?A delightful book about Mexican culture as seen through Mexican comic books, this study analyzes the influences and differences between these and their Euroamerican counterparts. Among other questions the authors ask "Why are comic books so popular in Mexico?" They analyze Kaliman, Lagrimas, Risas y amor, Los supermachos and Los agachados, Chanoc, El Payo, and La familia Burron. Kaliman, "The Incredible Man," read by all sectors, is described as representing "sanitized machismo," symbolizing male supremacy in the outer world. "Ordinary people and the authorities are basically helpless." Kaliman's sidekick, Solin, more Mexican-looking than the exotic Kaliman, is seen by the comic's creators as a role model for children, a "model of dependency." Other treatments are just as ingenious. The Mexican comic book, a sort of escapist folk or mass literature, is much more--it touches on themes such as class conflict, US cultural imperialism, and how Mexicans see the world. Not Just for Children makes one think and laugh. Highly recommended. All levels.?-Choice
