Sergio Aragonés facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergio Aragonés
|
|
|---|---|
Aragonés at the 2017 WonderCon
|
|
| Born |
Sergio Aragonés Domenech
6 September 1937 Sant Mateu, Castellón, Spain
|
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Known for | Cartoonist, writer |
|
Notable work
|
Mad, Groo the Wanderer |
| Awards |
List
Shazam Award, Best Inker (Humor Division), and Best Humor Story in 1972;
Inkpot Award 1976; Harvey Award Special Award for Humor in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001; National Cartoonist Society Comic Book Award for 1986, Humor Comic Book Award for 1973, 1974, and 1976, Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1989, Special Features Award for 1977, Gag Cartoon Award for 1983, and Reuben Award in 1996; Adamson Award for Best International Comic-Strip or Comic Book work in Sweden, 1985; Eisner Award, Best Short Story in 2001 |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Sergio Aragonés Domenech (born 6 September 1937) is a famous Spanish-Mexican cartoonist and writer. He is best known for his work in Mad magazine. He also created the popular comic book series Groo the Wanderer.
Many people call Aragonés "the world's fastest cartoonist." The Comics Journal said he is "one of the most prolific and brilliant cartoonists of his generation." Mad editor Al Feldstein even said Sergio could have drawn the whole magazine by himself!
Aragonés has won many awards for his amazing work. These include Shazam Awards, a Harvey Award, an Inkpot Award, a Reuben Award, and an Eisner Award. In October 2024, he was added to the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
Contents
Sergio's Early Life and Art Journey
Sergio Aragonés was born in Sant Mateu, Spain. His family moved to France because of the Spanish Civil War. When he was six, they settled in Mexico.
Sergio loved art from a very young age. Once, his parents left him alone with crayons. They came back to find hundreds of drawings covering the wall! Sergio remembered that drawing helped him when he was new in Mexico. He said, "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."
Drawing for Friends and Money
Sergio used his drawing skills to fit in. He even earned money from his art. Teachers would ask students to copy pictures from books for homework. Sergio would draw these pictures for other kids who couldn't draw well. He charged them a few pennies for each drawing. This is probably why he draws so quickly today!
He made his first professional sale in 1954. A classmate sent his work to a magazine without telling him. Sergio kept selling cartoons while studying architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. There, he learned pantomime, which helped him with movement in his comics.
In 1962, Aragonés moved to the United States. He married Lilio Chomette and they lived in New York.
A Stuntman for Sheena?
Sergio's father was a film director in Mexico. Sergio once visited his father's movie set for the TV show Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. The stuntman didn't show up that day. Young Sergio, who was a teenager, had to put on the Sheena costume! He did some stunts, like swinging from a vine and diving into water. The shots were from far away because he didn't look like Irish McCalla, the actress who played Sheena.
Sergio's Arrival in the United States
When Sergio arrived in New York in 1962, he had only 20 dollars and his drawings. After doing small jobs, he went to the Mad magazine office. He hoped to sell some of his cartoons. He didn't think his work was right for Mad, but everyone told him to try.
Meeting the Mad Magazine Team
Sergio didn't speak much English. He asked for Antonio Prohías, the artist who drew "Spy vs. Spy" and spoke Spanish. Sergio hoped Prohías could help him talk to the editors. But Prohías knew even less English! Still, Prohías was very excited to meet Sergio. He introduced him to the Mad editors as "Sergio, my brother from Mexico." This made the editors think Sergio's last name was Prohías!
Mad editor Al Feldstein and publisher Bill Gaines liked Sergio's drawings. Sergio became a contributor to the magazine in 1963. His first cartoons were about astronauts.
A Fast Worker
Associate editor Jerry DeFuccio told Sergio to send more work. Sergio took this seriously! He drew a whole article about motorcycle cops overnight. He returned to the Mad office the next morning and sold his second set of drawings. He drew about 15 ideas, and they loved them!
Sergio didn't have much money or friends in the U.S. He spent so much time at the Mad office that Bill Gaines let him sleep there. Sergio said, "I don't think any other company would have been so generous or friendly."
Sergio worked for Mad magazine from 1963 to 2020. He only stopped when the magazine started reprinting old issues. His last new work was in an issue filled mostly with his old cartoons. He contributed new work to 491 issues, which is almost as many as Al Jaffee (509 issues).
