¡VIVA EL MUERTO!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
¡VIVA EL MUERTO! on Tumblr
I've started a Tumblr for EL MUERTO. Or actually, re-started it! Back in August of 2013 I created it, but haven't posted since. So last night I got back on and added a few posts. I've even created some posts that'll be automatically uploaded in the next couple of days.
So, for all things El Muerto, such as artwork, comics, photos, the film, etc., that'll be the place to check. Including sneak peaks at the upcoming EL MUERTO: DEAD AND CONFUSED Pt 2...
¡VIVA EL MUERTO!
¡VIVA EL MUERTO!
Monday, February 03, 2014
Finding Felinus: Catching a character by the tail!
On January 13, I posted some drawings on my DeviantArt page. Two ideas I came up with on whim for some new sketch dolls, a Ronald McDonald parody and a mash-up of the Pink Panther and a werewolf. (I had produced some of these sketch dolls in the past, which are blank doll bodies that I draw on with fabric markers).
I'm a long-time fan of the Pink Panther, both the movies and cartoon series. It just occurred to me that a pink werewolf panther would be a funny idea, and since I was considering doing a series of these pop culture mash-ups, it was probably inevitable I'd get around to the Panther. Here's the actual first-ever drawing I did of the 'Panther by Night' (the name itself is a nod to the 1970s Marvel Comics superhero/werewolf series):
(The very first drawing of my pink wolfman idea)
After drawing that dual cannibal clown & panther sketch, I had a couple of laughs just looking at them. Then it occured to me that perhaps there was more life to my rose-colored wolfman than just as a sketch doll... So I redrew the character, this time thinking of more than just a design for a doll.
One of the things I did was change the color of his pants from green (which was what the Werewolf By Night wore) to grey. I was slowly pushing the character away from a straight 'homage', and also I felt that the grey worked really well against the warmness of the pink. Already I was thinking about exactly who and what this character was. I came up with an origin story, and constructed it so it would fit the format of my Poster Comics, my one-page stories done in a much quicker process than a full-length comic would take.
(Rough draft for the one-page Poster Comic. Note that the title 'Panther by Night' was still being used)
From the beginning I knew he was a werewolf, one with a nod to the Pink Panther. Something about the sheer audacity of a pink wolfman just appealed to me. The color pink is an
appealing color, one with a seductive, playful vibe. And the visual of a wild feral beast-man with pink fur had just the amount of outrageousness I was looking for in a new creation. Besides the Panther, there's a handful of pink characters that came to mind: Hanna-Barbera's cartoon mountain lion Snagglepuss, Piglet from Winnie the Pooh and Frankenberry from the classic monster cereals. Why not add a fuchsia-colored lycanthrope to the mix?
While I had come up with the idea for a Poster Comic, I hadn't yet began to create the finished product, but I was curious to explore the character's world with a mock cover. Before the week was over (Jan. 17) I designed this image, something that I imagined could have been on the comic book spinner racks in 1975:
As I worked on this drawing it really hit me that the character was ripe for it's own life in a comic. In the few short days since coming up with 'Panther by Night', my mind had spun around an origin story, and identity and alter ego for the man cat, a rouges gallery of monsters and madmen and supporting characters to further define the star.
More studies followed, trying to figure out the character and how he moves, who he is.
The more I fell in love with this idea, the more I began to question the original name I picked, "Panther by Night". While the initial source for the concept came from an admiration and familiarity with the Pink Panther films (mixed in with the werewolf/superhero lore of the comic book), I wasn't trying to create a copy of that world. A friend of mine had even asked me if this was going to be a comedy, with the lead character taking clumsy pratfalls at every turn! I assured him that was never my intention, and shared with him some of my ideas for the story.
