Ríus

(Eduardo Del Rio)

(b. 20/6/1934, Mexico)


Los Supermachos, by Rius
Los Supermachos

Eduardo Del Rio, who used the pseudonym Ríus, worked in the trade and industry before he made his debut as a caricaturist in Ja-Ja magazine. Soon, he contributed to several weeklies and dailies, like Diario de la Tarde, Ovaciones, La Mañana, and Ojo. In 1961 he was the first foreign author to publish in the Russian Izvestia of Moscow. His first two comics series were 'Los Supermachos' and 'Los Agachados'. The revolutionary 'Supermachos' series about the mythical town San Garabato, was an example for many political comics that followed. In 'Los Agachados', Ríus continued this line of work, but this time without central characters.

He is one of the most political Mexican cartoonist, which has even got him in front of a firing squad. In issue 4 of The Imp, Dan Raeburn tells the story:

"Rius is a sly guy: he got away with criticizing the Mexican government by placing his stories in Aztec times. But his readers knew which government Rius was really writing about. So did the government. As procution artists readied issue 17 of The Bent-over for the printing press, the government stormed in and forced the colorist to repaint a woman's dress so that it matched her flesh. When the comic came out, the Commission deemed the character nude and therefore illegal and busted Rius. Still Rius persevered in putting out his comics. By 1969 the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was so sick of Rius' lampooning that they sentenced him to death by the firing squad. The soldiers led Rius to the mountains outside of the military prison at Toluca, tied his blindfold, gave him his last cigarette, and made him sweat. At the last second the government rescinded its order. The PRI had made its point. The soldiers untied Rius and made him promise to be a respectful cartoonist. To his credit, Rius has broken that promise."
Los Supermachos, by Ríus
Los Supermachos, by Ríus
Ríus site