Sergio Aragonés
Encyclopedia
Sergio Aragonés Domenech (born September 6, 1937, Sant Mateu
, Castellón
, Spain
) is a cartoon
ist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer
.
Among his peers and fans, Aragonés is widely regarded as "the world's fastest cartoonist." The Comics Journal has described Aragonés as "one of the most prolific and brilliant cartoonists of his generation." Mad editor Al Feldstein
said, "He could have drawn the whole magazine if we'd let him."
, Aragonés emigrated with his family to France, due to the Spanish Civil War
, before settling in Mexico
at age 6. Aragonés had a passion for art since early childhood. As one anecdote goes, Aragonés was once left alone in a room by his parents with a box of crayons. His parents returned sometime later to find that he had covered the wall in hundreds upon hundreds of drawings. Aragonés recalled his early difficulties in Mexico, saying, "I didn't have too many friends because I had just arrived. You're the new kid, and you have an accent. I've always had an accent... When the other kids make fun of you, you don't want to get out of the house. So you stay at home, and what do you do? You take pencils and start drawing."
Aragonés used his drawing skill to assimilate. "The earliest money I ever made was with drawings," he remembered. "The teacher would give us homework, which would consist of copying Chapter Eleven, including the illustrations... a beetle or a plant, the pistil of a flower, or soldiers-- that type of thing. All the kids who couldn't draw would leave a square where the drawing was, and I would charge them to draw that. The equivalent of a few pennies... That's probably why I draw so fast, because I drew so many of them."
He made his first professional sale in 1954 when a high school classmate submitted his work to a magazine without telling Aragonés. He continued to sell gag cartoons to magazines while studying architecture at the University of Mexico, where he also learned pantomime
under the direction of Alejandro Jodorowsky
. “I joined the class,” Aragonés recalled, “not to become a mime but to apply its physical aspects of movement to my comics.” In 1962, Aragonés moved to the United States. He currently resides and works in Ojai
, California
.
in 1962 with nothing but 20 dollars and his portfolio of drawings. After working odd jobs around the city, Aragonés went to Mad
s offices in Madison Avenue hoping to sell some of his cartoons. "I didn't think I had anything that belonged in Mad, said Aragonés. "I didn't have any satire. I didn't have any articles. But everybody was telling me, 'Oh, you should go to Mad."
Since his knowledge of English
wasn't very extensive, he asked for the only Mad artist he knew of that spoke Spanish, Cuba
n-born artist Antonio Prohías
, creator of the comic Spy vs. Spy
. Aragonés hoped Prohías could serve as a translator between him and the Mad editors. According to Aragonés, this proved to be a mistake, since Prohías knew even less English than he. Prohías did receive Aragonés very enthusiastically and, with difficulty, introduced the young artist to the Mad editors as his "Sergio, my brother from Mexico," temporarily leading to even further confusion, as the Mad editors thought he was "Sergio Prohías."
Mad editor Al Feldstein
and publisher Bill Gaines liked what they saw, and Aragonés became a contributor to the magazine in 1963. His first sale was an assortment of astronaut cartoons which the editors arranged into a themed article. , Aragonés' work had appeared in 424 issues of Mad, second only to Al Jaffee
(451 issues). "They told me, "Make Mad your home," said Aragonés, "and I took it literally."
). Associate Editor Jerry DeFuccio
said, "Writing the 'Marginal Thinking' marginals had always been a pain in the butt. Sergio made the pain go away."
Aragonés is a very prolific artist; Al Jaffee
once said, "Sergio has, quite literally, drawn more cartoons on napkins in restaurants than most cartoonists draw in their entire careers." Writer Mark Evanier
estimated that, as of 2002, Aragonés had written and drawn more than 12,000 gag cartoons for Mad alone.
titles, including Angel and the Ape
, Inferior Five
, Young Romance
, the company's Jerry Lewis
comic book, and for various horror anthologies. He also wrote or plotted stories that were illustrated by other artists. Aragonés created DC's Western series Bat Lash
, and the humor title Plop!
