Madrid pays tribute to one of the greatest comic book artists nationally and internationally. Francisco Ibáñez, the creator of Mortadelo and Filemón, will have his own street in the new Los Ahijones neighborhood, in the Vicálvaro district of Madrid.
Last December, Madrid City Council approved the final names for the new street map of Los Ahijones, one of the upcoming urban development projects in the capital.
Although most of the streets and avenues are linked to the nature and historical origins of the area, figures from the fields of culture and journalism will also be included , among them this creator and master of comics in Spain.
65 years of success
Francisco Ibáñez and comics. | Editorial credit: Wikimedia Commons
Francisco Ibáñez’s vocation for comics began at the age of 11, when he published his first drawing in Chicos magazine . In 1950, he began working as a bellboy at the Banco Español de Crédito, but he did not abandon his interest in drawing and collaborated with several publications.
His career took off in 1958 with the first Mortadelo y Filemón story in Pulgarcitomagazine , which marked the beginning of a hugely successful series: more than 20,000 pages drawn and a detective duo that has endured for years.
Other notable works and characters include 13, Rue del Percebe, El botones Sacarino, Rompetechos, and Pepe Gotera y Otilio. During his career, he received awards such as the Gold Prize for Children’s Characters in the 1970s, the Grand Prize at the Comic Fair in 1994, and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2001.
Along with other artists
Carlos Pacheco and Concha García Campoy. | Editorial credit: Wikimedia Commons
In 2023, the creator of Mortadelo and Filemón passed away at the age of 87, but his legacy lives on in our society, and this street in Madrid will help to remember him. In addition, his name will share space with 14 other artists and communicators who will be in the Los Ahijones neighborhood.
Among them are figures such as architect Antonio Palacios, cartoonist Carlos Pacheco, director Manuel Summers, and actor Quique San Francisco. In the field of journalism , there are Manu Leguineche, Antonio Herrera, Ángel del Río, and Constantino Mediavilla, among others.
Only two women are included in this selection, both journalists: Concha García Campoy (who worked in television and radio) and Encarna Sánchez (broadcaster on Radio Miramar in Barcelona, on COPE, and winner of three Ondas awards).