'Nicolas Parletti'. Translation: 'They call this cocktail "Autumn Leaves', because after you drink it, you change color and fall to the floor" and 'El Canilla Libre'. Translation: 'You're an advocate of water, Gallego... you put water in your wine!' - 'Just so you know: it's only 1 litrer in 10 of a demijohn (= a 'demijohn' is a type of bottle)." - "Yeah, but you put in 10 liters...OF WATER!".
William Gezzio was an Uruguayan comic artist and cartoonist. He is most famous for developing Sergio Bóffano's iconic comic strip 'Charoná'. Gezzio not only made the character a younger boy, but continued the series after Bóffano's retirement. Another series continued by him was Enrique Ardito's 'Viviana y Yamandú' (2006-2012).
Early life and comics career
Born in 1945 as William Omar Geninazzio in Nueva Palmira, Colonia, he attended the Panamerican School of Art between 1961 and 1963. Gezzio has made illustrations, caricatures, animations, comics and cartoons for various media from Uruguay and Argentina. He debuted in 1965 in the opposition newspaper El Día. He remained with the paper as a political cartoonist until 1983. He was also involved as an illustrator in the children's supplement El Día de los Niños, launched in 1966. He created several characters for this supplement, including the little black boy 'Bombón' and the country kid 'Tatucito'.
Historical comic for El Día de los Niños.
Gauchito, Charoná and Campito
In 1965 and 1966, Gezzio was present in Pilán, the children's supplement of the dailies La Mañana and El Diario, named after the popular character played by comedian Eduardo Freda. Gezzio drew a strip about a peasant boy called 'Gauchito'. He was also involved in the creation of the Indian teenager 'Charoná', developed by Pilán's art director Sergio Bóffano. Charoná's own magazine was launched by the publisher of El Diario in 1967, for which Gezzio drew covers and a feature about a farmer called 'Campito'.
Gezzio later became art director of the children's magazine Patatín y Patatán, launched in 1970. He also created 'Humornautas', a cartoon panel with space humor in 1971. In 1971, Gezzio returned to Charoná with the gaucho character 'Santos Cruz'. He then helped to rejuvenate the title character Charoná into the boy that generations of Uruguayan primary school children have grown up with. Gezzio drew many stories, posters and covers for the magazine until Sergio Boffano's death in 2003, although he returned to the character in later years. Charoná can be considered as one of Uruguay's most iconic comic characters, and has also been adapted into a live action TV show.
Cover illustrations for Charoná.
Other comics
Gezzio is additionally the creator of comic strips like 'La Pensión 64', 'Los Risatómicos', 'Tente y sus Amigos', 'Pepe Ñandú', 'Nicolás Parletti' and 'El Canilla Libre'. Gezzio has published his work in papers like La Mañana, El Diario de la noche, El País, Mundo Color, La República and Ultimas Noticias, as well as the supplements El Escolar (El País) and La Pulga (El Diario). He was also a contributor to Mundo Uruguayo, Al Rojo Vivo, Patatín y Patatán, Colorín Colorado, El Dedo, Guambia, Berp, Tío Taba, La Pipeta, Quimera, Balazo, Guambia and his own magazine Estado de Humor. Gezzio was additionally present in Argentinian publications like Patoruzito and Rico Tipo, as well as the Spanish fanzine Nemo.
Viviana y Yamandú
In 2006, Gezzio succeeded Enrique Ardito as the artist of the adventure strip 'Viviana y Yamandú' in the Montevideo newspaper La República. The comic was canceled in 2012. Starting in 2012, Gezzio was the editor of Xanadu, a comic book collecting classic stories from Uruguayan comic history. He has also illustrated books for publishers like Capitel and Lumen.
Death
William Gezzio passed away on 27 February 2018, at the age of 73.
'Viviana y Yamandú'.