We did it! Our premiere showing, at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on saturday, March 17, was a sold-out hit!
I had been at the festival earlier in the week for some workshops and panels, so the anticipation was building. Boy, this was a thrilling event, I'll tell you. Family, friends, fans and filmgoers all made the event so memorable.
We had a press conference before the screening, with Tony Plana, producer Larry Rattner and myself, in the lobby of the theatre. Tony is such a dynamic figure, so strongly supportive of film festivals and Latino art, and very popular with the fans.
Here we are after the press conference. He was more than happy to pose for tons of pics from all the fans there, and I found myself the subject of quite a bit myself. (Good thing I invested in a suit!)
I lingered outside the theatre before the 8 o'clock showing, greeting my family and friends as they arrived. My three siblings and their families, along with mom, made the 100 mile trek down to San Diego. Heck, even one of my fans from my Muerto Message Board drove all the way down from the Bay Area to see the film! Here's a great pic: the line for EL MUERTO! These would be the first film fans ever to pay and line up for the film! Our previous screenings were private invites or American Film Market attendees. So this crowd made for a priceless pic! The showing was sold out and in fact there were about 2 dozen people waiting to see if any more seats would become available.
The film played to a packed theatre, and everyone had enthusiastic responses. It was great that our three executive producers/financers were there as well. Bruno Leone and his two sons Dan and Rich. They're really down-to-earth folks, and always supportive of me as the creator of the comic. The film began with the opening credits, featuring my artwork intercut with live action, and the viewers were following the film every step of the way, and thankfully laughing at all the right times! My cameo drew a lot of cheers, which made me happy and grateful that I picked that particular scene myself. I've already seen the film several times, but to have had so many entusiastic people in the audience was a whole new experience. After the screening, we had a Q&A up near the screen, with lots of great questions, followed by an impromtu autograph session.
Our writer/director Brian Cox was called out of the country for a production meeting on another project, but he had asked me to read a statement for him. I was honored to do so, and wish he was there to have heard all the great compliments on the wonderful film he made. If it wasn't for my initial faith in his approach for the project, I would never have signed on to make the film. Also, I was able to dedicate the film, in the spirit of Dia de Los Muertos, to four people who had passed away in the last year who I was hoping would be able to see it. My aunt Dora, uncle Greg, uncle Manuel, and friend Gary Burke. Tony and I were so busy with meeting people that they had to politley ask us to continue signing out in the lobby! And of course, more pictures were taken. Here's a nice one with (left to right) my sister, niece, brother, mom, Tony, me and another niece. Tony had some nice words for my mother, in espanol, no less. Mom was on cloud nine. In fact, at one point, she had me sign her an autograph! I was like "Mom, you're my mom!". That was so awesome, though!
Here's me, my leading lady Bernyce, cousin Jose Manuel and Tony. Sure was great to be able to celebrate with my loved ones and my fellow filmmakers.
After several minutes in the lobby, we all headed outside. By then, some people were leaving, and we were getting ready to be shuttled downtown to attend a nightclub. But it gave me a chance to meet up with friends and hear how much they loved the film. My cousin Manuel took this pic as I walked up the stairs outside the theatre. He says it shows me moving up higher and higher. And why the heck not?!
El Muerto will be screening at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on March 17. Show time is 8 pm, and introducing the film are stars Angie Cepeda and Tony Plana (ABC TV's 'UGLY BETTY'). And ...me. (Hey, I got a cameo in the film!) The film will be shown at the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center @ 7510 Hazard Center Road (off Highway 163 and Friars Road).
Tickets can be purchased online, and there are only 100 available to purchase, so act now!. Here's the listing for the film, with ticket info.
So if you're in the San Diego area March 17 and want to see El Muerto, c'mon down!
In conjuction with the upcoming San Diego Latino Film Festival, there is a group show featuring the works of a number of artists from animation, comics and illustration, including the late Ernesto "El Chango' Garcia Cabral (1890-1968), considered one of Mexico's greatest political cartoonists. Also featured in the show are comic artists Rafael Navarro, Richard Dominguez, Billy Martinez, David Alvarez and your truly. Also included in the exhibit are Jorge Gutierrez & Sandra Equihua, creators of the Nickelodean show El TIGRE.
