Monday morning I found out via my daily read of the comic blogs/news sites that comic book artist Mike 'Ringo' Wieringo passed away of a heart attack that he suffered on Sunday, August 12. At the young age of 44, and being a vegetarian and a guy who worked out regularly, his death came as a complete and terrible surprise to everyone.
Mike had been a pro since the early 90s, becoming well-known for his stint on THE FLASH. Over the years he worked on such characters as SUPERMAN, SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR as well as his creator-owned series TELLOS. I've known of his work for years, and was really glad to see him on FANTASTIC FOUR several years ago. His style was often called 'cartoony', as he drew the characters with an expressive, animated look to them, soft and lush linework that always contradicted the seemingly more prevelant 'dark and gritty' look that seems to be the fashion nowadays. He was a complete perfectionist, always wondering if his latest drawing could be better. But he had the utmost belief in the purity of true heroes, the classic superheroes that mean so much to many of us readers. His artstyle I always felt, reflected the innate fun that must accompany superhero stories.
I never met Mike, nor wrote him any emails. But I would visit his blog occasionally, and marvel at the sketches he would frequently post. Poigniantly, the last sketch he posted, on Friday, August 10, was of his own comic book creation, JAREK from his TELLOS comic. How very touching to read the comments section to that post. The last time anyone responds to a new post of Ringo art.
Monday, when the news had hit the internet, I noticed that several times during the day Mike's website/blog would be down. There were too many visitors to his site and that lead to the crashes. But reading various testimonials to Mike on different message boards or blogs, I am overwhelmed by just how much this man was loved. As an artist, because that's how he achieved his fame, but also a a person. So many people, mosty fans who may have never met him in person, have commented how genuinely nice he came across in his posts and whenever he would write to people. He'd often offer words of encouragement to young artists, or positive critiques of their art.
His brother Matt has begun posting on Mike's blog, expressing his family's gratitude and general surprise on how big an impact Ringo had on people. The testimonials from his fans, fellow professionals and even convention organizers really makes me feel that a huge amount of loss has been felt from everywhere. What a beautiful testament to a person's life to see the type of impact his passing causes. What a horrible shame that the person passes away though.
So sad to think that the communication he built up over the web now becomes a one-sided conversation. But that's one thing about comic book creators. While you won't find too many actors and sport stars talking with their fans online, comic book fans have great oppurtunities to communicate with their favorite writers and artists. And us comic creators that choose to are able to talk with our fans via our various web outlets. That's one thing that I think makes a very special connection between comic creators and fans. More direct contact than lots of other entertainment mediums. Even comic conventions give fans a chance to meet one on one with their favorites. Wieringo definitely had his share of comic conventions, and evidenced by the testimonies online, he was always glad to meet fans and spend time with them.
My condolences go out to Mike's family and friends. If complete 'strangers' confess to breaking down over hearing of Mike's passing over the internet, I can only imagine what it's like for his parents and siblings to lose such a great spirit.
A recent sketch of Mike's from his blog. Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man.
My final report on Comic Con '07. Scroll down two posts for Part 1, ( or jump to it here )......Last day of Con...I had debated whether or not to go back to visit the show, but the allure of the event was too great....
Sunday seemed to me to be just as busy as the other days I was there. The same unending flow of humanity, the ocean of books, toys, collectables and movie promotional items.... In fact, because it is the last day, there seems to be a frenzy of last-minute rushing about the floor, trying to pick up those last items, visit some favorite artists, attend some final panels.
For me, it was about revisiting my friends at their booths (to see how some survived the previous evening's dinner party), and meeting costumed superheroes. As I was just looking at this next photo, I suddenly realized that in my first year or so of attending Comic Con I had taken a photograph with a guy at the DC Comics booth dressed as Batman (at the time they were heavily promoting their recent BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES). And here we are some 15 years later with me taking another picture with another guy dressed as Batman! Only this time I'm promoting my film and have 10 years behind me as the creator of my own comic book character. Sure, this Batman may be a little heavier than the Batman of 15 years ago...but who am I to judge!?
Giving equal time to the bad guys (or, girls) I also ran into this gal in a Harley Quinn costume. For the uninitiated out there, she was the Joker's right hand gal on the BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES....
This next pic may be mistaken for a shaky photographer's hand, but I swear this is how I often see the show on a sunday (and this is without me having been there since wednesday as an exhibitor!).
This shot was taken on the far end of the 'new' part of the convention center. They built this half about 3 or 4 years ago, to accomadate the massive influx of people who've been attending the show. You can't even imagine how long a walk it is to the other side of the convention hall. It's not so much the physical walk as it is the complete onlsaught of booths, displays, vendors, exhibitors, people and noises, color and hype that fills the cavernous hall! You walk across the floor and you see the Warner Brothers booth, an actual Mach 5 from the Speed Racer movie, a person selling original artwork they've created, another person selling their self-published comic book, a booth selling drinking glasses printed with superhero graphics, Simpson's creator Matt Groening being wisked by with an entourage of security, a sloppily constructed Captain America costume worn by a pudgy fan, and a battery of people lined up playing video games at another booth! You pause to take it all in then proceed to the next barrage of pop culture. Freaking unbelieveable, I tell you!
