La Verdad Cómica: Rius, La Contracultura Mexicana, y Una Ficción Fundamental No Oficial

Abstract

Eduardo del Río (known as Rius) proved a fierce political activist and prolific comic book creator. He challenged the successes of the Revolution, exposed weaknesses in the government, and provided a voice willing to say something aloud. Unlike most in the comic book industry, del Río held strong leftist political inclinations and campaigned against, among other things, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, U.S. policies in Mexico, and the Catholic Church. Comic books, along with other forms of popular culture, hold an important role in the cultural identity of the nation’s people. Del Río’s work became a part of the continual comic book exchange of its period. His series, Los supermachos (1967-1981) and Los agachados (1968-1977), solidified his role in national identity construction. Comics hold a place in cultural memory and identity construction far more lasting than the inexpensive paper they are printed upon. It is in part because of the persistent nature of comics that an eighty-three-year-old virtual recluse could be considered not only culturally relevant but esteemed. There is no correct way to study popular culture. The closest a scholar can come is to approach the topic openly and from all directions. Popular culture derives power from its fluid, ever-changing, unmeasurable nature. A close study of the work of a man who challenged the status quo provides entry into a field of study that itself questions hundreds of years of history awash in timelines, memorized dates, and military history. Pick up a comic book and dive into the possibilities.