The exhibit opened on Feb. 15 and will run through the conclusion of the Latino Film Festival, on March 18, and is displayed at the House of Charm in Balboa Park in the San Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living Artist (Boy, I'm glad to be exhibiting at a place called 'The Living Artist'!). There will be an artist reception on March 13, from 7:30pm-9pm, where I and several of the other artists will be in attendance.
Here's a couple of pics of the display courtesy of Patric Stillman, the Director of Operations for the Media Arts Center, San Diego. I'll take my own pics at the reception and post them here. If you're in the area, please check out the exhibit and the film festival.
The superhero movie season has begun and the number one film for the weekend, and in fact the highest grossing movie of the new year:
With an estimated opening of about $45 million, the film proves that critics don't know anything about anything! Like FANTASTIC FOUR, this film has proved to be a huge hit with audiences (the people who actually pay to go see movies!).
When I was a kid, Ghost Rider was one of the books that I really dug. A demon biker with a flaming skull head?! Bring it on, baby! Ghost Rider was one of that second wave of superheroes that came about in the 1970s, what Stan Lee called "The Marvel Age of Comics, Phase 2!". Created by Roy Thomas, Gary Freidrich and artist Mike Ploog, ol fire-skull was one of the haunted Marvel heroes who was part monster/part tragic hero. Appearing in the same era as Man-Thing, Morbius the Living Vampire and Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider was definitely a product of his era: satanism and bikers.
I enjoyed the film so much on Saturday evening, that this morning after my daily walk I stopped by a local theatre and checked out a matinee screening! Yeesh! The film was written/directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who I thought succeeded with his previous adaptation, DAREDEVIL. His script for this film really did a good job of tying in several incarnations of Ghost Rider. I won't detail the story too much in case you haven't seen it yet, but the character's orgin from his original 1972 appearance appears pretty much intact. I haven't really read much Ghost Rider in the last 20 years or so (Jeez!!!) but I felt the film delivered the Ghost Rider I remember. And what a classic design! Ghost Rider's look and attitude probably sold a ton of tickets alone!
While occasionally the film forced some of the actors to mouth some cliched lines (mainly the villians), I rationalize the fact that the source material the film draws on was corny back when they were created. However, I didn't complain back then as a 10 yr. old, so for me I look at these type of films without too critical an eye. Of course, at the very least, the story has to be solid, but otherwise, let's let the superheroes and supervillians act accordingly. I seem to enjoy my Marvel superheroes way more from filmmakers nowadays than in the actual monthly titles (which I pretty much dropped out of by 1990, with occasional exceptions). To think back in the 70s if we were told there would one day be a big Hollywood Ghost Rider movie....
Watching the film, with it's supernatural storyline, Good vs. Evil spiritual warfare, a black-clad cursed hero, and a graveyard caretaker, I couldn't help but think of the Muerto movie. Contrasting our independant film based on my independent comic, Ghost Rider was a full-blown studio film, with over $100 million in budget, but interestingly began filming the day we shot our last day of El Muerto principal photography: Feb. 14, 2005 (according to the Wikipedia entry) Pretty crazy coincidence. A quick note on El Muerto: I'm currently awaiting word from my producer about the distribution plan for our film. Of course I'll be posting the news here when it breaks!
After last night's screening of Ghost Rider, me and my lady Bernyce stopped by a Denny's for a late-night Banana Split. Over the delicious dessert, I pulled out my sketchbook and asked her for a Ghost Rider drawing. And yeah, she drew the original Johnny Blaze version! Nice!
I doodled up a quickie version of the movie Ghost Rider.
I gotta tell all the guys out there: ain't nothing sexier than a woman who can draw a classic superhero! Well, let's wait for the Ghost Rider sequel and the long-awaited release of EL MUERTO!
The Hero Initiative, a charitable foundation created to provide financial assitance to veteran comic book creators in need, has created a wonderful idea for a fundraiser. Teaming with Marvel Comics, they've commissioned 100 custom covers for Ultimate Spider-Man #100. Almost 100 artists (some created more than one cover) contributed, many of them top artists working in comics today (even director Guillermo Del Toro contributed a sketch!) But also included in the collection are some of Marvel's past creators, like classic 1960s legend John Romita!
