Just a reminder that this weekend I'll be appearing at two different DIA DE LOS MUERTOS events here in the Los Angeles area. And my latest comic, DEAD DINOSAURIO, will premiere at these two events this weekend!
On Saturday, at the Valley Mall in El Monte, I'll be exhibiting at the NUVEIN FOUNDATION DIA DE LOS MUERTOS event. It's the annual celebration put on by the non-profit organization I've been working with for several years now. This is a free event for the community, featuring music, folkloric dancers and poetry, along with plenty of vendors. Check out our Facebook page for details. And my latest comic, DEAD DINOSAURIO, will premiere at these two events this weekend!
On Sunday, I'll be exhibiting for the first time at MUERTOMANIA 2, another free event, this one celebrating Dia de Los Muertos and Lucha Libra (Mexican-style wrestling). This event is put on by Solidarity Ink, a gallery and print shop serving the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles. In addition to the vendors, there will be live music, Azteca dancers, live wrestling as well as an art show dedicated to deceased wrestlers. Here's a flyer I made to promote my appearance:
And here's the piece I'm contributing to the art show. My tribute to the late, great Macho Man Randy Savage:
In addition to DEAD DINOSAURIO and my other comics and prints, I'll also have this new batch of EL MUERTO COFFIN DOLLS. EL Muerto sketch dolls with hand-painted coffins!
It's a big weekend and hope to see some of you out there. Dia de Los Muertos is, at heart, a true celebration of love for those that have passed on. Bring your family and friends to these free events and join in the festivities!
Okay, so starting tomorrow, my 5th Season for 2012 starts!
What's my '5th Season'? It's what I call the various Dia de Los Muertos events that I'll be exhibiting at this year. With a comic book character like EL MUERTO, and my brand new DEAD DINOSAURIO, I'm able to get completely unique outlets for my comics in addition to the comic conventions and other events I do all year!
Sunday, October 14: I'll be at the Nuvein Foundation booth at the Uptown Whittier Dia de Los Muertos Art & Music Festival. Since our booth is a non-profit site, I won't be selling anything, but I will be doing free sketches for kids. I'll be there from 10am-2pm.
Saturday, October 27: Come visit me at the Nuvein Foundation Dia De Los Muertos Festival in El Monte. It' the 3rd annual one we've put on, and it's getting bigger each time. I'm one of the Foundation Directors, and I also designed the poster, but don't let that stop you! We'll have vendors, lots of entertainment with singers, musicians, poets and dancers, as well as an art show. It's the City of El Monte's Centennial Celebration this year, so it's great to be a part of the celebrations. I'll have a booth with all my comics, DVD and lots of other art I've created. The event is free to attend, so bring your friends and family.
Sunday, October 28: Really excited to be participating in my first MUERTOMANIA event! Organized by Solidarity Ink, a print shop and gallery located in Los Angeles. This event boasts an art show, vendors and, get this, live wrestling featuring local luchadores! Calacas and wrestlers... Ya can't beat that! This all-ages promises to go for the gold. Come on down and visit me for some special exclusives made just for this event! Watcha' gonna do when MUERTOMANIA 2 runs wild on you?!
As if all these cultural festivals weren't enough, I'll even be able to squeeze in one last comic book convention for the year:
Saturday & Sunday, November 3 & 4: Since this falls on the weekend of Day of the Dead (November 2) this ties in perfectly with my previous appearances. They even call this show the 'Long Beach Horror and Comic Con'. I'll be sharing a booth, #1400, with cartoonist Ted Seko. Hopefully I'll have merchandise left over from the other events! I'll post more details about this event as we get closer.
Comics and Cultura, my 5th Season! Hope to see you at a few of these events.
This Saturday you can find me at the Day of The Dead event in El Monte, CA.
This event is put on by the Nuvein Foundation, of which I've been on the Board of Directors for the last several years. Last years event was a surprise hit, so this year should be even bigger and better! Fun for the whole family, and it's free!
Event will be held at the Valley Mall:
10933 Valley Mall, El Monte, 10933.
The other day I was talking to my friend and fellow artist Jim Lujan (cartoon filmmaker), and I was telling him about all of my current Day of the Dead events I had lined up, which I use as a place to sell my El Muerto comics. Jim told me that I was lucky to have a "5th season" in which to sell, what with the natural tie-in EL Muerto has to the Dia de Los Muertos celebration.
I immediately thought of the Taco Bell campaign, where they mention "The Fourthmeal, the meal between dinner and breakfast"! Yeah, I guess I do have an extra season in which to really market and sell my El Muerto brand. Just this past weekend, I was involved in two separate events that were very different in nature, but which were perfect places for me to be at.
On Friday, Oct. 29, I was in East LA for the FEAR FIESTA, the inaugural entry of a film festival honoring Latinos working in horror movies. The event was held at Casa 101 Theater, founded by playwright/screenwriter Josefina Lopez (REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES). EL MUERTO was chosen to be the Opening Night film, and myself and producer Larry Rattner were invited to speak at the Q&A following the screening.
On Saturday, Oct. 30 I was in El Monte for the 1st ever Dia de Los Muertos El Monte, produced by the Nuvein Foundation. I'm on the Board of Directions of the Foundation, and have been working with them since about 2007. I was talking to fellow Board member Renato Aguirre one day about how we should host our own local Day of the Dead event, and next thing I know, we're forming a committee!
