Héroes del Cómic, El Hombre Enmascarado is the title of a comic book series published by Buru Lan S.A De Ediciones in San Sebastián, Spain in 1971. The series contains 96 comic books, with the last edition published in 1973.
Buru Lan S.A. de Ediciones was a prominent Spanish publishing house based in San Sebastián, reaching its peak influence during the early 1970s. Founded by Luis Gasca and Javier Maria de Pascual, the company specialized in high-quality editions of classic adventure comic strips and horror anthologies. Buru Lan is perhaps best known for its ambitious efforts to rescue and curate “Golden Age” American newspaper strips for the Spanish market, often presenting them in large-format, meticulously colored editions that appealed to both children and adult collectors.
The publisher’s catalog was heavily anchored by iconic King Features Syndicate characters, most notably The Phantom (El Hombre Enmascarado), Flash Gordon, and Mandrake the Magician. Their 1970s runs are particularly celebrated for their production value; for instance, their Phantom series featured iconic cover art and utilized a chronological approach to reprinting Sy Barry’s definitive work. Beyond adventure heroes, Buru Lan was a pioneer in the horror genre with titles like Drácula, which showcased a blend of international and Spanish talent, helping to elevate the medium’s aesthetic standards during a transformative period for Spanish tebeos (comics).
Despite its creative success, Buru Lan’s later years were marked by erratic publishing schedules and financial challenges. An attempt to relaunch titles in the early 1980s, such as the 1983 El Hombre Enmascarado series, suffered from a quirky, non-linear numbering system and was prematurely cancelled after only a handful of issues. Nevertheless, the company’s legacy remains significant among enthusiasts of “pulp-era” heroes, as their editions served as a crucial cultural bridge that preserved the history of adventure illustration for a generation of Spanish readers.
On the outside back covers of the first 12 editions, Buru Lan S.A De Ediciones advertise a contest, with the opportunity to win the original art work published on the cover of edition number 1, featuring the Phantom with a skull behind him. The art work is an oil painting produced by Spanish artist, Enrique Torres.
Below we see Héroes del Cómic edition number 1, with the contest advertised in the lower potion of the back cover, with a pink background.
To enter the contest, the reader was required to collect 12 unique coupons located on the corner of the back covers of the first 12 Héroes del Cómic editions, and mail them into Buru Lan S.A De Ediciones at their San Sebastián address. Each coupon number changed, with the coupon number reflecting the Héroes del Cómic edition number.
All entries were required to be received by Buru Lan S.A De Ediciones before the 16th of May, 1971. The contest advertisement tells us that a ‘Notary’ would be present at the drawing of the winner.
The winner would receive the original oil painting in a ‘luxurious’ frame, and personally dedicated to the winner by the artist, Enrique Torres. Buru Lan S.A De Ediciones give us an indication of what the contest winner would receive.
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