A seminal, Latin American sci-fi classic - back in print!
Fantagraphics is proud to publish, for the first time in English, a graphic novel so powerful its main character's image (much like Che Guevara's) has become a potent symbol of the endless struggle against oppression; "Juan Salvo" appears on walls and in subways throughout Latin America to this day. This seminal Argentinian science fiction graphic novel was originally released as a serial from 1957-59. Juan Salvo, its inimitable protagonist, along with his friend Professor Favalli and the tenacious metalworker Franco, face what appears to be a nuclear accident, but quickly turns out to be something much bigger than they imagined. Cold War tensions, aliens of all sizes, space-and time travel-this one has it all.
The Eternaut is also thinly disguised political allegory: its writer, He´ctor Germa´n Oesterheld (HGO), because he was involved in groups who protested the military dictatorship, was "disappeared" and presumed dead in 1977. Classical artist Francisco Solano Lo´pez (who had to flee Argentina for Spain) illustrated the book in a gritty, realistic style. This collaboration between two of the biggest names in Latin American comics is still powerful: the story of Juan Salvo, fighting to save Argentina and the world, lives on in sequels, retellings, and adaptations.