Story and comic strips in the work of Rius: the comic as a form of art

In this essay we will analyze the relationship between text and image within the work of the Mexican cartoonist Eduardo del Rio (Rius), to show how both text and image are capable of representing Mexico's present and past. In his work, Rius establishes a contrapuntal relationship between realistic and satirical images, as well as between historical texts and personal interpretation. Through a combination of tragic and humoristic register, Rius's comic is transformed from a simple product of the mass culture, to a fundamental instrument of criticism and political opposition to the dominant ideology.