One of the most popular Spanish cartoonists of his time, Francisco Ibáñez Talavera died on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the age of 87. Francisco Ibáñez Talavera is best known for creating the hugely popular Mortadelo and Filemón comic strips and books.
Commenting on Talavera's death, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, tweeted, “You made life much more fun for generations. We’ll miss you.”
Talavera was born on March 15, 1936, in Barcelona, Spain. He was passionate about comic books, so much so that he published his first cartoon when he was just 11 years old. He even quit his bank job to be a full-time cartoonist in 1957, much against his parents' wishes. And in 1958, he created his famous 'Mortadelo and Filemón'-- a spoof of the spy series 'Sherlock Holmes'.
Apart from 'Mortadelo and Filemón', Talavera also created other comic series including '13 Rue de Percebe', and 'Rompetechos'. During his lifetime, roughly 30m copies of his books were sold.
Speaking of Talavera and his immense contribution to the world of comic books, author Jordi Canyissà said as per The Guardian, "Ibáñez is hugely important in Spanish popular culture. His comics are as popular in Spain as 'Astérix' in France or 'Tintin' in Belgium. Generations have learnt to read from his stories and laughed over his comic strips. He defined an epoch with a type of absurd humour, everything exaggerated and full of mistakes and comic violence. His drawing style is versatile and extremely dynamic."
