Critical Commentary
Born in Minas Gerais, Ziraldo grew up in Rio de Janeiro. In 1949, his first cartoon was published in the magazine A Cigarra. In the following year, he returned to Minas Gerais, where he completed his law studies. During this period, he contributed to the publications Folha de Minas and Binômio. In 1956, he moved back to Rio de Janeiro, and devoted himself to cartooning, contributing to publications such as the Folha de S. Paulo, Fatos e Fotos, Fairplay, Jornal do Brasil and Correio da Manhã and, internationally, in Mad (USA), Penthouse and Private Eye (England) and Planète and Plexus (France).
For the historian Herman Lima, Ziraldo is a member of a group of artists whose work in the Brazilian illustrated press, succeeds the group of those who dedicated themselves to political or personal caricature, after this latter genre lost force during the Estado Novo dictatorship (1937-1945), due to the restrictions imposed by the Press and Propaganda Department (DIP). The scholar Gilberto Maringoni highlights the relationship of his works, as well as those of Millôr Fernandes (1923- ) and Fortuna (1931-1994), among others, to the output of European cartoonists of the Post-War period.
One of the first characters created by the artist was Pererê, who appeared in comic strips of the same name, published by the company O Cruzeiro, in a colour magazine format between 1960 and 1964. For the scholar Joaquim da Fonseca, these stories present Brazilian themes and characters, of whom Saci is the principal one. In an indirect way, the author alludes in his work to the injustices and inequalities that afflict Brazil. The magazine achieved great popularity. In 1964, Ziraldo took part in the foundation of the magazine O Pasquim. The artist himself defined the publication as a centre for disseminating critical journalism which was intended as resistance to the dictatorship.
His characters became extremely well-known, such as Supermãe [Supermom], whose stories were published in Jornal do Brasil and in the magazine Claudia. In these works, the artist satirises the image of the overprotective mother.
In 1969, Ziraldo published his first book for children: Flicts, which tells the story of a colour seeking its place in the world. Since then, Ziraldo has devoted himself to children's' books. With Menino Maluquinho [Crazy Kid], published in 1980, he explored the creative universe of childhood. His output also includes various parodies of famous film actors and cartoon superheroes, such as Superman, Dick Tracy or Batman and Robin. In 2002, Ziraldo was one of those responsible for the return to publication of Pasquim, which received the name of Pasquim 21 in allusion to the new century. For the historian Pedro Corrêa do Lago, Ziraldo is, among the Brazilian caricaturists who emerged during the second half of the twentieth century, the figure whose drawing became most popular and whose line is perhaps the most recognisable among the artists of his generation.