Saturday evening, Secret Headquarters, an LA-area comic book shop, held a viewing of all 100 covers. Apparently the only time and place all 100 are going to be shown at once, before they move to auctioning them off at comic conventions and online. Here are some of my personal favorites, but do yourself a favor and check out this link, because you really have to see all 100 of these. Some really terrific looking pieces, and it's great that a good some of money will be raised for The Hero Initiative.
Frank Springer broke into comics with DC back in 1962. Then he went on to work for Marvel in the 60s and 70s on such titles as Nick Fury, Spider-Woman and the Dazzler, as well as one of our favorites here at Javzilla, The Human Fly!! Very cool to see Springer contribure a Spidey!
Another classic Marvel artist who drew one of the covers is Marie Severin, the long-time Marvel artist with stints on Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange and a very fondly remembered run on The Hulk. Marie is a colorist as well as artist, and in fact one of the very few female pencillers of superhero comics back in the day. I would love to own this piece!
Mike Vosburg has worked for many comics over his career, as well as storyboarding for film and music video (he worked on Eminem's STAN THE FAN!!). I remember his run on She-Hulk back in the early 80s. Go Voz. Check out his Ditko-esque Spidey!
Among modern artists in the collection is Mike Allred, creator of Madman and one of the nicest creators I've met in the comcis world. His Spidey is clean and pitch perfect.
This piece by Al Milgrom really struck me as another standout, and made me realize how much I loved his great SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN covers back in the 80s. Really juicy, bold inking on those!
Sal Buscema. The first comic I bought of the rack was a Marvel Team-Up, with Spidey and the Man-Wolf. The artist was Sal. That was back in the mid 70s, and ever since then Sal has left a huge impact on Marvel Comics by drawing tons and tons of superheroes. Captain America, the Hulk, to name to memorable runs and even ROM, SpaceKnight! But it's his work on Marvel Team-Up and two tours on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man that makes me acknowledge him as on of the premiere Spider-Man artists of all time! (Steve Ditko, John Romita and Ross Andru the other three...). So, here it is, some 30+ years since I first discovered his Spidey!
These Ultimate Spider-Man covers were blank on the back, so some of the artists would draw on the back, also. My favorite 'back' drawing is done by Herb Trimpe, another one of the classic Marvel Bullpenners. Mr. Trimpe has a well-regarded long time run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as G.I. Joe, Godzilla and Transformers. I fondly remember his 1980 Marvel Treasury, SPIDER-MAN AND THE HULK AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS! In the 1990s, when Marvel was imploding editorially and financially, after corporate raider Ron Pearlman came in and nearly ruined the company. Herb Trimpe was fired via a FedEx letter.
He wrote a very sobering article for the New York Times
about his final years at Marvel. But Herb moved on and became a teacher. Later, after 9/11 hit, he served as a Red Cross chaplain at Ground Zero. A real hero. So, here's his back cover Spidey image.Pretty dang funny, all things considered!
A great collection of art, and for a great charity. Me? I had a real fun time that evening, both enjoying some fine Spider-Man art (such as this great John Romita piece) and my own real-life Mary Jane, Bernyce!
Holy smokes! I was figuring out how many years I've been attending the APE (upcoming this April in San Francisco) and realized that I debuted El Muerto at the 1998 Alternative Press Expo, back when it was held in San Jose. That means that this will be the 10th APE I've attended..in a row! So next February it will have been 10 years since El Muerto first appeared!
Wow.... That seems like a quick 10 years. El Muerto was created last millenium! Well, I guess today marks the official countdown to the El Muerto 10th Anniversary! To say the least, this has been a very rewarding time for me in terms of creating my own comic character, publishing my own comics, meeting tons of interesting people. Any artist, no matter what their chosen field, hopes to have their work appreciated by others. I certainly do. I only launched the website back in 2005, but that has been an important part of the whole experience. And of course I can't mention all these great experiences without talking about the movie. To have had the chance to turn El Muerto into a film was a one-in-a-million shot. It's unbelievable, when I consider the odds against a self-published comic book , one that's been active in promoting itself, but still a relatively unknown property at the time of the initial contact by film director Brian Cox. That would have been back in 2001, three years after the book debuted.