Even in this 120,000+ person crowd I actually run in to the occasional fan, I'm glad to say. This gentlemen, Chris, I've actually had as a student in my Comic Book Workshop. He says I'm his 'art mentor', which makes me feel so old for some reason! But he's a great guy and he's a restless creative type, always exploring new types of art and music. Glad to be able to inspire someone in a small way, to be honest. I mean, if I wasn't inspired myself as a kid you wouldn't be here reading this blog!
(That smear on my wrist is a Muerto skull temp tattoo I had put on the day before. We gave those out at the screening on friday night. They come included in the Muerto DVD. Which by the way is available on Sept. 18! If you wanna pre-order your copy now, take a look to the right side of the screen...just below my profile pic...)
One of the other reasons I came back to the Con on sunday was Bernyce and I wanted to catch the SIMPSONS MOVIE and we invited our friend Tami, wife to Jason Martin (creator of the SUPER REAL comic book). As Jason had to attend to his booth that day, he could not join us. As an added bonus, we stopped by Jose Cabrera's booth (CRYING MACHO MAN) and asked his wife, Naomi, if she wanted to join us too! So there I was, strolling downtown San Diego getting ready to watch a movie during Comic Con. By the way, the film was hilarious. I haven't watched SIMPSONS in years but really felt that the characters on the big screen were as fresh as I remember them to be. Here's me and the gals after the film....
By now it was about 3 pm. Bernyce and I had hoped to be on the road before 5pm. So we headed back to the convention center and went about saying our last good-byes. Always time for one last great photo op...Like this fella....
The book Sr. Nacho Libre is proudly endorsing belongs to the mad genuis, and treasured friend,Michael Aushenker!.
Michael and I have been friends for a good 10 years or so. He was actally self-publishing his own comics for a few years when I had me him. We immediately hit it off, being attracted to one another's absurd humor (believe me, you need it to be in business of publishing your own comics for as long as we have!). Michael was making his return to Comic Con after a few years absense. It's funny, and a typical Michael observation, but since I was only there as a spectator for the weekend, Michael had commented that I still would find myself sitting at friend's booths behind the table! I just can't get the whole 'exhibitor' side of me to ever take a rest!! I hung out at Jason's table as well as Michael's for a break and a laugh.
Eventually though, Bernyce and I had to make our way out of the building. As we left, I made last minute stopovers at various booths on the way out, just browsing for 'something' that might make it home with me. But the best thing I took home were the great batch of memories I made this year. Showing the EL MUERTO movie to a Comic Con crowd will certainly be one of the all-time great moments I've had in San Diego. And to be able to share the whole experience with this little lady is just the icing on the cake.
About 15 years ago, I had the honor of meeting Jack Kirby, the much-loved King of Comics, at Comic Con. He would pass away shortly thereafter in 1994. But my friends and I were hanging out at his booth, gawking at the artwork hanging off the walls. When all of a sudden, in walks Jack Kirby with his wife, Roz. Jack came over to talk to us (well, he talked we just kinda of muttered and stared!). He chatted with us briefly after giving each of us a firm, strong handshake. He looked around the hall, his hands calmly clasped behind his back. "This is a pretty big show," he told us all. "You should be able to find what you're looking for".
Thinking back over the past weekend, the past 15 years of attending San Diego, I can honestly say that Jack was right.
Thanks Jack.
Continuing my coverage of San Diego Comic Con 2007 ( Pt. 1 can be found here )...
Friday night's EL MUERTO screening may have been the big highlight of the weekend, but it was by no means the only fun to be had. Saturday was a day filled with catching up with more friends and really just enjoying the show from the point of view of a fan, not just an associate producer of a comic book movie.
Speaking of promoting movies, I think the 'buzz booth' of this years Con was the Weinstein Company's stunt to promote GRINDHOUSE. Here's a one-legged model dressed up as Cherry Darling! Now that's exploitation!!
Not to be outdown, I was lucky enough to stroll pass this lovely lady. Miss Jessica Rabbit. Remember, she's not bad, she's just drawn that way!
My friend Will Caulfield and his son Nicholas came down to the show on saturday.
I've known Will some 22 years. He's a trusted friend and he actually gave me my start in a graphics art career. I was in college at the time, not really sure what direction I had wanted to pursue as far as art. He hired me to work part-time at the screenprinting shop where he worked at (he was the Art Director) and eventually I moved to full time. All the skills I learned their absolutely helped me later when I began to publish my own comic book. It was at that job where I actually first learned about computer graphic design. Some years later Will and his wife had their son, and Will left his position to raise Nicholas at home. I assumed the position of Art Director and a few years later, when we experienced a growth period, I was able to hire him back! So we have a long history of working side by side as well as becoming each other's boss over the years! A few years ago Will decided to create his own comic book ( THE ADVENTURES OF BAT BAT ) and he's attended a few shows with me as an exhibitor. He told me that I and my friends had inspired him with our own creations. And he tells me that his son Nicholas wants to create his own comic book! The two of them are hoping to attend Comic Con next year as exhibitors. That's a heck of a lot of circles being completed!