. However, Aragonés broke with DC when the company began insisting on work-for-hire contracts; when Aragonés balked, an editor tore up Aragonés' paycheck in front of his face. He'd been trying obliquely to sell a comic book premise to DC or Marvel, but neither company would allow Aragonés to retain the copyright. "I didn't want anyone stealing the idea," said Aragonés, "and they weren't able to talk on a theoretical basis."
Aragonés had created the humorous barbarian comic book Groo the Wanderer
with Mark Evanier
in the late 1970s, but the character did not appear in print until 1982. (Groo was so named because Aragonés sought a name which meant nothing in any language.) Evanier's role originally was as something of a translator, as Aragonés was still somewhat shaky at expressing his ideas in English. Eventually the two began collaborating on story ideas, and there have been several Groo stories in which Evanier is credited as the sole writer. Aragonés has since become fluent in English. The other regular contributors to the book are letterer Stan Sakai
(himself the creator/artist of the equally famous Usagi Yojimbo
), and colorist Tom Luth. As a creator-owned
book, Groo has survived the bankruptcy of a number of publishers, a fact which led to the industry joke that publishing the series was a precursor to a publisher's demise. The book was initially published by Pacific Comics
, briefly by Eclipse Comics, then Marvel Comics
under their since-discontinued Epic Comics
imprint (which allowed creators to retain copyrights), then Image Comics
, and currently Dark Horse Comics
.
On 2 December 1982, Marty Feldman
died from a heart attack
in a hotel room in Mexico City
. This occurred during the making of the film Yellowbeard
. Aragonés, who was filming nearby and was dressed for his role as an armed policeman, had introduced himself to Feldman that night. He encountered Feldman abruptly, startling and frightening him, which may have induced Feldman's heart attack. Aragonés has recounted the story with the punchline "I killed Marty Feldman". The story was converted into a strip in Aragonés's issue of DC Comics
' Solo.
In the early 80's, Aragonés collaborated with the Belgian cartoonist François Walthéry
on Natacha, l'hotesse de l'air
, a well known series from the magazine Spirou
. This story was called "Instantané pour Caltech". Aragonés appears in the strip as a policeman character (ISBN 2-8001-0856-8 / DUPUIS Editor - Belgium).
Aragonés has written and drawn many other comic books, including:
His work can be found in other compilations, including The Big Book of the Weird, Wild West, in which Aragonés illustrates a retelling of the Donner Party
incident. His cartoons have also appeared in a series of paperback editions for Mad.
In addition to printed work, Aragonés has also worked in television animation
. His segments were used for many years on the Dick Clark Bloopers programs. Frequent collaborator Mark Evanier related an anecdote from their time on the short-lived 1983 NBC series "The half-Hour Comedy Hour," which featured a guest appearance by model Jayne Kennedy
:
In 2009, Aragonés told an interviewer, “I’m thinking and laughing all day long. Every time I think of a joke, I’m also telling myself a new joke. It’s a great way to live.”
Aragonés's work has won him numerous awards. He has won Shazam Awards for Best Inker (Humor Division) in 1972 for his work on Mad Magazine, and for Best Humor Story in 1972 for "The Poster Plague" from House of Mystery
#202 (with Steve Skeates
). He won the Harvey Award
Special Award for Humor in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001. He received the National Cartoonist Society Comic Book Award for 1986, their Humor Comic Book Award for 1973, 1974, and 1976, their Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1989, their Special Features Award for 1977, their Gag Cartoon Award for 1983, and their Reuben Award in 1996 for his work on Mad and Groo the Wanderer. In 1985 he was awarded the Adamson Award for Best International Comic-Strip or Comic Book work in Sweden
. In 2003 he was awarded La Plumilla de Plata (The Silver Inkpen) in Mexico.
In 2009, an exhibition, Mad About Sergio, was held at the Ojai Valley Museum. Visitors saw examples of his cartooning dating back to childhood, publications he has appeared in, some of his awards, and Marginal-style sketches by Aragonés literally drawn onto the museum's walls and display cases.
The Comic Art Professional Society award's prize's name is "The Sergio," an homage to his work.
hosting the only "Actual Comic Book Booth" at Comic Con 3010.
