This program is brought to you by the Stanford Humanities Center.
For more information please visit us at www.shc.stanford.edu.
>> The Human Angle.
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>> Really great to meet you.
Thanks for meeting me here.
I have a lot of research interests but
I'm especially interested in how different media work together.
Particularly literature and visual media.
Which is why I'm really interested in comics.
I'm also was the, coordinator for the graphic narrative project at Stanford.
Which is a, research workshop, with the Stanford Humanities Center.
We brought scholars and artists to campus to talk comics and animation.
>> Hm. >> And everything in-between.
Yeah, but I'm, I'm interested in learning more about comics and
what comics can tell us about culture.
You're the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Latino Comics Expo.
I mean, how, how did you even get into this?
>> Comics have been an important part of my life, ever since I was a young child.
Growing up in east LA, memories of, you know, asking my father for a quarter,
to go down to the liquor store and get a comic are some of my earliest memories.
And, of course, when I had my young children I basically raised them on comic
books as a, as a bridge to literacy and you know, in my attempt to introduce
them into the comic book world and you know, we went to different conventions.
>> Mmhm.
>> At a young age they started asking me you know, "Daddy" you know,
"Why is there no comic books that look like as far as I know,
Latino Superheroes." Why is there no Aztec or Mayan.
Stories and, you know, it's tough to answer those questions as,
as a young father, and that kind of started me on a search of looking for
different artist, and comic book creators,
who are dealing in, in Latino culture, Latino folktales, and.
And little by little, I would find them at, at different events and,
and comic book conventions and, from that, you know,
was born the Latino Comics Expo, which has in a few years has grown to being,
you know, the premiere event for Latino comic book creators in the country.
>> In your years working to put together the Latino Comics Expo, what have you
learned about Latino comics, Latino comics scene, if we can even call it that?
>> Well Vanessa,
the interesting thing is in the last few years organizing the expo and
meeting artists from all over the country, all over Latin America and Mexico.
Is just the incredible, like, creativity.
>> Mm-hm.
>> And energy.
I, I, I've been saying that it's kind of the golden age of Latino and
Latina comic book.
>> Hm. >> Arts and creativity, right now.
There's so many people working in the format.
And so many voices that traditionally have not been heard.
And one of the things we're proudest of in the Latino Comics Expo,
is that almost half of the artists participating.
Are latino artists.
>> Oh, that's wonderful.
You talk about a golden age and variety.
I mean in, in some ways it seems like a huge a huge category right?
Latino comics.
So, what, what are the kinds of stories that, that are being told here?
>> Well, for example, just briefly, there's, like for example,
there's a young, Like 21 year old artist named Daniel Parada,
who has created this complete like alternative history of the Mayan culture.
>> Yeah. You know,
what if the had never come to the new world.
What would have happened to the Mayan empire.
And it's just you know it's kind of like a Latino Game of Thrones.
>> Yeah. >> almost you know.
So it's just like that we've never seen that perspective before.
And like I said about the female artists, so
many Latinas like going back and, telling their stories of growing up.
Telling their parents' stories about immigrating to this country. Or
>> Mm-hm.
>> Or just the things that they've had to deal with as a Latina in this culture and
this society.
>> So what is it about comics and the, hybrid sort of visual and textural,
aspect of them that you think, really does justice to telling these stories?
Is it, I mean could it, these stories be told any other way?
Is there something special about comics that really, does something?
>> I've always thought.
The thing that makes comics so special I guess is that in a way,
it's one of the true American artforms.
>> Mm-hm. >> So when I look at so
many Latinos entering this artform and taking part of it and
making it its own, I kind of feel like, in a way, it's our, our turn.
>> Mm-hm. >> Or our moment.
Of really like embracing, you know, the American spirit,
the American art form of comic books, so
I think that's a part of it in terms of us, you know, adopting to a society.
The one thing I always wanted to ask you Vanessa in,
in your work in the graphic narrative project is.
Have you seen a lot of respect for like Latino comic book artists?
Have you seen a lot of interest in, the type of work that, Latino and
Latina creative people are doing?
>> Oh, totally, I mean, some years ago in the graphic narrative project had
a trans-American Latino-Latino, Latino-Latina comics symposium.
>> Mm.
>> It brought scholars and artists to campus, it was so well received.
People were really blown away by the,
the variety of art that, that was on display there.
And this cuts across many different communities, right?
It cuts across.
Ethnic communities and artistic communities.
How, you know how influential they've been and
how much their art sort of strikes at the heart of storytelling.
There's been something of a paradigm shift,
I feel in the past maybe five years, but people are taking comics more seriously.
We have comics on people's syllabi at Stanford.
They're taught in English department.
They're taught in art history departments.
People, even, even so, when they come to Stanford, invariably these artists say,
I can't believe I'm here giving a talk at Stanford.
This would never have happened before.
This is a comic book.
But you know, I've been really blown away by students in classes and
what the really intelligent things they've had to say about comics and
a variety of comics, you know, from different perspectives as.
And not just comics are so cool, cause they are.
But interesting things about how they're constructed,
or how they create meaning, how they tell the story.
So I've heard that you talked a lot about Latino comics and
the variety of Latino comics on.
I'm wondering if you'd be able to show me some of the,
comics that you've found interesting.
>> Oh I'd love to. >> Great.
>> I'd love to.
I always like to point people over to, Daniel Parada's comic.
>> Wow. >> Sir Zotz.
So, it's a beautiful coming of age story, too, but from a Mayan perspective.
>> Yeah. >> And it's incredibly researched with
Mayan, you know, cultural, you know, habits and languages and
different traditions that normally we would have no chance of knowing.
>> That's interesting.
Looks, looks a little gory.
>> PG-13.
>> Oh. [LAUGH]
>> In the end,
the, the ultimate example would be, of course, the Hernandez brothers.
>> Yeah?
>> They have, you know, built one of the most compellative narrative cycles
probably in American literature with their Love and Rockets series.
And.
You know, we've been able to see characters,
you know, grow and expand over a series of 30 years. And.
>> Wow, 30 years?
>> Yes, 30 years.
>> What kind of growth do these characters undergo.
>> Well, the thing is, a lot of it has been traditional, you know?
People falling in love, people lose jobs, you know?
>> Yeah. >> People don't talk to their families,
so, stuff like that that might have been, normal everyday stuff and
traditional American marriage.
but, you get to see it from a Latina perspective.
>> Right >> That's the genius of the Hernandez
brothers the way they drew.
It's just not going to be perfectly formed,
you know, comic book heroes, you know?
The women might be a little bit overweight or.
The guys might have lines all over hers, his face and stuff like that, and
just, you know, like I said, the beauty of the art form is just the naturalness and
the realness that they bring to the characters,
and that's why people have such a deep emotional
attachment to these characters >> Right.
>> And, they are the standard for
the rest of the Latino comic book creators out there.
>> Well, it's been really great talking to you.
I've learned a lot about an aspect of comics that I,
was looking to learn more about, I didn't really know, so thank you for
taking the time to share your love of latino comics, and your advocacy with me.
>> Oh, it's been great to be able to connect with the academic side and
share my love of comics.
It's been my pleasure.
>> Thank you.
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