So this year we will be counting down to 10 years of El Muerto. Great time for it too:
- Upcoming is the 2 part mini-series El Muerto: Dead & Confused!
-There will be a special trade-paperback collection out later this year!
-We're going to relaunch El Muerto.com with an all new updated Version 2!
-And there will an announcement coming soon regarding the El Muerto movie!
And I plan to unleash some other exciting projects this year as well. Lots more details to come, of course! Stick around then, because this is going to be a great year!
A new image I created for Valentine's Day.
And here's the original sketch.
I scanned this and then created the artwork in Adobe Illustrator. I've created a few pieces as vector art, and I'm always happy with the final result. Someone told me the other day that I should do a whole comic in this style! Sure would look nice on glossy paper.... But it would certainly take some serious time to get it done. We'll see, one of these days maybe. But occasionally I just create these because I feel the image calls for it. Other times a painting seems the best way to produce a particular image, and often a good old fashioned pencil or inked drawing is what the art doctor ordered!
The Human Fly gets the spotlight turned on him in the latest issue of BACK ISSUE, the magazine devoted to the great comics and creators of the 1970s and 80s. Written by the very capable Michael Aushenker, this is the first time I've seen a major article on the Human Fly. Last May, I posted my own little piece on the Human Fly here at Javzilla, but the article in BI #20 really gives us an inside view (as best is possible considering the circumstances) of the Wildest Superhero Ever.
Among those interviewed are former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter as well as inker Steve Leialoha (who a few years back bought an El Muerto t-shirt from me at APE!). Aushenker also scores an interview with rocket engineer Ky Michaelson, who designed an actual rocket bike for the Human Fly! There's a photo of the Human Fly that I've never seen before, as well as this unpublished cover artwork by Fly regular Frank Robbins.
I'm a huge Fly fan, so this long ovedue article is very much appreciated. Also, Michael is among one of my best friends for the past 10 years or so, and a fellow comic book creator. His off-the-wall EL GATO, CRIME MANGLER ranks as one of the first domestic, masked Mexican wrestler comics, written and illustrated with a gonzo flair that no one can match. Michael is a talented dynamo, with his writing appearing in journalism, children's books and comics (to name a few) and his art has been applied to comic strips and fine art paintings as well as his El Gato series. Suffice to say, Michael also interviewed me for my thoughts on the Fly, and there are some pretty good bits in there about young Javier Hernandez and his quest to find the elusive Human Fly back in the day. Mike even closes the article with a quote from me, as well as deftly plugging El Muerto, my movie and website! Seriously, it was an honor to speak of my enthusiasm for the comic book adventures of this most mysterious true-life superhero. Also interviewed in the piece are our fellow friends/cartoonists Rafael Navarro and Ted Seko. At one time, the four of us, as well as Rhode Montijo, were the creators of our own unique comic book imprint/clubhouse, Big Umbrella. But that is a post for another day!!
Back Issue is produced by TwoMorrows Publishing, the fine folks who print the best in comics coverage, inluding Alter Ego and the exceptional Jack Kirby Collector. Also included in this special Secret Identity issue are interviews/articles on some other classic characters like Moon Knight and The Question, the enigmatic vigilante created by comic icon Steve Ditko. Sure was nice to share info on the Fly in a magazine that also spotlighted the work of Ditko, Sal Buscema, Doug Moench and Don Perlin, among others. Below are some pics of Moon Knight, The Question, and Michael Aushenker's own El Gato, Crime Mangler.
And an updated thanks to Michael Aushenker for copy-editing this post. He copy-edited a post reviewing an article I wrote where I review an article he wrote where he interviewed me.... Is that nuts, or what?!!
Well, if not a Revolution, maybe just a whole lotta good stuff this year!
Hope y'all had a good Holiday Season and all the best in 2007. I spent the New Year's weekend at an idyllic place by the beach...Ahhhhhhh. Came back on New Year's and realized it was time to hit the art table again, as well as bunches of emails, MySpace Friend requests (hold on, I'm comin'!!) and lots of Life stuff. One thing I had to get to was this little commission one of my Muerto Boardies asked for! He wanted to get some friends of his a personalized El Muerto drawing for Christmas. So, here it is, a tad late, but all inked and signed up. It's on the way to his pals (Geez, I hope they're not reading this blog!)
