Argentinean Anti-Authoritarian Sci-Fi Comic El Eternauta in Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal, 1958

Héctor Germán Oesterheld

Archive

[Latino Comics] Oesterheld, Héctor Germán, Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal. Buenos Aires: Editorial Frontera, 3 consecutive issues from November 12 to November 26, 1958. Oblong 8vo. Original color pictorial wrappers. Text in Spanish. A consecutive three-issue run of Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal, These 3 consecutive issues are part of the original first serialization of Héctor G. Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López’s El Eternauta, published by Editorial Frontera during the golden age of Argentine comics. El Eternauta is a foundational work of Latin American science fiction created by writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld and artist Francisco Solano López. The story begins in Buenos Aires, where a mysterious, lethal snowfall kills most of the population. The protagonist, Juan Salvo, and his friends survive by using makeshift protective suits to find others. They eventually join a resistance group fighting against the alien invaders. El Eternauta is a potent political allegory that explores themes of solidarity, resistance, and the threat of authoritarianism. Its social and political messaging is considered part of its enduring legacy First appearing in Hora Cero from 1957–1959, Oesterheld’s humanist script, emphasizing collective heroism over individualism, was recognized as a veiled critique of authoritarianism and the military rule, a theme that became tragically prophetic when the author himself was “disappeared” along with his two pregnant daughters under the late 1970s military junta. This archive includes 3 of the first appearance in print of Eternauta original story in the late 1950s, including one of the few Hora Cero issues with an Eternauta related art cover.

[1] Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal, November 12, 1958. Buenos Aires: Editorial Frontera. This issue continues the Eternauta’s tense progression as Salvo’s small group, barricaded in suburban Buenos Aires, confronts the toxic snow and constructs improvised protective suits. López’s art fuses expressionist shading with cinematic framing to evoke claustrophobic dread.

[2] Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal, November 19, 1958. Buenos Aires: Editorial Frontera. A scarce and highly sought issue, notable for the iconic panel of Juan Salvo and Professor Favalli observing missiles streaking across the Buenos Aires skyline, a visual metaphor for modern warfare and unseen domination. This image would become one of the most enduring in Argentine graphic art, reproduced in later reprints and academic studies as emblematic of Cold War anxiety within Latin American modernity.

[3] Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal, November 26, 1958. Buenos Aires: Editorial Frontera. Depicts the survivors’ first direct engagement with the alien “cascarudos,” revealing the invaders’ mechanized terror and the beginnings of organized human resistance. Oesterheld’s dialogue increasingly blurs the line between science fiction and existential parable, while López’s kinetic illustrations heighten the tragic momentum.

Light toning and small edge chips; center staples firm, covers fragile but intact, interiors supple and complete. Overall very good condition. Sets preserving consecutive issues from Hora Cero’s 1950s serialization are scarce, as the fragile newsprint format led to low survival rates.

Item #22775

Price: $1,800.00