Spain's most famous comic book superheroes

From 10 March to 12 June 2016 at the ABC Museum in Madrid, we can see an exhibition about Spanish cartoonists who were part of the team of well-known publishers such as Marvel and DC.

Superheroes seem to us to be something alien to Spanish creation and, so much so, that it seems that the only way for a Spaniard to be linked to this world is to do the Americas. But the truth is that the creation of Spanish superheroes has been fruitful for almost a century. Here are some of the most outstanding Spanish superheroes.

Súper López

The most famous Spanish superhero is, without a doubt, Súper López, a humorous adaptation of Superman by Juan López Fernández (JAN) in which an office worker who loves origami hides in his skin powers that surpass any human capacity. The author always tries to use different points of view to tackle current issues that Spanish society suffers from every day. Despite his similarity to the famous Kryptonian, Super López has acquired his own personality and international fame.

Capitán España

Project IDE sought to create a European supergroup to confront the villains threatening this part of the world, where the more famous superheroes were not active. One of the original members was Captain Spain, a former soldier named Carlos Fraile who was implanted with biomechanical advantages and nanobots that increased his abilities, including the ability to fly. His greatest achievement was defeating Thor when he went mad.

El Águila

Like Captain Spain, the Eagle belongs to the Marvel universe. His image is a little more cliché: red hood and red tights, black shirt and boots, wide-brimmed hat, an eagle on his chest... and great skill with a sword. Moreover, being a mutant, he has the ability to throw electric charges. Although he looks like he comes from the 17th century, he was born in Madrid and his real name is Alejandro Montoya. Could he be a descendant of the famous Íñigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride"?

El Capitán Trueno

With no powers or technology at his disposal, Captain Thunder has used his own talent with the sword and his passion for adventure to become a classic Spanish superhero. His stories began to be distributed in 1956, with a success that was still unprecedented in the national sector.

He was the leader of a trio of brave warriors formed by Trueno, Goliath and Crispín. The genre of his adventures is medieval action and his different adventures against all kinds of villains have been renewed until his last comic was published in 2010.

El Coyote

His story is reminiscent of that of "El Zorro": Don César, a rich Mexican heir with a reputation for being a lecher and a lecher is, in reality, a vigilante who fights for the rights of his people in the California that has been annexed to the United States. Hidden behind a mask, under a charro hat and displaying his skill with a pistol, he is an incarnation of justice created by the author José Mallorquí.

El Coyote was born as a character in pulp novels, but quickly became a comic book character and one of the first "fan phenomena" in the history of Spanish culture. Today, volumes of the character are the object of collection and reprinting.

Iberia Inc.

Probably the most unknown superhero project of all, despite its great potential. Behind it were the artists Rafael Marín and Carlos Pacheco. It began in 1992, but did not obtain publication rights until the end of the decade.

It is only a mini-series with 6 issues in which 8 superheroes work in the service of the Spanish government. The group was made up of Aquaviva, Dolmen, Drac de Ferro, Lobisome, Melkart, Traka, Trasnu and Trueno. The quality of the comic encouraged the creation of other parallel miniseries.

Some are more serious, others more parodic; but what is clear is that there is no lack of superheroes in Spain.