Sant Mateu
Sant Mateu is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the province of Castellón, part of the autonomous community of Valencia.- Sights :The most interesting sights in Sant Mateu are:*Església arxiprestal church building....
, Castellón
Castellón (province)
Castellón or Castelló is a province in the northern part of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Valencia to the south, Teruel to the west, Tarragona to the north, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The western side of the province is in the mountainous...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) is a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragonés, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth...
.
Among his peers and fans, Aragonés is widely regarded as "the world's fastest cartoonist." The Comics Journal has described Aragonés as "one of the most prolific and brilliant cartoonists of his generation." Mad editor Al Feldstein
Al Feldstein
Albert B. Feldstein is an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. Since retiring from Mad, Feldstein has concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife...
said, "He could have drawn the whole magazine if we'd let him."
Early life
Born in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Aragonés emigrated with his family to France, due to 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...
, before settling in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
at age 6. Aragonés had a passion for art since early childhood. As one anecdote goes, Aragonés was once left alone in a room by his parents with a box of crayons. His parents returned sometime later to find that he had covered the wall in hundreds upon hundreds of drawings. Aragonés recalled his early difficulties in Mexico, saying, "I didn't have too many friends because I had just arrived. You're the new kid, and you have an accent. I've always had an accent... When the other kids make fun of you, you don't want to get out of the house. So you stay at home, and what do you do? You take pencils and start drawing."
Aragonés used his drawing skill to assimilate. "The earliest money I ever made was with drawings," he remembered. "The teacher would give us homework, which would consist of copying Chapter Eleven, including the illustrations... a beetle or a plant, the pistil of a flower, or soldiers-- that type of thing. All the kids who couldn't draw would leave a square where the drawing was, and I would charge them to draw that. The equivalent of a few pennies... That's probably why I draw so fast, because I drew so many of them."
He made his first professional sale in 1954 when a high school classmate submitted his work to a magazine without telling Aragonés. He continued to sell gag cartoons to magazines while studying architecture at the University of Mexico, where he also learned pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
under the direction of Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky, known as Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru...
. “I joined the class,” Aragonés recalled, “not to become a mime but to apply its physical aspects of movement to my comics.” In 1962, Aragonés moved to the United States. He currently resides and works in Ojai
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Arrival in the USA
According to the artist, he arrived in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1962 with nothing but 20 dollars and his portfolio of drawings. After working odd jobs around the city, Aragonés went to Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
s offices in Madison Avenue hoping to sell some of his cartoons. "I didn't think I had anything that belonged in Mad, said Aragonés. "I didn't have any satire. I didn't have any articles. But everybody was telling me, 'Oh, you should go to Mad."
Since his knowledge of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
wasn't very extensive, he asked for the only Mad artist he knew of that spoke Spanish, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-born artist Antonio Prohías
Antonio Prohias
Antonio Prohías , born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, was a cartoonist most famous for creating the comic strip Spy vs. Spy for MAD Magazine....
, creator of the comic Spy vs. Spy
Spy vs. Spy
Spy vs. Spy is a black and white comic strip that debuted in Mad magazine #60, dated January 1961, and was originally published by EC Comics. The strip was created by Antonio Prohías.The Spy vs...
. Aragonés hoped Prohías could serve as a translator between him and the Mad editors. According to Aragonés, this proved to be a mistake, since Prohías knew even less English than he. Prohías did receive Aragonés very enthusiastically and, with difficulty, introduced the young artist to the Mad editors as his "Sergio, my brother from Mexico," temporarily leading to even further confusion, as the Mad editors thought he was "Sergio Prohías."
Mad editor Al Feldstein
Al Feldstein
Albert B. Feldstein is an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. Since retiring from Mad, Feldstein has concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife...
and publisher Bill Gaines liked what they saw, and Aragonés became a contributor to the magazine in 1963. His first sale was an assortment of astronaut cartoons which the editors arranged into a themed article. , Aragonés' work had appeared in 424 issues of Mad, second only to Al Jaffee
Al Jaffee
Abraham Jaffee , known as Al Jaffee, is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. As of 2010, Jaffee remains a regular in the magazine after 55 years and is its longest-running contributor...