Another good friend of mine exhibiting this year was Jason Martin. His full-color independent comic book series SUPER REAL has recieved a lot of favorable notices. Jason's probably the saviest guy I know, as far as us self-publishing cartoonists, who uses the internet to his full advantage as far as advertising and networking. He'll use a nice signature banner on various message boards he visits, for example, in order to drive traffic to his site. He and I met a few years ago in the Small Press area at Comic Con and hit it off really good. He's actually contributed to the El Muerto DVD release, but I'll have to talk about that in another post!
By the way, Jason's got a very good blog where he in fact has his own Comic Con report with lots and lots of cool pics of the various booths and fans in costumes. Check it out right here!
Comic conventions are about two things when you're self-publishing: Selling comics and befriending other cartoonists! Here's Jose Cabrera, creator of the online strip CRYING MACHO MAN, and his lovely wife Naomi.
I met them about a year ago at APE (Alternative Press Expo in San Fransisco). They live in LA but so far we haven't had a chance to get together locally! We always hook up at some show or another. You'd be surprised how often that happens! Jose recently published a tradepaperback collection of his strip and asked me to write him a blurb, which is on the back of the book. He's got the blurb on his website if you want to read it. And while you're there, check out his comics and order his book!
Speaking of being all macho and stuff...here's me and my girlfriend Bernyce. Often we wandered the floor together, but sometimes we'd go our own ways. There's only so much old-school, geeky superhero nonsense she can take! Although, she does have her own brand of comic book nuttiness she enjoys. We actually do have a lot of the same tastes in comics and art, but we also have enough differences to keep the two of us out of each others hair once in a while!
Wandering the floor of the convention is always interesting because you never know what neat little book you're going to find or who you're going to run into. One such encounter was bumping into cartoonist and radio host, Lalo Alcaraz. His strip LA CUCARACHA is nationally syndicated and he's been a strong supporter of my work over the years and a good friend. He was on a couple of panels invovling cartoon strips this past weekend.
If friday's highlight was the movie screening, then saturday's highlight was the annual Mexican dinner in Old Town San Diego me and my friend Michael Aushenker started several years ago. To this day, believe it or not, I never remember the name of the restaraunt nor can I ever give anyone decent directions on how to get there! But every year we gather a bunch of friends and fellow cartoonists and take the trolley down to Old Town and enjoy a feast of good food and strawberry margaritas.
Me and my co-Mayor of Margaritaville, Michael Aushenker!
That Old Town dinner is always a great way to cap off a busy day at the Con. Regardless if I'm exhibiting there or just enjoying the Con as a guest, I hope this annual tradition continues for a very long time.
My next and final post about Comic Con 2007 will cover my sunday at the show. See you then......
15 years ago I attended my first San Diego Comic Con. 6 years later, in 1998, EL MUERTO made his debut comic book appearance at that show. 2 years ago, back in 2005, we screened a rough teaser trailer for the EL MUERTO film, which had finished principal photography a few months earlier.
On friday evening, July 27, we screened the film to an audience of comic book readers, film buffs and a dedicated group of long-time El Muerto fans. In some ways, a circle was happily completed that evening. But not the last one, for sure. Here's the rundown of my friday in San Diego.
I arrived on a warm friday afternoon, made warmer by my choice of dress! But with the hotel I was staying at way outside the city limits, there would be no place to change into my 'movie screening clothes' later....
Back when I first attended Comic Con in '92, attendence was at around 22,000!! (According to a post I found online by Jackie Estrada, long time Comic Con organizer) 22,000! That is hilarious! This past Con is rumored to be upwards of 125,000!! Wading through the mass of humanity outside the convention center, I would not doubt it for a second.
Entering the actual building for me is always exciting. Because at this point in the game, you can usually find the same exhibitors in the same spot they usually occupy (back-issue comic dealers, booksellers, publishers) but then there's always a huge varitey of new people exhibiting, selling everything you could possible imagine related to comics and pop culture collectables. It's like finding the secret Ebay wharehouse or something.
But of course one of the best things about going to Con is hooking up with so many of my friends, many who are selling their own comics but also plenty of 'civilians' I run into as well. One of the first booths I tracked down was that of good friends Rhode Montijo and Jamie Baker. They've been splitting a booth at Con for a couple of years now and often have some gimmick. This year it was cheesy suits (think the classic used-car salesman) and signs all over the booth proclaiming 'Everything must go!" and "Prices slashed!".
As I was standing around Rhode's booth, I notice that WWE wrestling superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin is walking around (promoting his new film I imagine). Actually, my girlfriend Bernyce noticed him and she went up and asked him for a photo. Using her as cover, I asked Steve for a photo as well. I wished him luck in his new movie careeer and he actually responded, in his trademark Texas gravelly voice, with genuine sincerity "Thanks, I'll need it!". That was very odd and charming to me. Here's Stone Cold, one of the most badass performers in the history of wrestling, and he's as scared and unsure as the rest of us entering the movie biz! Nice!
