Day 4: 2004 saw the release of EL MUERTO MISH MASH. I had also done the artwork for a CD booklet for the band CORE 13 from Portland (the ad on the left was printed on the inside front cover of the MISH MASH). I was previously contacted by the band's lead singer, Jon Alsono, about collaborating with him. The result was me doing the illustrations for the booklet that accompanied CORE 13's "Whisper Out Loud" album. Basically it was the story of the album, told in single image illustrations featuring the group as a team of superheroes overthrowing an oppressive government. It was a fun foray for me into the world of indy music. (Check out their music video "Girls aren't worth a Heartbreak", there's a cameo of me and my comic!). The partnership also resulted in Jon agreeing to dress up as El Muerto for me at the 2004 San Diego Comic Con! I actually had this costume made up a few years previously, and it was worn by two other friends of mine for earlier appearances.
2004 was significant for another reason as well. A year previously I had signed the contract with an independent film producer to make a movie based on my comic. Filming was to begin in February of 2005, and more and more I found my time being consumed by the production of the film. Lots of meetings, lots of getting wined & dined by the producer and executive producers! And also constructive things like meetings with the writer/director and other creative personal. Again, I'll cover the whole Hollywood saga in subsequent posts, but suffice to say that working on the next issue was pushed further back. At the time, I was still working at the screenprinting job, and had even started to teaching comic book workshops at local community centers and libraries. (Which proved to be a smart move as we'll see later).
Once filming did commence, I took a 6 week leave of absence from my day job (which I had informed them would happen when they hired me back in 2003). In case you're wondering why I had to work with a film deal in the can, well, it was an independent film production. Yes, there was money in the deal, but I didn't want to leave myself completely at risk with no steady income for the time being. As it is, one thing I made sure my lawyer put in my deal was that I get paid a weekly salary as Associate Producer for those 6 weeks on production!
Once we were done filming, I was able to get back to my life (a far as a 9-5 working stiff goes). Also, it was nice to sit down at the drawing table and once again be the sole person responsible for an El Muerto story! This was going to be a two-issue story, and it dealt with Diego's sojourn to Baja Mexico in search for answers and possible a cure to his particular dilemma. So I slowly hammered away at the comic, while dealing with the post-production side of the film. Which meant more meetings and dinners and etc.
By April of 2006, when that year's Alternative Press Expo was being held in San Francisco, I had enough material to print up a preview edition of DEAD AND CONFUSED. So I took another new El Muerto story on the road, a return to my hand-stapled, photocopied days....
The movie began hitting the film festival circuit in late '06, for which I was able to attend several on the West Coast. When it came time for the DVD release in 2007, I had suggested to the distributor that I could write a new story to be included with the DVD. They liked the idea so we drew up a contract and I contacted my friend Mort Todd to collaborate with me. I figured it would speed things up on the production side, plus Mort's finished inks and gray tones on my pencils would give the story a unique look. It was nice to be able to pay him for the work as well! So there was a new Muerto comic in '07, one that was included with my movie...
Next thing I know, 2008 rolls around and I realized I better get DEAD AND CONFUSED out in a proper comic book format (standard sized, color glossy covers). By this time POD (print on demand) was becoming more widespread and commercially viable. This is the process of printing comics (or any publication) in any quantity you want using digital printing, as opposed to the giant presses that you see used for newspapers, for example. For this edition, I added some extra story pages which helped flesh out the world. The back cover was this time contributed by Michael Aushenker, a person I had become really good friends with since I started publishing my own books in 1998. My friend Bernyce Talley colored the front cover, as she had the right skills to get that proper effect I was looking for.
It
was 2008, which meant it was 10 years since I first published that
little black & white photocopied first issue of El Muerto. While,
admittedly, the comics were trickling out at a snails pace, I remained
active on the publishing and conventions circuits in one way or another.
In addition to the works you've seen in these last two blog entries, I also
published two mini-books: EL MUERTO ON MY MIND, a series of
illustrated essays on the creative process and musings on the character
of El Muerto, and DRAWING THE DEAD, a brief
"How to Draw El Muerto" book.
For the 10th Anniversary, I produced this oversized 2.25" button:
Now it was time for the next 10. More El Muerto, for sure, but additions to the Los Comex line-up were coming...
El Muerto and all related characters are ™ & © Javier Hernandez 1998-2015
Day 3: So with that first issue done, I basically started hitting the convention circuit in California, traveling up and down the coast when (day job) time permitted. I also made the scenes around Los Angeles, soliciting comic shops and independent bookstores (usually the type that dealt with Latino-related material). Since mine was a photocopied book, I even searched out zine & mini-comics event, as I definitely had the DIY aesthetic. Also, with a concept like El Muerto, I exhibited at the various Day of the Dead festivals throughout town, as well as other cultural events. From the first day I knew I would seek out Latino audiences, figuring they would appreciate a culturally-themed character from a Latino creator. This was back in the late 90s, and there was a small movement of Mexican-American creators, as well as other Latino groups, publishing books featuring Latino characters.
