Razón #100

Translation:
(The last one and off we go...)
-Reason Nº 100 Why There Ain't No Mexican Super-heroes... (and if I didn't draw all the characters I should,it's because I can't swipe them all and can't make all of them fit [in this space]...
Cyclops —That damn Daredevil! Since he's published by Cygnus he delays so much that he has too much leisure time...
Superman —Yup...but you can't deny that he has some awesome gray tones... —Do you know the bus schedules to Monterrey?
Robin —Batman,finally are we going to cheer the Atlas [team]?
Batman —Nope Robin,we are going to do the same thing we do every night:going for a drink at the Tetona's Palace!
Robin note —(this is not by) Trino
Batman note —(neither this is by) Jis
Spawn —My scripts are written by McFarlane and I'm drawn by Rius...no,I'm not happy
Spawn note —(this is Spawn even though he doesn't look like)
Witchblade —When I'm dead I wanna be vacuum packed,no matter if I'm not warned;in a ground that's isolated.
Samy —Mmmh...I dunno,I think I don't like this new Witchblade at all
Doriancito —And how about if she were drawn by Quezada of El Mil Chistes fame?
Asti —And how you doing with your new writer,Spider-man?
Spider-man —So so...but the thing I still can't understand is why my uncle Ben grew a beard and now shows up every time...
Uncle Ben —Peter,every power comes with great responsability;smile and the Force will be with you...don't stop dreaming...don't let me down,my nephew...bla-bla-bla...
Robby —No,I'm not a new Sentinel...
Green Lantern —Yes mister editor,I do know that you know what sells best and that I signed an exclusivity for life with the Ejea imprint,but please understand that I'm Green Lantern and I'M A MAN!
Outside voice #1 —[Show your lower] Hair! [Show your lower] Hair!
Outside voice #2 —Shake that booty,little mamma!

Notes in English
And for the final cartoon in the series,I thought about poking some fun at the state of Mexican comic books.

Cygnus was an indy imprint and comic book studios headquartered in the city of Monterrey.They published their books almost exclusively in black and white,but they also were among the first Mexican comic book artists in using computer graphic effects and so their books had these swell grayscales.A lot of aspiring artists wanted to be like them,even though they delayed a lot in publishing their books (they were said to be monthly titles,but sometimes delayed up to 8 months between each issue).Cygnus disbanded after some time,but many of their former members are currently working professionally in the American market.

Batman are Robin are drawn in the styles of cartoonists Jis and Trino.They became famous thanks to their creation,El Santos,a parody of El Santo,the most famous Mexican luchador.El Santos was kind of a unrefined and cynical version of El Santo.Trino is a big fan of Batman,and his favorite soccer team is the Atlas.
And the Tetona's Palace was the name of a nude bar in the comics of El Santos.

Rius is the name of a political cartoonist.He has published a lot of didactic books,both about politics and many other topics.He's a brilliant writer but his drawing abilities are somewhat limited (in fact,in his books he uses mostly a collage technique with lots of clipart).The idea of him drawing Spawn is a very ironic one,as Rius doesn't like American mainstream superheroes.

Witchblade is drawn here as if she were Buba,a cult underground character created by Jose Quintero.He has a gorgeus style and makes comics that mix existentialist philosophy with poetry.Of course,not the kind of style you'd expect in a Witchblade comic.
Quezada is a humorist that used to work in the Mil Chistes (Thousand Jokes) series.That title was aimed to adults mostly,so Quezada and many other of the artists working there had to draw sexy women.

Spider-man's uncle Ben is actually Katnatek,a ghost character from the Mexican series Karmatron.In that book,this character was kind of the local Obi-Wan,as he only showed up to give some advices to the protagonists —advices that actually were aimed to the readers and most of the times usually seemed like motivational messages.The small robot is also from that series and was a very annoying comic relief.

Ejea was a local imprint known mostly for its soft-porn comics,usually titled as 'Sensacional de...' (Sensational [book] of...).It was despised by many readers of American super-hero comics.

Notas en Español
Y para el cartón final de la serie,se me ocurrió burlarme un poco del estado de los comics mexicanos.

Cygnus era un estudio y sello editorial indy con base en la ciudad de Monterrey.Publicaban sus títulos casi exclusivamente a blanco y negro,pero también estuvieron entre los primeros artistas de comic mexicano en usar efectos gráficos de computadora así que sus comics tenían unas buenas escalas de grises.Varios aspirantes a artistas querían ser como ellos,aún cuando se tardaban demasiado en publicar sus comics (decían que eran mensuales,pero a veces se tardaban hasta 8 meses entre cada número).Cygnus se desbandó tras algún tiempo,pero varios de sus antiguos miembros actualmente se desempeñan profesionalmente en el mercado norteamericano.

Batman y Robin están dibujados en los estilos de los humoristas Jis y Trino.Ellos se volvieron famosos gracias a su creación,El Santos,una parodia de El Santo,el más famoso luchador mexicano.El Santos era algo así como la versión guarra y cínica de El Santo.Trino es un gran fan de Batman,y su equipo favorito de soccer es el Atlas.
Y el Tetona's Palace era el nombre de un bar nudista en los comics de El Santos.