There's a mythology to the Pink Panther series, even though it's a screwball comedy series. The Pink Panther diamond, it's cultural significance to the Middle Eastern country of Lugash (an invention of the screenplay), the Inspector, Kato, etc. The stories and relationships of the various characters to one another are so familiar to me that by taking the entire mythology apart and using a few elements as starting points, I then infused it with monster movies, superhero comics, spy films and other things that catch my fancy, and built a whole new construct from it. One whose result is a wholly original idea for a completely new world, in an entirely different medium and genre. It's like looking at someone's elaborate Lego sculpture and using some of the same pieces they used in your own sculpture, even using some of those similar pieces in totally different ways.
With that desire to establish the concept as it's own, after much trial and error, I christened my character Felinus. It can often be a challenge to find a name that hasn't been used before, but I often find that researching a name sometimes actually leads to other discoveries, which in turn further help you develop and enrich your original idea.
Within 2 weeks after I originally came up with the initial idea for the panther doll, I penciled the one page Poster Comic (on more or less Friday the 24). My friend (and fellow comics creator) Rafael Navarro had mentioned that he'd be more than willing to ink something featuring this character, so I asked, and he provided the inking on the Felinus Poster Comic. By Friday morning on January 31, the comic was posted online. You can see the results of our collaboration here.
(Felinus, penciled by Javier Hernandez & inked by Rafael Navarro)
It always amazes me how you can come up with a little seed of an idea, then look at it from different angles and eventually spin a whole world out from it. That's how it worked for me with this Felinus concept. I kept seeing new connections between each new character, and creating new concepts out from previous ones. It's almost like the idea has always been there, but it took some outside influences to crack the ice and get things moving.
What's also satisfying as a creator is to know that a new product resonates with people. Through my online social networks, as well as talks with fellow creators, the responses have been enthusiastic. Seems like the right ingredients have been used in the creation of my werewolf ghoulash...
I've already drafted up another story in which to further introduce Felinus, which I'll tackle before this month is over. After that, it's a matter of scheduling time amongst my other commitments this year and produce a full length story. But the groundwork has been laid, the genie has been let out of the bottle. There's a magenta man-panther on the prowl!
Felinus © & ™ Javier Hernandez 2014.
I'm a long-time fan of the Pink Panther, both the movies and cartoon series. It just occurred to me that a pink werewolf panther would be a funny idea, and since I was considering doing a series of these pop culture mash-ups, it was probably inevitable I'd get around to the Panther. Here's the actual first-ever drawing I did of the 'Panther by Night' (the name itself is a nod to the 1970s Marvel Comics superhero/werewolf series):
One of the things I did was change the color of his pants from green (which was what the Werewolf By Night wore) to grey. I was slowly pushing the character away from a straight 'homage', and also I felt that the grey worked really well against the warmness of the pink. Already I was thinking about exactly who and what this character was. I came up with an origin story, and constructed it so it would fit the format of my Poster Comics, my one-page stories done in a much quicker process than a full-length comic would take.
From the beginning I knew he was a werewolf, one with a nod to the Pink Panther. Something about the sheer audacity of a pink wolfman just appealed to me. The color pink is an
appealing color, one with a seductive, playful vibe. And the visual of a wild feral beast-man with pink fur had just the amount of outrageousness I was looking for in a new creation. Besides the Panther, there's a handful of pink characters that came to mind: Hanna-Barbera's cartoon mountain lion Snagglepuss, Piglet from Winnie the Pooh and Frankenberry from the classic monster cereals. Why not add a fuchsia-colored lycanthrope to the mix?
While I had come up with the idea for a Poster Comic, I hadn't yet began to create the finished product, but I was curious to explore the character's world with a mock cover. Before the week was over (Jan. 17) I designed this image, something that I imagined could have been on the comic book spinner racks in 1975:
More studies followed, trying to figure out the character and how he moves, who he is.
The more I fell in love with this idea, the more I began to question the original name I picked, "Panther by Night". While the initial source for the concept came from an admiration and familiarity with the Pink Panther films (mixed in with the werewolf/superhero lore of the comic book), I wasn't trying to create a copy of that world. A friend of mine had even asked me if this was going to be a comedy, with the lead character taking clumsy pratfalls at every turn! I assured him that was never my intention, and shared with him some of my ideas for the story.