(451 issues). "They told me, "Make Mad your home," said Aragonés, "and I took it literally."
Marginals
The cartoonist has a featured section in every issue called "A Mad Look At....", featuring 2-4 pages of speechless comic strips, all related to the same subject. Aragonés also became famous for his wordless "drawn-out dramas" or "marginals" which were inserted into the margins and between panels of the magazine. The drawings are both horizontal and vertical, and occasionally extend around corners. He always draws his male characters overweight. Prior to Aragonés' arrival at Mad, the magazine had sometimes filled its margins with text jokes under the catch-all heading "Marginal Thinking." Aragones convinced Feldstein to use his cartoons by creating a dummy sample issue with his Marginals drawn along the edges. The staff of Mad enjoyed his marginals, but expected him to only last one or two issues. They did not expect him to be able to maintain the steady stream of small cartoons needed for each issue. However, Aragonés has provided marginals for every issue of Mad since 1963 except one (his contributions to that issue were lost by the Post OfficePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
). Associate Editor Jerry DeFuccio
Jerry DeFuccio
Jerry DeFuccio was an American comic book writer and editor, known primarily for his work at Mad, where he was an associate editor for 25 years. In addition to his work on that magazine, he was closely involved in many of the Mad paperbacks, editing Clods' Letters to Mad and many other reprints...
said, "Writing the 'Marginal Thinking' marginals had always been a pain in the butt. Sergio made the pain go away."
Aragonés is a very prolific artist; Al Jaffee
Al Jaffee
Abraham Jaffee , known as Al Jaffee, is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. As of 2010, Jaffee remains a regular in the magazine after 55 years and is its longest-running contributor...
once said, "Sergio has, quite literally, drawn more cartoons on napkins in restaurants than most cartoonists draw in their entire careers." Writer Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
estimated that, as of 2002, Aragonés had written and drawn more than 12,000 gag cartoons for Mad alone.
Comic books
In 1967, he began writing and illustrating full stories for various DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
titles, including Angel and the Ape
Angel and the Ape
Angel and the Ape was a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in 1968 in Showcase #77 then graduated to their own title, with art by comic artist Bob Oksner, most often inked by Wally Wood...
, Inferior Five
Inferior Five
The Inferior Five are a parody superhero team that premiered in the DC Comics title Showcase #62 . Created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Joe Orlando and Mike Esposito , the group was intended as a parody not only of the Fantastic Four, but of all the superhero teams whose members had such great...
, Young Romance
Young Romance
Young Romance is a comic book series created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the Crestwood Publications imprint Prize Comics in 1947. Generally considered the first romance comic, the series ran for 124 consecutive issues under Prize imprint, and a further 84 published by DC Comics after Crestwood...
, the company's Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
comic book, and for various horror anthologies. He also wrote or plotted stories that were illustrated by other artists. Aragonés created DC's Western series Bat Lash
Bat Lash
Bartholomew "Bat" Alouysius Lash is a fictional Western character in the DC Universe. A self-professed pacifist, ladies' man, and gambler, Bat Lash's adventures have been published by DC Comics since 1968.-Character origin:...
, and the humor title Plop!
Plop!
Plop!, "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology published by DC Comics in the mid 1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. There were 24 issues in all and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976.-Contents:...
. However, Aragonés broke with DC when the company began insisting on work-for-hire contracts; when Aragonés balked, an editor tore up Aragonés' paycheck in front of his face. He'd been trying obliquely to sell a comic book premise to DC or Marvel, but neither company would allow Aragonés to retain the copyright. "I didn't want anyone stealing the idea," said Aragonés, "and they weren't able to talk on a theoretical basis."
Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragonés, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth...
with Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
in the late 1970s, but the character did not appear in print until 1982. (Groo was so named because Aragonés sought a name which meant nothing in any language.) Evanier's role originally was as something of a translator, as Aragonés was still somewhat shaky at expressing his ideas in English. Eventually the two began collaborating on story ideas, and there have been several Groo stories in which Evanier is credited as the sole writer. Aragonés has since become fluent in English. The other regular contributors to the book are letterer Stan Sakai
Stan Sakai
is a third-generation Japanese American Cartoonist comic book creator. He is best known as the creator of the comic series Usagi Yojimbo. -Biography:...
