Glauco Villas Boas

Glauco Villas Boas (March 10, 1957 – March 12, 2010) was a Brazilian designer, cartoonist and religious leader. He belonged to the family of the notable Villas-Bôas brothers.

Early life and career

In 1976, Glauco moved to Ribeirão Preto and, after being discovered by journalist José Hamilton Ribeiro, published his first works on newspaper Diário da Manhã. One year later, he was awarded the International Humor Exhibition of Piracicaba by a jury made up of Jaguar, Millor Fernandes, Henfil and Angeli, and the 2nd Biennial of Graphic Humor and Cuba.

In 1984, he developed his "autobiography with exaggerations" and, invited by Angeli, began publishing at the Ilustrada section of newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, where first appeared several of his characters, including Geraldão (created in 1981 after a reading The Teachings of Don Juan - a Yaqui way of knowledge by Carlos Castaneda). Other characters include Casal Neuras, Doy Jorge, Dona Marta and Zé do Apocalipse. For younger audiences, the weekly supplement Folhinha created the character Geraldinho, which is a light version (the dash and in the theme) of the character Geraldão.

He joined the cast of writers of TV Pirata and also did some sketches for the children's show TV Colosso, both of Rede Globo, for which also developed vignettes. He edited the magazine Geraldão by Circo Editorial between 1987 and 1989 and during this period contributed to magazines Chiclete com Banana and Circus.

As a musician, Glauco played in rock bands. Glauco had founded and led (for some 20 years) a Santo Daime church in Sao Paulo called Ceu de Maria (heaven or sky of Mary), and contributed numerous Santo Daime Hymns.

Style

With an acid humor, quick jokes, clean traces, "ultrasofisticated thought", and an unique style that united innocence and evil, Glauco contributed to the modernization of Graphic Design and the style of Brazilian cartoons in the period coinciding with the advent of a generation of post-dictatorship. The work of the cartoonist expressed "the simple, almost childlike expression".

The approach of their work was the daily life and its degradation. Marital problems, neurosis, loneliness, drugs and urban violence were pictured "always with grace and compassion".

Glauco's name was always associated with the Angeli and Laerte's, "the holy trinity of Brazilian comic books", and the affinity for working in the same newspaper for 25 years.

Death

Glauco was assassinated in Osasco in the early hours of March 12, 2010. His lawyer announced to the press that the crime occurred during an attempted robbery which was then followed by an attempted abduction. Glauco negotiated with the bandits, who then led him forth but left behind his wife and his two children who were present in the home. As they left the house, another son of Glauco, Raoni, arrived at the scene and tried to dissuade the attackers, who shot and killed both father and son.

Later this version was denied. In the version related by the Glauco's family, an university student named Carlos Eduardo Sundfeld Nunes tried to convince Glauco to leave his house to tell Nunes's mother that he was Jesus Christ. According to the delegate of the Police Section of Osasco, Carlos Eduardo Nunes had been charged for drug possession.

"The murderer arrived, searched the family, argued with Glauco, drew his gun and started shooting. At this point, the cartoonist's son arrived. He kept shooting and escaped," said the sheriff, who described the murderer as "troubled". The son reacted to protect his father.

Glauco and Raoni were buried in the Gethsemani cemetery, in Anhanguera, north of São Paulo.

References

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