Tea and Totem Comix, my new remedy for the common cold

Trying to find a Totem Comix cover without a naked woman on it is almost impossible.

I get a virulent Buenos Aires cold about every three weeks. Snot, an aching body, the desire to sleep like a house cat. At the moment, I have all of these symptoms. But it doesn’t matter because I have ten issues of Totem Comix to get me through this illness. Totem Comix, a Spanish adult comic magazine from the 80’s, is filled with sex, violence, horror, and gore. Given that list of sensationalist themes, one might think that the magazine would be repetitive and unreadable, but most of the stories are creative and intriguing. One of my least favorite stories, but one that proves my point, is one about a serial killer that murders a prostitute (there are about two stories with this theme per issue). It was told from the prostitute’s point of view as a love story instead of a horror story. Although the story was disturbing, it was a new way of telling a story that so many different have written. Like I said, it was a horrible, nauseating story, but at least the way it was written didn't make me want to vomit.

“La Gran Necesidad” by Godard and Ribera, by far my favorite, is about a futuristic world in which there are only women. There are concubines, lesbian sex, police chases, and forbidden romances. The comic’s beautiful drawings and earthy pastel tones are a pleasure to look at. The magazine is also quite diverse in terms of sexual orientation and race. Quite a few protagonists are African-American females and there are many stories about gays and lesbians (although some are intentionally titillating for male audiences).

So, for the past day I’ve been sick, but, as you can see, enjoying it…

Note: This photo was taken by Santiago during my illness. Yes, I know it is super unflattering, but it is an accurate rendering of both my laziness and love of comics.