Cuban Comics in the Castro Era

A Future Despite the Present

Due to numerous factors, the comics genre is not quite as popular in Cuba as it used to be. Many influential titles no longer exist because of lack of readership. The paper, ink, and other material shortages during the 1990s removed comics from the shelves and therefore were not available to readers. Without this continued exposure to comics during this decade, a whole generation of readers, particularly children, just didn’t develop the same interest in this particular media. The seminal and important titles of the past could no longer influence the readers of the present in the same way if they weren’t producing new content.  Also, unlike the United States for example, comics in Cuba are still associated with children's entertainment and are not seen as being part of adult media.

Despite the economic and cultural upheavals, the Cuban publishing community are resilient and resourceful. Many well known titles have continued to publish through the 2000s such as dedeté, Zunzún, and Pionero. Other titles have moved to the digital realm and continue to produce high quality output for new generations. They present their work on bulletin boards, murals, and even on television. Also, scholarship around comics continues to grow as the cultural importance of this medium is recognized, not just for graphic art, but for popular culture, politics, anthropology, sociology, and many other realms of study.

The Cuban Comic community show a spirit of survival and endurance. They frequently win international awards and continue to earn the respect of other countries with their humorous, adventurous, and droll views of the world stage and their place in it. They look towards an uncertain future despite the difficulties of the present. 

 

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