Mampato is a Chilean adventure and science fiction comic strip created by cartoonist Eduardo Armstrong [es] and illustrator Oskar [es]. Since the third installment, the comic has been developed mainly by Themo Lobos.[1] The comic strip follows the adventures of Mampato, a boy who saves a stranded alien named Xsé, and helps Xsé to save his home planet from the invasion of another alien species called the greenies and their cruel leader Mong. Mampato obtains a belt that allows him to travel through time and space.[2] Using this power, Mampato travels through different time periods on Earth. During his travels, Mampato meets the prehistoric caveman Ogú and the 40th-century mutant telepath Rena, who accompany him on his adventures. His adventures are highly educative teaching the readers interesting facts about the time periods Mampato visits.

A sculpture of Mampato at Comics Park [es], San Miguel, Santiago de Chile
A sculpture of Ogú at Comic Park

History

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Mampato was originally published in the children's magazine Mampato [es]. Originally, Mampato was similar to Asterix, however when Themo Lobos took over the writing and art direction of the comic, he insisted on redesigning the characters, making Mampato a boy. [1] Óscar Vega sporadically drew the comics (for example, "Mampato en el planeta maligno", ["Mampato on the evil planet"]) in Lobos' style.

Lord Cochrane publishing house, the original publisher of Mampato magazine, chose the name Mampato. The publisher already had a trademark on the name Mampato as a supplement to El Mercurio. The word "mampato" means "little frog" in Mapuche and refers to a breed of pony, Chilote horse [es]; the supplement had stories about a short-legged chubby pony, which reflects Mampato's character design.[1]

The magazine ran from 1968 to 1978. From 1986 to 1993, the adventures of Mampato were reprinted by Cucalón together with other comics by Themo Lobos.

Adaptations

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References

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  1. ^ a b c An interviuew with Themo Lobos
  2. ^ Mampato, no. 1. October 30, 30 1968, pp. 9-12, "El cinto Espacio-Temporal" ["The Space-Time Belt"]
  3. ^ Rafael Valle. "Ogú y Mampato en Rapa Nui review by Mabuse e-zine". Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  4. ^ "Las Aventuras de Ogú, Mampato y Rena" E01: ¡akarrú!
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Further reading

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  • Rojas Flores, Jorge. "Estrategias de poder y valores políticos en Mampato (1968-1978)", Mapocho Magazine [es], N°  71, 2012, pp. 297-314.