José Escobar Saliente
Encyclopedia
José Escobar Saliente (October 22, 1908—March 31, 1994) was a Spanish comic book writer and artist, born in Barcelona
. He signed as Escobar, and is most famous for his creation Zipi y Zape
, as well as the character Carpanta
. He was also an author and a theater actor, as well as one of the pioneers of animation in Spain during the 1920s, and worked on early Spanish animated movies, such as La ratita que barría la escalerita (“The little rat who was sweeping the little flight of stairs”).
Escobar grew up in Granollers
, where his father worked in the post office. In the 1920s, Escobar began to work for Catalan periodicals such as Virolet, La Gralla, Diari de Granollers, and Sigronet, at the same time that he also secured a position in the post office, like his father. In the 1930s, he worked on other magazines, such as Papitu, Pocholo, TBO, L'Esquello, and L'Esquella de la Torratxa.
Member of a union of professional cartoonists, after the Spanish Civil War
Escobar was relieved of his postal duties and imprisoned for a year and a half for these activities. He was released in 1940, though his movements were restricted. In prison, Escobar earned a little money drawing caricatures of his fellow prisoners under the pseudonym Rebec (the Catalan
word for "mischievous").
Outside from prison, he began working again in comic strips in 1944, and was one of the first collaborators in the magazine Pulgarcito
, first published in 1947. He created Zipi y Zape for Pulgarcito
as well as the perpetually hungry Carpanta
, a symbol of the misery in postwar Spain. For the magazine known as El Campeón, he created in 1948 the gangsters Tres Pelos y Kid Pantera. His series Doña Tula, suegra (1951) suffered censorship
, due to its presentation of marriage as one problem after another.
In 1957, Escobar was one of the founders of the independent magazine Tío Vivo, which would later become absorbed by Editorial Bruguera
, which was responsible for Pulgarcito
and other magazines, after which time Escobar created Filomeno y su taxi Genovevo (1963), Don Óptimo y Don Pésimo (1964) and Plim, el magno (1969). He continued to work, however, on developing the stories of Zipi y Zape and Carpanta. His characters Zipi y Zape got their own magazine in 1971.
With Editorial Bruguera's decline in the 1980s, he founded with other artists (such as Ibáñez
) the new magazine Guai!, published by Editorial Grijalbo, for which he created the characters Terre y Moto, brothers based on Zipi y Zape. Escobar went back to drawing Zipi y Zape when Ediciones B acquired Bruguera, and continued work on this series until his death.
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...
. He signed as Escobar, and is most famous for his creation Zipi y Zape
Zipi y Zape
Zipi y Zape are the names of two iconic Spanish comic book characters created by José Escobar Saliente in 1947, and of their eponymous strip. With Mortadelo y Filemón, they are the most popular and most translated Spanish comic books...
, as well as the character Carpanta
Carpanta
Carpanta is the name of a Spanish character and comic book created by José Escobar Saliente. Carpanta is perpetually hungry. Escobar created Carpanta as a symbol of the misery in postwar Spain....
. He was also an author and a theater actor, as well as one of the pioneers of animation in Spain during the 1920s, and worked on early Spanish animated movies, such as La ratita que barría la escalerita (“The little rat who was sweeping the little flight of stairs”).
Escobar grew up in Granollers
Granollers
Granollers is a city near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and most densely populated city of the comarca of Vallès Oriental.Granollers is a bustling business centre, and many industries are located there...
, where his father worked in the post office. In the 1920s, Escobar began to work for Catalan periodicals such as Virolet, La Gralla, Diari de Granollers, and Sigronet, at the same time that he also secured a position in the post office, like his father. In the 1930s, he worked on other magazines, such as Papitu, Pocholo, TBO, L'Esquello, and L'Esquella de la Torratxa.
Member of a union of professional cartoonists, after the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
Escobar was relieved of his postal duties and imprisoned for a year and a half for these activities. He was released in 1940, though his movements were restricted. In prison, Escobar earned a little money drawing caricatures of his fellow prisoners under the pseudonym Rebec (the Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan 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...
word for "mischievous").
Outside from prison, he began working again in comic strips in 1944, and was one of the first collaborators in the magazine Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito was a weekly illustrated magazine of Spain that was published by Editorial Bruguera from June 1921 to 1986....
, first published in 1947. He created Zipi y Zape for Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito was a weekly illustrated magazine of Spain that was published by Editorial Bruguera from June 1921 to 1986....
as well as the perpetually hungry Carpanta
Carpanta
Carpanta is the name of a Spanish character and comic book created by José Escobar Saliente. Carpanta is perpetually hungry. Escobar created Carpanta as a symbol of the misery in postwar Spain....
, a symbol of the misery in postwar Spain. For the magazine known as El Campeón, he created in 1948 the gangsters Tres Pelos y Kid Pantera. His series Doña Tula, suegra (1951) suffered censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
, due to its presentation of marriage as one problem after another.
In 1957, Escobar was one of the founders of the independent magazine Tío Vivo, which would later become absorbed by Editorial Bruguera
Editorial Bruguera
Bruguera was a Spanish publishing house based in Barcelona, which was devoted mainly to the production of popular literature and comics. It was created in 1910 as El Gato Negro, changed its name in 1940 and came to possess, as indicated by Jesús Cuadrado:...
, which was responsible for Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito
Pulgarcito was a weekly illustrated magazine of Spain that was published by Editorial Bruguera from June 1921 to 1986....
and other magazines, after which time Escobar created Filomeno y su taxi Genovevo (1963), Don Óptimo y Don Pésimo (1964) and Plim, el magno (1969). He continued to work, however, on developing the stories of Zipi y Zape and Carpanta. His characters Zipi y Zape got their own magazine in 1971.
With Editorial Bruguera's decline in the 1980s, he founded with other artists (such as Ibáñez
Francisco Ibáñez Talavera
Francisco Ibáñez Talavera , Spanish comic book artist and writer. Born in Barcelona, he is the creator of several comic book series, the most famous of which is Mortadelo y Filemón....
) the new magazine Guai!, published by Editorial Grijalbo, for which he created the characters Terre y Moto, brothers based on Zipi y Zape. Escobar went back to drawing Zipi y Zape when Ediciones B acquired Bruguera, and continued work on this series until his death.