Comic Con wouldn't be Comic Con without a visit to the booth of Rafael Navarro, the indestructable creator of Sonambulo. Here's me and Raf and his current director on a new SCOOBY DOO animated project, Kevin Altieri. Kevin is an animation director and long-time storyboard artist whose many credits include the classic BATMAN, THE ANIMATED SERIES!
Dean LeCrone is a local San Diego cartoonist I met a few years back in the Small Press exhibitor area. He does comics with a crazy bent of humor and Dean's also a good old fashioned 1970s-era comic book geek! My type of people! This year he was promoting his 'geeks gone crazy' DVD, "Dean LeCrone VS. The Mutants of Comic Con!"!! He filmed it at Con last year (I show up in bits of it I'm told!) and I hear from good sources it's hilarious! I actually forgot to pick up a copy but he's going to be screening it at an LA comic book shop in September, so I'll have to make that screening. Here Dean's checking my heart for Comic Con Excitability Syndrome....Because us comic book/indie film dudes have to take care of one another.
Speaking of excitability, the time was approaching for the EL MUERTO screening. But first, we had a dinner to attend. Who's 'we'? That would be me, my girlfriend Bernyce, one of our executive producers, Bruno Leone and his lovely wife Pat, my producer Larry Rattner, the Head of Sales for our DVD distributor Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, and one of the stars of our film, Tony Plana. Dinner was at a very nice and cozy restaurant called Busters, located near the Con. After getting my fill of Sangria, I was ready to head back to the convention center and show the film.
The screening was scheduled for 9pm, but I had asked the staff if they could wait another 10 minutes or so. As the Con was closed at 7pm, I knew people would be making their way back from dinner, so the extra minutes actually helped. I had a good turnout of friends show up, as well as some long time El Muerto fans. But the majority of the people were just curios conventioneers looking for cool movie to see. I introduced the film and grabbed my seat, this time towards the back of the room. I was extremely exhausted after a very long day and I figured if I nodded off for a few seconds, no one would notice! (Imagine someone blogging about that the next day? '"El Muerto creator nods off at his own film"?!!). As usual whenever we screen the film to an audience that knows me, my cameo gets the expected cheer from the audience. That still pumps me up everytime I experience that!
Immediately following the film we had a Q&A. Tony Plana walked up on the steps and I introduced him to the audience just as he set foot on the stage. As a long-time actor, and especially because of his current role on the multiple Emmy-nominated show UGLY BETTY, Tony's popular with the public. As I walked onstage I lifted the mike and lowered my voice "And Javier Hernandez", introducing myself to an enthusiastic audience (it pays to have friends and fans at these events!). Our producer Larry Rattner joined us and I moderated us through about a half hour of questions.
The questions I get are always 'What was it like getting your comic made into a movie" and "When's the next book out?"! The answers are always 'Great' and 'Very soon'!! Moderating was actually fun, and I'm told I did a pretty good job. I don't know how often the creator of a comic book that's been made into a movie gets to moderate his own movie panel, but the wonderful thing about this entire film production has been that I've had the oppurtunity to be involved very closely with the entire process. We mentioned the release date for the DVD (Spet. 18) and I told the audience about the many features we've created for the DVD. Features such as a special Muerto mini-comic book I created to be packaged inside the DVD, a 'slideshow' of my first Muerto comic, a color gallery of El Muerto artwork by 7 artist I personally handpicked, a tutorial on how to draw El Muerto, a commentary track with myself and screenwriter/director Brian Cox, and interviews with the cast and crew. And I was very glad to see that they created a spanish language dub for the film, as opposed to just subtitling it. Before we ended the panel, I said something I had meant to say at the beginning of the screening. "I'd like to dedicate the screening to the memory of a comic book legend, Jack Kirby, the King of Comics". I met Jack at my first Comic Con back in 92, and he was always one of my two most important influences in my lifelong love of comics, so dedicating the film to him at this convention was an honor.
We gave out this poster after the Q&A which Tony and I were more than happy to sign for the fans.
Tony not only plays the wonderfully written Aparicio in our film, but he's such a generous person with his time. A real professional and class act.
It was fun talking to the fans after the film. It was a manageable but enthusiastic crowd. Plus it gave me a chance to talk to some friends of mine who hadn't yet seen the film. Tony and I posed for several pictures and I can say that we all had a great time at the screening. I was always hoping to have had a chance to screen the movie at Comic Con and I'm grateful to the convention organizers for making it happen. Truly one of the highlights in an experience that is overflowing in highlights.
Midnight was fast approaching and I still had a 35 minute drive to my hotel. And it's getting late for me right now as well so I promise you, dear reader, that I will finish up my con report tomorrow night, for sure! I still have to tell you about saturday and sunday in San Diego. Thanks......
I can't believe it was only this past sunday that I was in San Francisco screening EL MUERTO at the Another Hole in the Head film fest film festival! Pressing matters (which of course involves the film in question!) have kept me at bay for the whole week, but I wanted to share some stories on this screening.
