Memories of the Latino Comics Expo 2012

I got home this past Monday evening from the long weekend in San Francisco for the Latino Comics Expo. Tuesday morning, I was right back to work on a new comic book, back to teaching my comics workshops, and squeezing in a screening of THE AVENGERS during the week (loved it, by the way!). But I realized I had better get to blogging about the Expo...!

This year's Expo was once again held at the Cartoon Art Museum. Many thanks to the Museum for hosting us once again, with special mention to Curator Andrew Farago, Executive Director Summerlea Kashar, Board of Trustees Chair Ron Evans, and the delightful Elena Diaz for assisting us day and night.

We had an art exhibit running in conjunction with the Expo as well, LA RAZA COMICA: A CELEBRATION OF THE LATINO AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN THE COMIC ARTS (which runs until September 30). The Opening Night reception taking place on Friday, May 4. My good friend, and illustrious co-founder of the Expo, Executive Director Ricardo Padilla (in the gray sportscoat) is enjoying a cup of his home-made Sangria, alongside cartoonist Rafael Navarro:

The Museum will have several exhibits running simultaneously, and one of the other shows was the Mad Magazine retrospective. No shortage of gawking and geeking out on that show, and that was just us artists!

I was very proud that we put together an art exhibit focusing on Latino comic creators. And I have to say, as an artist myself, it's such a unique opportunity to have artwork hanging on the walls of such a museum. I've seen numerous shows there over the year, so it's a joy to have artwork displayed on the same walls that have featured such comics and artists as DICK TRACY, SPY Vs SPY, PEANUTS, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, Gene Colan, etc. Literally every great cartoonist over the last 100 years! And now...sniff....me, too....

 A page from my WEAPON TEX-MEX Vs EL MUERTO.

I stayed at the home of Ricardo and Rosalind Padilla for the weekend, and after the art opening we went back to their place and watched MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE! Nothing like a little kung-fu cinema when running an Expo, ya know?

Saturday we woke up to stunningly beautiful, sunny weather, but luckily the crowds showed up to our first day of the Expo. We had a rich variety of creators exhibiting there, some debuting their new books, others being long-time, well-traveled convention exhibitors. We had creators working on web comics, zines, comics and graphic novels, even animation. I was giving out copies of the new BATICALACA Poster Comic, and luckily we had lots of kids show up, as the comic was created for an all-ages audience in mind.

I shared a table all weekend with Jose Cabrera, always a blast hanging out with the fun-loving creator of CRYING MACHO MAN (seen below with cartoonist Isis Rodriguez, who flew in from Mexico to debut her comic book NIÑAJI):

We had a full day of panels on Saturday, including one on Self-publishing (featuring, L to R, Crystal Gonzalez, the team of Mario Lanao and Cristian Garcia, Rafael Navarro & Michael Aushenker ):

I hosted a panel called 'Mythology in Comics'. It was fascinating to hear the panelists discuss their approaches to incorporating Mexican myths and folklore into their stories, as well all varied in our methods and reasons. One of our panelists, Rodolfo Mendoza, is from Mexico (currently living in Utah), so we assisted him with translating his responses to English (thanks to Isis and Ricardo for pitching in!). L to R are Isis Rodriguez, Adriana Garcia Cabrera, Daniel Parada & Rodolfo Mendoza).

I know that Ricardo and I were very grateful to have had so many great creators attend our Expo and appear on our panel. And we were especially proud to have also had a special panel featuring Spain Rodriguez, the legendary cartoonist from the original underground comix movement of the late 60s/early 70s, and cartoonist and friend of the Expo, Mario Hernandez. Ricardo reached out to Spain in the Bay Area and invited him to the Expo. Spain was more than happy to appear with his old friend, Mario. Here's Ricardo moderating the conversation with Spain (L) and Mario (in the middle):

Another memorable event that occurred at the Expo was that the curator of the Latin American, Mexican American & Iberian Collections at the University of Stanford came to the Expo. He and another representative walked through and purchased from the artists 3 copies of every work they had. They actually bought my entire inventory of EL MUERTO COLLECTOR BOXES I had brought with me! While it's always great to have such a great sale, what really is special is having your work included in such a collection, particularly from such an institution as Stanford. When someone wants to study the history of Latino comics and creators, my work will be available for research, alongside many other works by other artists. Yes, yes, I know we have Google, but good old-fashioned physical research can't be beat!

Saturday evening was time for another get-together, this time hosted by our friends at MISSION: COMICS & ART. Get a bunch of cartoonists together at a comic shop, add Sangria and some other 'drinks', and well, you got yourself a party!

