The Argentinian cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón (1932-2020), who published as Quino, introduced the brilliantly insightful, refreshingly unfiltered six-year-old Mafalda in 1964. Quino ended his internationally renowned black-and-white comic strip, available in 26 languages, in 1973. Now Elsewhere Editions, the children's imprint of Archipelago Books, is releasing Mafalda: Book One--with four additional volumes planned, all translated by lauded Frank Wynne--and the delightfully precocious Mafalda deserves prominent space on anyone's shelves.
Mafalda is self-admittedly "only little," although she's already worrying about college. Her mother cooks too much soup. Her suit-wearing father is a phytophile. Her relentlessly probing questions either cause Papa a nervous attack--"I need you to explain the war in Vietnam"--or leave him utterly defeated--"Papa? Can you explain why humanity is a disaster?"
And then there are Mafalda's friends: Manolito, son of the neighborhood grocery store owner, who pays attention to "commercial possibilities" and role-plays John D. Rockefeller. Felipe excels at avoiding homework and knows to flee Mafalda as necessary. Susanita, who's already declared her future maternal goals, remains indifferent to Mafalda's insistence that "a woman can be more than a mother, she can contribute to society, do important things."
Originally created for a failed advertising campaign, Mafalda has aged well, perfectly situated between youthful innocence and impressive sophistication. Quino draws plenty of visual humor throughout, particularly engaging in capturing the children's vibrant expressions and their constant in-motion energy with minimal pen strokes. Most notably, Mafalda's quick-witted, bitingly sharp observations, created more than a half a century ago, prove even more relevant amid contemporary chaos. Once again, Mafalda and friends are ready for their well-deserved close-ups. --Terry Hong