Spy Vs Spy Analysis

Spy vs. Spy is a completely wordless comic strip created by a Cuban cartoonist Antonio Prohias, and first published by Mad magazine in 1961. Prohias has fled to the United States days before the last of the free press in Cuba fell under the regime of Fidel Castro. Ironically, the very person who has driven the cartoonist from his own country has given him an inspiration for one of the greatest projects of his life. In Cuba anyone who opposed Castro was considered a spy, and that’s what Prohias had in mind when he came up with the concept. In 1983 he said that to be able to make the living on the accusations of Fidel Castro was “the sweetest revenge.”
Prohias was known back in Cuba for works on political satire, and Spy vs. Spy was no different. The infamous comic was intended as a metaphor for the Cold War.
The comic revolves around the constant rivalry between two main characters. They share a lot of similarities with each other, having the same looks and clothing – expect one is dressed in white, and the other prefers black – and the same devious minds full of ridiculous ideas of how to get rid of each other for good. Every strip is an another attempt for one of the spies to outsmart the enemy, every strip is different, which is really impressive, considering that the comic has been coming out …show more content…
Spy is a bit different in its simplicity. But it’s not necessarily a disadvantage. Wordless, they could be understood by people all over the world, and the fact that the initial idea was connected with the Cold War doesn’t make this comic any less relevant today. It could just as easily be used as a metaphor for any kind of petty rivalry or rivalry imposed on someone (the spies’ bosses appear in some strips giving them instructions or punishing for failures) to show how wasteful and stupid it is. Because, frankly, both spies are brilliant to be able to come up with so many different ways to outwit each other, if only they could put their minds to a better