There's a mythology to the Pink Panther series, even though it's a screwball comedy series. The Pink Panther diamond, it's cultural significance to the Middle Eastern country of Lugash (an invention of the screenplay), the Inspector, Kato, etc. The stories and relationships of the various characters to one another are so familiar to me that by taking the entire mythology apart and using a few elements as starting points, I then infused it with monster movies, superhero comics, spy films and other things that catch my fancy, and built a whole new construct from it. One whose result is a wholly original idea for a completely new world, in an entirely different medium and genre. It's like looking at someone's elaborate Lego sculpture and using some of the same pieces they used in your own sculpture, even using some of those similar pieces in totally different ways.
With that desire to establish the concept as it's own, after much trial and error, I christened my character Felinus. It can often be a challenge to find a name that hasn't been used before, but I often find that researching a name sometimes actually leads to other discoveries, which in turn further help you develop and enrich your original idea.
Within 2 weeks after I originally came up with the initial idea for the panther doll, I penciled the one page Poster Comic (on more or less Friday the 24). My friend (and fellow comics creator) Rafael Navarro had mentioned that he'd be more than willing to ink something featuring this character, so I asked, and he provided the inking on the Felinus Poster Comic. By Friday morning on January 31, the comic was posted online. You can see the results of our collaboration here.
It always amazes me how you can come up with a little seed of an idea, then look at it from different angles and eventually spin a whole world out from it. That's how it worked for me with this Felinus concept. I kept seeing new connections between each new character, and creating new concepts out from previous ones. It's almost like the idea has always been there, but it took some outside influences to crack the ice and get things moving.
What's also satisfying as a creator is to know that a new product resonates with people. Through my online social networks, as well as talks with fellow creators, the responses have been enthusiastic. Seems like the right ingredients have been used in the creation of my werewolf ghoulash...
I've already drafted up another story in which to further introduce Felinus, which I'll tackle before this month is over. After that, it's a matter of scheduling time amongst my other commitments this year and produce a full length story. But the groundwork has been laid, the genie has been let out of the bottle. There's a magenta man-panther on the prowl!
Felinus © & ™ Javier Hernandez 2014.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Coming soon: CREATION JUNCTURE
Today is day three of the New Year. January 3rd, 2014.
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you and me with "new year's resolutions"! What I am going to share with you is a little peek at one of things I'm doing this year (not planning, but 'doing'....)
I use this blog to write about my latest projects, or to talk about an event I had attended over a previous weekend. I've also used it to talk about a favorite comic book creator, or a filmmaker I admire. I've shared behind-the-scenes process on current works, and have shown you new artwork for upcoming projects. A way to keep folks up to date with my work, and talk about things I love.
And I'll continue to do that, but I'm also going to write a new series of posts focused on the idea of creating. Making comics, as that's my foremost creative outlet, but also talking about art in general. The creative decisions in undertaking a new project, and also taking some in-depth looks at other works from other people. Things that inspired me in the past, whether it was over 35 years ago, or last week. Also, people working today who spark some creative fires in me. Old stuff and new stuff. My stuff and their stuff.
In the past, I've meant to share some insights on my own choices in telling stories. Creating my characters, choosing what type of story I want to tell, designing the covers for my books. Why self-publishing? Why do conventions? Why make comics?
Me and Michael Aushenker at the 2011 Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco.
This series isn't meant to be a "how-to-make-comics" course. I've been teaching comics workshops for 10 years now. I love it. Working with kids, guiding them in creating their own comics is totally rewarding. But I don't teach them how to do it 'my way'. I provide them some general principals, then get out of their way as they craft their stories.
This will be more of a "how-I-create-my-comics" series. Everyone has their method on how they create their art, so I can only show you what I do. My hope is that the information posted here will be interesting to read, as I know that whenever I hear a writer, cartoonist, musician or filmmaker discuss their work I always learn something that I can either relate to artistically, or at least find some inspirational insights into the process of creation.