For me, 2007 will be about getting a lot of things done, as a person and an artist. Personally, well, you know, better health for mind, body and soul. As an artist, and particularly the creator of El Muerto, let's just say certain things that have been in place for some time now will come into play. Creatively, I want to get many of the things inside my head out onto a surface. Be that Bristol board or canvas or scripts.
One of the resolutions I made to myself was to read a lot more graphic novels. I've recently read Kevin Huizenga's CURSES as well as Guy Delisle's PYONGYANG: A JOURNEY IN NORTH KOREA , an amazing autobiographic adventure into North Korea. I'm currently reading the first volume of BUDDHA by Osama Tezuka. This is an 8 part series from Vertical Books and the storytelling displayed in these books is amazing. Tezuka is called 'god of manga' in Japan, and this is one of the many reasons the late master has earned that title.
I started blogging last March, so a few more months and it'll be our One Year Anniversary here at Javzilla. I hope to make your visits here informative and entertaining. See you back....
Twas the Night ‘fore Navidad in the Cemetery,
Not one stray cadaver, save the Aztec Zombie.
His stocking was hung from his tombstone with care,
In hopes that San Nicholas would soon be there.
El Muerto lay peacefully atop his own grave,
No evil to fight, no one to save.
Visions of Maria danced in his head,
Wishing once more, that he were not dead.
The night continued to grow long and cold,
As he lay there, on a bed of marigold.
His most cherished dream would not give a rest,
As he longed for his heart, back in his chest.
Then, a few minutes ‘fore midnight,
To his most welcome delight,
A noise atop the mausoleum!
By golly, he could see him!
A great jolly man, brash and bright red,
Joyous enough to wake all the dead!
And with him, hard to believe, oh Dear,
I kid you not, yes, eight zombie reindeer!
A crimson and white suit made by the elves,
Black boots from Tijuana, straight off the shelves!
A big red sombrero atop his grand head,
Flying about on a magical sled!
“Now Mictlo, now Pepe, now Xotchi and Flaco!
On Cucuy, on Quetzal, on Calaca y Santo!
Away now we go, we’ve done our gift giving,
We’ve looked after the Dead, now to the Living!”
Off into the night, Santa Clause flew,
More presents to deliver, for me and for you.
Diego ran to the tree, decked out with light,
He hurdled the gravestones with all his dead might!
Nearing the tree, searching for his gift,
He thinks out loud, “Was Santa too swift?”
His heart all aquiver, he knelt on his knee,
(If he had a heart, I know! Just enjoy the story!)
Unwrapping his gift, El Muerto did see,
That his present was indeed truly lovely!
Not a heart for his body, or Maria, his treasure,
But something that gave him such wonderful pleasure!
There in the box, all awash in bright light,
Was a large sugar skull, decorated just right!
A cross and some flowers, all blue, red and yellow,
And written on top, his name, “Juan Diego”
He stood, cradling the calavera in his arm,
Sensing no loneliness, fearing no harm.
“It’s good to be remembered, on this festive evening.
Feliz Navidad to all! The Dead and the Living!”
A couple weeks back I was contacted by Will Thompson for an interview for the online version of Relevant Magazine. I thought this would be an interesting audience to speak to as they are a faith-based magazine that covers various aspects of pop culture as well as lifestyle and other topics. I always say that El Muerto is a complete reflection of who I am, so check out why a Mexican-American, Catholic, comic book geek/Speed Racer fan/micro movie mogul does what he does!
Here's the link to the Relevant Magazine.com interview
Back in the Glory Days (the 70s), DC and Marvel used to publish large, over-sized comics called "Treasury Editions". They measured at a whopping 13" x 15", and sometimes could be up to 100 pages, in full color!! Most often these were reprints of earlier books, although DC often included more original features in there books. Stuff like 'How to draw Superman' and other DVD-style extras.
Some of my favorites to this day include these beauties:
Included in this gem were the Golden Age origins of the Joker and Lex Luthor (an accident caused Lex to lose all his hair, so naturally he blamed Superboy!). I was mesmerized to learn the origin of the Joker. The 1989 BATMAN movie used the same basic premise (falling into a vat of chemicals) as did Alan Moore's THE KILLING JOKE. This Golden Age story remains one of my favorite comics off all time.