(himself the creator/artist of the equally famous Usagi Yojimbo
Usagi Yojimbo
is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai in 1987. In 2011 IGN ranked Miyamoto Usagi 92nd in the top 100 comic books heroes.-Concept:Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period of Japan , with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, the series features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, whom...
), and colorist Tom Luth. As a creator-owned
Creator ownership
Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement...
book, Groo has survived the bankruptcy of a number of publishers, a fact which led to the industry joke that publishing the series was a precursor to a publisher's demise. The book was initially published by Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...
, briefly by Eclipse Comics, then Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
under their since-discontinued Epic Comics
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
imprint (which allowed creators to retain copyrights), then Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, and currently Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
.
On 2 December 1982, Marty Feldman
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...
died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in a hotel room in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. This occurred during the making of the film Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard is a 1983 comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock. It was directed by Mel Damski, and was Marty Feldman's last film appearance.-Plot:...
. Aragonés, who was filming nearby and was dressed for his role as an armed policeman, had introduced himself to Feldman that night. He encountered Feldman abruptly, startling and frightening him, which may have induced Feldman's heart attack. Aragonés has recounted the story with the punchline "I killed Marty Feldman". The story was converted into a strip in Aragonés's issue of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Solo.
In the early 80's, Aragonés collaborated with the Belgian cartoonist François Walthéry
François Walthéry
François Walthéry is a Belgian comics artist, best known for his series featuring an adventurous flight attendant, Natacha.-Biography:...
on Natacha, l'hotesse de l'air
Natacha (comics)
Natacha is a Franco-Belgian comics series, created by François Walthéry and Gos. Drawn by Walthéry, its stories have been written by several authors including Gos, Peyo, Maurice Tillieux, Raoul Cauvin and Marc Wasterlain. It was first published in the comics magazine Spirou on February 26, 1970...
, a well known series from the magazine Spirou
Spirou (magazine)
Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
. This story was called "Instantané pour Caltech". Aragonés appears in the strip as a policeman character (ISBN 2-8001-0856-8 / DUPUIS Editor - Belgium).
Aragonés has written and drawn many other comic books, including:
- Plop!Plop!Plop!, "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology published by DC Comics in the mid 1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. There were 24 issues in all and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976.-Contents:...
(1973–1976, DC Comics), Aragonés provided intros, stories, gags, and/or prologues for 23 issues of the 24 issue run. - DC Super-Stars Presents... (1977, DC Comics), the thirteenth issue of this DC Comics artist anthology series is subtitled "The Wild and Wacky World of Sergio Aragonés" and features all new stories and gags.
- Jon Sable, Freelance (1986, First Comics). The thirty-third issue of this Mike Grell comic book features 23 pages of Aragonés' art for a story called "Cave of the Half-Pints."
- The Mighty MagnorThe Mighty MagnorThe Mighty Magnor is a six-issue 1993 superhero comic book series published by Malibu Comics. The series, a satirical take on the superhero genre, was created by the same team as Groo: artist/co-writer Sergio Aragonés, co-writer Mark Evanier, colorist Tom Luth, and letterer Stan Sakai.-External...
(1993–1994, Malibu Comics), six issue superhero mini-series (with Mark Evanier). - Louder Than WordsLouder Than WordsLouder Than Words is Lionel Richie's fourth studio album, released on April 16,1996. It also marked the first time he released a studio album of new material in 10 years...
(1997, Dark Horse Comics), six issue mini-series of wordless humor. - Boogeyman (1998, Dark Horse Comics), a four issue mini-series of humorous horror stories (with Mark Evanier).
- Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (1998, Dark Horse Comics), one shot comic about the annual Mexican celebration honoring the dead (with Mark Evanier).
- Fanboy (1999, DC Comics), six issue mini-series on comics and society's reaction to them, from the point of view of a self-described "fanboy" (with Mark Evanier).
