Superlópez
Encyclopedia
Superlópez is a Spanish
comic book character created by Jan
. Created in 1973, Superlópez is a parody of Superman
. Born Jo-Con-Él (roughly translated as Damn-the-brat) on the planet Chitón (Spanish slang
meaning something like Shut it) much like Superman's home planet of Krypton, he leaves his planet when he enters a spaceship and presses a button, an accident that sends him to Earth. He was raised by adoptive parents in Barcelona
and concealed himself under the identity of office-worker Juan López (which is actually author Jan's real name). He works with his girlfriend, the bad-tempered Luisa Lanas
, the not-so-pally Jaime González Lidenbrock
; and his demanding, unnamed boss
.
This was revealed in the 8-page origin story in the first issue of his magazine. Other stories in the first issue reveal his "Fortress of Solitude", the "Villa Soledad" in the Arctic and have him fighting a rubber robot, the Galactic Gladiator, a sorceress from another dimension, La Incredible Maza (The Incredible Hulk), an atomic monster and a metal robot.
Other recurring characters include Inspector Hólmez (a reference to Sherlock Holmes
), an excessively bureaucratic police officer who suspects everyone; Martha Hólmez, the Inspector's daughter, and computer geek Chico Humitsec.
; he is accompanied by goons like Carasucia, Caracortada, Carapincho, gun-wielding Pistolet, etc.); and the mob boss Refuller D'Abastos.
); Capitán Hispania (Captain Spain, a parody of Captain America
); Latas (Tin-guy, a parody of Iron Man
); Bruto (The Brute, a parody of The Thing
); and la Chica Increíble (Incredible Girl, a parody of the token generic superheroine). These spent more time fighting one another over the leadership of the Supergrupo than fighting evil (a parody or reference from the internecine strife that is part of Spain's history). They also made a short appearance in issue 6 where instead of going after the outlawed Superlopez, they argue then fight each other.
Superlópez began his career as a single-page comic strip without text before expanding into full albums with adventures involving supervillains and criminal organizations, later evolving into longer, more complex stories concerning social topics affecting contemporary Spain (drug dealing and youth, political issues, pollution and environmental threats, etc.). Original writer Efepé (pseudonym of Francisco Pérez Navarro) left the character after the early issues and, from that point on, artist Jan took over the writing as well.
Often Superlópez not only parodies Superman but also popular literature. This is the case in "El Señor de los Chupetes" ("Lord of the Pacifiers", a parody for Lord of the Rings) or "Al centro de la Tierra" (after Jules Verne
's A Journey to the Center of the Earth)
From the 90's Superlópez adventures take place in real scenarios that are drawn using a realistic style. Famous buildings and monuments in Barcelona
are often portrayed in detail, as well as those in other cities of Catalonia
(Camprodon
), Europe
(Andorra
, Grenoble
, Bulgaria
) or Japan
. As an internal joke, Superlópez says once that his adventures are evolving into simple traveling guides.
Last Superlópez books leave the caricaturesque tone of his first adventures to deal with current social issues: illegal drug trade
, smuggling
, tax haven
, gunrunning
in Africa
or illegal immigration
in Europe
are some themes of the last books.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
comic book character created by Jan
Jan (comics)
Jan is the pseudonym of Juan López Fernández , Spanish comic book writer and artist, most famous for his creation Superlópez.-Biography:He was born in the town of Toral de los Vados, in the province of León...
. Created in 1973, Superlópez is a parody of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Born Jo-Con-Él (roughly translated as Damn-the-brat) on the planet Chitón (Spanish slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
meaning something like Shut it) much like Superman's home planet of Krypton, he leaves his planet when he enters a spaceship and presses a button, an accident that sends him to Earth. He was raised by adoptive parents in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and concealed himself under the identity of office-worker Juan López (which is actually author Jan's real name). He works with his girlfriend, the bad-tempered Luisa Lanas
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
, the not-so-pally Jaime González Lidenbrock
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
; and his demanding, unnamed boss
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
.
This was revealed in the 8-page origin story in the first issue of his magazine. Other stories in the first issue reveal his "Fortress of Solitude", the "Villa Soledad" in the Arctic and have him fighting a rubber robot, the Galactic Gladiator, a sorceress from another dimension, La Incredible Maza (The Incredible Hulk), an atomic monster and a metal robot.
Other recurring characters include Inspector Hólmez (a reference to Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
), an excessively bureaucratic police officer who suspects everyone; Martha Hólmez, the Inspector's daughter, and computer geek Chico Humitsec.
Recurring villains
Recurring villains include the evil professor Escariano Avieso; Lady Araña (“Lady Spider”); the gangster Al Trapone (a reference to Al CaponeAl Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
; he is accompanied by goons like Carasucia, Caracortada, Carapincho, gun-wielding Pistolet, etc.); and the mob boss Refuller D'Abastos.
El Supergrupo (The Supergroup)
In Issue No. 2 and 3 (“El Supergrupo”), Superlópez served as a member of a group of superheroes, all of which were Jan’s creations. These included El Mago (The Wizard, a parody of Dr. StrangeDoctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
); Capitán Hispania (Captain Spain, a parody of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
); Latas (Tin-guy, a parody of Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
); Bruto (The Brute, a parody of The Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
); and la Chica Increíble (Incredible Girl, a parody of the token generic superheroine). These spent more time fighting one another over the leadership of the Supergrupo than fighting evil (a parody or reference from the internecine strife that is part of Spain's history). They also made a short appearance in issue 6 where instead of going after the outlawed Superlopez, they argue then fight each other.
