Good kids gone wrong
The artists that initiated this movement grew up watching American cartoons as well as detective and sci-fi television shows from the late fifties, sixties and seventies.
Among these, were several hit animated series from Japan and British action shows which were translated in Mexico (and even Puerto Rico) but were not aired in the United States.
These include a wide variety of Mexican action films from the 70’s, especially those with characters like the popular wrestler known as “El Santo”, and many others, who ignited every kid’s imagination.
Probably as influential as American comics, the new style was graphically refined by anime which became very popular in the island in the 1970’s long before it did in the U.S.
Shows like La Princesa Caballero (Princess Knight / Ribon no Kishi); Mazinger Z (Majinga Zetto); Kimba, el león blanco (Jungle Emperor / Janguru Taitei); Monstruos del Espacio (The Space Giants / Maguma Taishi); and El As del Espacio (Space Ace / Uchu Esu) are among the many Japanese series that inspired the Puerto Rican artists that began publishing their own comics around 1985.
Another strong influence came from the UK in the late 1960's. It's called "supermarionation" (super + marionette + animation), a puppet handling technique developed by AP Films to develop science fiction series, like "Thunderbirds" (1965), "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterions" (1967), and "Joe 90" (1968), which all took place in the early and middle 21st century.
The films from the 60's and 70's, undoubtedly, set a chain reaction in the creative minds of the young Puerto Rican artists of the time.
Most of the films from this era went on to become the modern movie classics we now cherish. Films like "Planet of the Apes", Hitchcock's "The Birds", "American Graffiti", "The Godfather" and "Rocky" series, Mel Brook's comedies like "Young Frankestein", "Jaws", "Star Wars", and many, many others.
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