El Víbora

El Víbora (Spanish: The Viper) was a Spanish language monthly alternative comics magazine published in Barcelona, Spain, between 1979 and 2005, with a peak monthly circulation of 80,000 copies.[1] The magazine was subtitled "Comix for Survivors".[2]

El Víbora
CategoriesComics magazine
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherLa Cúpula
First issueDecember 1979
Final issueJanuary 2005
CountrySpain
Based inBarcelona
LanguageSpanish

History and profile

El Víbora was established in December 1979.[3][4] The founders were a group of Spanish cartoonists led by Josep Maria Berenguer.[2] Catalan comics publisher Josep Toutain financed the establishment of the magazine[2] which was published by La Cúpula.[5]

Josep Maria Berenguer wanted to name the magazine as GOMA 3, a reference to Goma-2, an explosive notoriously used by the Basque terrorist/nationalist organization ETA during the 1970s.[2] However, the name was rejected by the Spanish authorities.[2]

El Víbora was published monthly[6] and had its headquarters in Barcelona.[7] The contributors included not only Spanish but also French and American authors,[3] including Peter Bagge, Robert Crumb and Charles Burns.[4][8] Native contributors were Max, Nazario, Mariscal, Pons, and Laura Pérez Vernetti.[2][9] Of them, Max created the characters of Gustavo, Peter Pank, Gallardo and Mediavilla.[2] Hernán Migoya served as the editor-in-chief of the magazine from 1992 to 1998.[2] The last editor was Sergi Puertas.[4]

El Víbora sold 45,000 copies in 1983.[4] Its circulation was 6,000 copies in 2004[4] just before its last issue in January 2005.[3] The magazine ran over 300 issues during its existence.[8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the magazine was revived online, free of charge, as El Víbora para supervivientes (~ for survivors) for the duration of the lockdown in Spain. It contained mostly material from the original issues plus articles about coronavirus, with a cover about COVID-19.[1][10] This revival lasted for six weekly issues.[11]

See also

References
  1. Stephen Burgen (15 April 2020). "Subversive cult comic revived in Spanish lockdown". The Guardian.
  2. Hernan Miyoga (2 May 2012). "Josep Maria Berenguer, 1944-2012: The Last Libertine Publisher". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  3. "El Víbora. Spain". Afka. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. "El Vibora Editor Confirms Potential Cancellation". Comics Reporter. 30 June 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  5. "A brief history of comics in Catalonia" (PDF). gencat.cat. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  6. Bart Beaty (2007). Unpopular Culture: Transforming the European Comic Book in the 1990s. Toronto; Buffalo, NY; London: University of Toronto Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8020-9412-4.
  7. David Vilaseca (Autumn 2008). "Queer Transitions in Contemporary Spanish Culture: From Franco to "La Movida" (Book review)". Hispanic Review. 76 (4). doi:10.1353/hir.0.0024. S2CID 143962846.
  8. "El Vibora #10". Comixjoint. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  9. "Laura Pérez Vernetti". lambiek.net. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. "Vuelve El Víbora (1ª entrega)" (in Spanish). Ediciones La Cúpula. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. "6ª y última entrega de El Víbora para Supervivientes" (in Spanish). Ediciones La Cúpula. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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