Comics from far away lands: Circulo Justiciero

There is a very nice amount of comic book characters from the Southern European nation of Spain. I have wanted to speak of one of these comics for some time now. However, I have come across a difficulty..Most of these characters have only been featured in small mini-series of 4 to 6 issues. This seems to be a trend in many countries that publish comics due to the fact that financing comics is not an easy task. I have read a few mini-series coming from Spain and there was one that always caught my attention: Circulo Justiciero(which translates to Justice circle in English).

Circulo Justiciero is probably not the most original comic out there as far as characters and story. Regardless of that, it just delivers those traditional elements so well and in such a different perspective that it makes it worth it. The story behind Circulo Justiciero is simple: A Nazi affiliated sorcerer known as Runemaister uses his magic to provide the Nazis with a massive army of undead warriors. One of my favorite part of this book is the different origins of the characters and how well their different perspectives come together. For example, the heroes range from a Native American to an Egyptian warrior.


The heroes got together for a very simple and common goal: to defeat the Nazis and their army of the undead. One of the reasons why I wanted to write about this group of super heroes is because it brings a general question to my mind. Just like with the creator of Corto Maltese, foreign comic book artists tend to look at the world for inspiration. Hugo Pratt’s character is not Italian by any means just like most of his popular characters. They range from Spanish Gypsies to American frontiersmen. Again, we find this trend with this Spanish comic book. A team of super heroes that has members from different parts of the world coming together. The question here is, American super heroes for the most part tend to be strictly American. Why has it become so difficult for American comic creators to envision characters beyond the borders of the United States? Now, obviously with this page I have helped to shed some light on the origins of some characters from mainstream American population. However, how often do we see a comic book character that is mainstream in America and that is of foreign origin? A very difficult question to answer and that could raise interesting discussions. More of something to think about.

To continue with the Circulo, unfortunately the run was rather short. Only 6 issues leaves little room to talk about the actual story of the comic and kind of left me with a taste for more. The heroes are colorful, the story might not be the most original but it is presented well and the art is interesting to look act. The comic was created by two Spanish artists: Pedro Angosto(the writer) and Carlos Rodriguez (artwork). For those curious about the Circulo, reading about their adventures won’t be easy because of the following 2 reasons: 1. It has never been translated to English. 2. The comic is only sold in Europe. Hopefully in the future, the world will see more of the Circulo Justiciero.