The most traditional underground: transgression and tradition in Nazario Luque’s 'Anarcoma'

Abstract

This article will review the character of Anarcoma, the protagonist of the homonymous comic by Nazario Luque. As a multifaceted and heterogeneous figure, we will delve into the representation of Anarcoma as a queer entity, focusing on his role as a transformer or transvestite, on the link between folklore, popular culture and Andalusia present in the work, and finally on the relationship between Anarcoma and the model of the hard boiled detective and the science-fiction heroine. This research aims to redefine Anarcoma’s identity on the basis of his condition as an essentially feminine figure. By analyzing the multiple faces of the character, a review of the dialectics and representations around the figure of the woman will be offered, highlighting not only the lack of real correlates of a completely chimeric symbology, but also the fissures in the construction of certain stories and types depicted as fixed and immovable, leading to a reflection on issues as hot and current as the construction and destruction of gender, identity and sexual orientation.