Superlópez began his career as a single-page comic strip without text before expanding into full albums with adventures involving supervillains and criminal organizations, later evolving into longer, more complex stories concerning social topics affecting contemporary Spain (drug dealing and youth, political issues, pollution and environmental threats, etc.). Original writer Efepé (pseudonym of Francisco Pérez Navarro) left the character after the early issues and, from that point on, artist Jan took over the writing as well.
Other storylines
Juan travels around the world after stories with Luisa and Jamie and encounters lost races, treasures and so on. He also encountered assorted aliens, monsters, robots, mad scientists, wars, Aztec gods and even had a trip to Hell. The stories are full of gags with him burning his large nose whenever he uses heat vision, of him getting a bump on the head when Luisa hits him, of him hurting his fist when he hits a metal robot. As well as bees, odd looking little yellow creatures feature in the background in some panels and are revealed as aliens in the "Los Petisos" story. He even becomes a popstar and meets the ghost of the Prado Museum. "Vamos a ver elefantes" is a story of Superlópez as a little boy. Nothing was too way out for the strips as the characters went from one crazy scenario to another.Often Superlópez not only parodies Superman but also popular literature. This is the case in "El Señor de los Chupetes" ("Lord of the Pacifiers", a parody for Lord of the Rings) or "Al centro de la Tierra" (after Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's A Journey to the Center of the Earth)
From the 90's Superlópez adventures take place in real scenarios that are drawn using a realistic style. Famous buildings and monuments in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
are often portrayed in detail, as well as those in other cities of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
(Camprodon
Camprodon
Camprodon is a small city in the comarca of Ripollès in Catalonia, Spain, located in the Pyrenees, near the French border.-History:The settlement of Camprodon was in 1118, when Ramon Berenguer III allowed the building of a market near the monastery of Sant Pere de Camprodon, which is located the...
), Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
, Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) or Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As an internal joke, Superlópez says once that his adventures are evolving into simple traveling guides.
Last Superlópez books leave the caricaturesque tone of his first adventures to deal with current social issues: illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
, gunrunning
Gunrunning
Arms trafficking, also known as gunrunning, is the illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons or ammunition.The 1997 Report of the UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms provides a more refined and precise definition, which has become internationally accepted...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
or illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
are some themes of the last books.
Complete issues
- Aventuras de Superlópez (1980)
- El supergrupo (1980)
- ¡Todos contra uno, uno contra todos! (1981)
- Los alienígenas (1981)
- El señor de los chupetes (1981)
- La semana más larga... (1981)
- Los cabecicubos (1983)
- La caja de Pandora (1984)
- La gran superproducción (1985)
- Al centro de la Tierra (1987)
- Cachabolik Blues Rock y El fantasma del museo del Prado (1988)
- En el país de los juegos, el tuerto es el rey... (1988)
- El génesis de Superlópez (1989)
- El asombro del robot y Una vez, en una ciudad... (1989)
- Los petisos carambanales y otras petisoperías (1989)
- Los cerditos de Camprodón (1990)
- Periplo búlgaro and El tesoro del conde Arnau (1990)
- La banda del dragón despeinado (Yakuza) and La bomba (1990)
- Hotel Pánico and La cosa del pantano, el flautista de Hamelín y otras soserías(1991)
- Un camello subió al tranvía en Grenoble y el tranvía le está mordiendo la pierna (1991)
- El tesoro de Ciuacoatl (1992)
- Los ladrones de ozono (1992)
- El castillo de arena (1993)
- La aventura está en la esquina (1993)
- Tyrannosaurus sect (1994)
- Los gemelos Superlópez (1995)
- La acera del tiempo (1995)
- El infierno (1996)
- Los gemelos Superlópez: Vamos a ver elefantes... (1996)
- Los cybernautas (1997)
- El supercrack (1997)
- Las minas del rey Soplomón (1998)
- 25 años de Superlópez (1999)
- Otra vez lady Araña (1999)
- La guerra de lady Araña (2000)
- Adiós lady Araña (2000)
- El dios del bit (2001)
- El caserón fantasma (2002)
- Nosotros los Papino (2002)
- El gran botellón (2003)
- El patio de tu casa es particular (2003)
- Monster chapapote (2004)
- Las montañas voladoras (2004)
- Tras la persiana... (2005)
- Gritad, gritad, malditos... (2005)
- La casa amarilla (2006)
- La feria de la muerte (2006)
- Politono Hamelín (2007)
- Hipotecarión (2007)
- Iba caminando... (2007)
- En busca del templo perdido... (2008)
- La brújula esdrújula (2008)
- Tú, robot... (2008)
- La biblioteca inexistente (2009)
- ¡A toda crisis! (2009)
- El virus Frankestein (2010)
In other languages
- CatalanCatalan languageCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
: Super Llopis (In AndorraAndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
: Superlópez) - DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: Superdan - GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Super-Meier - NorwegianNorwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
: Superegon - SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: Super Nilsson