[Meeting…] Silvio José

Comics (like movies or literature) are an excellent hobby to forget about our worries and obligations for a few moments. That is why fantastic stories have always been widely accepted in some of the worst moments of today's society.

It is true that on many occasions, the entertainment offered by comics does not try to distance us from our daily lives, but rather they try to parody it so that common facts, previously exaggerated, are the ones that make us laugh out loud. There are quite a few characters that represent this type of humor, you just have to take a look at many of the Bruguera School or the magazine Thursday, where the character I am going to talk about next comes from.

The good parasite

Silvio José Pereda Cortés is a man in his forties, single, unemployed, a lover of World War II video games and an unconditional fan of Steven Seagal, who He lives with his long-suffering father, whom he likes to blame for any misfortune that happens to him. or something that does not go as he plans.

Silvio's manipulative, mean, childish, obsessive and envious attitude is so insufferable that his father can only try to please him to make him satisfied and let him live peacefully, something that rarely happens, because Silvio is not easy to please.

His unemployed situation only aggravates his parasitic lifestyle, leaving him with a lot of free time to be bored and annoying. Furthermore, Silvio will avoid by all possible means fulfilling any of his adult obligations, especially with looking for a job.

Silvio's father will not be the only victim of this unpleasant character, who will not hesitate to rant or take advantage of anyone who crosses him. One of his most common victims is Federico Tejada, who in turn is Silvio's only friend. Federico is of a similar age to Silvio  and suffers from schizophrenia that usually manifests itself through his Geyperman of luck, which “tells” him to do things, like urinating on other people.

Silvio's stories usually take place in his home, but on some occasions we will see him leave the house, thus increasing the number of victims, I mean, of characters that appear in his stories. This change of landscape will also allow us to verify that His ego and superiority complex also extends to the female gender. with notably sexist overtones, since Silvio has a series of mandatory physical priorities for a woman to be suitable for him. Of course, he considers himself attractive and perfect, since self-criticism is not an idea that ever crosses this character's head, since that would mean that he is wrong and that is impossible.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Silvio José is that kind of character that makes you laugh a lot, but that you would not like to meet under any circumstances since sometimes reality surpasses fiction and it is easier than it seems to find someone who remembers this unfortunate human being.

If you want to read something about Silvio, I recommend that you start with his appearances in the magazine El Jueves (where he has been appearing since 2005) where he usually stars in short, self-contained stories that are resolved in vignettes with a lot of text (perhaps to show the irritation that the character provokes). Some of these stories will put Silvio in somewhat special situations, such as when his father kicks him out of the house or gets him a job.

Fortunately, these comic strips are collected in several volumes that can be found relatively easily in specialized stores. If you found any of the vignettes shown here or the character funny, I recommend purchasing it.