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

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two years later the formula was repeated with a sequel, although the author did not<br />

participate in the production of these films. 4 However, the Mexican comic book<br />

industry was declining and at the end of the 1980s Hermelinda Linda appeared for the<br />

last time.<br />

The stories in this comic book are mostly related to crimes, mystery, cheating,<br />

and love affairs. Because of the topics, the use of witchcraft in the stories, the reference<br />

to sex and violence –including death and murder- and the semi-naked cartooned<br />

women, the comic was considered to be just for adults. Some of the images are bloody,<br />

women and men are represented in sexual positions and talk openly of sexual desires,<br />

women are voluptuous, and murder and crime is described in detail. Hermelinda Linda<br />

did not fit into the moral code of a conservative Catholic country. So, the comic had on<br />

the cover the lettering ‘Revista cómico-satírica para adultos’, to make clear that the<br />

content was not proper for minors.<br />

The comic is full of details which enlighten the reader about the time when the<br />

story is developed (usually contemporaneous), some background on the characters, and<br />

the society in which they live. 5 Some of the young characters dress in clothes which<br />

were fashionable in the 1970s, they make reference to the Olympics which were taking<br />

place in Munich in 1972, 6 and Hermelinda lives in a real neighbourhood in Mexico<br />

City, known as Bondojito. 7 Therefore, the observation of these details is relevant for our<br />

purpose. Some of the characters also capture the language of the period, portraying the<br />

4 Personal communication with Óscar González, 15 July 2010.<br />

5 Francesco Casetti and Federico Di Chio define these details as indicios which provide information about<br />

the specificities of the place and person portrayed. For further information, consult annex one of this<br />

research.<br />

6 Hermelinda Linda, 368.<br />

7 According to Óscar González, the reason why Hermelinda is set in this neighbourhood is because one of<br />

his collaborators lived there and he used to tell stories about the place which inspired the comic. Personal<br />

communication with Óscar González, 15 July 2010.<br />

79

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