Sergio's Famous Marginals
Sergio Aragonés is famous for his "Marginals." These are small, wordless cartoons drawn in the margins of Mad magazine. They appear between panels and around the edges of pages. Sometimes they even wrap around corners!
Before Sergio, Mad used text jokes in the margins. Sergio showed the editors how his drawings could fill these spaces instead. The staff loved his idea. They didn't think he could draw enough small cartoons for every issue. But Sergio proved them wrong! He has provided marginals for almost every issue of Mad since 1963. Only once were his drawings lost in the mail.
The World's Fastest Cartoonist
Al Jaffee once joked that Sergio has drawn more cartoons on napkins than most cartoonists draw in their whole lives. In 2002, writer Mark Evanier guessed that Sergio had drawn over 12,000 cartoons just for Mad magazine. His new marginals in April 2024 made him the artist with the most contributions to Mad, passing Al Jaffee.
Sergio's Comic Books
In 1967, Sergio started writing and drawing for DC Comics. He worked on titles like The Adventures of Jerry Lewis and Plop!. He also helped create the Western series Bat Lash.
Sergio left DC Comics when they wanted him to sign contracts that would take away his ownership of his ideas. He wanted to keep the rights to his creations.
Groo the Wanderer
Sergio created the funny barbarian comic book Groo the Wanderer in the late 1970s. The character first appeared in print in 1982. Sergio chose the name "Groo" because it didn't mean anything in any language.
Writer Mark Evanier later joined Sergio on Groo. At first, Evanier helped Sergio with English because Sergio was still learning. Later, they worked together on story ideas. Other artists like Stan Sakai (who draws Usagi Yojimbo) and Tom Luth also helped create the comic.
Groo is a special comic because Sergio owns the rights to it. This means it has been published by many different companies over the years. It has even survived some publishers going out of business!
Other Comic Projects
In 1982, Sergio met actor Marty Feldman in Mexico City. Sergio was dressed as a policeman for a film role. He surprised Feldman, who then had a heart attack and passed away. Sergio sometimes jokes, "I killed Marty Feldman." This story was even made into a comic strip.
Sergio also worked with Belgian cartoonist François Walthéry on a comic called Natacha, l'hotesse de l'air.
In 2022, Sergio was one of many comic artists who helped create Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds. This book raised money for Ukrainian refugees. His cartoons can also be found in other books, like The Big Book of the Weird, Wild West.
Sergio in Film and Television
Sergio Aragonés has also appeared in movies and TV shows. In 1976, he had a small acting role in the film Norman... Is That You?. He also appeared in the TV show Laugh-In in 1977.
He worked on the TV show Speak Up America (1980), where he would draw during the show. His drawings were also used on Dick Clark's Bloopers programs.
In 1991, Stan Lee interviewed Sergio for the documentary series The Comic Book Greats.
Sergio even appeared as his own preserved head in an episode of Futurama called "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences". In 2020, he voiced a parrot and his own cousin Paco in an episode of The Casagrandes.
Awards and Recognition
Sergio Aragonés has won many awards for his amazing work.
- He won Shazam Awards in 1972 for his work on Mad Magazine and for a humor story in House of Mystery.
- He received an Inkpot Award in 1976.
- He won the Harvey Award Special Award for Humor many times between 1990 and 2001.
- The National Cartoonists Society gave him several awards, including the Comic Book Award, Humor Comic Book Award, and the top Reuben Award in 1996.
- In 1985, he won the Adamson Award in Sweden.
- In 1992, he became the first Mexican to win an Eisner Award for Groo the Wanderer.
In 2009, an art show called Mad About Sergio was held. Visitors could see his childhood drawings, his publications, and some of his awards. Sergio even drew his famous marginals directly onto the museum walls!
The Comic Art Professional Society named their award "The Sergio" to honor his work.
On October 11, 2024, Sergio Aragonés was announced as one of five comic creators to be added to the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame. He said it was a great honor and that Harvey was a big inspiration to him.
Images for kids
-
Aragonés at the 2017 WonderCon
-
Sergio Aragonés' signature
-
Groo the Wanderer vol. 2 #1 (March 1984)
-
Aragonés at the 1982 San Diego Comic Con
See also
In Spanish: Sergio Aragonés para niños
