Ivà, Makinavaja Creator, Dies at 52 in 1993 Car Crash
Ivà, creator of Makinavaja and El Jueves, died in a 1993 car crash at 52 with a blood alcohol level over 2.00.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ivà, the Makinavaja cartoonist, died at 52 on the road
The summer of 1993 left an uncomfortable obituary in the archives. Ivà, El Jueves’ central figure and Makinavaja creator, died in a car crash at 52. Three decades later, the disconcerting fact remains: he didn’t live to old age, and it wasn’t for lack of skill.
He started publishing young, after or during his military service, leaving a body of work read by generations. He authored Makinavaja and Historias de la Fruta Mili, two series depicting the macarrismo subculture and the Spain unseen on news. He previously signed El Papus, the satirical magazine from which he survived an attack before moving to London.
What the accident reports say
The account becomes uncomfortable for easy tributes. Period reports placed the driver’s blood alcohol level above 2.00, and his circle never hid his love for smoking and drinking. A colleague recalled thinking it was a binge. Most devoted readers reject the myth: his pace meant he wouldn’t have reached 70.
The book revealing the unspoken
F. J. Martín’s volume documented a detail now viewed with irony: he paid no taxes and bought flats cash, registering them to relatives. Few dispute he would face an inspector today. The material describes an anarchist without a card, laughing at leftist speeches and public cynicism. His phrases circulate as prophecies: “I don’t know if they are bastards because they are rich or rich because they are bastards.”
The debate reopening each anniversary
Each remembrance reignites the same pulse. One current defends his style as perfect for cruel, absurd humor, placing him beside Fontanarrosa or Gotlib. A minority dismisses him as overrated: notable scripts, no aesthetic pretension. A louder third speculates on his work today. All suppositions.
The unclosed calculation is how much his work holds up without the reader’s nostalgia. His colleagues’ reactions—a dark joke, silence, a joke about delays—best define him. No one has improved on that yet.
The summer of 1993 left an uncomfortable obituary in the archives. Ivà, El Jueves’ central figure and Makinavaja creator, died in a car crash at 52. Three decades later, the disconcerting fact remains: he didn’t live to old age, and it wasn’t for lack of skill.
He started publishing young, after or during his military service, leaving a body of work read by generations. He authored Makinavaja and Historias de la Fruta Mili, two series depicting the macarrismo subculture and the Spain unseen on news. He previously signed El Papus, the satirical magazine from which he survived an attack before moving to London.
What the accident reports say
The account becomes uncomfortable for easy tributes. Period reports placed the driver’s blood alcohol level above 2.00, and his circle never hid his love for smoking and drinking. A colleague recalled thinking it was a binge. Most devoted readers reject the myth: his pace meant he wouldn’t have reached 70.
The book revealing the unspoken
F. J. Martín’s volume documented a detail now viewed with irony: he paid no taxes and bought flats cash, registering them to relatives. Few dispute he would face an inspector today. The material describes an anarchist without a card, laughing at leftist speeches and public cynicism. His phrases circulate as prophecies: “I don’t know if they are bastards because they are rich or rich because they are bastards.”
The debate reopening each anniversary
Each remembrance reignites the same pulse. One current defends his style as perfect for cruel, absurd humor, placing him beside Fontanarrosa or Gotlib. A minority dismisses him as overrated: notable scripts, no aesthetic pretension. A louder third speculates on his work today. All suppositions.
The unclosed calculation is how much his work holds up without the reader’s nostalgia. His colleagues’ reactions—a dark joke, silence, a joke about delays—best define him. No one has improved on that yet.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (64 replies).
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