Las Cartoonistas! L to R, Isis, Crystal Gonzalez, Gabrielle Gamboa, Grasiela Rodriguez and Liz Mayorga.

Me and the charming Crystal. And yeah, I'm sporting my stylish Ed Wood 'Bride of the Atom' t-shirt and vintage 1976 Howard the Duck presidential campaign button!

Sunday was another day of beautiful weather, and more Expo excitement!  

I really enjoyed hearing from the folks who visited the Expo. One elderly gentleman, I believe his name was Bob, was telling me about the first Latino in professional baseball (Luis Castro, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902). Bob was telling me how Luis died poor and in obscurity, with no tribute or tombstone to mark his passing. He told me he had no idea there were 'Latino comics' and he hoped that we would all leave a mark and not end up in obscurity, like Mr. Castro. There was sincerity and true emotion in Ben's voice, and it was really touching to hear him express his concerns. I told him that was the reason that we created a Latino Comics Expo, so that creators of Latino descent could gather together and share their work with readers. I also assured Ben that I make as much noise as I can about my own work, whether people want to hear about me or not! 

We also had an animation panel, organized by cartoonist and animation-dabbler Jose Cabrera. Here's Grasiela Rodriguez discussing her techniques, and a shot of the audience enjoying the various animated shorts:

 
On Sunday, we had another panel with Mario Hernandez, this time he did a reading from one of his comics and had a Q&A with the audience. Mario was a guest last year as well, and he's a complete pleasure to talk with. The first thing he said to me when I saw him Friday evening at the art opening was "I just saw THE AVENGERS and I loved it!". Now that's the way to start a conversation in a comics museum!

Being a co-founder of this particular event fills me with a huge amount of accomplishment. The reaction from the artists and the community of fans convinces me that this is a very important thing that we do, this love of comics as our storytelling device. And the reasons we do it, the influence we each get from our individual experiences, and the impact it has on the people, both within and outside the Latino community, well, the rewards speak for themselves.

EL MUERTO film screening & Dia de Los Muertos:El Monte

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....? 

3rd Annual San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival PT 2

Continuing my stroll down memory lane....

Bernyce Talley and Grasiela Rodriguez in secret talks about their comic projects:

Rafael Navarro, creator of Sonambulo, next to one of his fantastic cover paintings:

Rafael actually conducted a panel during the festival, and he always holds his audiences' attention with his presentations. Another one of our workshops, this one on animation, was conducted by Raul Aguirre:

One thing that struck me about the panels is that it's a great way to gauge interest in the process of storytelling. I know that some of the folks who attended had their own aspirations in comics or animation. It's nice to be able to provide these workshops, especially since they're free (as is the admittance to the festival itself).


A few months ago, I taught a DIY Comics Crash Course at GEEKS Comics. Several of the people who attended my seminar came by to check out the festival. In fact, one of the them was exhibiting at our show, for the first time. Neil Segura, along with his partner Ray Mendivil, was promoting their upcoming comic book FOREVER FRESHMAN. (Click on the link and see that Neil has learned well: He blogged about attending the festival! That's one of the things we talked about in the class, keep people informed of your activities related to making comics!)


Several of the cartoonists who exhibited at our first SGV Comics Festival returned again this year:

 The always-amicable Jose Cabrera of CRYING MACHO MAN fame. I've known Jose for some years now, and it's always a delight having him, and his gonzo brand of comics, gracing any comic convention.


Here's a couple of artists I had met at previous conventions, but was glad to see them appearing for their first time at SGV:

Karl Altstaetter and Gerimi Burleigh. (I think there was an atomic bomb that went off just outside the door, but it didn't stop these two cartoonists from enjoying the show!).

Exhibiting at his first-ever comics show was Jamie Gambell:

Jamie is the writer of OMNITORIUM, and in fact has several other titles in the development stage. It was nice to meet him in person after knowing him for some time through our 140-character conversations via Twitter.

There were various other creators at the show, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to actually talk and meet each one. Even a relatively smaller show like ours still means you're meeting new fans and conducting transactions (thankfully!), so I had to spend most of my time at my table. Luckily, while at my table there were brief moments to relax and chill out as well:


Kathryn Renta, besides being nice to chat with, is a letterer and graphic designer, and is in fact preparing to publish her own comic book as well. 

Adding to the enjoyment of the show was the arrival of FRESH FRIES, LA's mobile gourmet french fries:

If you're in the LA area, make sure you track them down and visit their truck. Dang tasty fries with some really knock-out sauces!