So, since this was a three-day trip, and I was going up there by myself, I decided to fly. This way I could spend more time enjoying the trip rather than spend over 12 hours driving up and back home. Mind you, I love the drive, as I've been doing it for the past 10 years, attending the annual APE comic show and a couple of other events in Northern California. But the decision was made that I would fly. No problem. Except for one little detail... I hadn't flown for over 15 years or so!
As this was the post-9/11 world, I had to get up to speed on travel arrangements and such. Yes, you do have to take off your shoes, and get your luggage zapped with x-rays. But, all that was fine, compared to the Economy Class seat I had to stuff myself into! At least it was only an hour flight!
So, I'm fine til the plane pulls onto the runway...then all of a sudden I'm like "Holy *****! This plane is going FAST!!" Then whoosh, we're up in the air!! I'm sure this sounds silly to most folks, regardless if they themselves have been on a plane or not. But I have to tell you, as we ascended up into the sky, I felt a tiny clump of terror deep inside of me. I tried very hard to
make sure it didn't get any worse. Last thing I wanted to do was be the panic-filled passanger begging for the plane to land! That seat near the window was probably getting me a little too close to reality than I wanted...
But, once the plane leveled off high above the clouds, I slowly adapted to flying above the world. Probably helped having James Bond theme songs playing in my iPod.... So I'm gazing out the window (with some thought as to how strong that wing really was!) and I realize something. Over the past 10 years or so, I've driven up to the Bay Area mainly for comic book conventions or store signings and such. Pretty much always coming up here to promote El Muerto. Now almost 10 years since I debuted EL Muerto in San Jose, I'm flying up to the Bay Area again..only this time to promote the movie based on my comic creation. Things certainly are moving faster and higher for me. Sure glad my girlfriend booked me a seat near the window after all!
Not surprisingly, I arrive in San Francisco Airport safe and sound. My friend Rhode Montijo arrives right on time and soon we're off to a nearby taco stand. Things are proceeding right on schedule! I met Rhode 10 years ago while we both attended the APE in San Jose in 1997, a year before I debuted Muerto and I believe he debuted his comic, Pablo's Inferno in March of '97 in Oakland at WonderCon. I was actually sitting at my friend Rafael Navarro's table as he was debuting his comic book, Sonambulo. The Bay Area has been the birthplace of some pretty cool ideas, in my self-centered opinion!
So, anyways, I was staying at Rhode's place in Oakland for the weekend. I was really looking forward to him seeing the film as we've talked about it since I first got contacted by the filmmakers several years ago. He's been looking forward to seeing it. Rhode's always been an extremely supportive fan to the comic and one of those treasured friends I've been lucky enough to meet in life. Plus as amazing artist and storyteller himself, it's always an honor and pleasure to here his opinions and ideas about my work and also to be inspired and awed by his own tremendous talent. Here's a pic of a sculpture he made of his comic creation, PABLO'S INFERNO. This is simply beautiful, ain't it?
So by now you're wondering "Hey, what about the freakin' screening?!" Okay, so the following day, on sunday, we drive over to the Roxie Cinema in the Mission District of San Francisco. It's a great little old fashioned theatre that looks like it dates back to the late 60s/early 70s. After dinner we walk over to the theatre with some friends and there in the front window display we see the Muerto poster. Obvious photo op, of course!
I meet Jeff, the director of the festival and we talk about the Q&A following the film. I notice two guys standing around, one of them on a cell phone. I hear something like "Yeah, we're at the Another Hole in the Head festival....it's a movie called El Muerto...looks like Dia de Los Muertos....it's him and the girlfriend on the poster...." He's probably talking to some friend about what's going on tonight. I approach the guy standing next to him (figuring this is what I came for!). "You guys should see this movie, it looks pretty good" I tell him. This guy responds "Oh yeah, we were thinking of checking it out. Looks interesting". Then I told him. "Yeah, it's based on my comic book. I'm Javier Hernandez, the creator of the comic. How ya doing?". We shake hands then the other guy gets off the phone and I tell him the same thing. They both tell me they'll see me inside the theatre. Nice!
A friend of mine, Rico, who I first met about 6 years ago when he shopped my table at an APE con, shows up as well. He lives in the Bay Area and in fact drove down to San Diego in March to attend our premiere at the Latino Film Festival! Now he had brought his lovely wife and their son and daughter to see the film. This is the perfect family, one united in their love of EL Muerto! Seriously, they're a wonderful group of people and it's a pleasure knowing such folks.
So we all make it to our seats in the theatre. I'm actually a little nervous for some reason, even with some friends in the audience. But, I make a quick introduction to the film and let everyone know I'll be around afterwards for a Q&A. This is about the 6th time I've seen the film (not counting two or three rough cuts) and the freshenss of experiencing it hasn't worn off. Sitting with an audience of people who aren't really aware of the comic or know much about the movie is a real neat experience, because I like to compare their reactions to the other audiences I've seen it with. Most of the funny lines pretty get the same reactions, but I like how different people will react to other subtle aspects differently. There's always one line that gets the biggest laugh, and I'm glad to say it was lifted directly from the first issue. And each time I see my cameo I can just feel my friend's amusement when they see me. Least I assume it's a positive reaction!
