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From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides: A Latinx Comics Anthology is a fantastic anthology

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In this comics anthology full of humor and heart, writers and artists from across the US pay tribute to the ways food and sports endure as touchstones in the Latin American diaspora. In the vein of Frederick Luis Aldama’s bestselling anthology Tales from la Vida, creators offer slice-of-life comics in an array of styles to capture common threads that bind this dizzyingly diverse community. From a simple quesadilla eaten hot on the way to school, to a Puerto Rican grandmother’s offering of guineitos en escabeche, to a homesick Chicano punk’s reverse-engineered tamales, food is a gift from elders to children, a marker of continuity and togetherness amid a dominant culture that may dismiss its flavors. Sports, too, provide a path to friendship and connection across national and language barriers, anchoring fans and participants in a sense of identity and place, whether through the perseverance of the Mayan game pok ta’ pok, the unifying surge of lucha libre or soccer fandom, or a father and daughter’s shared love of horse racing. Together, the creators collected in From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides share a mosaic of stories that vividly portray Latinx identity and life today.

Contributors: Aleasha Acevedo, José Alaniz, Frederick Luis Aldama, Julio Anta, Charlene Bowles, David Bowles, Adrian Carrillo, José Cabrera, Valerie Martinez Cabrera, Mauricio Alberto Cordero, Jaime Crespo, Celeste Cruz, Ernesto Cuevas Jr., Chris Escobar, Rolando Esquivel, Tim Fielder, Dustin Garcia, Eric J. García, Jorge Garza, Oscar Garza, Lucas Gattoni, Blas Goncalves-Borrego, Estella González, Carina Guevara, Aaron Guzman, Javier Hernandez, Sam Jimenez, Eric Kittelberger, Alberto Ledesma, Pablo Leon, Darren López, Patrick Lugo, Jarred A. Luján, Eliamaría Madrid, Miguel Martinez, Paloma Martínez-Cruz, Carlos Meyer, Marisol Meyer Driovínto, Paul Meyer, Rosie Murillo, Rafael Navarro, Daniel Parada, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Jazmin Puente, Raúl the Third, Anna Maria Richardson, Hector Rodriguez III, Theresa Rojas, Rafael Rosado, Andrea Rosales, Justin Rueff, Irma Ruiz, Angela M. Sánchez, Serenity Serseción, Javier Solórzano, Josh Trujillo, Cayetano Valenzuela, Diana “Dianita” Vargas Sampieri, Andrés Vera Martínez

Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
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Mad Creek Books provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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Black Demon Tales arrives in April from Scout Comics

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When Mexican naval researcher Bella Gonzalez is wounded in an attack by a massive shark, she dedicates herself to destroying it. But can science eradicate something as ancient and supernatural as the Black Demon? This is Scout‘s first mass market release from its Latin comic imprint CHISPA!

Based on the Mexican legend, the film stars Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, and Julio Cesar Cedillo. Adrian Grünberg, who previously directed Rambo: Last Blood, is attached to helm the project. Boise Esquerra pens the film’s screenplay with its story by Carlos Cisco. The movie premiere’s in theaters nationwide on April 28th!

The film focuses on Paul Sturges, an oilman who takes his family to Bahia Negra, which has now become a ghost town. During his time there, he learns that an offshore platform has awoken a beast from legends. Deciding to investigate further into the issue, he and his family travel to the platform, where they go face-to-face with a giant black shark, which kills anything in its path and repeatedly attacks the oil rig. Now trapped with his family alongside several other men, Paul must race against time if he wants him and his family to survive nature’s deadliest creature.

Black Demon Tales is an anthology based on the lore of real Mexican fishermen blended with Indigenous beliefs written/lettered by Héctor Rodríguez III, pencils/inks by Vincenzo Sansone, color by Saul Shavanas, cover art by José Meléndez, and edited by David Bowles.

Scout Comics New Chispa Imprint Announces The Black Demon Movie And Comic Series

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Attack at Acapulco: A Black Demon Tale

At New York Comic Con 20221, Scout Comics announced that it’s partnering with Mucho Mas Media to launch the LatinX comic imprint Chispa Comics. The new imprint, helmed by veteran comics creators David Bowles, Hector Rodriguez III, and Javier Chapa, was created to explore within the global LatinX community and communities of color to find diverse creators and curate stories that are culturally relevant across various mediums of entertainment.

Their first release, Attack at Acapulco: A Black Demon Tale, puts readers in the middle of the busiest week of the season when things on the Pacific coast of Mexico are not as they seem. Written by Sebastian Martinez-Kadlecik and illustrated by Bruno Oliveira, Attack at Acapulco is rooted in the Mexican myth of the Black Demon, an ancient megalodon that lurks the seas, guarding nature at the behest of Tlaloc, the supreme Aztec god of rain, earthly fertility, and water.

Revealed this week, Josh Lucas will battle a giant shark in The Black Demon, a survival thriller from Rambo: Last Blood director Adrian Grunberg. The film was written by Boise Esquerra and is set to start principal photography in December on location in the Dominican Republic.

The film follows oilman Paul Sturges (Lucas) as he takes his family on vacation to Bahia Azul. There, the coastal town he and his wife once knew has mysteriously crumbled and the locals are nowhere to be found. Paul starts off his day with a routine visit to inspect his nearby oil rig, but before he knows it, his entire family has landed with him on the rotting metal tower. From the depths of the ocean rises a massive megalodon known only by its name: the Black Demon. Under constant threat from this primeval species of shark, Paul must find a way to get his family back to shore alive.

