Harald Stricker was a Brazilian illustrator and podcaster, best known for his participation in Nerdcast, the most popular Brazilian podcast, under the pseudonym Android HS. He was the artist of the alternative history graphic novel 'Independência ou Mortos' (2012).
Early life and education
The great-great-grandson of Gustav Carl Eduard Krüger, an immigrant from Prussia (nowadays, the north of Germany), Harald Stricker was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1973. He graduated in Fine Arts/Printmaking and worked as a freelance illustrator. His main influences were comic artists such as Albert Uderzo, Alex Ross, Bernie Wrightson and Brian Bolland, as well as the printmakers Gustave Doré, Albrecht Dürer and M.C. Escher.
Nerdcast
While working as a commercial illustrator, Harald gained recognition as a regular guest of Nerdcast, the most popular Brazilian podcast. It was created in 2006 as part of the pop culture portal Jovem Nerd. Harald participated in several episodes of Nedcast from 2009 to 2017, especially the ones with a sci-fi theme.
Independência ou Mortos
In 2012, Harald pencilled the graphic novel 'Independência ou Mortos', written by Fábio Yabu (under the pseudonym Abu Fobiya). The comic book is set in an alternative history. During the escape of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil in 1808, fleeing Napoleon's invasion (a real event), they inadvertently brought zombies to Brazil (obviously, the non-real event). Dona Maria I, mother of Emperor Dom João VI (John VI of Portugal), is one of them. This could explain her unusual behavior, which earned her the (real life) epithet "A Louca" ("The Mad"). She is kept "alive" because the emperor refuses to kill his own mother, but she ends up being responsible for starting a zombie infestation in the capital of the Empire, Rio de Janeiro.
The title, 'Independência ou Mortos' ("Independence or Dead") refers to the phrase "Independência ou morte" ("Independence or death"). These were the words said in 1822 by Dom Pedro I (heir to the Portuguese crown and regent of Brazil after Dom João VI 's return to Portugal) when deciding that Brazil should become independent from the metropolis. And, in the case of this alternative history, when deciding to slay zombies to save the country.
Harald's meticulous work for the graphic novel's illustrations came from researching the real characters portrayed and visiting historical sites in Rio de Janeiro. The book, published by Nerdbooks, an imprint of Jovem Nerd, sold more than 10,000 copies in less than a year.
Death
Harald Stricker passed away in Curitiba on 13 August 2020 from undisclosed causes. He was 47 years old.
