{"product_id":"accidental-ambassador-gordo-robert-c-harvey-9781578061617","title":"Accidental Ambassador Gordo: The Comic Strip Art of Gus Arriola","description":"The comic strip \u003ci\u003eGordo\u003c\/i\u003e was published in U.S. newspapers for forty-four years (1941-1985). For almost all of this run its creator Gus Arriola was the most visible American of Mexican descent working as a syndicated cartoonist. At its peak \u003ci\u003eGordo\u003c\/i\u003e appeared in 270 newspapers and was the more widely circulated and longer-running of only two American comic strips set in Mexico. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eGordo\u003c\/i\u003e recounted the humorous adventures and amorous preoccupations of a portly Mexican bean farmer, whose name, Gordo, means \"fat.\" Among the supporting cast were his perspicacious nephew, the menagerie of their farm animals, and citizens of their village. Originally, the characters played to the stereotypes of Mexicans as portrayed by Hollywood and in popular culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Arriola realized that in the U.S. his comic strip was the only mass-circulation medium that portrayed Mexicans, he began taking pains to reflect accurately the traditions south of the border. \u003ci\u003eGordo\u003c\/i\u003e was transformed forthwith, and its chubby hero became, more by accident than by plan, an ambassador for Mexico and its culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eConverting his protagonist to a tour guide in the 1960s, Arriola was able to regale American readers with many aspects of Mexican folklore, history, and art in an entertaining but informative fashion, winning awards and accolades for his efforts. Because animals and insects in the strip were among its stellar attractions, Arriola was creatively positioned to stump for ecological concerns. He was one of the earliest in popular culture to do so. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eProfusely illustrated with runs of the strip from various periods, the book traces Arriola's artistic evolution and celebrates the cartoonist as a supremely inventive stylist whose artwork always displays design qualities unusual for a comic strip. His stunning Sunday fiestas of color and design are exemplified with eight pages of full-color reproductions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is the first book focused exclusively on Gus Arriola and the first that extensively examines the Mexican milieu as portrayed in American comics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert C. Harvey, Gus Arriola\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 157806161X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781578061617\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Mississippi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.90h x 8.30w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/15\/2000 pg. 200","brand":"Robert C. Harvey","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44181473951999,"sku":"9781578061617","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c761521d-3116-476f-b6f6-bced988d521e.jpg?v=1690260645","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/accidental-ambassador-gordo-robert-c-harvey-9781578061617","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}