The Black Demon is produced by Mucho Mas’ Javier Chapa and Silk Mass’ Jon Silk, alongside R.U. Robot’s Petr Jákl. The movie is executive produced by production company Mucho Mas’ Phillip Braun, Simon Wise, Bruce Barshop, Vincent Cordero, Highland Film Group’s Delphine Perrier, Arianne Fraser, and Henry Winterstern, The Avenue’s JJ Caruth and R.U. Robot’s Martin J. Barab. The Avenue and R.U. Robot are on board for financing.

NYCC 2021: Scout Comics and Mucho Mas Media Launch a Latinx Imprint

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As New York Comic Con is about to start, Scout Comics has announced a new Latinx imrpint. The publisher will be partnering with Los Angeles production company Much Mas Media for the venture. The imprint, Chispa Comics, will launch its first title Attack at Acapulco: A Black Demon Tale at New York Comic Con.

David Bowles, Hector Rodriguez III, Javier Chapa, and and creative director Phillip Braun will oversee the imprint.

Attack at Acapulco takes its concept from the Mexican myth of the Black Demon, an ancient megalodon that guards nature for Tlaloc. Tlaloc is the Aztec god of rain, earthly fertility, and water. Sebastian Martinez-Kadlecik wrote the comic which features art by Bruno Oliveira.

Chispa Comics titles announced so far include:

  • The Fantastic Flame – written by Alex Segura and Chantel Acevedo with art from Richard Ortiz
  • Thanks! – Romina – by Giulie Speziani
  • Dial “F” for Foodie – by Aaron Duran
  • Mashbone & Grifty – by Oscar Garza and Rolando Esquivel
  • Catrina’s Caravan – a horror anthology edited by David Bowles and Hector Rodriguez III
Attack at Acapulco: A Black Demon Tale

Review: El Peso Hero #2

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One of the most underrated shows of all time, in my humble opinion, and probably one of the best shows to come from Showtime, is Weeds. It started off as a show about a newly widowed single mother in the suburbs trying to figure out a way to survive and raise her two sons. The show evolved to more than hat, as it challenged what society thought of gender roles and how much America had misunderstood the war on drugs until then. Eventually, the main character would deal, with Mexican cartels, and just how powerful they were.

They also got into money laundering and exactly how they hid the money and how they distributed the drugs. They also delved into exactly how the cartels got the drugs between both countries, and what has famously been made light of on the news because of El Chapo, the underground tunnels. This had a whole story arc within one of its penultimate seasons, and showed audiences how big these networks are. In the second issue of El Peso Hero, our hero stops some traffickers form traveling across to America.

Shortly after, he is recruited by his cousin to stop a large shipment of weapons by one of the drug lords. Little does he know it is a trap to lure him to in the open by Don Catrin, which ends in disaster. El Peso Hero, makes it his mission to find out who is responsible for the casualties. The issue ends with a fire fight on a crowded bridge between Don Catrin’s men and the police, which ends in a casualty of someone close to El Peso Hero.

Overall, an engaging second issue which takes the reader right in the middle of the action. The story by Hector Rodriguez continues to surprise, and steps up his game over the first issue. The art by Guillermo Villareal still resonates with the reader, leaving their eyes dazzled. Altogether, an excellent issue which pushes this narrative forward and sets up what look to be a major battle.

Story: Hector Rodriguez III Art: Guillermo Villareal
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Review: El Peso Hero #1

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Mexico and its war on crime has been a sore subject for many years now and has come back into the spotlight because of the presidential election.  What many people don’t understand about the drug trade, that it is not one sided, in fact, there is many sides that most people, especially politicians do not understand. In addition, there is a cost to be paid in blood most of the time. This a hard lesson that is being learned in the Philippines right now, as the body count has risen to an all-time high there, as the President is determined to stamp out shabu, a low-cost version of amphetamines.

The complex narrative has rarely been told in the varied narratives that it deserves. The show, Kingpin, came pretty close showing it from, the drug cartel’s, DEA’s and politician’s point of views Another show that has come close, is the current running Queen Of the South, which gets into just how dangerous and cutthroat that world is. So, when I heard about Hector Rodriguez III’s El Peso Hero, I was excited, to see a different narrative about the drug trade with a superhero twist.

The reader is introduced to Dr. Salas, a brilliant scientist, who gets kidnapped by the local military, to lead them to a cave discovery of some superpowered crystals, where the doctor takes his own life to keep the location a secret. Fast forward, years later, two cousins, one of them whose name is, Ignacio and accidentally finds this same cave, where one of them gets trapped. It just so happens their grandmother is the head of one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, and leaves her grandson for dead but he survives as he gained a superpower from the crystals. By the end of the first issue, Ignacio is all grownup and fighting crime as superhero, but little does he know, someone else survived the cave.

Overall, some great introductions to these characters and to this vast world where this excellent story takes place. The story by Rodriguez is intricate, fun and takes turns where the reader does not expect to go. The art by Guillermo Villareal is gorgeous and makes the characters pop off the page. Altogether, a great book, which will keep the readers coming back for this very different story in a very familiar world.

Story: Hector Rodriguez III Art: Guillermo Villareal
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation:Buy