The film ends with a strong round of applause and after the lights go up I'm called up to the front. Gulp... But, I'm introduced and then get right down to it. One thing I learned awhile ago, and it helps me get through any stage fright, is that people who stick around for these Q&A's want to be there. They want to hear from the creator and how this came about. Even though the overwhelming majority probably never heard of me or El Muerto before the festival. So, it's not exactly a hostile audience. Well, that's always the hope!
One of the questions I got was "What do you say about the the Christ-like parallels that are drawn to El Muerto in the film?" I told the guy who asked "Well, those are intentional,if you read the comic. And certainly our director played with that in the film." Then I added, "I think El Muerto is the first superhero since Jesus Christ to come back from the dead and have the power to raise the dead!" That got a good laugh. Another gal said that she wanted the god of death to win, because she was rooting for the Aztec culture. Wow, another heavy question! I dodged that by saying that we would have had an entirely different movie if that was the outcome. "Maybe if we make a sequel we can have Round 2" I assured her.
So I see Rhode raise his hand, and I figure this should be cool. I was right! "Who do you think would win in a fight between El Muerto and the Hulk?", he asks. I immediately turn to Jeff, the festival director, and ask him, "Jeff, can we get security over here?". But I answered the question. "Well, El Muerto would win. Because everytime the Hulk would pulverize El Muerto, the Aztec Zombie would regenerate himself and Hulk would eventually tire and turn back into Bruce Banner. Then Muerto would kick his butt!". That brought a pretty good round of applause. So of course, to seize on the moment I said, "Hey listen, I love the classic corporate superheroes too, but it's nice that we support the creator-owned independent heroes as well!" I'm a shameless promoter of my own indie cred, what can I say?
Another friend from the Bay Area, Jaime Baker asked two questions which helped keep things moving. "What's the name of the actress who played Maria...and can I have her phone number?" Good one. His other question was "How did this whole deal come about?", which allowed me to go into the whole Cinderella/one-in-a-million story behind the Muerto movie deal. I think the story behind the movie is one that really captures people's imagination, because really, the circumstances that lead to the film are filled with good luck and chances of fate. Really it comes down to an imaginative idea, my trust in the integrity of Brian Cox (the screenwriter/director), the entrepeneurial instincts of our investors the Leones and the ability of our producers to put together an excellent cast and can-do film crew. I remind people that I created EL Muerto 10 years ago in a very modest little black & white photocopied comic book, with about a print run of 500 or less. Don't even remember the exact number to be honest. And this was done solely to create my own character in my own book. No dreams of movies in my head. And now here we are with EL Muerto considered a brand with potential to be exploited in various other media. I told the audience that other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and American Splendor and now El Muerto, offhand I couldn't think of another self-published, black & white, creator-owned comic book to be made into a film. There probably is, and I wouldn't mind being told about it. But as it stands I think El Muerto has earned itself a special little place in the annals of comics-to-film.
Other questions concerned the potential for a sequel :"That would be up to the marketplace and you folks." And the standard: "How's it feel to see your comic up on the screen?" Well, the standard, honest answer is that "It feels great. It's like everytime I see the film it reminds me of the best Christmas I ever had, over and over again." I realized the other day that in regards to this answer I could add that selling someone a comic and showing people the movie provide unique experiences. When someone buys the comics from me at a convention, or through my website, it's great to meet them and thank them in person. But unless they write me and email or see me at another show, I won't know how, or if, they enjoyed the comic. When you're watching the film with the audience you are literally experiencing their reaction to the film. Once the DVD is out of course, it'll be back to either hearing people's response via email or hearing from them in person. Then of course there's the cheers or jeers that can be posted all over the web....
All said and done, I had a great time at the screening.
This year's Another Hole in the Head film fest will be hosting two El Muerto screenings! I'll be at the sunday night showing and will host a Q&A after the film. So any Bay Area Muerto fans please come out and check out the film and support the festival. The screening is held at the Roxie Cinema and should be a blast.
Astute readers will note that El Muerto has a very special connection to the Bay Area. I debuted El Muerto at the 1998 Alternative Press Expo in San Jose. And in fact, two months later at WonderCon in Oakland, I almost killed him off! I was having a really bad show that day. No sales, no interest...nada! After taking a sullen stroll to the hotel bar and pounding down a rather mild Screwdriver (Vodka and orange juice to our younger readers!) I walked back to the table prepared to tear it down, pack it up and head back down to Whittier!
Well, as I got to the table, there was reporter from a local paper waiting for an interview and a couple of fans ready to buy comics! Long story short, I stuck around and pledged to never let myself get down like that again. I've attended every single APE since then and have met many wonderful fans and made some great friends up North. And now I'll be showing the movie based on my comic book in good ol' San Francisco! How's that for a Hollywood ending?!
Check out the festival site and order your tickets! Hope you make it out there!
