THE COMICS AUTHOR MARTIN RAMIREZ WAS BORN IN SANTIAGO CHILE IN 1966. HE CREATED, WROTE AND ILLUSTRATED THE SAGA OF THE HILARIOUS MISADVENTURES OF CHECHO LOPEZ, IN THE PAGES OF THE COUNTERCULTURAL INDEPENDENT kTRAUKOi COMICS MAGAZINE, AT THE END OF THE 80jS. AFTER THREE YEARS THE MAGAZINE HAD TO SHUT DOWN AND CHECHO LOPEZ HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED AGAIN SINCE THEN. WITH CHECHO LOPEZ HE WON A TRAUKO SPECIAL MENTION AWARD AT THE MAGAZINEjS FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN 1989 AND THE AWARD FOR BEST SERIAL STORY AT THE FIRST SALON OF COMICS & ILLUSTRATION IN VALPARAISO, CHILE IN 1991. IN 2006, CHECHO LOPEZ WAS IMMORTALIZED IN CERAMIC IN kTHE WALK OF FAMEi OF THE CHILEAN COMICS, ALONGSIDE 97 PANELS AND FIVE BIG STATUES OF CHILEAN COMICS CHARACTERS, IN THE OPEN AIR MUSEUM PARK OF COMICS OF SAN MIGUEL, WHICH PAYS HOMAGE TO THE ARTISTS AND MAIN HEROES OF CHILEAN COMICS, IN THE EL LLANO DISTRICT, SANTIAGO. IN THE YEAR 2008, THE CHILEAN WRITER, LITERATURE PROFESSOR AND CRITIC ALVARO BISAMA, INCLUDED CHECHO LOPEZ IN HIS BOOK kONE HUNDRED CHILEAN BOOKSi WHERE HE MAKES A SELECTION AND REVIEW OF THE ONE HUNDRED BOOKS IN CHILEAN LITERARY HISTORY, THAT IN HIS CRITICAL OPINION AND ANALYSIS, BEST REFLECT THE SOUL OF CHILE. IN THE YEAR 2010, THE CHILEAN SKA MUSIC BAND kSONORA DE LLEGARi LAUNCHED ITS RECORD kPRIMATE PARTYi, WHERE TRACK #6 IS CALLED kCHECHO LOPEZi AND IS A HOMAGE TO THE COMICS CHARACTER.

 

AFTER GRADUATING FROM ADVERTISING COLLEGE, MARTIN RAMIREZ WORKED SEVEN YEARS IN CHILE AS COPYWRITER IN ADVERTISING AGENCIES, UNTIL THE MULTINATIONAL J. WALTER THOMP-SON TRANSFERRED HIM TO SHANGHAI, CHINA. WHERE HE HAS WORKED AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR EVER SINCE. IN ASIA HE HAS ALSO WORKED IN VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA. HE HASNjT PUBLISHED COMICS AGAIN.

 

MARTIN RAMIREZ HAS ALSO TAKEN PART IN THE FOLLOWING EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS:

​

1989 FIRST kBIENNALE OF YOUNG ARTi, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1990 FIRST kINTERNATIONAL COMICS SHOWi, SANTIAGO, CHILE
1990 kCOMICS WEEKi, SANTIAGO, CHILE
1991 kNINETH SALON OF COMICSi, BARCELONA, SPAIN
1991 kFIRST SALON OF COMICS & ILLUSTRATIONi, VALPARAISO, CHILE
1992 kSECOND SALON OF COMICS & ILLUSTRATIONi, VALPARAISO, CHILE
2006 kPARK OF COMICSi SAN MIGUEL DISTRICT, SANTIAGO, CHILE
2009 FIRST kFESTIVAL VIGNETTES OF THE END OF THE WORLDi SANTIAGO, CHILE
2009 BOOK kTRAUKO TRIBUTE 21 YEARSi OCHO LIBROS PUBLISHERS SANTIAGO, CHILE
2016 EXHIBITION kMONOS Y MONADAS - COMICS AS HERITAGE AND SOURCE OF 
       INVESTIGATIONi, AT NATIONAL LIBRARY, CHILE