer Hector Germán Oesterheld with art by Francisco Solano López. It was first published on Hora Cero Semanal from 1957 to 1959. El Eternauta, whose name might be rendered in English as "The Eternaut", has become one of the most influential comic books of the 20th century.
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[edit] Synopsis
The story begins with an extraterrestrial invasion to Earth. A deadly snowfall produced by the invaders covers Buenos Aires wiping out most life in a few hours. Juan Salvo, along with a couple of friends (Favalli and Lucas), his wife, and his daughter remain safe from the lethal snowflakes thanks to the protection of Juan Salvo's home and the cleverness of Favalli. They soon get organized in order to survive the snowfall, making special suits to leave the house protected from the snow, and gather supplies.
They soon find out the true nature of the strange phenomenon and join an improvised resistance army to fight the invaders back. They march to the country's capital city having to fight on different occasions against giant insects, a humanoid species with dozens of fingers on each hand, giant elephantine beasts capables of knocking a building down, and even other men who were captured and enslaved. As it turns out, these creatures are just pawns, remotely controlled through implants by the real invaders, who remain hidden, controlling everything from the distance.
After a few victories, the resistance is finally ambushed and reduced to just a few men. They split, and Juan Salvo tries to escape with his wife and daughter using one of the alien spaceships, but he accidentally triggers a time traveling machine in the craft. As a result, the three are lost in separate time dimensions known as continuums. Juan Salvo begins to travel through time seeking for them, thus getting the name of Eternauta.
[edit] Publications
The Eternauta was followed by a second part twenty years later, after a reprint of the original was met with startling success. The 1969's second version of the original part, by Oesterheld and Alberto Breccia, was kind of a shortened translation, with Breccia trying experimental drawing techniques.
A third part was published in 1983 by other authors, it was met with moderate success, and was critiziced for being just some sci-fi comic, instead of a real continuation of the series. The 1997's and 1999's series were criticized as disappointing if compared to the first and second one.
[edit] by Oesterheld
- El Eternauta (1957) by H.G. Oesterheld (script) and F. Solano López (art)
- El Eternauta, second part (1976) by H. G. Oesterheld (script) and F. Solano López (art)
- El Eternauta, remake (1969) by H. G. Oesterheld (script) and A. Breccia (art)
[edit] by others
- El Eternauta, third part (1983) by Alberto Ongaro (script), Mario Morhain and Oswal (art)
- Eternauta, el mundo arrepentido (1997-1998) by Pablo Maiztegui (script) and Solano López (art)
- El Eternauta, cosmic hatred (1999) by Pablo Muñoz, Ricardo Barreiro (script), Walther Taborda and Gabriel Rearte (art)
- El Eternauta, the return (2003) Pablo Maiztegui (script) and F. Solano López (art)
[edit] External links
- www.eternauta.com (Spanish)