I remember seeing this in McCoy's Market. Mom would be in line paying for groceries and I would wander to the Liquor Dept (?) where they kept all the periodicals. I had to have this one! Reprinting, in tabloid size, the original Steve Ditko-drawn first appearance of the Sinister Six! Stuff like this convined me as a kid that Ditko is the one true Ultimate Spider-Man artist!
Galactus once again invades Earth, with the intent to devour us all! This time he's accompanied by his strangely biblical herald, Gabriel! Art by Big John Buscema and Joltin' Joe Sinnot.
Reprinting classic fist fights between the superheroes (of course, they would usually work things out by the end of the issue. The pulse-pounding battle between Captain America and Daredevil takes place inside the ring at Madison Square Garden! And the Silver Surfer vs. Spider-Man tale was the first and only time Stan Lee got to write his two signature characters in the same story.
And then there was this...
The Greatest Super-Hero Team-up of All Time! And conversely, the Battle of the Century!! This milestone story was the first time Marvel and DC had collaborated on a joint venture, teaming up their most popular characters in one epic tale. This unquestionably blew me away as a kid. And to this day I'd say probably remains my favorite comic book story, (up there with Amazing Fantasy #15, of course). This book was written by my second favorite Spider-Man writer, Gerry Conway, and illustrated by one of my Top 3 Spider-Man artists, Ross Andru. One of the many reasons I love this book is the cover. I've always had a real affection for comic book covers with white backgrounds, and in this case what better way to bring out the color in these two icons than white? I loved seeing Peter Parker and his girlfriend Mary Jane interacting with Clark Kent and Lois Lane. What really worked for this book was the over-sized pages allowed the stunning draftmanship of Ross Andru to really shine. Andru always was the absolute best artist in comics for breathtaking architectural renderings and panoramic city shots. This stands as his greatest achievement, in my opnion. And what better compliment for an artist than to handle the historic first DC/Marvel crossover?
As big as the super-heroes were to me as a kid, printing there stories in these tabloid-size comics only helped create more excitement. My hope is to one day create a Muerto story worthy of this format. A new story, with a reprint of a lesser-seen story, and maybe a cool 'How to Draw El Muerto' feature. Hold me to this, folks!
All these pics were taken from another site, Treasury Comics.com. Created by illustrator Rob Kelly, it's a wonderful tribute to all the treasury/tabloid sized publications from comic's past. Check out Rob's site and treasure these gems! Thanks to Rob for the kind permission to use his pics.
So, this would be the 40th Thanksgiving I've celebrated. Well, maybe the first couple were a blur for me, but..... :roll: Anyways, today's was the usual turkey/stuffing/pumkin pie/family get-together. Mom and Dad hosted the day, with me and my siblings and their kids chowing down on juicy, plump, oven-roasted turkey.
In the spirit of giving thanks, I mentioned to my older brother Albert about how he inspired me to draw and collect comics. I let him know that I've stated in numerous interviews how he's the one who really put me on the path I'm on today. He shared some interesting details that I thought right away would be great to document in a future auto-bio comic! Al told me that when I first started drawing I wasn't very good! He said, with a good-natured laugh, that I was terrible....
He had a sketchbook filled with color drawings of baseball and football players. Expressive characters with large chins and their baseball caps/football helmets pushed down over their eyes. He also liked drawing cartoon superheroes like Underdog and Mighty Mouse. Ironcially, we don't remember him drawing characters like Spider-Man , the Fantastic Four , Captain America and the others. The comics he gave me when I was an 8 yr. old lad, the Marvel Comics with art by Kirby, Ditko, Romita, Trimpe, Colan and others are what really created my love for superheroes and comic books.
Al told me that he remembers me taking my first art classes in Junior High. By the time High School rolled around I would start getting books from the library on cartooning and drawing. Shortly after he introduced me to comics, he eventually got into sports and building car models, but little Javi hung to the superheroic radioactive soap operas of Peter Parker, Bruce Banner and all the other heroes of the Marvle Age of Comics!