Friday night's screening at the Reel Rasquache Latino Film Festival at Cal State LA went really well and it's another memorable event to keep in the record books! This was about the fifth time I've seen the final version of the film, and our second film festival. Still enjoying the film upon multiple viewings, and in fact each one so far has it's own unique dynamics to it. Either because I've got different groups of friends/family in the audience or just the audience itself will always react differently. One thing I notice about this screening is there were a lot more folks in the audience jumping out of there seats when the scarier moments appeared onscreen! There was a pair of ladies behind me just screaming out their lungs at certain moments! It's so great experiencing these live moments.
One of my favorite moments during any screening is the scene where I appear in my cameo. I can tell I have friends in the audience because they'll give out a shout-out or a chuckle when I show up. And during the opening credits (for which I illustrated the title cards) I usually get a quick little round of applause for the credit 'Based on the comic book El Muerto by Javier Hernandez'.
The screeening was held at Cal State Los Angeles, and in fact El Muerto was the opening night film for the three day festival. What's really cool about these festival screenings (as opposed to some of the private screenings we've had) is that they usually have tickets with the name of the movie printed on the ticket. Now that's a souvenir worth scrapbooking!
One of my good friends from college, Tony Saxon, came to the screening and brought a surprise with him. A copy of the 1998 'Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition', the very first El Muerto book I ever printed! Of course I have my own copy of this book (and another copy or two to one day put on Ebay!!), but it was pretty cool seeing one of the original Muerto comics. Back when I made that book, photocopied at a local CopyMax, I never would have thought that I'd be attending a screening of a live-action film based on that very same issue!! In fact, it was this little book that I sent director Brian Cox when he first heard my interview on NPR, back in the summer of 2001. He really enjoyed the story and the character of El Muerto as he appeared in the first issue. He didn't need to see a full-color comic series or graphic novel! Pretty amazing, if you ask me!
The name of the building where we screened the film is actually called The Intimate Theatre! In the lobby itself, they set up a little display of some of my Muerto artwork. On the other side of the lobby was a table where I had some prints for sale as well as comics and zines. It was nice being handed some comics to sign right after the screening. Here's the listing in the program guide and a shot if some of the artwork on display.
My friend Michael Aushenker realizes he already has the stuff on the table!! "Where's the new book, dammit?!"
Watching the film in that theatre was really good, because while it was the smaller venue of the two film festivals we've done, my producer Larry Rattner and I agreed that is was the best sounding screeening we've attended so far. And the smaller size of that theatre really lived up to it's Intimate description. I sat in the front row this time and could really feel the audience sitting behind me as they experienced the picture. Among the many things in the film I look forward to each time is savoring the wonderful performances and great actors we were fortunate to have in our film. Everytime I see Tony Plana and Michael Parks in a scene together I get this feeling of satisfaction that El Muerto is the place these two tremendously talented actors meet onscreen (at least to my knowledge...let me know if that's not the case). And seeing Wilmer Valderrama as the living incarnation of the undead Diego/El Muerto on the screen is still a miraculous sight for this average Jose from Whittier, CA to see.
One of the actors from the movie who I ran into that evening was Maria Conchita Alonso.
She actually came up to me and gave me a hug, that was real cool. She plays Sister Rosa, a nun who works at the church that turns out to have it's share of action in the film. Quick story about Maria Conchita: One day while filming I was hanging out at the Craft Service table (the table where all the world's snack food is located during a film shoot!). Maria came by and looked for a quick bite. She got a slice of apple and put some peanut butter on it for a snack. I looked at her and said, "Yeesh. Peanut butter on apple?" Not missing a beat she told me "No, no. It's good! Here, try one". She then got a new apple, cut off a slice and placed some peanut butter on it and gave it to me. I tried it, and actually thought it tasted really good! I actually love peanut butter so who knows why I commented negatively in the first place! But, at least now I can saw that Maria Conchita Alonso put peanut butter on my apple!!
As it was a film festival, I had a chance to meet other filmmakers, several young directors with their various indie films making their own festival rounds. They gave some nice compliments on the film, which was great. It's nice to meet other filmmakers and share our own experiences with one another. Comparing notes with fellow creators in comics and film kind of runs the same, we all know the hardships and trials one another goes through but also we have a mutual respect and understanding for each other's work. I'd certainly like to work on further film projects myself, hopefully some Muerto franchise action as well as a new idea or two. Also I ran into a guy who's organizing a film festival in a the area, so I introduced him to my producer and we talked about entering our film in his festival. I'll post news on that as it becomes official.
Here are a couple of fans of the movie outside in the courtyard after the screening (actually they wanted more beefcake shots of Wilmer in the film!).
The young lady on my right is actually the daughter of my friend Martin Espino (he played the ancient Mexican instruments in our film scrore as well as chanting in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs) and her friend on my left. I told them if we do a sequel I'll see about getting them aboard as extras. The reception following the film was held in the courtyard outside the theatre and was catered with some really good food and open bar. What I thought was cool was that the food, beef and chicken quesadillas, was served in really nice looking silverware! In fact, there was a platter of chips with the nacho cheese contained in a large fancy looking silver bowl! East LA snack food served up in ritzy looking silverware...NICE!! I got a chance to chat it up with all kinds of people and mingle with lots of my old friends who made the screening. A good collection of comic book creators and other artists were in attendance. It was kind of like a micro-comics convention!
