Impact Evaluation Foundation

Los Volcans

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Introduction

Los Volcans is a Salvadoran-inspired superhero comic book saga created by Galorian, the pen name of Sharon Gal-Or. The series follows an eight-issue arc in which a group of heroes embody justice, ecological regeneration, and cultural resilience while confronting adversaries drawn from corruption, organized crime, and local folklore.

Launched on 12 September 2025 to coincide with El Salvador’s Independence Day, the first issue, The Call of Fire and Earth, introduced readers to the saga’s mythic setting of volcanoes, ancestral spirits, and contemporary struggles. The comic is available in both English and Spanish, with free digital downloads offered through the official website.

 
Cover of Issue #1 of Los Volcans (2025), created by Galorian (pen name of Sharon Gal-Or).

Background and Development

Origins and Concept

Los Volcans was conceived as a mythic-futurist superhero saga rooted in Salvadoran history and folklore. The project’s core idea is to fuse ancestral symbolism — volcanoes, the Ceiba world tree, and underworld motifs — with contemporary social themes to create a culturally specific yet globally legible superhero narrative. The inaugural arc was planned as an eight-issue limited series introducing a team of heroes aligned with justice, memory, and ecological regeneration.

Creative Influences

The series draws on elements of Salvadoran and Mesoamerican lore (e.g., El Cadejo, La Siguanaba, Xibalba), national iconography (volcano chains, independence symbolism), and modern civic discourse (community resilience, anti-corruption, reconciliation). Visual and thematic influences include epic fantasy and modern comics traditions, reframed through local color palettes (notably purples and golds) and recurring natural motifs such as obsidian textures, Ceiba leaves, and volcanic light.

Production and Design Approach

Development emphasized a consistent visual language — bold, high-contrast line work; symbolic glyphs and textiles; and recurring environmental set-pieces (markets, archaeological sites, coastal and volcanic vistas). Character designs were built around archetypal roles (visionary, guardian, enforcer, jurist, ambassador), each linked to a distinct iconography and power motif. The narrative structure follows a sequential, issue-by-issue escalation designed to interweave folklore, civic themes, and team dynamics across the eight-part saga.

Synopsis

Overview of the 8-Issue Saga

Los Volcans unfolds across four narrative arcs, each consisting of two issues, for a total of eight. The saga introduces a team of five heroes — El Visionario, La Guardiana, El Enforcer, El Jurista, and La Embajadora — who are chosen by ancestral spirits and armed with relics tied to El Salvador’s volcanoes. Together, they confront mythological forces, organized crime, and political corruption embodied by Los Shadows, a coalition of villains drawn from Salvadoran folklore and modern social struggles.

The narrative blends epic battles with allegorical themes of justice, unity, and memory. Each arc escalates the stakes, from local awakenings to national crises, culminating in a final confrontation where the heroes must overcome deception, division, and despair to renew the land and people of Cuscatlán.

Issue Summaries

Issue #1: The Call of Fire and Earth

Released September 12, 2025 – El Salvador Independence Day. The saga opens with Naibe, raised by his grandmother beneath the Ceiba’s branches, who taught him the balance of roots and wings. As a young man, he discovers ancestral fire powers and the gift of foresight. Gabriela is first shown in nature among animals, reflecting her instinct to protect life and her harmony with the land. When chaos erupts in San Salvador’s marketplace and the Jaguar of Xibalba bursts forth, Naibe answers with fire, but it is Gabriela who prevails: lifting a sewage cover to shield civilians, she subdues the beast with mercy instead of force, binding the Jaguar spirit into the shield. Guided afterward by the riddles of Cipitío and shadowed by the twin Cadejos - the white urging mercy, the black whispering temptation - the two descend into the underworld tunnels of San Andrés, beneath the Ceiba roots. There, Gabriela recovers a stick carved with Mayan symbols and names her shield the Escudo del Jaguar Eterno. The ancestral leader Francisco Morazán appears, entrusting Naibe with the sword Fuego del Pueblo and its sheath, La Voz Colectiva. Soon after, La Mara Sombra arrive with the ghostly Carreta Chillona, from whose smoke La Dama Oscura emerges to test them with illusions of power and despair. By resisting her manipulations, Naibe and Gabriela prove their strength of spirit. Morazán reappears to affirm their choices, entitling them El Visionario and La Guardiana. The issue closes with foreshadowing: the white Cadejo rests while the black retreats with the Shadows, and Los Hermanos are glimpsed preparing as La Mara Sombra gathers strength.

