Pasquim was published on a weekly basis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from the 26th of June, 1969 thru until the 11th of November, 1991. Some editions were released under the title of ‘Pasquim’, whilst others under the title of ‘O Pasquim’.

Origins

O Pasquim was initially imagined by the cartoonist Jaguar as the neighborhood newsletter of Ipanema, it soon became a national phenomenon. Famous for its role as the most successful oppositional tabloid to the military regime in Brazil, O Pasquim used humor to critique political coercion and the systematic violation of human rights by the Brazilian dictatorship. Financed by Murilo Reis, O Pasquim started with a distribution of 10,000 copies, but its circulation reached more than 200,000 exemplars in the early 1970’s.

The newspaper brought together a new generation of artists very critical of the political situation of Brazil, including Millôr Fernandes, Ziraldo, Jaguar, Martha Alencar, Sérgio Noronha, Moacir Scliar, Newton Carlos, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Ferreira Gullar, Glauber Rocha e Cacá Diegues. Its colloquial style profoundly transformed the language of Brazilian journalism. Publicity occupied 25% of the pages of the newspaper, which was purchased first and foremost by the sons and daughters of the Brazilian middle class. Many of its most interesting reports and political cartoons were censored by the military dictatorship, whose police invaded the Pasquim’s headquarters in November of 1970, arresting almost all of its journalists. The newspaper then became a symbol of resistance of civil society before the authoritarianism of the state. Although O Pasquim closed its operations in 1991, it is still considered the alternative newspaper of most longevity in Brazil.

The Phantom

The Phantom appeared on the cover of Pasquim edition #454, published 10-16th of March 1978.

The 32 page publication features art by Ziraldo on the cover, plus the Phantom appears twice within the supplement, a full page article featuring the Phantom and a second smaller article late on. The 2 internal articles can be seen below.

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