- Blair Which? (1999, Dark Horse Comics), one shot comic spoofing the movie "The Blair Witch Project" (with Mark Evanier)
- Space Circus (2000, Dark Horse Comics), four issue mini-series of a boy joining a circus that travels throughout the galaxy (with Mark Evanier).
- Actions Speak (2001, Dark Horse Comics), another six issue mini-series of wordless humor (sequel to "Louder Than Words").
- Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel (1996, Marvel Comics), Sergio Aragonés Destroys DCSergio Aragonés Destroys DCSergio Aragonés Destroys DC is a comic book written by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier and published in 1996. The book is a satire of DC Comics characters. They also produced an equivalent at Marvel Comics, called Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel....
(1996, DC Comics), and Sergio Aragonés Stomps Star Wars (2000, Dark Horse Comics), the artist's comical interpretation of the superheroes of both Marvel and DC and the mythology of the Star Wars franchise (all with Mark Evanier). - Solo (2006, DC Comics), the eleventh issue of this DC Comics artist anthology series features various stories written and illustrated by Aragonés, some biographical, and a Batman story written by Mark Evanier.
- Bart Simpson/Simpsons Comics (2009, Bongo Comics), He is a writer/artist since Bart Simpson #50, and he also did a full issue in Simpsons Comics #163. He has a 1-3 page comic strip called, "Maggie's Crib" in every issue of Bart Simpson since #50
His work can be found in other compilations, including The Big Book of the Weird, Wild West, in which Aragonés illustrates a retelling of the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
incident. His cartoons have also appeared in a series of paperback editions for Mad.
In addition to printed work, Aragonés has also worked in television animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. His segments were used for many years on the Dick Clark Bloopers programs. Frequent collaborator Mark Evanier related an anecdote from their time on the short-lived 1983 NBC series "The half-Hour Comedy Hour," which featured a guest appearance by model Jayne Kennedy
Jayne Kennedy
Jayne Kennedy is an NAACP Image Award-winning American actress, model and sportscaster.-Miss Ohio USA:...
:
- “This was one of the most beautiful women in the world, and she wore this dress that was very revealing. So much so, the censors wouldn’t let us put her on the air in it without adding some material. So we’re all talking to her, the writers and whoever, just in awe of this woman. And Sergio comes walking in looking like a homeless person, carrying his portfolio. And Jayne sees him and she shouts, ‘Sergio!’ and she runs over and starts kissing him passionately. They’d worked together before, it turned out. But Johnny CarsonJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
comes walking out into the hallway and he thinks Jayne Kennedy is being sexually assaulted by a homeless person in the NBC hallways. He came over to make sure she was okay. She said it was fine, that she knew him, and I said, ‘It’s okay, he’s a cartoonist.’ So Johnny gives that classic look and he says, ‘I knew I should have taken up drawing.’”
In 2009, Aragonés told an interviewer, “I’m thinking and laughing all day long. Every time I think of a joke, I’m also telling myself a new joke. It’s a great way to live.”
Awards
House of Mystery
The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
#202 (with Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates
Steve Skeates is an American comic book creator known for his work on books such as Spectre, Hawk and Dove, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Aquaman, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Career:...
). He won the Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
Special Award for Humor in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001. He received the National Cartoonist Society Comic Book Award for 1986, their Humor Comic Book Award for 1973, 1974, and 1976, their Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1989, their Special Features Award for 1977, their Gag Cartoon Award for 1983, and their Reuben Award in 1996 for his work on Mad and Groo the Wanderer. In 1985 he was awarded the Adamson Award for Best International Comic-Strip or Comic Book work in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 2003 he was awarded La Plumilla de Plata (The Silver Inkpen) in Mexico.
In 2009, an exhibition, Mad About Sergio, was held at the Ojai Valley Museum. Visitors saw examples of his cartooning dating back to childhood, publications he has appeared in, some of his awards, and Marginal-style sketches by Aragonés literally drawn onto the museum's walls and display cases.
The Comic Art Professional Society award's prize's name is "The Sergio," an homage to his work.
Appearances in popular culture
He appeared as his own preserved head in the 99th episode of FuturamaFuturama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
hosting the only "Actual Comic Book Booth" at Comic Con 3010.
