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Sergio Aragonés
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Sergio Aragonés Domenech (born September 6, 1937, San Mateo, Castellón, Spain) is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer.
in Spain, Aragonés had a passion for art since early childhood. As one anecdote goes, Aragonés was once left alone in a room by his parents with a box of crayons. His parents returned sometime later to find that he had covered the wall in hundreds upon hundreds of drawings.
Aragonés emigrated with his family due to the Spanish Civil War and settled in Mexico.
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Encyclopedia
Sergio Aragonés Domenech (born September 6, 1937, San Mateo, Castellón, Spain) is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer.
Biography
Born in Spain, Aragonés had a passion for art since early childhood. As one anecdote goes, Aragonés was once left alone in a room by his parents with a box of crayons. His parents returned sometime later to find that he had covered the wall in hundreds upon hundreds of drawings.
Aragonés emigrated with his family due to the Spanish Civil War and settled in Mexico. He made his first professional sale in 1954 but continued to doodle humorous cartoons while studying architecture at the University of Mexico, and also learning pantomime under the direction of Alejandro Jodorowsky. In 1962, Aragonés moved to the United States. He currently resides and works in Ojai, California.
Aragonés first went to the U.S. in 1962. According to the artist, he arrived in New York with nothing but 20 dollars and his portfolio of drawings. After working odd jobs around the city, Aragonés went to Mads offices in Madison Avenue hoping to sell some of his cartoons. Since his knowledge of English wasn't very extensive, he asked for the only Mad artist he knew of that spoke his language, Cuban-born artist Antonio Prohias, creator of the popular Spy vs. Spy. Aragonés hoped Prohias could serve as a translator between him and the Mad editors. According to Aragonés, this proved to be a mistake, since Prohias knew even less English than he. Prohias did receive Aragonés very enthusiastically and, with difficulty, introduced the young artist to the Mad editors as his "brother."
Mad editor Al Feldstein and publisher Bill Gaines liked what they saw, and Aragonés became a contributor to the magazine in 1963. Aragonés became famous for his wordless "drawn-out dramas" or "marginals" which were inserted into the margins and between panels of the magazine. The drawings are both horizontal and vertical, and occasionally extend around corners. Prior to Aragonés' arrival at Mad, the magazine had sometimes filled its margins with text jokes under the catch-all heading "Marginal Thinking." According to Aragonés the staff of Mad enjoyed his marginals, but expected him to only last one or two issues. They did not expect him to be able to maintain the steady stream of small cartoons needed for each issue. However, Aragonés has provided marginals for every issue of Mad since 1963 except one (his contributions to that issue were lost by the Post Office).
In addition, he has a featured section called "A Mad Look At....". As of December 2007, Aragonés' work has appeared in 408 issues of Mad, second only to Al Jaffee (435 issues).
Aragonés is a very prolific artist; Al Jaffee once said, "Sergio has, quite literally, drawn more cartoons on napkins in restaurants than most cartoonists draw in their entire careers."
In 1967 he began illustrating full stories for DC Comics under such titles as Plop!. He also wrote or plotted stories that were illustrated by other artists, including the Western series Bat Lash and stories for various horror anthology titles. Aragonés claims that he originally looked for work in the comic book industry and was warned off. He was told that he would be better paid working for Mad Magazine.
In the late 1970s he created the humorous barbarian comic book Groo the Wanderer (so named because he sought a name which meant nothing in any language) with Mark Evanier. Evanier's role originally was as something of a translator, as Aragonés was still somewhat shaky at expressing his ideas in English. Eventually the two began collaborating on story ideas, and there have been several Groo stories in which Evanier is credited as the sole writer. Aragonés is currently fluent in English. The other regular contributors to the book are letterer Stan Sakai (himself the creator/artist of the equally famous Usagi Yojimbo), and colorist Tom Luth. As a creator-owned book, Groo has survived the bankruptcy of a number of publishers, a fact which led to the popular joke that publishing the series was a precursor to a publisher's demise. The book was initially published by Pacific Comics, briefly by Eclipse Comics, then Marvel Comics under their since-discontinued Epic Comics imprint, then Image Comics, and currently Dark Horse Comics.
Additional remark: In the early 80's, Aragonés has collaborated with the Belgian comic-strip's illustrator François Walthéry on Natacha, l'hotesse de l'air. A well know European serie issue from the famous strip magazine Spirou. This story is called "Instantané pour CalTech". Aragonés appears in the strips as a policeman character.(ISBN 2800108568 / DUPUIS Editor - Belgium)
Aragonés has written and drawn many other comic books, including:
Plop! (1973-1976, DC Comics), Aragonés provided intros, stories, gags, and/or prologues for 23 issues of the 24 issue run. DC Super-Stars Presents... (1977, DC Comics), the thirteenth issue of this DC Comics artist anthology series is subtitled "The Wild and Wacky World of Sergio Aragonés" and features all new stories and gags. Jon Sable, Freelance (1986, First Comics). The thirty-third issue of this Mike Grell comic book features 23 pages of Aragonés' art for a story called "Cave of the Half-Pints." The Mighty Magnor (1993-1994, Malibu Comics), six issue superhero mini-series (with Mark Evanier). Louder Than Words (1997, Dark Horse Comics), six issue mini-series of wordless humor. Boogeyman (1998, Dark Horse Comics), a four issue mini-series of humorous horror stories (with Mark Evanier). Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (1998, Dark Horse Comics), one shot comic about the annual Mexican celebration honoring the dead (with Mark Evanier). Fanboy (1999, DC Comics), six issue mini-series on comics and society's reaction to them, from the point of view of a self-described "fanboy" (with Mark Evanier). Blair Which? (1999, Dark Horse Comics), one shot comic spoofing the movie "The Blair Witch Project" (with Mark Evanier) Space Circus (2000, Dark Horse Comics), four issue mini-series of a boy joining a circus that travels throughout the galaxy (with Mark Evanier). Actions Speak (2001, Dark Horse Comics), another six issue mini-series of wordless humor (sequel to "Louder Than Words"). Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel (1996, Marvel Comics), Sergio Aragonés Destroys DC (1996, DC Comics), and Sergio Aragonés Stomps Star Wars (2000, Dark Horse Comics), the artist's comical interpretation of the superheroes of both Marvel and DC and the mythology of the Star Wars franchise (all with Mark Evanier). Solo (2006, DC Comics), the eleventh issue of this DC Comics artist anthology series features various stories written and illustrated by Aragonés, some biographical, and a Batman story written by Mark Evanier.
His work can be found in other compilations, including The Big Book of the Weird, Wild West, in which Aragonés illustrates a retelling of the Donner Party incident. He also designed the animation used for many years on the Dick Clark Bloopers programs. His cartoons have also appeared in a series of paperback editions for Mad.
The Comic Art Professional Society award's prize's name is "The Sergio," a homage to his work.
Awards
Aragonés's work has won him numerous awards. He has won Shazam Awards for Best Inker (Humor Division) in 1972 for his work on Mad Magazine, and for Best Humor Story in 1972 for "The Poster Plague" from House of Mystery #202 (with Steve Skeates). He won the Harvey Award Special Award for Humor in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001. He received the National Cartoonist Society Comic Book Award for 1986, their Humor Comic Book Award for 1973, 1974, and 1976, their Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1989, their Special Features Award for 1977, their Gag Cartoon Award for 1983, and their Reuben Award in 1996 for his work on Mad and Groo the Wanderer. In 1985 he was awarded the Adamson Award for Best International Comic-Strip or Comic Book work in Sweden. In 2003 he was awarded La Plumilla de Plata (The Silver Inkpen) in Mexico.
External links
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