The show, for so many reasons, is definitely a favorite of mine. The fact that it's like 20 minutes from home is a big plus! But the whole intimate nature of the festival really gives you a real strong, genuine sense of being part of a local comics community. I'm glad we got to our 3rd show, and I'm really looking forward to next year's entry. I know we'll make it an even bigger experience for everyone involved.


Thanks to the fans who came out to support all the artists. Thanks to all the various artists who came back to the show or attended for their first time. I certainly have to thank the Nuvein Foundation and our partners for putting the whole show together. I've worked with the organization for some years now, and the thing that always inspires me is how tirelessly everyone works on the various projects. This is a non-profit organization, with the aim of connecting the community to the arts, and providing scholarships to young students.


After the festival, a group of us headed over to a local favorite restaurant for dinner and good times:

 Me, Jim Lujan and Grasiela Rodriguez. The three of us were on the Planning Committee for the festival, along with several other members of Nuvein (the more camera-shy members!). We're also members of the Cartoonistas, and have done plenty of other art related projects together. But it's great to first and foremost consider them good friends.

Here's to next year's San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Festival. Hope to see you there!

Free Comic Book Day and GEEKS art show memories

Yesterday was Super Saturday for me. I participated in a Free Comic Book Day event, and attended the Opening Reception of GEEKS Comics 'Covered' group show. A full 12 hours of comics and art, and every minute was a fun time.

My day actually started out at about 9:30am, when I hit the freeways toward Rancho Cucamonga, a good 35 minutes from home. Traffic was pretty non-existent and the weather was crystal clear. As I approached the shop, I was taken back by the sheer majesty of the San Bernardino Mountains. Now that's some serious Art!

The FCBD event I went to was hosted by 4 COLOR FANTASIES, run by Chris Brady. My good friend John Narcomey Jr. split his table with me, and as usual with any time I exhibit, it's always best to have someone you actually like sitting in the trenches with you. John's a writer/artist, and the Creative Director of Hightower Comics. He's got a great outgoing persona, and I love talking comics craft, business and superhero movies with 'im. I actually recently did a pin-up for John's  GHOSTFACE #3. FYI: You can order the new GHOSTFACE tpb via Indy Planet!

John Narcomey, representin'!

 Me, being...me.....

Chris had told me he puts on a pretty big show for FCBD, but Jeez Louise, it was mind-boggling to actually be in the eye of the storm! Here's a shot I took from a stairwell across the driveway:

 On the left, with the 'Free Comic Book Day' sign, is Chris' store, 4 Color Fantasies. To the right is the sectioned off parking lot with tents for creators, Star Wars 501st Legion, Hamburger vendor, kid's jumper, local library booth, $1 back issue bins, face make-up booth, photo op area for costumed characters and a few more I'm missing!

I swear, the event started at 11am, and by about 3 pm, there were still people in line to get free comics. Tons of kids and families and the usual comic fans. I got to meet lots of new readers, and even got commissioned for an interesting idea:

 This gentleman asked if I could create a drawing for his friend, whose a minister. He showed me a pic of his friend via a Blackberry, and I went ahead and made this sketch. The guy was really happy with it, and was looking forward to give it to his friend. I had fun doing this.

 

People, people, everywhere!

 

 The Scorpion (Spider-Man villian), Vixen of the Justice League and Kick-Ass, with a young comic fan. There were several costumed characters throughout the day posing with fans for photos in this area. 

Chris Brady, and his army of volunteers deserve a huge amount of gratitude and recognition for putting on such a stellar event. I can imagine the logistics, and cost, to have put on this event. Those 'free' comics aren't free to the retailers, and with about 20 creators showing up, plus all his other vendors and participants, Chris really had his hands full. But he does this because he loves comics, he's a totally professional retailer, and he's always trying to connect the community with this wonderful artform.

After we packed up all our gear, John and I drove over to Whittier, as we had an art show to attend to! After a relaxing break at Brickhouse Pizza (quickly becoming a standard if you're a local comics creator), we waltzed over to GEEKS and met our fellow artists.

Here's a group of us having a grand ol' time:

Left to Right: Gerry Bonilla, John Narcomey, Dan Mendoza, Grasiela Rodriguez (she picked up her Batsymbol at the face-painting booth at 4 Color Fantasies) and me.


Cartooning dynamo Raul Aguirre, the host of the lively and entertaining MAN VS. ART podcast, showed up with his contribution to Free Comic Book Day, a 'Citizen Sanchez' mini comic. And he was handing out free copies to one and all! 

 His comic's based on his animation project, which you can see right here:





And Raul's wife Hortencia also showed up with some art of her own:

Yep, a heavenly delicious Brownie cake, with the El Muerto logo emblazoned on it. It was a belated birthday gift, and it was a very nice gesture. Class acts, Señor and Señorita Aguirre! Many thanks!


