Visiting Artist: Liniers

There was little way we could have expected the talk we got from Liniers back in October. Liniers is a cartoonist from Argentina who likes self-depricating humor. A very charismatic speaker, we were somehow lucky enough to get Dylan Horrocks and Liniers to speak at CCS in the same semester!

Liniers with his balloon

Liniers makes a daily newspaper comic in Argentina called Macanudo. Macanudo has been collected into 12 books, which are being re-released into even larger collections of those books. Three of the original smaller volumes are currently available in English.

Liniers before he got too warm

Liniers was into comics as a kid, but as a confused teenager, he decided to go into law. He saw that his father was a lawyer, and he liked it. But Liniers? Not so much. So back to comics he went. And all the better for us. He makes a newspaper strip because that is the only way to make a name in comics in Argentina. There are only 2 papers and only a few open spots for comics. Comic positions only open when those cartoonists die! Or retire. Fortunately for Liniers, they were running Zits with a terrible translation to Spanish, so it was not succeeding, and Liniers got to replace it. This is how Macanudos started.

Liniers after he got too warm.

He had no idea what he was doing. The strip started in 2002 at the start of one of the worst economic depressions the country had ever seen. With the news papers predicting doom at every turn, he decided to do a optimist strip, in revolt against the depression. Liniers says, “the small things close to you are nice.” So he based the comic on that.

Liniers was a very entertaining speaker. From left to right: Santiago Naranjo (’16), Jacob Boussiere (’17), Tillie Walden (’16), Ben Wright-Heuman (’16), Dave Humphreys (’16), Steve Thueson (’17), Cooper Whittelsey (’16), and Kazimir Lee (’16)

Liniers uses the comic for freedom of expression. He makes use of the freedom of layout. He has the same rectangle to draw in, but realized he can break it up however he wanted. And he has a large cast of characters to explore different ideas. A girl, her teddy bear, and her cat allow Liniers to try out classic American strips like Calvin and Hobbes. Elves, who he later decided were gay in support of gay marriage, are who he uses in more abstract comics. Olga, the imaginary friend of a little boy and who only says “Olga”, is his most popular character. And of course there is the mystery man in black. What more can I say about him.

Liniers pointing at Steve Bissette.

In regards to humor, he has found some guiding rules. For one, unexpected humor is more interesting. And bad joke is ok. People can take a bad joke. But a joke that the reader doesn’t get is returned with anger! People expect strips to end in a punch line. If it is not there, or if he leaves the end floating, people are left wondering where it is. Did they miss it?

Stephen R. Bissette pointing at the camera man! Faux pas.

Liniers and his wife also run a publisher now. They started by publishing Volume 6 of Macanudos. He felt his hands were tied with what more traditional publishers would allow him to do. Fortunately for us, and maybe unfortunately for him, he prints his own work however he wants now. He embroidered a cover that printed with the right side on the cover and the back side on the inside of the cover. And he printed 5000 copies of a book that had a hand drawn cover on each one. And he wouldn’t take back a second of it.

Jarad Greene ’17, Kane Lynch ’16, and Sandi B ’17 looking at Liniers’ originals.

Liniers feels lucky to be able to be an optimist. If he had gone into stand up comedy, he says he would have had to be cynical.

Photos courtesy Abe Olson.