I’m really grateful for this refreshing read for this week because when I was a kid I did have a thing for graphic novels and comic books. I also spent my first two years of uni in an international relations program, so it was nice to come back to the topic of the Cold War.

Furthermore, I thought that the purpose of this comic book was almost a survival guide-esque comic that provided the public with ideas on how to potentially survive a nuclear disaster. I thought that it was so interesting that Favalli was this almost anthropomorphism of a textbook to survive a nuclear disaster. Each character in the comic served a very distinct purpose in conveying this message (how to survive the apocalypse). They had the perfect family (husband, wife, and child) which symbolizes what is needed to protect in the long-term. Also, the naive friend who charges into the outside and inevitably gets killed by the snow because of his irrational thought process. A common theme in the comic was the communal courage that everyone had to have to make it through the event, even the child.

I also thought that this comic was a prime example of the thought process of the Argentinian public during the Cold War because often I think that the South’s perspective often gets overlooked. Without having read the Translator’s notes, I wouldn’t have immediately made that assumption solely based on the education I’ve received up to this point. I know there was a common fear that plague the war during the Cold War, however, it is clear that the fear in Latin America would have been very nuanced in comparison to that of the Northern powers. I think in the North there was more political fear with a  combination of physical fear. Whereas, in Latin America, there must have been the same level of fear, but with almost zero responsibility for any part of the war.

Question for Discussion: In what ways does the comic “Eternaut” showcase the unique perspective of the Argentines (of Latin Americans) during the Cold War era? How is it unique from that of the Canadian or American experience?