El Eternauta" Argentinean Anti-Authoritarian Sci-Fi Comic Archive, 1970s
- SIGNED
Oesterheld, Héctor Germán. El Eternauta. Suplemento de Skorpio Nos. 4, 5 and 9. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong 8vo. Original printed wrappers. Text in Spanish. The landmark Argentine sci-fi comic that has become one of Latin America’s most politically charged works of graphic literature archive of 3 rare mid-1970s installments of El Eternauta, issued as Suplementos de Skorpio by Ediciones Record, comprising Nos. 4, 5, and 9 of the eleven monthly parts that collectively serialized the complete story. Oesterheld’s later rewriting of the story in the 1970s, at the height of Argentina’s military dictatorship, was widely interpreted as an allegory of authoritarian repression. Oesterheld himself was disappeared by the junta in 1977, cementing El Eternauta as a text of both artistic and political martyrdom. Written by Héctor G. Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López, El Eternauta first appeared in Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal (1957–59) and became the cornerstone of Argentine science-fiction comics. The 1976 Skorpio edition, published during the opening years of Argentina’s military dictatorship, revived the saga for a new generation, its imagery of toxic snowfall and collective resistance acquiring renewed political resonance. These issues include pivotal chapters from the heart of the narrative: the survivors’ battle against alien “cascarudos,” the revelation of human collaborators, and the growing realization that the invasion is a metaphor for systemic oppression.
Issues include:
[1] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 4. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. Published as part of the Suplemento de Skorpio series by Ediciones Record, this issue continues the post-apocalyptic narrative of El Eternauta, Argentina’s most influential science-fiction comic. By episode 4, Juan Salvo and his small band of survivors have realized the “snow” is a deadly extraterrestrial weapon, forcing them to build protective suits and plan their first foray into the silent, frozen ruins of Buenos Aires. Solano López’s sharp chiaroscuro artwork heightens the atmosphere of desolation and solidarity, while Oesterheld’s script deepens its allegory of collective resistance and moral endurance under invisible occupation.
[2] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 5. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. The fifth installment of the Skorpio reprint series, this episode follows Salvo’s group as they leave their barricaded home to navigate the devastated city, confronting both alien “cascarudos” and the first signs of human collaboration. The tone shifts from survivalism to insurgency as Oesterheld frames the invasion as a parable of solidarity against totalitarian forces—a reading made still more charged by the 1976 republication under Argentina’s newly installed dictatorship. López’s artwork combines stark realism with expressionist menace, depicting gas-masked figures against a blizzard of toxic snow.
[3] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 9. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. Among the later parts of the eleven Skorpio supplements that serialized the complete story, episode 9 advances El Eternauta toward its tragic climax. Salvo and his companions now confront the hierarchy of alien invaders—the insectoid “cascarudos,” the enslaved “Manos,” and the unseen command of “Ellos.” Oesterheld’s text fuses existential despair with collective heroism, transforming science fiction into a political allegory of imperialism and memory. López’s cover illustration—Juan Salvo trudging through radioactive snow—became one of the most iconic images in Latin American graphic art.
Each cover, vividly colored and executed in Solano López’s stark ligne claire style, depicts the protagonist Juan Salvo in his makeshift hazmat suit trudging through the lethal snowfall, an image that has become an enduring emblem of Latin American dystopian art. Priced at 85 pesos and sold through kiosks, the Skorpio supplements represented one of the earliest mass-market rediscoveries of El Eternauta prior to its canonical 1980s compilations. Complete as issued; light edge wear, faint creasing, and adhesive price labels to covers. Overall very good condition. Exceptionally scarce surviving set of three early Skorpio reprint numbers, integral to the post-dictatorship revival of Oesterheld and Solano López’s masterpiece.
Issues include:
[1] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 4. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. Published as part of the Suplemento de Skorpio series by Ediciones Record, this issue continues the post-apocalyptic narrative of El Eternauta, Argentina’s most influential science-fiction comic. By episode 4, Juan Salvo and his small band of survivors have realized the “snow” is a deadly extraterrestrial weapon, forcing them to build protective suits and plan their first foray into the silent, frozen ruins of Buenos Aires. Solano López’s sharp chiaroscuro artwork heightens the atmosphere of desolation and solidarity, while Oesterheld’s script deepens its allegory of collective resistance and moral endurance under invisible occupation.
[2] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 5. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. The fifth installment of the Skorpio reprint series, this episode follows Salvo’s group as they leave their barricaded home to navigate the devastated city, confronting both alien “cascarudos” and the first signs of human collaboration. The tone shifts from survivalism to insurgency as Oesterheld frames the invasion as a parable of solidarity against totalitarian forces—a reading made still more charged by the 1976 republication under Argentina’s newly installed dictatorship. López’s artwork combines stark realism with expressionist menace, depicting gas-masked figures against a blizzard of toxic snow.
[3] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán and Solano López, Francisco. El Eternauta, episodio No. 9. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Record, 1976. Oblong (7 x 9.75 in.), color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. Newsprint. Among the later parts of the eleven Skorpio supplements that serialized the complete story, episode 9 advances El Eternauta toward its tragic climax. Salvo and his companions now confront the hierarchy of alien invaders—the insectoid “cascarudos,” the enslaved “Manos,” and the unseen command of “Ellos.” Oesterheld’s text fuses existential despair with collective heroism, transforming science fiction into a political allegory of imperialism and memory. López’s cover illustration—Juan Salvo trudging through radioactive snow—became one of the most iconic images in Latin American graphic art.
Each cover, vividly colored and executed in Solano López’s stark ligne claire style, depicts the protagonist Juan Salvo in his makeshift hazmat suit trudging through the lethal snowfall, an image that has become an enduring emblem of Latin American dystopian art. Priced at 85 pesos and sold through kiosks, the Skorpio supplements represented one of the earliest mass-market rediscoveries of El Eternauta prior to its canonical 1980s compilations. Complete as issued; light edge wear, faint creasing, and adhesive price labels to covers. Overall very good condition. Exceptionally scarce surviving set of three early Skorpio reprint numbers, integral to the post-dictatorship revival of Oesterheld and Solano López’s masterpiece.