Issue #2: Ancestors & Seeds

Scheduled for release October 12, 2025. The Volcans confront one another before uniting beneath the sacred Ceiba. Trials from Atlácatl, Aquino, and Morazán test their courage, justice, and unity, even as El Oligarca begins to stir corruption in San Salvador’s ministries.

Issue #3: Shadows & Stories

Scheduled for release November 12, 2025. La Dama Oscura and Señor Exilio twist memory and diaspora stories into a Hydra of Lies. The Volcans must defend a barrio mural as truth itself comes under siege.

Issue #4: Hydra & Harvest

Scheduled for release December 12, 2025. El Cartelero spreads narcotic mists across the fields, spawning despair. The Volcans plant seeds of hope, rallying communities against the Hydra born of addiction and fear.

Issue #5: The Siege of Soyapango

Scheduled for release January 12, 2026. La Mara Sombra brings open war to the city. In alliance with the army and police, the Volcans face their deadliest trial, where victory carries heavy personal cost.

Issue #6: Prison & Healing (CECOT)

Scheduled for release February 12, 2026. Inside the mega-prison, the Volcans encounter La Carreta Chillona and wrestle with questions of justice and redemption. Seeds of rehabilitation emerge with Plan Cero Ocio.

Issue #7: Contracts & Reconnection

Scheduled for release March 12, 2026. Abroad, La Siguanaba and El Espectro Internacional tempt El Salvador with false contracts and promises. The Volcans must decide what kind of sovereignty cannot be sold.

Issue #8: Salvination & Regeneration

Scheduled for release April 12, 2026. The saga’s climax: all Shadows unite under the Ceiba. With Los Hermanos and the people of Cuscatlán at their side, the Volcans battle illusions of despair to renew the land and its spirit.

Characters

Main Heroes (Los Volcans)

El Visionario (Naibe) 🔥 La Guardiana (Gabriela) 💧 El Enforcer (Villatoro) 🪨 El Jurista (Félix) ⚡ La Embajadora (Alexandra) 🌬

Supporting Allies (Los Hermanos)

El Visionario (Naibe/Nayib Bukele) 🔥 El Arquitecto (Xavier Bukele) 🏗️ El Estratega (Ibrahim Bukele) ♟️ El Conector (Yusef Bukele) 🔗

Villains (Los Shadows)

La Mara Sombra 🌑 La Dama Oscura 🪞 El Oligarca 💰 El Cartelero ☠️ Señor Exilio 🌎 El Espectro Internacional 🌐

Allies, Guides & Mythic Figures

Cipitío 🧒 Cadejo Blanco ⚪ Cadejo Negro ⚫ Francisco Morazán Atlácatl Aquino La Siguanaba Carreta Chillona Xibalba Ceiba Tree 🌳

Themes

Justice, Unity, and Memory

Regeneration and Ecological Stewardship

Trauma, Healing, and Reconciliation

Salvadoran Identity and Global Resonance

The Collective Voice as a Motif

Art and Style

Visual Palette and Symbolism: Purple and gold dominate, with obsidian, jade, volcanic reds, and turquoise highlights.

Cultural Authenticity: Incorporates Nawat language, traditional textiles, and local food motifs such as pupusas.

Mythic Motifs and Recurring Imagery: Ceiba tree, volcanic fire, ancestral glyphs, jaguar motifs, and torogoz bird.

Publication

Published beginning 12 September 2025 (El Salvador Independence Day).

First saga planned as 8 issues.

Author credited as Galorian (pen name of Sharon Gal-Or).

Available online for free in English and Spanish via the official site .

Reception

Early response and cultural significance in El Salvador.

International recognition.

Legacy and Impact

Role in national branding and youth empowerment.

Educational influence through myth and ethics.

Expansion into a larger Los Volcans universe.

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