Kalimán
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalimán is the name of a Mexican comic book hero very famous across Latino America. He was created by Rafael Cutberto Navarro and Modesto Vázquez González. The Kalimán comic depicts the adventures of Kalimán and his young companion Solín, an Egyptian kid who is descended from Pharaohs. Kalimán had his own radio show since 1963, which featured adventures that took place on exotic sites. It is important to mention that the comic book was born due to the huge success of the radio show of the same name.
Kalimán's origin is unknown, which helps the sense of mystery that surrounds the character. What we know is that he's an orphan, he has been adopted by prince Abul Pahsa, from one of the kingdoms in the valley of Kalimantan and he's the fifth man in a dynasty of men dedicated to preserving justice in the world, and he's the seventh man of the goddess Kali's dynasty. He sworn an oath to the Kali to wander the world fighting for justice, a vow he must return to India to renew every seven years.
Kaliman wears an all-white outfit without marks, except the jeweled-encased "K" he wears in his turban. He doesn't use weapons, except a blowpipe with tranquilizer darts and a ceremonial dagger he never uses in a fight. He's a master of martial arts, sports, science and arts. He also possesses extensive mental powers: levitation, telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, control of the involuntary functions of the body (allowing him to fake a dead state), hypnosis, self-healing and so on.
The first issue of Kalimán was published in December 4, 1965 with the first ot ten parts of the story "Los Profanadores de Tumbas", ("Tomb Raiders"). 100,000 copies were sold out within that week, so the issue had to be reprinted. The original run of more than 1,000,000,000 issues sold for 1,348 weeks until 1991. Reprints have been printed since 1998.
Besides the radio show, there were two movies made in Mexico about the blue-eyed hero, with actor Jeff Cooper as Kalimán. Both of them were huge successes, the first one (in 1972) being in theaters for more than a year.
Kalimán is also famous for the wise phrases he uses to teach his child companion Solín. Among these, we have "Quien domina la mente, lo domina todo" (He who masters the mind, masters everything); "Serenidad y paciencia, mucha paciencia" (Serenity and patience, lots of patience) and "Siempre hay un camino cuando se usa la inteligencia" (There's always a way when you use your intelligence).