In addition to sharing my own work and process, I want to devote some time to discussing specific works, and share with you what I got out of them and how that shaped my own view on telling stories. There are specific creators I want to spotlight, particular comics and movies that I can point to and say "Oh, that's a favorite of mine and a big influence because....".
I'm often asked by friends to either resume my old Do-It-Yourself comics podcast JAVILAND or start a new one. I appreciate the thought behind each suggestion, but for the last several years my motivation for doing a new show just isn't there. Besides, with the visual nature of art, I'd want to be able to share images with viewers. So I figure these blog posts will fit the bill.
I can't tell you right now how many posts in total I'll do. I'm planning on doing these at least for the duration of 2014. I'm not sure how often I'll post either. I could say once a month, but I might want to do shorter posts at any given moment. So let's keep this loose and impulsive, which is kind of how I often create anyway. There will be lots and lots of visual, but also links to websites and videos (the problem with Youtube is that at any given moment, any video can be pulled down for whatever reason. Hopefully this won't be the case with the ones I pick).
These post will be, for a large part, self-indulgent. I mean, they're meant to highlight things that I love, and how I relate to them as a viewer and creator, but hopefully every post will at least be readable to anyone tuning in.
As I mentioned, I'll be highlighting current, working artists in addition to those who may no longer be around. I'm thinking perhaps that some short interviews with a few subjects might be interesting to include. We'll see. There's no shortage of folks today whose work I admire.
Satan's Soldier © Tom Scioli
My most fertile era of inspiration comes from the 1970s and 80s, no question. It's the era I grew up in, and the one that's had the most long-lasting influence on me. But like I mentioned, things around me, today, continue to inspire, so expect anything and everything to show up here.
As far as a name for this series? Let's call it CREATION JUNCTURE.
Cartoonist Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spider-Man), a living legend in the world of comics, has a quote that's a favorite of mine:
"A creation is actually a re-creation. A rearrangement of existing materials in a new, different, original, novel way."
Everything I've ever created had a life even before it materialized in my mind. It's true for any creator. A movie they saw, a song they heard, a play they watched. A memory of attending a wedding, or a funeral. A first date, or their last break-up. A vacation they took, or a trip they would like to one day experience.
I'm sitting at my drawing table, or in front of the computer, or driving along the highway, and I'm thinking of a new comic I want to create, or some other work of art I want to produce. In that moment, I'm at the crossroads. I'm fueled by ideas I received from other creative works, or by an experience as a living, breathing human being. And I want to channel those ideas into an expression, that usually finds itself manifested as a printed book, or some other work of art.
It's the point where inspiration and expression collide, intermingle, reassemble and continue forward.
CREATION JUNCTURE.
Please come back and visit...
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you and me with "new year's resolutions"! What I am going to share with you is a little peek at one of things I'm doing this year (not planning, but 'doing'....)
I use this blog to write about my latest projects, or to talk about an event I had attended over a previous weekend. I've also used it to talk about a favorite comic book creator, or a filmmaker I admire. I've shared behind-the-scenes process on current works, and have shown you new artwork for upcoming projects. A way to keep folks up to date with my work, and talk about things I love.And I'll continue to do that, but I'm also going to write a new series of posts focused on the idea of creating. Making comics, as that's my foremost creative outlet, but also talking about art in general. The creative decisions in undertaking a new project, and also taking some in-depth looks at other works from other people. Things that inspired me in the past, whether it was over 35 years ago, or last week. Also, people working today who spark some creative fires in me. Old stuff and new stuff. My stuff and their stuff.
In the past, I've meant to share some insights on my own choices in telling stories. Creating my characters, choosing what type of story I want to tell, designing the covers for my books. Why self-publishing? Why do conventions? Why make comics?
This series isn't meant to be a "how-to-make-comics" course. I've been teaching comics workshops for 10 years now. I love it. Working with kids, guiding them in creating their own comics is totally rewarding. But I don't teach them how to do it 'my way'. I provide them some general principals, then get out of their way as they craft their stories.
