Albert Pallarés

Pallarés’ original works are like small pieces of artisanal craftsmanship with confident and meticulously detailed strokes. The black ink accentuates the texts, applied in an old-fashioned manner directly to the original… Everything just works. In his illustrations, he lets himself be carried away by freer strokes, creating beautiful scenes, be they everyday or fantastical.

Albert Pallarés, from Castellón, sought a career in the world of comic strips. He achieved this by becoming the writer and illustrator of two major humor series, Baldomero, Madurito, feo y sin dinero, (1998) and Olegario Gandaria, profesor de secundaria (2003). For many years, these series were successfully published in the long-standing magazine El Jueves. Pallarés has a knack for depicting the human condition in ordinary people, capturing their frustrations, flaws, desires, and envies… In the Baldomero series, he introduced us to a recognizable profile of a culturally aware man around 35, living with his parents, struggling with communication, having no success with women, and lacking motivation to work. In Olegario, he portrayed the world of teachers and students from both perspectives. Furthermore, Baldomero was a comic in a newspaper strip format where the content had to be concise and direct, delivering a punchy ending in the last frame. Some scenes from these adventures feature recognizable backdrops of the city of Barcelona. Another one of his series was Páginas Salmón, which offered insights into the economy and politics, all with a humorous twist.

Pallarés has also published graphic humor for the newspaper El Mundo. In addition, he has illustrated children’s and young adult books such as El Detectiu Camaperdiu, En quin cap cap, and La Xiqueta de Benicadell, and contributed to magazines like Cavall Fort.