Monday, February 1, 2016

El Eternauta - The Eternaut

This weekend I finished the new English translation of the classic Argentine comic "El Eternauta". Written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld in 1957, this is a classic story of extraterrestrial invasion. This work features lavish art by Francisco Solano Lopez, whose thick black lines and photo realistic drawings of contemporary Buenos Aires really help to lend the correct atmosphere to the story.
Juan Salvo - The Eternaut
 The story opens with the Eternaut, Juan Salvo of Buenos Aires coming upon the author, and after some time relating to him the story of how he and his friends are engaged in a simple late night game of truco, when a light snow begins to fall on Buenos Aires... killing all life it touches. From there things devolve, as Salvo and his friends must deal with the literal and figurative fallout of the snow, and the other alien activity that they encounter. As much of the story takes place while the men are wearing protective suits, the small glimpses of their faces and the body language are pressed into service to show some of the emotion that you might get from full facial expression.
Click to enlarge for a sample of the art and text. 

Military Action
You really should read this book if you enjoy golden age sci-fi.  Honestly it is surprising that it took so long to get an official English translation, but at least it is this lavish one!

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