Mort & Phil

Mort & Phil (Mortadelo y Filemon in Spanish) is a Spanish comics series designed in 1958 by Francisco Ibanez. It's one of the most popular comics in Spain.
Its first title was Mortadelo y Filemon: Agencia de Informacion. It was just the main characters. Every comics strip had from one to four pages. Throughout the years, the characters have evolved. At first, Mortadelo used to wear a bowler hat. He used to wear some disguises. He was known for his shapeshifter abilities. However Ibanez went to leave the hat on therefore Mortadelo get disguise inmmediately. The other one, Filemon, called by Mortadelo as "Jefe" (Chief or Boss in English) had a beaked nose and use to smoke pipe as Sherlock Holmes used to do.
Their names are wordplay. For example: Mortadelo comes from Mortadela ("Mortadella di Bologna") and Filemon from Filete ("Steak").
In 1969, Ibanez designed more characters. He also "founded" the TIA. The Tecnicos de Investigacion Aeroterraquea: "Aeroterrestrial Investigation Technicians") is an organisation that is a spoof on the CIA. With those changes, the comics books were much longer (44-48 pages by comic book).
These editions were more satirical in regard to Spanish and international themes such as politics and political corruption (El atasco de influencias), ETA's terrorism (Barcelona '92) where the terrorist group were named as "TETA" ("TITS"), and "PEPA" in Espana '82, and the islamic one (Terroristas or El balon catastrofico) or economics (!Llego el Euro!) among others.
Background
At first the characters were portrayed as a parody version of Arthur Conan Doyle's characters: Sherlock Holmes (Filemon) and Dr. Watson (Mortadelo).
Later, others sources pointed to Novisimas aventuras de Sherlock Holmes by Enrique Jardiel Poncela or Laurel and Hardy. The comics books are known for its slapstick comedy. It is not unusual to see the characters being injuried or hurt. They have caused several accidents. For example, falling from a fifth floor window and staying alive.
35th Anniversary
Is often enough to see own Ibanez breaking the fourth wall when he's designed by himself. In 1992 was the 35th Mort and Phils anniversary, so he made an special edition tittled El 35 aniversario. In it, Ibanez explained how was his childhood and his career went when began to work in Ediciones Bruguera (nowadays: Ediciones B), Barcelona, Spain. He explained it with a burlesque point of view. He also told how Mortadelo and Filemon met each other.
That edition had a huge success among its fans. It was not until 2001, a few days after the September 11 terrorist attacks that the last page (and vignette) called the readers attention to the tragedy. It was noted also in television media, because in the vignette's background (a common gag made by Ibanez in all his works) there was a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, in New York, in the United States.
Since its official website stated "that scene was designed as it and it wasn't retouched". Regarding the attacks: "it was a tragical coincidence".
Characters
Mort (Mortadelo): He's tall and bald. When he was young he had a long hair, but lost it after tested an experimental growning-hair made by Pr. Bacterio. However was bald already on the first stories. Since that "incident", Mortadelo became to have hard feelings about him, even got burn Bacterio's beard with a blowtorch as "prank" (i. e. vengenace). He's also known as "Master of Disguises" cause his ability for disguising for every situation.
Phil (Filemon) As Mortadelo, he's bald too, but has two hairs. He's called "Chief" by Mortadelo. He's known by his temperamental way, specially when is victim by his subordinate's mistakes. Despite this, both are good friends.
Superintendente Vicente or Super: He's their boss and TIA's supervisor and General Director's subordinate. He's dress always a blue jacket. He's an overweighted person with a huge moustache, those characteristics make him target of all pranks and mockeries from his employees, specially Mortadelo and Filemon, whom called him as a "walrus". As Filemon does, he has (inclusive much) a huge bad temperament. He just to appear in several surrealist gags when he tries to take his agents back when they runaway, for example: Antartica.
Pr. Bacterio: He's the TIA's scientist. He's known by his huge black beard that arrive until his chest. He's negligent at his work due all his inventions fails or makes disasters. Bacterio is an other gag of the series due to Mortadelo and Filemon runaway to him or he is catch of they pranks or assaults. His name comes from "Bacteria"
Mrs. Ofelia (Srta. Ofelia): She's Super's secretary. As her boss, she's overweighted too and self-conscious with her fit being her weight another joke into the comics. Besides Super, she tends to be more polite to Mortadelo and Filemon although get pissed when she's insulted by they. In fact, she's in love by Mortadelo dismay be an "unrequited heart", that's one of most reasons why she's feel jealous with Mrs. Irma.
Mrs. Irma''' (Srta Irma): She was the second secretary. Her first appear was in 1987 in Terroristas as a supervisor in an anti-terrorist mission where Mortadelo and Filemon were members in order to arrest an islamic cell whom pretend help their member to scape after a failed attack against US Embassy. Irma is Ophelia's opposite: she is fit and atractive. These characteristics makes the male agents lost their minds for her, specially Mortadelo and Filemon. In response, Ofelia gets jealous sometimes. Regardless this, they have been good friends due she can able to hold off the agents. This character was based on the publisher's (of the German edition) secretary who died in 1990, therefore Irma was "retired" as her mourning, although she reappeared in the 2014 movie.
Adaptations
Movies
TV Series
Further reading
DE LA CRUZ PEREZ, Fernando Javier. Los comics de Francisco Ibanez. Ediciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Cuenca, 2008.
FERNANDEZ SOTO, Miguel. El mundo de Mortadelo y Filemon. Medialive Content, 2008.
GUIRAL, Antoni. El gran libro de Mortadelo y Filemon: 50 aniversario. Ediciones B.