Superheroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Daredevil, or Flash Gordon jump into the ring alongside a cast of iconic comic characters, striding in capes or peering from the other side of a barrier, in a vivid vignette that blends bullfighting imagery with graphic storytelling.
Tomorrow Tuesday at 20:00, an exhibition opens at the Alicante Bullfighting Museum that unites the arena with the world of comics. From arena to comics, this event juxtaposes bulls and bullfighters with superheroes such as Superman and Rompetechos. The show runs through August 6 and features hundreds of comic pages from across the globe, including Spanish, French, American, British, and even Japanese works, with more than 300 titles on display.
Fernando Gonzalez, recognized as a historian and translator, curates the exhibition. His voice underscores a long-standing bond between bullfighting and popular culture, illustrating how bullfighting has fed graphic storytelling across genres—from early contemporaries to modern graphic novels of the 20th and 21st centuries.
As the curator notes, Spanish comics have long featured the bull as a recurring element. From Mortadelo y Filemón to Zipi and Zape, and from Anacleto to the Ulises Family, the presence of the bull has endured since 1917; TBO helped give the bull its distinctive emblem in the canon of humor and adventure.
Cover images and panels reveal the evolution of the bull in sequential art, including early yellowing pages and later developments in graphic novels. The exhibition shows a variety of early specimens and more contemporary pieces, tracing how the bull has been depicted across generations and styles—an ongoing conversation between two seemingly distant worlds.
Visitors will encounter a range of early comic examples and later graphic novels, culminating in recent works that echo the same themes. The show presents a spectrum from the early years of the medium through modern storytelling, inviting a reflection on how national and international artists interpret the bull as a cultural symbol and narrative device.
Participation spans regional and international creators, with works that traverse Mexico, Spain, and beyond. The curatorial aim is to show how the hero’s journey can intersect with the arena, prompting readers to consider identity, tradition, and spectacle through a comic lens.
As part of the experience, a curated selection of writers who have engaged with the bull motif is highlighted. Artists like Ibáñez, Hugo Pratt, Jack Kirby, Carl Barks, and Paco Roca are acknowledged for their contributions to this enduring theme, illustrating a dialogue across generations and genres.
Administrative figures associated with the museum and the local government emphasize the collaboration that makes the exhibit possible, situating it within a broader cultural program. The museum director and city council representatives highlight the project as a bridge between folk traditions and modern storytelling, inviting audiences to explore a fresh perspective on familiar icons.
A complimentary catalog accompanies the display, featuring essays by Fernando González that contextualize this distinctive comic book celebration. Organized by the Alicante Town Hall, the exhibition invites visitors to view a carefully chosen arc of works and to appreciate how comics can reflect and reinterpret traditional performance spaces until August 6.