This will be more of a "how-I-create-my-comics" series. Everyone has their method on how they create their art, so I can only show you what I do. My hope is that the information posted here will be interesting to read, as I know that whenever I hear a writer, cartoonist, musician or filmmaker discuss their work I always learn something that I can either relate to artistically, or at least find some inspirational insights into the process of creation.
In addition to sharing my own work and process, I want to devote some time to discussing specific works, and share with you what I got out of them and how that shaped my own view on telling stories. There are specific creators I want to spotlight, particular comics and movies that I can point to and say "Oh, that's a favorite of mine and a big influence because....".
I'm often asked by friends to either resume my old Do-It-Yourself comics podcast JAVILAND or start a new one. I appreciate the thought behind each suggestion, but for the last several years my motivation for doing a new show just isn't there. Besides, with the visual nature of art, I'd want to be able to share images with viewers. So I figure these blog posts will fit the bill.
I can't tell you right now how many posts in total I'll do. I'm planning on doing these at least for the duration of 2014. I'm not sure how often I'll post either. I could say once a month, but I might want to do shorter posts at any given moment. So let's keep this loose and impulsive, which is kind of how I often create anyway. There will be lots and lots of visual, but also links to websites and videos (the problem with Youtube is that at any given moment, any video can be pulled down for whatever reason. Hopefully this won't be the case with the ones I pick).
These post will be, for a large part, self-indulgent. I mean, they're meant to highlight things that I love, and how I relate to them as a viewer and creator, but hopefully every post will at least be readable to anyone tuning in.
As I mentioned, I'll be highlighting current, working artists in addition to those who may no longer be around. I'm thinking perhaps that some short interviews with a few subjects might be interesting to include. We'll see. There's no shortage of folks today whose work I admire.
My most fertile era of inspiration comes from the 1970s and 80s, no question. It's the era I grew up in, and the one that's had the most long-lasting influence on me. But like I mentioned, things around me, today, continue to inspire, so expect anything and everything to show up here.
As far as a name for this series? Let's call it CREATION JUNCTURE.
"A creation is actually a re-creation. A rearrangement of existing materials in a new, different, original, novel way."
Everything I've ever created had a life even before it materialized in my mind. It's true for any creator. A movie they saw, a song they heard, a play they watched. A memory of attending a wedding, or a funeral. A first date, or their last break-up. A vacation they took, or a trip they would like to one day experience.
I'm sitting at my drawing table, or in front of the computer, or driving along the highway, and I'm thinking of a new comic I want to create, or some other work of art I want to produce. In that moment, I'm at the crossroads. I'm fueled by ideas I received from other creative works, or by an experience as a living, breathing human being. And I want to channel those ideas into an expression, that usually finds itself manifested as a printed book, or some other work of art.
It's the point where inspiration and expression collide, intermingle, reassemble and continue forward.
CREATION JUNCTURE.
Please come back and visit...
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Looking back at 2013, and ahead....
A few more days and we're off to a whole new year!
That means another year's worth of experiences, new challenges to undertake, new goals to conquer....
For me specifically, it means continuing to pursue new opportunities for teaching my comics classes, as well as pursuing further venues in which to explore my art.
It's going to mean more comics, too. In the end, I like creating in various mediums, and I do mean to pursue more painting and gallery shows. But really, I want to continue in creating new comics, and further my skills in telling stories. Entertaining stories with strong visual identity, but also honing in on what makes storytelling in comics so appealing to me as an artist.
A large part of this past year involved putting a lot of work into organizing three comic conventions! In the end, the events were all worthwhile endeavors, but there's no way I want to spend 2014 as involved in organizing events on that scale. In between all the heavy lifting of putting on these shows, I managed to squeeze in various comics works and drawing assignments. Those moments seemed liked finding a heavenly oasis while marching through a large landscape of unending tasks.
