'Mort Cinder'.
Alberto Breccia was born in Uruguay, and moved to Buenos Aires when he was three years old. At the age of seventeen, Breccia had already published illustrations in several magazines, including El Resero, Phenomene and Berretin. Assigned by the publisher Lainez, he took on a realistic drawing style and created 'Kid del Rio Grande', 'El Vengador' and 'Mariquita Terremoto' for the magazines Tit-Bits, El Gorrion and Rataplan.
'Sherlock Time'.
Breccia left Lainez in 1945 and went freelance. He created 'Puno Blanco' in La Razon with scriptwriter Issel Ferrazzano, followed by 'Gentleman Jim' in Bicheo Feo and 'Jean de la Martinica' and 'Club de Aventureros' in Patoruzito. He also took over the 'Vito Nervio' series from Cortinas. He illustrated juvenile tales in Gatita, as well as 'Sancho Lopez' in the magazine of the same name.
'Mort Cinder'
In 1957, he met the writer Héctor German Oesterheld, and became a member of the so-called "Group of Venice", a team of ex-patriot Italian artists and writers like Hugo Pratt, Ivo Pavone, Horacio Lala, Mario Faustinelli and Alberto Ongaro, who all published at Oesterheld's Frontiera Editorial. With scripts by Oesterheld, Breccia illustrated several episodes in the series 'Ernie Pike', and created the series 'Sherlock Time' in Hora Cero Extra and 'Doctor Morgue' in Frontera Extra.
'El Eternauta'.
In the 1960s, Breccia produced art for foreign publishers through the Bardon agency in Madrid. For the British Fleetway, he drew episodes of 'Spy 13' and 'John Steele' for the Thriller Picture Library and 'Kit Carson' for the Cowboy Picture Library. He also cooperated on series like 'Lone Rider' and Wild West Picture Library.
'Ché'.
On 17 August 1962, Breccia and Oesterheld launched the 'Mort Cinder' series, considered by many Breccia's masterpiece. In addition, he co-founded the Panamerican School of Arts in Buenos Aires, of which he was the director until 1971. After a brief departure from the field, Breccia returned to comics in 1968. Together with his artist son Enrique Breccia, he produced Oesterheld scripted comics biographies of Ché Guevara and Piron in the magazine Danieri. The Guevara biography eventually led to Oesterheld's disappearance in the mid-1970s. In 1969, Breccia illustrated a revamped version of Oesterheld's 'El Eternauta' in the magazine Gente.
'Perramus'.
In the 1970s, the work of Alberto Breccia gained popularity in Europe. He contributed to magazines like Linus, Alter Alter, Il Mago and Linus in Italy, Zeppelin, Troya, El Globo and Totem in Spain, as well as Métal Hurlant, Charlie Mensuel, Phénix and B.D. in France. He made comic interpretations of Lovecraft's 'Call of Ctulhu' and Edgar Allan Poe's 'Le Coeur Révélateur', but also comics versions of classic fairy tales. The dark content of these stories was a perfect combination with Breccias black and white artwork.
'La Caperucita Roja' (Comix International, 1984).
In 1984, together with writer Juan Sasturain, he created 'Perramus', a scathing take on Argentinian modern history. Alberto Breccia has proven to be a very influential comic artist, not only because he was one of the founders of a famous art school (Instituto de Arte) in 1966, but also for his unique and daring style, which firmly places him at the vanguard of the comics medium. Alberto Breccia passed his creative talent on to his children, Cristina Breccia, Enrique Breccia and Patricia Breccia, who all became comic artists as well.
Alberto Breccia was an influence on Lucas Nine and <a href="/artists/s/shimamoto_julio.htm">Julio Shimamoto</a>.
Cover illustration for Tit-Bits.