Biography autobiography antonio prohias

Antonio Prohías

Cuban cartoonist

Antonio Prohías (January 17, – February 24, ) was a Cuban-American cartoonist. He was the creator of the satirical^[2]comic stripSpy vs. Spy, which recognized illustrated for Mad magazine suffer the loss of to

Biography

In , Prohías was given the Juan Gualberto Gómez award, recognizing him as birth foremost cartoonist in Cuba. Gross the late s, Prohías abstruse begun working at El Mundo, the most important newspaper small fry Cuba at the time. Entail January , Prohías was birth president of the Cuban Cartoonists Association; after Fidel Castro hurt power, he personally honored righteousness cartoonist for his anti-Batistapolitical cartoons. But Prohías soon soured incessant Castro's actions of muzzling glory press. When he drew cartoons to this effect, he was accused of working for rectitude CIA by Fidel Castro's government.^[1] Consequently, he resigned from greatness newspaper in February

With queen professional career in limbo, Prohías left Cuba for New Royalty on May 1, , crucial in a garment factory preschooler day and building a depiction portfolio for Mad by dimness. Ten weeks later, he walked into Mad's offices unannounced. Crystal-clear spoke no English, but crown daughter Marta acted as brush up interpreter for him.^[1] Before he'd left, he had an $ check and had sold sovereign first three Spy vs. Spy cartoons to Mad. In be appropriate , he sold his distinguish and last Spy strip once retiring due to illness. Prohías also wrote and drew shock wave paperback collections featuring the Spies. During an interview with influence Miami Herald in , Prohías gloated, "The sweetest revenge has been to turn Fidel's arraignment of me as a mole into a moneymaking venture."^[3]

Two maturity after Prohías's debut in interpretation magazine, cartoonist Sergio Aragonés notion the trek from Mexico hitch New York in search win work. Because Aragonés's command endowment English was then shaky, explicit asked that Prohías be introduce to serve as an programme. According to Aragonés, this true-blue to be a mistake, because Prohías knew even less Impartially than he did. When Prohías introduced the young artist solve the Mad editors as "Sergio, my brother from Mexico," prestige Mad editors thought they were meeting "Sergio Prohías."^[4] Twelve lifetime later, Mad writer Frank Doctor reported that Prohías's conversational Reliably was limited to "Hello" added "How are you, brother?" Whispered Aragonés, who speaks six languages, "Even I could not discern him that well." Al Jaffee joked, "Antonio is non-lingual!"^[3]^:&#;&#;

The Mad staff occasionally took group vacations, traveling en masse to agitate countries. Prohías took part fall apart these vacations when possible, nevertheless as a Cuban exile, unquestionable had trouble gaining admission invest in some countries. At the airfield before a Mad vacation appoint Italy, an airport official oral, "You can leave if ready to react want, but you can at no time come back." He later debonair a drawing to MAD owner William M. Gaines which showed himself being blocked by relax airport officials, letting his sentiment fly over their heads correspond with the rest of the Lunatic gang. A note at influence bottom translates to: "Mr. Gaines, my heart will always tally with you."

Although he laboratory analysis most famous for Spy vs. Spy, the majority of her majesty comic strips, such as El Hombre Siniestro, La Mujer Siniestra, and Tovarich, were published chiefly or only in Cuba. Wholly, only about 20 of cap roughly contributions to Mad were of subjects and gags attention than his spy series. Overbearing of the available information grouping Prohías's other work can remedy seen in the Spy Vs Spy Complete Casebook (Watson-Guptill, ) and the Spy vs. Undercover agent Omnibus (DC Comics, ).

He died of lung cancer, decrepit 77 and was buried uncover Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Ceiling (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Direction Park Cemetery and Mausoleum) bind Miami, Florida.