I unfortunately didn't take more photos of the artwork on display, but the show will be up for a few weeks. I'll post some pics later. Here's one of a kid clutching a copy of the kid friendly MANGA MUERTO! His parents asked about my work, and I directed them to this particular book.

It was nice chatting with some of the patrons, and with my fellow artists. By the time I left GEEKS, it was about 11pm, some 12 hours after the FCBD event began at 4 Color Fantasies. Not a bad way to spend a full day.  And topping it off with some homemade Brownies, well, c'mon now!

SALABRATION celebration this past weekend at GEEKS

This past Saturday night at GEEKS Comics I was part of the Cartoonista contingent participating in SALABRATION.

This may have been the event that's had the most Cartoonistas in attendance (9 total). The usual camaraderie and happy hijinx were on full display! Here's the proof:

Jose Cabrera, creator of the CRYING MACHO MAN webcomic, demonstrates the upcoming Olympic sport, power cartooning!


Lounging around and talking shop (or are they planning to break away and form a rival Cartoonista group??) are Mr. Geo Brawn (top left), Luis Escobar (top right), Grasiela Rodriguez (bottom left) and Jose.


From left to right: Michael Aushenker, Jose, me and Jim Lujan. Michael and Jose will be having a two-man art show/book signing at GEEKS in the Fall, to coincide with a revamped CARTOON FLOPHOUSE brand.

Michael and me throwing out some Dr. Fate-style mystic energy. Michael and I were discussing Dr. Fate's recent appearance on SMALLVILLE, and browsed some Dr. Fate comics at the shop.


Grasiela Rodriguez, the Queen of the Cartoonistas, and the equally royal Hortencia Aguirre, wife of Cartoonista Raul Aguirre. Hortencia is an artist in her own right, and she's been nice enough to feed our hungry maws numerous times with her exquisite cooking.

Luis Escobar doodles inside the front window display at GEEKS. Think of Amsterdam's Red Light District, but with cartoonists and sanitized!

And sure to be a valuable artifact one day, Jimmy sparked the idea for a group jam session. Besides a plethora of Cartoonistas, we had some special guests contribute to the drawing, such as Steve Sievers and my ol' pal Lalo Alcaraz (LA CUCARACHA).


A long-time fan of mine happened to be walking past Geeks with his girlfriend when he noticed all the commotion inside. His name's Jason and I first met him back in 1998 when he made a beeline to my table in the Small Press area of the San Diego Comic-Con. He pulled his backpack off his back, pulling out a comic book and told me "I was hoping you'd be here!" and asked me to sign my then-recent EL MUERTO comic book, the photo-copied first edition. That moment had always meant a lot to me as a creator, because as a fan myself I had attended plenty of conventions where I was always hoping that one of my favorite artists would be in attendance.

At the time we met back in 19989, Jason was a teenaged kid, and to think all these years later, he's all grown-up and I'm still making comics! He picked up all my latest books and the DVD, and I even gave him one of the live art pieces I did that night.

He's had his Muerto skull tattoo for about 10 years now! Back in 2006, I had invited Jason and his girlfriend to an early screening of the EL MUERTO movie, and I was glad to be able to do that for them. It's so great to have long-time fans like that!

As the SALABRATION was in fact a little celebratory event to commemorate GEEKS owner Sal's birthday, Raul generously created this wonderful painting as an unexpected but supremely appreciated gift:

To say that Sal was impressed and flabbergasted to accept it would be a corker of an understatement! Raul really put a lot into this, and it really summed up the evening for everyone.



By 12:30am, everyone had left. Sal couldn't have been happier. All of us Cartoonistas had a wonderful time, and so did the folks who stopped by to join in the fun. Over the last several years, either solo or with the Cartoonistas, I have done some truly memorable events with Sal. He hosted the Q&A for the EL MUERTO screening during the Whittier Film Festival, my nephew and I had a two-man art show, I've conducted my "DIY Comics:The Secrets of Self-Publishing" seminar there (and in fact will be doing another one this coming Saturday). It's so nice to be able to have a 'home' store that you can partner with for events like this, and make a good friend in the process.

Thanks Sal, and Happy Birthday!

The great line-up of talent that night: (Top row, left to right) John Narcomey, Geo Brawn, Javier Hernandez, Luis Escobar,(Middle row, left to right) Raul Aguirre, Grasiela Rodriguez, Rene (guest for the evening), Jose Cabrera, (Bottom row, left to right) Michael Aushenker and Jim Lujan.

All photos courtesy Jim Lujan Photography, LLC!