Biography
Sergio Aragonés was born in San Mateu, Spain, but his childhood was soon upended by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. His family fled the conflict, first relocating to France and eventually settling in Mexico, where he grew up in Mexico City. It was in Mexico that Aragonés’ deep love for art began to flourish.
As a boy, Sergio filled notebooks with cartoons, creating drawings for friends and schoolmates. One of these friends secretly submitted his work to the Mexican humor magazine Ja Ja, which printed his sketches—his first published work. He soon began contributing to another publication, Mañana, and quickly sought out every opportunity to see his work in print, including school newspapers and small publications.
Aragonés studied architecture at the University of Mexico, but his creative pursuits extended far beyond blueprints. He became involved in pantomime, studying under legendary filmmaker and performer Alejandro Jodorowsky. This experience would shape his lifelong interest in visual storytelling without words—a signature of his later comic work.
By the age of 17, Aragonés was already working as a professional cartoonist, contributing to a variety of Mexican newspapers and magazines. In 1962, he arrived in New York City with just $20 and his portfolio, determined to break into the American comics industry.
Work did not come easily at first. He supported himself with a string of odd jobs, even performing as a singer and poet in the bohemian restaurants of Greenwich Village. Still, he carried his portfolio everywhere, eventually working up the courage to visit the offices of MAD Magazine—despite being self-conscious about his limited English.
Hoping for help, he asked to meet fellow cartoonist Antonio Prohias, creator of Spy vs. Spy, believing Prohias might translate for him. Ironically, Prohias’ English was just as poor, but he welcomed Aragonés, showed him around, and introduced him to the MAD staff. Aragonés’ sketches made an immediate impression.
His first contribution appeared in MAD #76 (January 1963). The issue featured a cover concept by Aragonés and introduced what would become one of MAD’s most beloved features: his marginal drawings, or “marginals”—tiny, wordless gags slipped into the magazine’s page borders. From that moment on, Aragonés became a mainstay of MAD, contributing to every issue since, save one. His signature feature, “A Mad Look At…”, and his pantomime comic strips cemented his reputation as the “fastest cartoonist in the world”—a title often ascribed to his quick hand and prolific output.
His success at MAD opened other doors. In the late 1960s, Aragonés began working with DC Comics, appearing in humorous titles like Angel and the Ape, Inferior Five, Young Romance, Jerry Lewis, and even Plop! (1973–1976), a horror-humor anthology. He also contributed to Joe Kubert’s military comics and DC’s teen and horror books, often under editor Joe Orlando. From 1968 to 1978, he became a regular contributor across DC’s line, and notably co-created the satirical Western hero Bat Lash.
In the 1980s, Aragonés partnered with writer Mark Evanier to create what would become one of his most iconic characters: Groo the Wanderer, a dim-witted but lovable barbarian in a fantasy world filled with absurdity and satire. Groo first appeared in Destroyer Duck (1982) and would go on to be published by a wide range of publishers including Pacific Comics, Eclipse, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse Comics. The series stood out as one of the few EPIC Comics titles to receive a mainstream newsstand release and has remained a cult classic. Their collaboration has now lasted over four decades.
Together, Aragonés and Evanier also created one-shots lampooning the superhero genre, such as Sergio Aragonés Destroys DC (1996), Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel, and Sergio Aragonés Stomps Star Wars, filled with sharp gags that skewered the industry’s biggest icons.
Aragonés’ body of work extends far beyond MAD and Groo. He has produced hundreds of advertisements and editorial illustrations, and his animation work has been featured on numerous television shows. His distinctive style—expressive, whimsical, and instantly recognizable—has made him a graphic influence on artists around the globe, including Gary Larson, Bill Morrison, Monkey Punch, and Carlos Castellanos.
In 1987, the National Cartoonists Society honored him with the prestigious Reuben Award for his outstanding contributions to cartooning. Over the years, he has also authored 16 best-selling MAD paperback books.
Through all his success, Sergio Aragonés has remained a tireless artist, an unmatched cartoonist, and a quiet revolutionary in the world of visual humor. From a refugee child sketching in Mexico City to a towering figure in international cartooning, his story is as remarkable—and as funny—as the work he creates.
Illustrations by Sergio Aragonés
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Aragonés, Sergio, Albert B. Feldstein and Jerry De Fuccio. Mad’s Sergio Aragonés on Parade. New York: Warner Books, 1982.
Aragonés, Sergio and Mark Evanier. Sergio Aragonés’ Groo: In the Wild. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Comics, 2024.
Aragonés, Sergio and Mark Evanier. Sergio Aragonés’ Groo: Death & Taxes. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Comics, 2002.
Aragonés, Sergio and Nick Meglin. Sergio Aragonés is totally MAD! New York: Warner Books, 1991.
Aragonés, Sergio and Patrick McDonnell. Sergio Aragonés: Five Decades of His Finest Works. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2010.
Aragonés, Sergio. Sergio Aragonés Boogeyman. Milwaukie : Dark Horse Comics, 1999.
Aragonés, Sergio. In MAD We Trust! New York: Warner Books, 1980.
_60_60_c1.jpg)
_60_60_c1.jpg)
_60_60_c1.jpg)