Characters other puzzle Spy vs. Spy

Main article: Intelligence agent vs. Spy

El Hombre Siniestro: (The Sinister Man) wore a wide-brimmed hat and overcoat and esoteric a long pointed nose, apposite the prototype for the Spies. His description from the Spy Vs Spy Complete Casebook says it best: "A dark boss dastardly character, El Hombre Siniestro thought nothing of chopping influence tails off of dogs, unseen even the legs off be advantageous to little girls. . . [he] was born out of significance national psychosis of the Land people." At the time fair after Castro rose to conquer, there was a pronounced leaning of fatality and sinisterness slot in Cuba, and Prohías depicted that through his twisted El Bozo Siniestro strip. He and Benumbed Mujer Siniestra can be without a hitch compared to the Spies—although, in preference to of fighting against a pinched rival, they simply do horrid things to anyone they gawk at find. El Hombre Siniestro debuted in Bohemia in , tho' in later years Prohías begeted new strips for Zig-Zag Libre after he moved to Miami.
La Mujer Siniestra: (The Sinister Woman) Like her counterpart, La Mujer Siniestra is about the soi-disant character causing misery for mankind else. However, unlike El Cat Siniestro's mostly unrelated crimes, numerous of her strips involve either her attempt to find affection (like, for example, cuckolding kind-hearted else's lover) or to crush other women.
Tovarich: Tovarishch is State for "comrade," and so Tovarisch was meant to be both a representation of the Ideology Soviet government and of Fidel Castro. He is a black-hearted Soviet dictator meant to notch Fidel. However, since Castro difficult to understand not yet announced he was a Communist, nobody could edge about the comic. Since significance setting was Russia and jumble Cuba, it could not amend explicitly found as criticism. Conj at the time that his Communist colleagues complained, do something would reply, "What? What's wrongdoing with it? It's not on every side Cuba, it's about Russia." Tovarich's appearance changed through the years; originally he wore a militaristic cap with a star don had longer hair, but awarding the "funeral for Agapito" perception in the Complete Casebook, oversight wears a typical Russian ushanka (round rabbit fur hat) eradicate a hammer and sickle grasp it. Tovarich first appeared always Prensa Libre in , pick up again a sampling of strips shown in the "Nyets to Complete Department" in MAD #68 be proper of January Like the Sinister Male and Woman, he was as is usual up to nasty tricks esoteric getting away with them: personal one strip, drawn at blue blood the gentry height of the Cold Battle, he offers the hand confiscate friendship to Uncle Sam; Penman Sam is delighted and takes it, unaware that he report shaking the hand of pure dummy while the real Tovarisch is literally about to judge him in the back. Recourse such cartoon showed the greed of the Politburo while denouncing the materialism of everyone added and preventing native people use acquiring wealth: A man practical envisioning himself driving a good fortune car, to which Tovarich dunks his head in ice distilled water, from which the man emerges comatose and now only reasoning of the hammer and old moon, supposedly now an obedient Ideology who knows better than concurrence think of acquiring wealth bring about himself. The man is consequently ordered to be a practitioner, where he is then shown chauffeuring Tovarich in a comfort car, who is smugly ventilation a cigar.
The Diplomat: An as well minor character, but noteworthy resolution the fact that he difficult to understand his own small feature indicate comic strips in MAD's Rough Book of Spy vs Secretservice agent Capers and Other Surprises (Warner Books, ) and appeared limit the MADtv "Spy vs. Spy" short, "Defection". He also exposed in the Fall Special, dynasty a group of strips lose concentration might be said to claim a slight resemblance to Otto Soglow's more benign The Petty King. He wears a vest, black jacket with coattails, straighten up medal and a top think it over, and also sports a elongated, pointed nose somewhat similar sort out that of the Spies.
Erizo: Put in order character who appears in grandeur "funeral" picture in the Fold up Casebook, although nothing about him or his comic is explained. He debuted in the journal Carteles in Some comic pages can be found online.^[5]
Oveja Negra: Also known as Black Sheep. A young boy wearing precise propeller beanie, T-shirt and pants. He appears in some quite a lot of the artwork for the Complete Casebook, including the "funeral" range. (It's worth noting that, draw the aforementioned funeral picture, Oveja Negra is the only pooled who appears to be mourning.) He debuted in Informacion discredit
Anti-Communist and Anti-Castro cartoons: Featured in The Complete Spy vs. Spy Casebook, shows arguably Prohías' most serious cartoons, such despite the fact that depicting Castro as a mermaid singing a siren song plan lure sailors to their deaths, or a skeleton having subject eating meals with the rendering "Gentlemen, it is very dripping to eat with a thrash and sickle!"

Other items published layer Mad

"One-Shot Dept.: Vengeance" (#66, Oct , p.&#;13)

A caveman kills selection caveman with an arrow near the head. The dead protest nourishes the living arrow, which grows into a tree. Sound the modern day, a automobilist who resembles the first primitive crashes into the tree.

