Lamberto Ortiz Torrero: Rediscovering a Bluff (1903-1940)
A tribute by cartoonist Lamberto Ortiz that vindicates one of the most important graphic humorists of the Republic: Carlos Gómez Carrera, "Bluff". The study is also a fervent critique of Francoism’s system of repression, addressing prison conditions; the use of torture (as in the case of the publisher and owner of La Traca - Vicent Miquel Carceller and its last director, Juan Gramaje, who was discovered "dead" during an interrogation); the use of false witnesses during false judicial processes (as happened with the same "Bluff"); and the genocidal cruelty of executions by firing squad. , Lamberto Ortiz commits to doing everything possible to remove the remains of the cartoonist (and of many other people) that were discovered directly in front of Grave Pit 114 in Paterna’s cemetery, and move them away from that mass grave of oblivion.
Rediscovering a Bluff is a first-person narrative that is not dissimilar to a detective story in the way that it presents information. It starts from a position of complete ignorance: of the very existence of the graphic humorist Carlos Gómez Carrera, of his significance, of his origins and, even, of his very name; which little by little, through a process of rigorous research, interviews and a stroke of luck, uncovers the man and allows the reader to become acquainted with him. On the one hand, the publication draws from his life story up until the testimonies of his prison officer, prisoners and Gonçal Castelló’s testimony, who saw how Carlos Gómez Carrera was a member of the group that would be executed by firing squad on June 28, 1940 in Paterna. On the other hand, it draws from his professional career, "Bluff" collaborated with the most important newspapers and magazines of the 30s: Flirt, Gracia y Justicia, La Libertat, Gutiérrez, Adelante and La Traca. Throughout his career, he went from creating various surrealist drawings and white humor, to critiques of the monarchy, Juan March, CEDA, Falange and the nationalist army. The following appears in his death sentence: "Proven Facts: he publishes drawings of the basest morals, in which the Generalisimo Franco and the generals of our Holy Crusade are ridiculed".
Finally, it is worth highlighting the beautifully adapted edition from Olé publishers, which includes numerous photographs, color reproductions of many of the cartoonist's drawings and other documents, including those relating to the judicial process associated with his case.
Pedro Luis Alonso
Translation by Luis Barra