Zé do Caixão, better known as Joe Coffin (Józef Mogiła in Poland), is a character known in Brazil since 1964. Over the years, he has also managed to penetrate global pop culture. An unknown part of his story was shown in the comic book Skazaniec 666 , which hit the Polish market thanks to the Mandioca publishing house.
Joe Coffin Superstar
Before we get to the comic itself, I think it is worth introducing a little closer to the main character’s profile. Józef Mogiła is a funeral director living in a small town somewhere in Brazil. Usually wears a black top hat and cape. Other features of the male are a beard and long, curved, claw-like nails. He is an atheist and does not believe that a person would go anywhere else after death. In his opinion, the only way to eternal life is to beget a descendant and thus extend his family. Since Joe considers himself better and smarter than others, he is looking for the perfect woman to give birth to his son. To achieve his goal, he is ready to murder or rape.
Zé do Caixão (because that is the real name of the hero) first appeared in 1964 in the film At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul. Its writer and director was José Mojica Marins, who died in February this year. It was he who also played the main role. The picture was so well received that in 1967 its second part was created. Joe Coffin suddenly became a star – first in Brazil and then in the Americas. It has grown into an urban legend that was used to scare children. He appeared in TV series, plays, songs, books, music videos, but also on T-shirts, alcohol labels and even banners during parades. He is also called “Brazilian Freddy Krueger” or “National Boogeyman”. In 2008, a film was made in which Marins played the character of his own created for the third time and thus closed the trilogy of Józef Mogiła. To complete Coffin’s story and explain what has happened to him for over 40 years,Prontuário 666: Os Anos de Cárcere de Zé do Caixão , which – thanks to the Mandioca publishing house – made its debut on the Polish market as Skazaniec 666 .
Under the cell, under the cell …
As you can easily guess, Convict 666 tells the story of Józef Mogiła in prison. Even here, our hero wears his top hat and cape and treats everyone with superiority, but also finds a few allies. He also does not hesitate to murder other prisoners, although, as usual, he does it so cleverly that it cannot be proved that he is behind them. All the time he also spins his plan to get the perfect woman and beget a child who will give him eternal life. However, even Joe cannot predict everything. The governor of the prison and other inmates do not like his behavior. First, they kill the rats he breeds, and then set a trap for the hero as well.
A psychedelic roller coaster ride
The author of both the script and the drawings for Skazaniec 666 ,is Samuel Casal. Admittedly, his work is impressive at first glance. Everything is drawn in black and white, at times we only see shadows and outlines of figures, and all this gives a unique atmosphere, full of horror and tension. Casal manages to capture Coffin in a very interesting way. At first, the recipient sees the prisoner, who immediately seems smarter than the other inmates. We don’t necessarily think of him as a villain, however. He takes revenge in an interesting way on the murderer of children who has just arrived in prison. The farther into the forest, the more we get to know the character. His egocentrism, his will to dominate others, as well as his cunning and intelligence are immediately noticeable. Although he may seem like a kind of vampire or demon, the author immediately lets us know that he is only a human: he has nightmares, feels pain or fear and is surprised. Then a real treat begins for fans of psychedelic visions. What Joe sees after a heavy dose of drugs is hard to describe, especially since I don’t want to reveal too much. Enough if I mention that you have to stop for a moment on each of the drawings, think and ask in your mind: “what is going on here?”, “What am I looking at?”. And it is not that there is something incomprehensible ahead of us. These dark, even sick, but how amazing visions simply provoke such a reaction. You just have to see it for yourself. and mentally Ask: “what is going on here?”, “what am I looking at?”. And it is not that there is something incomprehensible ahead of us. These dark, even sick, but how amazing visions simply provoke such a reaction. You just have to see it for yourself. and mentally Ask: “what is going on here?”, “what am I looking at?”. And it is not that there is something incomprehensible ahead of us. These dark, even sick, but how amazing visions simply provoke such a reaction. You just have to see it for yourself.
Once is not enough
Convict 666 I read it twice in two days. There isn’t much dialogue in it, so you can finish it pretty quickly. The first time he made a huge impression on me. The beautiful line and this unique, shivering atmosphere make you want to come back to it. However, not only that made me reach for it again. Samuel Casal got to know Coffin very well, you can see that he had to watch movies and knew how to show this legendary character. The Polish publishers of the comic book, who translated and published the introduction written by Paulo Sacramento, made me interested in the figure of Józef Mogiła. Yes, I had heard of him before, but never got to know his biography. Now, however, I have not only read about his history, but also watched the first of the films devoted to him. And although you can read and understand the comic without any problems, it suddenly made more sense. I understood why Joe murdered one of the prisoners, that his visions were not only a coincidence, but a reference to events in his life, and why he treated the priest who came to him in this and no other way. I even caught iteaster egg with a woman on whom spiders were walking. You can see that the author of the notebook is well acquainted with the works of Marins and he used them very well in his work. He deserves even more recognition for this.
Summary
The comic book Skazaniec 666 is read in one breath and is remembered for a long time. The author knew perfectly well what he wanted to do with the protagonist and he succeeded. Thanks to a nice script, referring directly to the movies and above all – a great line, he created a notebook that evokes a feeling of anxiety and creates a specific atmosphere around him. You can read it without knowing the Graves, but only after reading Marins’s paintings, the selected paintings gain additional meaning, and it is easier to catch the “flavors” thrown in by Casal. Although the comic will not gain such popularity as in South America, the group of its fans should grow, and many people will be interested in its story. Importantly, the current admirers of Joe Coffin will also be pleased.