As a co-founder and Creative Director of the Latino Comics Expo, we put on two shows this year. One in June at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, and another in Long Beach at the Museum of Latin American Art.
In between those two shows, I managed to work on the San Gabriel Valley Comic Book Expo, in my capacity as a Director of the Nuvein Foundation.
I've been on the Board of the Nuvein Foundation for some years now, and was the instigator of our first Comic Book Expo a few years ago. This past Summer though I informed my friends at Nuvein that I'd be retiring from the Board following the latest SGV Comics Expo so I could focus more on getting back to creating artwork and pushing to take the Latino Comics Expo to further heights.
One of the biggest projects I was working on in between all the conventions (and that includes the ones I appeared at that I wasn't involved with as an organizer) was putting together my first trade-paperback collection, the LOS COMEX CODEX. An anthology of 5 of my comics that are now officially 'out-of-print'.
Another anthology I published recently was COMICS!, a full-color collection featuring my 12 one-page Poster Comics. Three of those comics were actually created this year, the others dating back from December 2011.
I contributed a cover to a recent issue of DITKOMANIA, the zine devoted to the career of comic book legend Steve Ditko.
Wearing my writer hat, I also contributed to HEY KIDS, COMICS!, an anthology featuring essays by a variety of creative professionals about their early childhood memories of comics.
I did a pinup for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE HUMAN FLY, as well as doing the production design for the book. As a childhood fan of the Fly, it was a real joy to have worked on this book.
Another project that gave me a tremendous amount of pride to be associated with was LATINOS AND NARRATIVE MEDIA, a new scholarly work by Frederick Aldama. I was asked to write the forward to the book, which led to me also providing the cover. And it turns out that I'm also one of the subjects of the book, in an essay entitled 'Javier Hernandez's El Muerto as an Allegory of Chicano Identity'. No one was more surprised than I to find out about that!
I even managed to squeeze in a pinup for new friend of mine, Nathaniel Osollo. He asked me to contribute to an online edition of a new story of his series DARK MOUSE (which you can read here).
In light of my earlier lamentation of being too involved with organizing events this year, as I wrote this post it dawned on me that perhaps there was plenty of time to produce new work! Well, let's suppose 2014 will see even more work, because my plan is to focus on putting one one Latino Comics Expo next year, so that can only lead to more hours available for creating.
In between all of these events and publications, my comics workshops and classes kept me gainfully employed. It's always a rewarding experience working with new groups of students and seeing them create their own works. I also kept busy with numerous signings and appearances at other comics conventions and art events, so it really is a non-stop lifestyle, this 'art' thing.
Creatively, whether producing a convention or creating new artwork, the important thing for me is to leave a mark. Express myself in various ways to connect to people, to share ideas, to celebrate the imagination. Met lots of people, solidified some new friendships, made partnerships with other like-minded folks and organizations.... Basically just lived the life I had this year.
Just last month I debuted the first of a new series of comics I've entitled '4 Pagers'. Literally 4 page comic shorts. The inaugural one, DAWN OF THE DINOSAURIO, can be read here. The next one due in January features a trio of characters who've been living in various sketchooks of mine over the last several years. A superhero team operating in the 1970s.
Appropriately, the era in which I grew up in and fueled my imagination from so many sources (comics, television, music, toys, movies, etc) will provide me with my first story in the New Year. The past keeps me in the present, the future began so many years ago.....
That means another year's worth of experiences, new challenges to undertake, new goals to conquer....
For me specifically, it means continuing to pursue new opportunities for teaching my comics classes, as well as pursuing further venues in which to explore my art.
It's going to mean more comics, too. In the end, I like creating in various mediums, and I do mean to pursue more painting and gallery shows. But really, I want to continue in creating new comics, and further my skills in telling stories. Entertaining stories with strong visual identity, but also honing in on what makes storytelling in comics so appealing to me as an artist.