In Texas there was Richard Dominguez (El Gato Negro), and along the West Coast such folks as Carlos Saldaña (Burrito), Fernando Rodriguez (Aztec of the City), Laura Molina (Jaguar), Rhode Montijo (Pablo's Inferno) and Rafael Navarro (Sonambulo), among others, were branching out and making their path in the independent comics world. Plus there were others across the country doing the same thing. It was an exciting time to be making comics. It was in this environment, amongst these pioneering artists, that I found camaraderie.
I did a second printing of THE NUMERO EDITION, about 150 more copies, if my memory serves me right. In addition to that (and instead of jumping back to the continuing saga of El Muerto!) I went off and made some other comics. What happens to me, and this you'll see occur throughout the next 16 years, is that I can get an idea in my head that won't rest until I put it in comic book form. One was an autobiographic story called DOS MIL (2000) and the other was a spin-off idea of my character called.... Manga Muerto. Basically taking the giant robot genre from Japan and mashing it up with El Muerto. I'll delve more into that little enterprise in the upcoming days, trust me. It was also during this time, Summer of 2001, that I did an interview with NPR during the San Diego Comic Con that would later go on to have a significant impact on my career (and that'll be covered in my upcoming posts about the El Muerto movie!).
Remember my day job as an art production employee at the screenprinting company? It had evolved in being promoted to Art Director. That meant leaving behind the retail world, and getting a decent paying career in art. It also meant a lot overtime hours, and eventually some sporadic weekends. It was actually getting stressful in the last two years or so. Won't go into all the details, but our workload increased, meaning my responsibilities increased. All that translates into a trip to the doctor to find out I had high blood pressure! Pretty much things got shaky with the management. For the better, because that place was killing me and it was time to decide to get the heck out of there...
That brings us to 2002. It was also time for me to level up from photocopied comics and get my book printed through an offset printer, which would include a glossy cover and larger print run. Eventually my goal was to try to get the book carried in comic book stores by Diamond Distributors, the national comics distributor. One thing about making that Art Director money meant having the means to pay for such a print. I found a local printer, China Times Press, who specialized in newspapers and printing for the local Asian communities. But it was only a matter of showing them samples of comic books so they could quote me a price.
And so with a few extras features and all new covers, and an $1800 printing bill, I reprinted the first Muerto story in a new package, KING SIZE EL MUERTO #1. The book was also accepted and carried by Diamond Distributors, which meant comic shops across the land carried it. The orders for that book weren't over 1000, but it was a big deal for me back then. Here's the cover, and the back cover which featured a painting from my friend & fellow cartoonist Rhode Montijo, as well as a few interior pages:
And because I wanted to hit the national comics scene with the full brass band, I gathered up a nice selection of guest pinups from a variety of cartoonists, including this delightful one by Carlos Saldaña:
With this new package, I spent the later half of 2002 once again making the rounds, hitting the convention circuit, finding new places to sell to, new fans to make. And having quit my Art Director job over the summer, I was completely re-energized and ready to rock and roll!
At some point in late 2002 or early 2003, I took a part-time job at a local comic book shop run by my friend John Franco. It was a way to keep a little steady money coming in, but also proved to be an interesting look into another facet of the comics biz, the retail side. I really liked working there, as it was a pretty low-key job but I was surrounded by comics and was able to chat with comic fans. Eventually though, I got a more stable job. Interesting enough, it was another stint as a production artist for a local screenprinting company, but this time I would stick to the relatively sedate position and avoid any management role! I wanted to put in my 40 hours a week, punch out at the time clock and not worry about overtime or weekends or fighting with the higher ups.
The next issue of El Muerto turned out to be an anthology featuring a new chapter in the story of our hero Diego, reprints of my auto-biographic comic DOS MIL and the first Manga Muerto story, and also a fun little 2 page featuring martians. The title for this one was obvious (to me, at least!). The back cover featured a painting by another friend and fellow cartoonist of mine, Ted Seko. Pinups included work by AXE COP co-creator Ethan Nicolle (bottom image in this group). From 2004, I present to you:
Like the KING SIZE special, EL MUERTO MISH MASH was also printed by China Times Press. Another 3000 copies, another $1800. Only this time, it wasn't carried by Diamond. Their form letter had two categories checked off on their decision to not carry this book. One was that there was too much time between the publication of each issue. The other was that the artwork was not up to their standards. Okay, I can't argue the time lag between issues. It is what it is. The art issue? Well, it was drawn by the same guy who did the first book that you guys carried...
Anyway, I didn't bother to plead my case to Diamond. I took the letter, placed it back inside the envelope and slipped it in a drawer. I told myself right there and then: Let's see how much of a setback this is. Let's see if I continue, move forward, and don't quit because the sole distributor in the industry doesn't carry me. Let's save this little piece of paper they sent me.That was back in 2004...
Tomorrow, more Muerto comics, more twists and turns!
El Muerto and all related characters ™ & © Javier Hernandez 1998-2015