And thank God for that, eh?! In many ways, I think Albert may be the proudest one of all. I remember being so happy that he came out one day to visit the set of El Muerto in East LA (not too far from where we grew up). To see him standing on the sidewalk with his daughter as they filmed Wilmer evading a speeding car was a trip. If it weren't for his strong early influence, there probably wouldn't be an El Muerto, comic book or movie!
Me and Al after a great Thanksgiving meal earlier today. So, all the love and gratitude to big brother Albert Hernandez. I guess I am one of the 'Hernandez Brothers' after all!
I attended an 11 AM El Muerto screening yesterday in beautiful, sunny Santa Monica as part of the American Film Market. The screening was held in an actual theatre this time, as opposed to the private screening rooms I'd seen the movie in previously. This was a great screening because I was able to invite about 30 family, friends and some former students of my Comic Book Workshop.
Also, as this was the Film Market, there were various industry folks in the audience. Our head Make-up/Muerto face designer was there, Mark Buatista (another Whittier resident, believe it or not!) as well as our composer, Tony Humeke, who I was able to congratulate in person for his tremendous and atmoshperic score.
Among my guests were my dad and my two nephews, David and Christian. Christian helped me out at my table at Comic Con a couple years ago, and will probably be seen helping me out more in the future. Got to train the next generation for the family business, ya know! My mom, older sister and her daughters had come to a previous screening, so it was time to get the other half of the family in on the action.
Also in attendance were my older brother, his wife, and my younger sister. My brother Albert gave me his collection of comics when I was about 8. This was a late 60s/early 70s grab bag that included Jack Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR, Gene Colan CAPTAIN AMERICA and DAREDEVIL and Romita SPIDER-MAN as well as Neal Adams BATMAN and reprints of Stan Lee/Steve Ditko SPIDER-MAN. Albert also used to draw his own cartoon characters at the time, which also inspired me as well. Without him and his impressionable influence, there most likely would not be an El Muerto today!
And yes, I purposedly positioned us to stand in front of the CASINO ROYALE poster. As a life-long James Bond fan, it makes me very excited to know that I'm following in Ian Fleming's footsteps in having my character make the leap to the big screen!
It was great to be in a theatre with a sizeable crowd watching the film. I sat up toward the front, but could hear the audience reactions as the film progressed. During my on-screen cameo I heard my sister-in-law let out a surprised giggle as she saw me, and the cheers I heard for the title credit 'based on the comic book EL Muerto by Javier Hernandez' felt wonderful! By the way, I've created the artwork for the opening title cards. They're intercut with the live-action scenes as the film opens. How much cooler could this experience have gotten??
I attended two Dia de Los Muertos events in East LA this past Thursday, November 2. Both events were held on Cesar Chavez Ave, just a couple of miles from one another. I've had a particularly busy last couple of weeks, attending the various Day of the Dead festivals here in Whittier and Los Angeles, as well as several screenings for El Muerto. Can't think of anything more appropriate for me this time of year! I've got a report over at my Message Board (where, by the way, we've extended our Zombie Month theme from October!)
I'd like to share with you the story behind this pic:
This was taken at the festival sponsored by AL BORDE, a free spanish-rock newspaper. This event featured vendors, great tamales, music, altars and an art contest, to which I entered my El Muerto serigraph, "El Otro Lado". I actually went in thinking along the lines more of promoting, rather than competing! Turns out the winner of the contest was an artist by the name of Luis Genero Garcia. I remember looking at his painting and thinking I had seen it before, but couldn't place it. At one point I saw him standing next to his painting talking to some people. I approached him to congratulate him on his victory, and commented that I had seen that piece before. He looked over my shoulder and then asked me if I was the artist of the El Muerto print. I began to share with him info on the comic and the movie.
Luis told me that he in fact was contacted by my producers a few years ago regarding his painting. Then it hit me like a ton of bones! In the early days of the Muerto deal, my producers, having been introduced to my comic by our director Brian Cox, had looked up El Muerto online and came upon Luis's painting. Later, my co-producer Susan Rodgers met Luis at an event and inquired if he was the creator of the El Muerto comic book! He told them he wasn't, and eventually I ended up meeting the producers and showing them my work. This was back in the days when I still didn't have my own website. Lesson learned!
