Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

Román Gubern’s ideas of visual and comic analysis put forward in El lenguaje de los
comics. The description of methods is contained in appendix one.
The second appendix is a series of charts which clarify which topics were aired
in the films and comics, and what mechanisms of humour were present. Since not all the
examples could be presented in the analysis, it seemed important to indicate how often
the various topics were discussed; this is a way to gauge their relative importance, to
show that they were not isolated or rare concerns, but rather could be considered as part
of the wider social imaginary.
What the reader will find in the following pages is an account of how during a
period in which there was much talk of opening, tolerance and democracy, opponents of
the regime were being tortured and murdered. Even as the authorities asserted their
tolerance of criticism, the reality was very different. Hence, some cartoonists and
filmmakers decided to express their dissent. But, humour was used to soften the
criticism and helped them avoid censorship (or worse). In fact, not only did they
criticise the authorities, but they also pointed out the tensions and problems faced by a
society which was transforming, becoming both more modern and more cosmopolitan.
Humour can show a distorted vision of reality, real but ‘sugar-coated’. Society
recognised itself, understood the reality being shown, but also was able to digest it more
easily. Difficult topics remained on the social agenda, despite the fact that the
government refused to admit them and did not permit an open discussion of them.
Thus, the relationship between the topics of this thesis makes sense: even as Luis
Echeverría invited artists to be critical of the regime, and talked of a time of tolerance,
the reality was very different. Visual artists expressed their dissent through their media
and by using humour they were able to criticise the authorities in a safer and more
enjoyable way. They used visual humour as a way to protest against repression, and
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