Rius es el nombre de un humorista político.Ha publicado muchos libros didácticos,tanto de política como de muchos otros tópicos.Es un escritor brillante pero sus habilidades para el dibujo son algo limitadas (de hecho,en sus libros usa principalmente una técnica de collage con montones de clipart).La idea de que el dibujase Spawn es una muy irónica,pues no le agradan los superhéroes mainstream estadounidenses.

Witchblade está dibujada aquí como si fuera Buba,un personaje underground de culto creado por José Quintero.El tiene un bellísimo estilo y hace comics que mezclan filosofía existencialista con poesía.Por supuesto,no es la clase de estilo que uno esperaría ver en un comic de Witchblade.
Quezada es un humorista que solía trabajar en el título de El Mil Chistes.Ese título estaba dirigido principalmente a adultos,así que Quezada y varios otros de los artistas que trabajaban ahí tenían que dibujar mujeres sexys.

El tío Ben de Spider-man es en realidad Katnatek,un personaje fantasma de la serie mexicana Karmatron.En ese título,este personaje era algo así como el Obi-Wan local,pues sólo se aparecía para darles consejos a los protagonistas —consejos que en realidad iban dirigidos a los lectores y que las más de las veces solían parecer más bien mensajes motivacionales.El pequeño robot es también de esa serie y era un patiño cómico muy enfadoso.

Ejea era una editorial local conocida principalmente por sus comics soft-porno,usualmente titulados como 'Sensacional de...'.Era repudiada por muchos lectores de comics de superhéroes estadounidenses.

Razón #23

Translation:
-Keeping everyone safe,always fighting for peace and justice! Yes,in the 30th century there is the Legion of Mexican Super-Heroes! (or,Reason Nº 23 Why There Ain't No —and there won't ever be— Mexican Super-heroes...
Capulina-boy —Has anyone seen Alushe-boy?
Caption on the right —(Sorry,we don't know anything about Simon Simonazo boy,Ultrapato 2099,Katy la Oruga girl...)

Notes in English
The characters depicted here are all parodies of old Mexican super-heroes.In American comic books,heroic mantles are inherited all time,but that doesn't happen in Mexican comics and so the irony of depicting futuristic versions of them.

Aguila Solitaria (Lone Eagle) was a Western hero,an Apache raised by eagles and with the power of flight.
Zor was a heroic robot in a comic for kids.
Karmatron was a space-opera hero (and was a male).
Chanoc was a Mexican fisher who had Tarzan-like adventures.
Kaliman was a hero with martial arts skills and some mystic superpowers.
El Charro Negro (The Black Charro) was not a comic book character.Actually and originally he is a legendary ghost,dressed all in black and that haunts solitary roads.
Capulina is the alter ego of comedian Gaspar Henaine.Not a true super-hero,but in his comics,movies and TV show he usually was featured as a parodic adventurer.In his TV series,he had the luchador (wrestler) Tinieblas as his sidekick/guardian angel,and Alushe (a cute Ewok-like furry creature) was Tinieblas' sidekick.
El Santos is a parody of El Santo,the most famous Mexican luchador.El Santos was kind of a unrefined and cynical version of El Santo,hence the fact that his hand is censored.

Finally,Simon Simonazo was a humor comic book featuring low-class young men.Ultrapato (Ultraduck) was a super-hero miniseries featuring anthropomorphic characters.And Katy La Oruga (Katy the Caterpillar) was this cute character from a children's storybook that was later adapted into an animated movie,and later into a comic book series for kids.

Notas en Español
Los personajes aquí presentados son todos parodias de viejos superhéroes mexicanos.En los comics estadounidenses,los mantos heróicos se heredan todo el tiempo,pero eso no ocurre en los comics mexicanos y de ahí la ironía de mostrar versiones futuristas de ellos.

Águila Solitaria era un héroe Western,un apache criado por águilas y con la capacidad de volar.
Zor era un robot heróico de un comic para niños.
Karmatron era un superhéroe espacial (y era hombre).
Chanoc era un pescador mexicano que tenía aventuras similares a las de Tarzan.
Kaliman era un héroe con habilidades de artes marciales y algunos superpoderes místicos.
El Charro Negro no fue realmente un personaje de comic.En realidad y originalmente,es un espectro legedario,vestido de negro y que merodea los caminos solitarios.
Capulina es la identidad alterna del comediante Gaspar Henaine.No es un superhéroe realmente,pero en sus comics,películas y show de TV usualmente se le presentaba como un aventurero paródico.En su serie de TV,tenía al luchador Tinieblas como su asistente/angel guardián,y Alushe (una criatura peluda linda parecida a un Ewok) era el asistente de Tinieblas.
El Santos es una parodia de El Santo,el más famoso luchador mexicano.El Santos era algo así como la versión guarra y cínica de El Santo,de ahí el que su mano salga censurada.

Finalmente,Simon Simonazo era un comic de humor basado en jóvenes de clases bajas.Ultrapato fue una miniserie de superhéroes protagonizada por animalitos.Y Katy la Oruga era un personaje tierno de un libro infantil que luego fue adaptado a película animada,y luego a serie de comic para niños.