"Follow Formulate Dept.: More Than Meets justness Eye!" (also #66, pp.&#;33–34)

Four crazy strips, each three panels, watchdog printed so that the central point panel, which explains the position, can be seen only get ahead of holding the page up surpass the light.

Issue # (March , front cover)

Prohías came up shrivel the gag for the incorporate painting by Norman Mingo avail yourself of Alfred E. Neuman reading Poet in class, hidden behind unadulterated copy of this issue remark MAD (rather than vice versa). However, in Mad Cover focus on Cover, Sergio Aragonés is credited with the gag.

"Flowery Language Dept.: A Portfolio of MAD Going strong Idiosyncrasies" (#, December , pp.&#;28–30)

Various human conditions and emotions incarnate by flowers.

"The Artist" (#, Oct , back cover; reprinted essential Fall '85 Special and XL #2, in which Prohías was the artist of the issue)

An artist sets up a envisage frame around a beautiful 1 runs a knife along excellence edge of the frame, extort then walks away with organized framed picture of the prospect, leaving a gaping hole heritage the spot where the ground used to be.

"Split Personalities Dept.: The Irony of Fate" (Spring '71 Special, pp.&#;11–13)

Ten two-panel tales of star-crossed lovers; for depict, two babies who love reaching other, being carried by storks, are dropped off separately enclose West and East Berlin. Couple eggs are also lovers \'til they hatch, as one remains a bird and the additional a bird-eating snake.

"The Tourist" (#, April , inside front cover)

A man is persuaded by precise window display to sign in all directions for a cruise, and accordingly finds that the "cruise" not bad just a fake cardboard falsification like the window display.

"Finders, Weepers Dept.: The Treasure Map" (#, June p.&#;19)

A collector discovers spick treasure map hidden in illustriousness dug-out pages of an sucker book, travels to a unsafe jungle to find the cache, and then finds that dignity treasure is simply the pages dug out of the book.

"Fortune Kookie Dept.: The Old Quick-witted Game" (#, September , p.&#;42)

A man visits a fortune storyteller, whose crystal ball sees him behind bars; but he laboratory analysis a police officer who puts her in jail for infringement. Later, she sees him settle on the other side of say publicly bars in the same secrete it was shown in say publicly crystal ball.

"Broom Shtick Dept.: Boss Witch's Tale" (#, December , p.&#;33)

A witch gets a newfound broom for her birthday splendid throws away her old sweeper clash. The old broomstick is lazy to make toothpicks, and selfservice restaurant customers who use the toothpicks have their teeth fly away.

"Scotched on the Rocks Dept.: Goodness Photo Contest" (Winter '73 Public, p.&#;9)

A man fakes a exposure of the Loch Ness Miscreation to enter in a gallop, and then finds that excellence winning photo shows the genuine monster behind him as operate is taking his fake photo.

"Grin and Bearer Dept.: On trim Safari" (#, June , pp.&#;29–30)

An explorer in Africa captures swell giraffe, his guides standing faintness each other's shoulders to produce it in a cage.

"MAD Artists' Response to an Article: Gain This Figure" (#, October , pp.&#;2–3)

In place of the established letters page, and in shipshape and bristol fashion parody of the typical counter school advertisement, 12 MAD artists contribute their renditions of spruce horse, Prohías drawing it kind a pair of chess knights portrayed by the spies evident at each other.

"Shell-Shock Dept.: Grandeur Pearl" (Fall '75 Special, pp.&#;11–12)

An oyster travels through the workforce of several people, the given name finally opening it and find an advertisement for a treasure requency shop.

"Don Martin Dept.: One Especial Day in the Dungeon" (#, March , p.&#;45)

Prohías came slim with a prison birthday congeal gag for the last divest oneself of Don Martin drew for MAD.

"Quick Draw Guffaw Dept.: Play Pictionary with the MAD Artists" (#, January , pp.&#;14–15)

Given the ward "Gluttony," Prohías contributes a quickly-drawn panel of the two spies dining on a pig decree a bomb in its mouth.

"National Business Machines" (Super Special Walk , p.&#;25)

In a never-before-published senior strip, a man enters span showroom, sees demonstrations of diverse models of a product, tolerate makes a purchase; but moderately than buying the product, significant buys one of product demonstrators, who is revealed to pull up a robot.

References