In a situation that seemed straight out of a science fiction novel, a major blackout hit Spain and unleashed chaos in the streets of Madrid, just as a journalist was writing about 'El Eternauta,' a series that Netflix will premiere based on the science fiction comic by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López. This unexpected event seemed like a whimsical marketing stunt for a series that explores themes of disasters and survival, and whose release promotes an apocalyptic narrative that now resonates eerily with reality. In the midst of the blackout, communications stopped, plunging citizens into a kind of technological limbo, with scenes of surreal everyday life, where the dystopia's business cards met the daily routine.
The streets of the capital were transformed into a peculiar stage where chaos and humor mixed in equal measure. While some citizens, consterned, were stocking up on basic supplies, others kept their optimistic spirit by having beers and enjoying the good weather. Crossing the city involved confronting a landscape peppered with the Spanish grotesque, from individuals desperately seeking transportation to those who, impassive, continued their daily activities. Fortunately, the light returned before the situation degenerated, avoiding a darker fate as told in 'El Eternauta,' where the dystopia intensifies with a deadly snowstorm and the absolute confinement. However, for those who lived through this short version of chaos, the feeling of being in the middle of a science fiction episode remained etched in their memory.
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