A large part of this past year involved putting a lot of work into organizing three comic conventions! In the end, the events were all worthwhile endeavors, but there's no way I want to spend 2014 as involved in organizing events on that scale. In between all the heavy lifting of putting on these shows, I managed to squeeze in various comics works and drawing assignments. Those moments seemed liked finding a heavenly oasis while marching through a large landscape of unending tasks.
As a co-founder and Creative Director of the Latino Comics Expo, we put on two shows this year. One in June at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, and another in Long Beach at the Museum of Latin American Art.
One of the biggest projects I was working on in between all the conventions (and that includes the ones I appeared at that I wasn't involved with as an organizer) was putting together my first trade-paperback collection, the LOS COMEX CODEX. An anthology of 5 of my comics that are now officially 'out-of-print'.
Another anthology I published recently was COMICS!, a full-color collection featuring my 12 one-page Poster Comics. Three of those comics were actually created this year, the others dating back from December 2011.
I contributed a cover to a recent issue of DITKOMANIA, the zine devoted to the career of comic book legend Steve Ditko.
I did a pinup for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE HUMAN FLY, as well as doing the production design for the book. As a childhood fan of the Fly, it was a real joy to have worked on this book.
Another project that gave me a tremendous amount of pride to be associated with was LATINOS AND NARRATIVE MEDIA, a new scholarly work by Frederick Aldama. I was asked to write the forward to the book, which led to me also providing the cover. And it turns out that I'm also one of the subjects of the book, in an essay entitled 'Javier Hernandez's El Muerto as an Allegory of Chicano Identity'. No one was more surprised than I to find out about that!
I even managed to squeeze in a pinup for new friend of mine, Nathaniel Osollo. He asked me to contribute to an online edition of a new story of his series DARK MOUSE (which you can read here).
In between all of these events and publications, my comics workshops and classes kept me gainfully employed. It's always a rewarding experience working with new groups of students and seeing them create their own works. I also kept busy with numerous signings and appearances at other comics conventions and art events, so it really is a non-stop lifestyle, this 'art' thing.
Creatively, whether producing a convention or creating new artwork, the important thing for me is to leave a mark. Express myself in various ways to connect to people, to share ideas, to celebrate the imagination. Met lots of people, solidified some new friendships, made partnerships with other like-minded folks and organizations.... Basically just lived the life I had this year.
Just last month I debuted the first of a new series of comics I've entitled '4 Pagers'. Literally 4 page comic shorts. The inaugural one, DAWN OF THE DINOSAURIO, can be read here. The next one due in January features a trio of characters who've been living in various sketchooks of mine over the last several years. A superhero team operating in the 1970s.
Appropriately, the era in which I grew up in and fueled my imagination from so many sources (comics, television, music, toys, movies, etc) will provide me with my first story in the New Year. The past keeps me in the present, the future began so many years ago.....
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Signing at Nostalgic Books and Comics this Saturday, December 28!
Here's the Facebook event page for more info!Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
DAWN OF THE DINOSAURIO- 4 page comic!
DEAD DINOSAURIO featured the story of a T-Rex that was awakened at the height of the Conquest of Mexico by a young Aztec boy, Eztli. Together they fight back against the Spanish Conquistadores, but ultimately they don't survive. They are however resurrected as Dead Dinosaurio and Eztli, the First Calaca...
After my series of a dozen one-page comics (Poster Comics), I've gotten real interested in creating short, tightly compressed stories. For now, I'd like to move onto these 4 Pagers, which will allow me to continue to explore a new batch of characters, and be able to do so in color.
By the way, the Poster Comics are collected in a printed comic book called COMICS!, and are also available to read online here. DEAD DINOSAURIO is now out of print, but it's available in my trade-paperback collection, THE LOS COMEX CODEX.
For now, please enjoy this first comic, the inaugural Los Comex 4 PAGER!
Friday, November 22, 2013
My cover and foreword for LATINOS AND NARRATIVE MEDIA
There's a new book on Latinos in media featuring cover artwork by me. I've also written the foreword to the book.