Anyway, so Luis and I are sharing our perspectives on this story in front of our artwork. He commented that is was very interesting that they approached him initially, but in the end I ended up getting the movie deal after all! It was very appropriate, he commented, that a few years later our artworks would be hanging side by side at a Dia de Los Muertos show.
He was really gracious, and took a good-natured view of the circumstances. I was actually really glad that he won the art contest that evening. Oh, and another little coincidence, he and I are both residents of Whittier!
That's just one of the many unpredictable stories that has come out of my experiences with El Muerto! Most of my adventures with the character outside the confines of the comic book always seem more scripted and fantastic than anything I can create on the page. This has certainly been a very enjoyable and memorable last couple of weeks, believe me!
Legendary comic book creator Steve Ditko turns 79 today! Co-creator of Spider-Man, this amazing artist is one of comic's great storytellers. Born in 1927, Ditko's unique stlye literally set the standard for Spider-Man. One of my all-time favorite comic artists, Ditko captured my imagination when my brother gave me his collection of comics when I was about 8 years old. Among the comics where several reprints of Ditko Spideys. For the next 32 years (or thereabouts) I've been in love with his singular vision and individaulistic approach to comics art. By the late 1960s, after having helped revolutionize comics with Marvel's Silver Age renaissance (such as co-creating Dr. Strange with Stan Lee), Ditko abruptly left Marvel for DC Comics. Over the next 20 years or so, he would rotate between the two companies while working on established titles or creating new characters.
He also self-published some personal works in the 1970s, establishing himself as one of the first 'indie' artists! In the 1990s onwards, he's concentrated mostly on comics of a personal nature, often creating experimental storytelling devices. Ditko has such a strong independent streak, considering he's co-created one of the most commercially succesful pop characters of all time! When I found out after a few years of creating El Muerto that he shares the same birthdate as the character, I realized that karma does indeed exist! A few years ago, several of my friends asked me why I hadn't written him. I was always in such awe of the man that it wasn't something I thought I could do. But, I realized if I didn't write him, I might regret it later. So, I obtained his address from a friend of mine and wrote Steve Ditko a short letter. Basically I shared with him how much his work has meant to me over the years, and that as a neophyte indie comics creator myself I admired the steadfast individualism he's shown in his career.
When I opened my P.O. box one day a few weeks later, my heart literally skipped several beats when I saw his letter. I was actually going through minor hyperventilation as I walked to my car! His letter was hand-written in pencil (!), with a slight slope as his hand moved to the right side of the paper. He thanked me for my words and also for the copy of El Muerto that I had sent him. Basically he mentioned that all art, regardless of mainstream or self-published, must meet certain objective standards. If you know Ditko, then 'objective standards' is par for course! To this day, that letter remains a treasure. I'm sure he's written thousands of letter, but there's only one he's written to me!
My friend Simon appeared with me two years ago at a store signing. I was actually signing on Halloween, and we gave out candy to all the kids who showed up for Trick-or-Treating! Simon actually shows up as an extra in the El Muerto movie (not in costume, of course!). The suit he's wearing was made from one bought at Olvera Street here in L.A. Yes, just like Diego de La Muerte did in the comic.
Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico on November 2. People gather at the gravesite of their loved ones and decorate it with flowers and mementos that commemorate the departed. Food and drink are put out so that the spirits of the deceased will come back for another meal. Altars are built in the homes with the same effect. It's origins date back to pre-Columbian times, with the ancient Aztec ceremonies blended with All Soul's Day, creating a uniquely Mexican holiday. It's a festival meant to celebrate the life while mocking death, a testimonial to the power of love and remembrance. No sinister motives are involved in the festival.
When I sat down and came up with El Muerto, I knew I wanted to capture the spirit of the holiday. A character that would not only be created around the imagery and folklore of Dia de Los Muertos, but one that would also use the rich mythology of the Aztecs. It's nice to be able to particate in Day of the Dead ceremonies, and equally cool to celebrate the character's 'birthday'.
Take a moment to remember the life of a family member, or friend, or any other person you admire, who is no longer with you. Remember what it was about them that you loved, and enjoy their memory. They'll appreciate it, I'm sure...