I could write a book on how much work it took to get the festival going. We had to contact the city government, council members, various art commissions, as well as propose the event to the Downtown El Monte Business Association (DEMBA). We had to reach out to the local vendors and businesses, contact the various schools in the area, mobilize local artists and performers. Then there were the various fundraisers and proposals to local businesses for sponsorships. Suffice to say, with everyone's tireless efforts, we had a show that surpassed all our expectations. Even the much dreaded rain that was predicted to fall that day only lasted until about 7am, the very morning we began setting up the venue at the parking lot.
Grasiela Rodriguez, a fellow Board member, even ran an art show during the event, right out of a U-Haul truck she rented!!
Check out her blog for photographs of the exhibit! It was big hit with everyone. Great job, Gras!!
On Sunday, Halloween, I went back to FEAR FIESTA. At the Corazon del Pueblo gallery located a few doors down from the Casa 101 Theater they were holding a children's event. Some kid-friendly films were playing on a television, and I had volunteered to conduct my comic book demonstration where I have the kids in the audience participate in creating a one-page comic story. This turned out to be extremely popular, and I made sure each kid got a drawing to take home.
Here's a photo of me with the founder of Casa 101, Josefina Lopez, her husband Emmanuel Deleage, and their two children.
Josefina actually talked to me about a project she wanted my input on, and I in turn suggested what a cool idea it would be to create some type of El Muerto stage play!
The El Monte festival was my 3rd Dia de Los Muertos event in a week, and I did a pretty good amount of business. This has always been a key point of mine in that I reach new readers all the time at these type of events. Some are comic fans already, who have not heard of my comic book. But most are folks who don't read comics, much less attend comic shops or conventions. People in the comics biz are always saying that publishers have to reach out beyond the comics base, something I've been doing actively since I started publishing my own work back in 1998.
I had events every single weekend in the month of October. A solo art show at GEEKS Comics, spent a weekend at the Latino Book & Family Festival and spent another weekend in San Francisco for the Alternative Press Expo. With this past weekend's EL MUERTO film screening, and 3 Dia de Los Muertos events the last two weekends, I can honestly say it's the busiest month in terms of the sheer number of events I've attended since I started as a self-publisher. Busy in terms of selling my work, and also making new fans. The inevitable 'networking' takes place too, potentially opening up new opportunities for me as an artist.
I do comic shows and other events all year long. But with my signature character based on Aztec mythology and the Day the Dead folklore, the whole 'season' surrounding the November 2nd celebration provided me with many outlets. Adding to the mix that mid-September through mid-October is Latino Heritage Month, I have a pretty good stretch of months in which to flourish. Those of us who make and publish our own comics have to take full advantage of opportunities like this, as well as see what events in the 'mainstream comics world' make sense to pursue as well.
I didn't create El Muerto because I saw an opportunity to capture an entire market through a comic book. I came up with the idea because I specifically wanted to use both Aztec mythology and the Day of the Dead folklore as elements in story. These were things I had great interest in, and I also thought that there was, in my opinion, and underwhelming use of these idea in the mainstream culture. The fact that I could use my creation in very advantageous situations is something that I, as a self-published artist, could not have resisted. Obviously, the way I conduct my self and my business is part of my branding, so sincerity and a genuine talent in connecting with people goes a long way.
For me, as with most of the DIY comics creators I know, our production and brand management runs all year long, for the most part. 7 days a week, 12 months a year! So getting that extra season is a very welcome opportunity and I build on that as much as I can.
In what's been an extremely busy last couple of months for me (two comic book conventions, a solo art show, several Dia de Los Muertos events, teaching new comic book workshops and doing the occasional batch of laundry!), there are two more major events coming up this weekend.
On Friday, Oct. 29, EL MUERTO will the the Opening Night feature for the Fear Fiesta, a new film festival which spotlights Latinos in horror movies. The festival takes place at CASA 101 THEATER, a non-profit organization providing cultural & educational programs in theater, digital filmmaking, art and dance to East Los Angeles residents.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with myself, producer Larry Rattner, and screenwriter/director Brian Cox. The film begins at 8:00 pm, but I'd suggest getting there at least a half hour early to get a seat. Admission for the screening is FREE! Here's the entire schedule for the 3 day event, featuring more movies and panels, an art gallery, and a children's event on Sunday (which I'll be there for as well). CASA 101 is located at 2009 East 1st Street, East Los Angeles, 90033.
On Saturday, Oct. 30, I'll be at the DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EL MONTE event, organized by the Nuvein Foundation. It's El Monte's first Day of the Dead event, and as one of the Directors of the Nuvein Foundation, it's very exciting to be launching what we hope to be an annual tradition.
(My design for the official poster)
The event is FREE to the public, and will be held from 1pm-5pm. The event will be held in the parking lot located off of Valley Blvd, between Granada Ave and Monterrey Ave. Here's a map of the area.
There will musical performances including Martin Espino, Tina Flores & her Trio, folkloric dancers, dramatic readings by Christopher Trevilla and more. Also, there will be altars by local High Schools and an art show in a U-Haul truck curated by Grasiela Rodriguez! Plus lots of food vendors and artists selling their works. And yes, I'll be there with the full Muerto catalog!
It's a very busy month in LA for sure. With the normal hoopla over Halloween this weekend, and the explosion in Dia de Los Muertos celebrations that seems to have erupted this year, there's so much to do. But hopefully I'll see you at one of these events.
Looks like I may be due for some time off next month, no....?
On Saturday, at the Valley Mall in El Monte, I'll be exhibiting at the NUVEIN FOUNDATION DIA DE LOS MUERTOS event. It's the annual celebration put on by the non-profit organization I've been working with for several years now. This is a free event for the community, featuring music, folkloric dancers and poetry, along with plenty of vendors. Check out our Facebook page for details. And my latest comic, DEAD DINOSAURIO, will premiere at these two events this weekend!
