I think that comic strips and graphic novels are a pretty cool form of literature in that they allow for the exploration of controversial topics by offering a more palatable medium of communicating ideas.  In my mind, I understand The Eternaut almost more as a graphic novel than a comic strip, since it has one continuous plot line that lasts over the course of the print (I guess it should be noted though that at the time it was printed it was published and read in installations, whereas now we can access the full thing all at once).  The style of the drawings, as well as the dark, apocalyptic tone and plot line, reminded me a lot of Watchmen (which was actually also originally published as a serial and later compiled as a graphic novel).  Approaching the topic of global radioactive destruction shortly after the end of World War II during the midst of the nuclear arms race, The Eternaut expresses the concerns of outside countries that could become the indirect victims of offshore testing in the Bikini Islands or US-Russia mutually assured destruction.  Not being directly involved, Argentinians may have felt little agency in swaying the outcome of US-Russian relations.  Yet, they still had much to lose as a result of nuclear warfare.  As a graphic novel, the Eternaut both depicts and manages legitimate fears of the future of the world, depicting “gently” through pictures a scary imagined future that was not out of the realm of possibility.

The Mafalda comics reminded me a lot of Calvin and Hobbes and the Peanuts cartoons in their simple, innocent sensibility.  While I think comic strips often carry a lighter feel and may be held in lower serious regard than graphic novels, their messages can sometimes be more important/relevant to day-to-day life than serious graphics.  For instance, the strip about the moms drinking tea (pg 2), the “Sorry mom I’m busy” strip (pg 4), and the “If we don’t hurry up and change the world, the world changes us!” strip (pg 3) are all very refreshing in pointing out the adult’s farcical sense self-importance and serious outlook on life.  My two favorite Mafalda comics were the tax comic and the soap opera comic on the last page.  I think the reason I like them is that 1. they made me laugh, but also 2. they demonstrate that children are much more perceptive than they are often given credit for, and can even be more attuned to some realities of life than adults.

With both The Eternaut and Mafalda, I said they reminded me of comics that I know in English.  I would be curious though if they would have the exact same feeling had I read/understood them first in Spanish as they were originally written.