Translation and censorship in the comix of Especial Star-Books (1975-1982)

Abstract

This paper analyses the publication and censorship of the Especial Star-Books collection (1975-1982), focusing on the comix translated from English. To do so, a) we study the origins of the medium, its success in late and post-Francoist Spain, the editorial policy of Producciones Editoriales and the censorship of this type of publications, as well as the publication and censorship data of the collection, and b) we compare the comix in Infinitum Ciencia Ficción 1 and Las famosas aventuras de los Freak Brothers with their respective originals. Results show that the spirit of the collection contrasted with the cultural model favoured by the Franco regime and that publishers avoided crossing certain lines, so as to avoid potential sanctions.