LATINOS AND NARRATIVE MEDIA is edited by Frederick Luis Aldama, an Art & Humanitites Distinguished Professor of English and founder & Director of LASER/Latino & Latin American Space for Enrichment Research at Ohio State University. Aldama has written over a dozen books, often dealing with Latino culture and identity as viewed through media and the arts.
In addition to being asked to write the foreword, Professor Aldama also informed me that I was in fact the subject of one of the chapters in the book! Written by David William Foster, the piece is entitled "Latino Comics: Javier Hernandez's El Muerto as an Allegory for Chicano Identity".
The book is an examination of the influence of Latino culture and creators on a wide spectrum of the popular arts, including film, animation, video games, tattoo art and comics. To be the topic of one of the essays took a minute or so to wrap my head around. When I originally set out to create El Muerto, my goal was to selfishly create a character that I wanted to see in print. Something that would let me express myself through the medium of comics, mixing up a wide variety of influences that inspire me. That people would find things in it that perhaps I wasn't consciously trying to address is flattering, but also speaks to the way creative people spin their stories. Whatever media we're working in, our inner lives and experiences can't help but flavor the final product.
The cover of the book uses artwork from the cover of one of my comics, MANGA MUERTO Vol 1. I submitted several images to the publisher, and in the end they used the one they liked best. Looking at the final cover, designed by Will Speed, I think they made a great choice. This book is a scholarly treatise, so my personal guess is that the comic art on the cover perhaps might give the book an appeal to a wider audience. Again, I don't know if that's the case. But having my artwork printed on the cover of a hardback book, one dealing with a subject I'm very invested in, is a great honor.
If anyone is interested in purchasing the book, you can do so direct from the publisher, Palgrave Macmillan. I have a 20% off coupon I can send you if you email me at misterjav@gmail.com. The book retails for $95 but you can get it for $76.00. I'm assuming this book (at least the hardcover version) is priced for the academic field (colleges and libraries), which explains the price. I'll be sure to write a post if a paperback edition is released.
By the way, Aldama wrote a book specifically covering Latino comics a few years ago. Titled "YOUR BRAIN ON LATINO COMICS", it features 21 interviews with writers and artists, one of which features me.
In addition to being asked to write the foreword, Professor Aldama also informed me that I was in fact the subject of one of the chapters in the book! Written by David William Foster, the piece is entitled "Latino Comics: Javier Hernandez's El Muerto as an Allegory for Chicano Identity".
The book is an examination of the influence of Latino culture and creators on a wide spectrum of the popular arts, including film, animation, video games, tattoo art and comics. To be the topic of one of the essays took a minute or so to wrap my head around. When I originally set out to create El Muerto, my goal was to selfishly create a character that I wanted to see in print. Something that would let me express myself through the medium of comics, mixing up a wide variety of influences that inspire me. That people would find things in it that perhaps I wasn't consciously trying to address is flattering, but also speaks to the way creative people spin their stories. Whatever media we're working in, our inner lives and experiences can't help but flavor the final product.
The cover of the book uses artwork from the cover of one of my comics, MANGA MUERTO Vol 1. I submitted several images to the publisher, and in the end they used the one they liked best. Looking at the final cover, designed by Will Speed, I think they made a great choice. This book is a scholarly treatise, so my personal guess is that the comic art on the cover perhaps might give the book an appeal to a wider audience. Again, I don't know if that's the case. But having my artwork printed on the cover of a hardback book, one dealing with a subject I'm very invested in, is a great honor.
If anyone is interested in purchasing the book, you can do so direct from the publisher, Palgrave Macmillan. I have a 20% off coupon I can send you if you email me at misterjav@gmail.com. The book retails for $95 but you can get it for $76.00. I'm assuming this book (at least the hardcover version) is priced for the academic field (colleges and libraries), which explains the price. I'll be sure to write a post if a paperback edition is released.
By the way, Aldama wrote a book specifically covering Latino comics a few years ago. Titled "YOUR BRAIN ON LATINO COMICS", it features 21 interviews with writers and artists, one of which features me.
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