“Mafalda is a six-year-old genius. Imagine Lucy from the Peanuts gang if she were written by a Latin American Bill Waterson . . . [she] has the kind of humor that is very much geared toward young readers, but that adults will also find a lot of really unique and wonderful jokes in.” —Timothy Otte, MPR News
“This laugh-out-loud collection of b&w 1960s comic strips . . . stars stout, curly-haired six-year-old Mafalda as she relays precocious sociopolitical observations about mid-century Latin American society à la Charles Schulz’s Peanuts . . . The assured comedic visual energy of the paneled strips fosters giggles and food for thought via coming-of-age themes that transcend time and place.” —Publishers Weekly
“Though her family was solidly middle class, Mafalda didn’t let that fool her into thinking that everything was fine in her unequal society. She was too sharp for that, too observant . . . She worries about the kinds of things that many parents want to protect their children from even noticing—poverty and war and repression . . . The expansive, bighearted politics of Quino’s strip feel out of step with this terrifying moment, but, then again, that may be precisely why now is the right time to return to its heroine.” — Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker
“The delightfully precocious Mafalda deserves prominent space on anyone’s shelves . . . her quick-witted, bitingly sharp observations, created more than a half a century ago, prove even more relevant amid contemporary chaos. Once again, Mafalda and friends are ready for their well-deserved close-ups.” —Terry Hong, Shelf Awareness, starred review
“Mafalda is such a singular character and a singular world. There is so much depth, so many kinds of humor, to be found in this simple looking strip. Throughout the writing and researching of this article, I’ve kept Mafalda on my desk and keep returning to it, flipping through it and reading strips at random. I have yet to get tired of it.” —Alex Dueben, Literary Hub
“When wider American audiences do meet Mafalda, they’ll find a girl who resembles Ernie Bushmiller’s iconic character Nancy, but whose antics are entirely her own. Mafalda reaches for outer space on a seltzer-fueled jetpack, and is open to all kinds of experience. Even if she’s unlikely to help Democrats and Republicans get along, her brand of innocent but opinionated curiosity could show the so-called adults in the room how to do better by future generations.” —Benjamin P. Russell, The New York Times
“Simultaneously precocious and realistically childlike, [Mafalda] attempts to make sense of current events while embarking on flights of fancy. Speaking to universal childhood experiences while also offering pointed commentary on Argentina’s sociopolitical climate during the ’60s, this is a wise, wickedly funny work.” —Mahnaz Dar, Kirkus Reviews
“This five-volume series gathers a collection of the comics translated into English by Frank Wynne, engaging new audiences with her wide-eyed curiosity, sassy retorts, and insatiable desire to understand the world . . . [Mafalda’s] critiques of politicians, openness to the perspectives of others, and unwavering defense of human rights are universal—and especially timely.” —Valentina Di Liscia, Hyperallergic
“Mafalda ran for less than ten years in Argentina (1964-1973), but in South America its eponymous protagonist is still revered both as a lovable cartoon character and as a symbol of resistance… This collection, the first of five volumes to be published in a new translation by Frank Wynne, reflects concerns both global and specific to Argentina in the 1960s and 1970s… Wynne captures nicely [Mafalda‘s] spirit.” —Miranda France, TLS
“For many immigrants like me, Mafalda is more than a cartoon character. She’s a core memory, a mindset, a Latin American cultural icon. And in a country once again led by a president allergic to dissent, nuance, and the truth, what would Mafalda say to Trump? Whatever it might be, it would be sharp and right on time.”—Marcela García, The Boston Globe
“The cartoon character Mafalda, with her massive round head, sixties bob, triangular dress, and black Mary Janes, appears innocent. But this inquisitive girl-against-the-world is no ingenue—Mafalda often fires off sharp, incisive, and cynical observations about the political world around her . . . When I was growing up in Argentina in the early aughts, in the middle of yet another political crisis, Mafalda taught me how to think politically, even when I was too young for it. Children enjoy this—they appreciate it when you don’t underestimate their intelligence, and rise to the occasion as a result . . . In many ways, the intergenerational battle that Mafalda represents still rings true, and is bound to educate nonconformist children in conformist times.” —Julia Kornberg, The Paris Review
“Mafalda is a hero of our time.” —Umberto Eco
“Each Quino book is happiness.” —Gabriel García Márquez
“Quino’s cartoons made sense of the absurd details of life and society. Each lesson is a wink of silent laughter turned to pure philosophy, social criticism, expressive gestures, and the most refined humor. What a great companion Malfalda has been.” —Ana Merino
“I can’t imagine Mafalda except as the witty girl she was, is, and always will be. Comic characters have that privilege (like Peter Pan) of never aging.” —Roberto Fontanarrosa
“The real Little Prince was Quino.” —Miguel Rep
“I don’t believe humor can alter anything. But sometimes it can be the little grain of sand that acts as a catalyst to change.” —Quino
“Mafalda was a heady mixture of irony and sweet naivete. Filled with subtle references, thinly veiled political debates, and ellipses . . . Quino’s characters formed a community of belonging—a progressive, left-wing, and rebellious sensibility that readers around the world could identify with. Quino’s Mafalda thus became a contemporary myth, a way of giving meaning to modern social existence.” —Isabella Cosse, Jacobin
“Although the concept of universalism has been sneered at for the past 40 years, evidence of its existence can be found in the pages of Mafalda.” — Tom Bowden, Book Beat
“Mafalda‘s blend of visual and verbal wit is sublime.” — Peter Dabbene, Foreword Reviews
“Mafalda’s innocent questions still sting.” —Dorian Lynskey, Airmail
“Mafalda is feisty and fearless in her criticism of the Vietnam War, global politicians, her parents (her poor, poor parents), her friend Susanita’s lack of feminist ambitions, and humanity’s inability to make any kind of progress . . . a must-read for comics aficionados of any age.” — Words Without Borders
“Absolutely delightful . . . the real star of the show here is Mafalda’s sensibility.” —Zack Quaintance, Comics Beat
“Unfortunately, the timing is great for American readers. Mafalda’s character-defining question to her father — ‘Can you explain why humanity is a disaster?’ — is one I ask myself every day as I read the news. If Quino, who died in 2020, were still alive and drawing Mafalda, it seems fair to say Mafalda would be incensed.” —Lily Meyer, The Dial
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