One of the cartoonists in attendance was Rafael Navarro and his wife Irma, friends of mine for about 15 years now. Raf and I met at a life-drawing class at Cerritos College, and immediately hit it off when we found out we were both comics geeks.
I actually joined Raf at his table for the convention where he debuted his Sonambulo comic book at, and the following year I debuted El Muerto at the same show. Over the years we've done a lot of shows together and seen our fair share of comic book movies, so it was great that he and Irma were able to finally see EL Muerto. In fact, they both appear as extras in the film, with Irma getting a pretty prominent placement in one shot with Wilmer. Great going, Mrs. N!! So Rafael can be credited with a guest cameo in another creator's comic book film adaptation!
Prof. John Ramirez, the director and founder of the festival, put on a great show and was a pleasure to work with. He has my sincere thanks. It was a really wonderful night and gettting that enthusiastic response from the audience is very encouraging. Most people comment about the very high quality of actors in the movie, with my title card sequence also getting a vote of approval. Most people want more El Muerto, so if everyone else who sees the movie feels the same way, and supports the film at the theatre and on DVD, then you never know. You just might one day read a post here that says "EL Muerto Dos gets greenlit!"
Okay all you Southern Cali Muerto fans, here it comes! EL MUERTO will be screening at the REEL RASQUACHE LATINO FILM FESTIVAL at Cal State LA on friday night, 7 pm on May 18!
Tickets are available through the Luckman Fine Arts box office, and I would recommend jumping on this quick as seating is limited! I'll be at the screening of course, as well as attending the after-party reception! Come and support this great independent film, in this, the Golden Age of Comic Book Movies!! I never would have thought back in the swinging 70s as a little impressionable kid that one day there would be a film based on a comic book I created, hot on the heels of the Spider-Man movie trilogy! Simply miraculous, I gotta tell ya.
Among the great talent in the Muerto movie are Wilmer Valderrama (THAT 70s SHOW), Angie Cepeda (LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA), Tony Plana (UGLY BETTY), Joel David Moore (ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL), and the great Michael Parks (GRINDHOUSE). How's that for a stellar cast?! And of course I held my own in my little cameo, too!
I was born in East LA, lo many years ago, so it's really nice to be able to screen the film, about my zombie superhero, in my birthplace. Hope to see and meet many of you at this magical evening!
Friday I'm off to San Francisco to attend my 10th APE in a row!! Never missed one show, and in fact I debuted El Muerto there back when APE was held in San Jose. APE is put on by the folks at Comic Con International, so they know how to put on a show! I've always had stellar service at this show, and invite any comics fans in the Bay Area to come over and meet all kinds of neat cartoonists and buy some cool books.
I'll be there both days, saturday and sunday, with comics, zines and lots of prints. This is definitely my favorite comic book convention, always a great place to meet new fans and hook up with old friends. This year I'm debuting a brand new zine called: DRAWING THE DEAD. It's basically a little 'how-to-draw' El Muerto guide, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at how I create my comic book stories. Short versiont: No script, pencil the pages first, ink 'em, then write the dialogue page per page!
You can pick up a copy at APE, or write me and I'll let ya know if I have any left (most likely will!). Here's the cover and sample pages:
I'll be at table #235, so stop by if you can. I'll update you on the El Muerto movie AND fill you in on the new evolution in my publishing plans...
Yes folks, El Muerto goes digital! Big change for the new DEAD & CONFUSED comic, but soon everyone will be able to read it anywhere! See you at APE!
Earlier this week I recorded an interview with SMALLL WORLD PODCAST.COM and it's been posted here. This was fun to do, and as always, recorded interviews are interesting because I always fret over what I'm going to sound like when I hear the final product!
Well, this one went pretty good. Although I often think I have to many 'Um's and 'Ah's. Well, at least you can put a voice to my image now, those of you who haven't met me. Someone's going to hear this and say "Oh, I thought he was going to sound like Ricardo Montalban". I WISH!! But, regardless, there are some questions about self-publishing in there, mixed in amongst the usual comic book and movie inquiries. Bazooka Joe, the person who runs the site, had heard about the Muerto movie last month at the San Diego Latino Film Festival, so he contacted me and requested an interview. He puts together a nice show with lots of interesting people. I'm glad to have had the chance to contribute to his show.
Hope you find it informative and entertaining. :)
The good folks at Horroryearbook.com have just posted an interview with me. Crack writer Molly Celaschi had some good solid questions, like this tantalizing little firecracker: "You also made an appearance as “Man in Costume” in a scene with El Muerto. Was that just for fun?". The answer to that and other questions are waiting in the interview....
Also, HorrorYearbook is presenting the 3rd Annual Independent Film Festival at SiliCon, a multi-media convention in San Jose, Ca that I'll be a guest at in October! El Muerto debuted in San Jose in the form of a little ol' independently printed black & white photocopied comic, so it's going to be an El Muerto homecoming for me. More on that later....
Thanks to Douggary, Wil and 'Good Golly' Miss Molly!
