The Resurfacing of Fascism in Contemporary Spain: Comics Journalism and Political Satire in Aleix Saló’s Todos nazis. Cómo España se llenó de ‘fascistas’ hasta que llegaron los fascistas

In the contemporary world context, where the concept of fascism is increasingly debated as a framework to address the growing visibility of right-wing extremism and the rise of authoritarian tendencies, examining local far-right strategies and practices provides valuable insights. Using Aleix Saló’s nonfiction comic book, We Are All Nazis: How Spain Was Filled with ‘Fascists’ Until the Fascists Arrived (2020) [Todos nazis: Cómo España se llenó de “fascistas” hasta que llegaron los fascistas], as a springboard, this article reflects upon the recent and current advance of ultra-nationalist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, and anti-feminist vocabularies and ideologies in the context of Spain. Drawing on comics studies, fascist studies, and Spanish political history, it examines how Saló critically exposes the discursive and political strategies deployed by Spanish far-right politicians, journalists, and intellectuals. Specifically, the article pays attention to how the terms “fascist” and “Nazi” were emptied of its analytical and historical content only to resurrect certain ideological features consonant with the historical fascism of the Francoist dictatorship, and reviews the comic’s satirical approach to the political project of Vox, the most successful party and the locus for much of the reactivation of post-fascist electoral politics after 2016. From within the field of popular culture, Saló’s comic pushes the boundaries of debates on fascism beyond the realms of politics, traditional journalism, and academia, and contributes to these discussions by humorously exposing the far-right’s historical claims, discursive tactics, and inconsistencies, as well as their efforts to strategically popularize their ideology.