Tag Archives: julio anta

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
Amazon

Mad Creek Books provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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Preview: New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1

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New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1

(W) Ashley Allen, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Jared Lujan, Greg Burnham, Jarod Rhys Pratt, Zipporah Smith, Julio Anta, Morgan Hampton, Jerome Rhett, Nathan Cayanan, Jordan Clark, Dorado Quick
(A) Yasmin Flores Montanez, Atagun Ilhan, Kameron White, Marcus “Mas” Smith, Daimon Hampton, Lucas Silveira, Andrea Rosales, Tiah Ankum, Petterson Oliveira, Gregory Maldonado, Miguel C. Hernandez, Charles Stewart III
In Shops: Jun 06, 2023
SRP: $3.99

In May of 2022, 12 writers and 12 artists came to DC headquarters to hone their skills with some of the best comics creators in the business, and one year later, we’re showing the results of the cohort’s hard work! This special showcases all 12 stories created out of the Ally-sponsored Milestone Initiative… If you don’t grab a copy, you’ll be missing some of the first published work of the stars of the future!

New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1

Preview: DC’s Legion of Bloom #1

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DC’s Legion of Bloom #1

Writer: Kenny Porter, Cavan Scott, Zac Thompson, Julio Anta, Calvin Kasulke, Ashley Allen, Travis Moore
Penciller: Travis Moore, Brian Level, Isaac Goodhart, Hayden Sherman, Jacoby Salcedo, Atagun Ilhan
In Shops: Mar 21, 2023
SRP: $9.99

How do you announce winter is coming to an end? You spring it on them! Welcome the springtime with a celebration of DC’s greenest and greatest. As the flowers bloom, breathe in that Swamp Thing smell. Watch the Blue Beetles fly out from Titans West. Pick a Captain Carrot or two from Floronic Man’s garden, but make sure to avoid the Poison Ivy. The season may go by in a Flash, but don’t worry—stories like these last forever. Oh, and Wonder Woman will be there, too!

DC's Legion of Bloom #1

DC Reveals its Milestone Talent Development Program Participants

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DC, Milestone Media, WarnerMedia, and Ally revealed its plans for The Milestone Initiative Talent Development Program. The program begins March 15 and includes 24 individuals. You can find out more about them here and see the list below.

The 10-week program offers participants the chance to learn from industry experts to sharpen their storytelling skills. The training program includes virtual instruction through the Kubert School as well as an in-person seminar at DC’s offices in Burbank, CA.

Speakers include:

  • Jim Lee – Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC
  • Marie Javins – VP, Editor-in-Chief, DC
  • Chris Conroy – Editor, DC
  • Benjamin Le Clear – DC Staff Historian & Archivist
  • Marquis Draper – Assistant Editor, DC
  • Reggie Hudlin & Denys Cowan – Milestone creators, Milestone Media
  • Karen Horne – SVP, Equity and Inclusion, WarnerMedia
  • Erica Hughes – Director, Multicultural Marketing, Ally

The goal of the program is to empower the next generation of diverse comic book creators and increase the focus on representation and diversity in media.

The class of creators includes:

  • Andrea Rosales, Portland OR
  • Ashley Allen, Orono MN
  • Atagun Ilhan, Syracuse NY
  • Charles Stewart III, Washington D.C.
  • Cheryl Lynn Eaton, New York NY
  • Daimon Hampton, Chicago IL
  • Dorado Quick, Inglewood CA     
  • Greg Burnham, Norcross GA
  • Gregory Maldonado, Bronx NY
  • Jarod Pratt, Detroit MI
  • Jarred Luján, Del Rio TX
  • Jerome Rhett, Charleston SC
  • Jordan Clark, Baltimore MD
  • Julio Anta, Miami FL       
  • Kameron White, Houston TX
  • Lucas Silveira, Indianapolis IN
  • Marcus Smith, Chicago IL
  • Miguel Hernández, Cleveland OH
  • Morgan Hampton, Chicago IL
  • Nathaniel Cayanan, Corona CA
  • Petterson Oliveira, Naples FL
  • Tiah Ankum, Atlanta GA
  • Yasmín Flores Montañez, Toa Alta PR
  • Zipporah Smith, Los Angeles CA

Congrats to all!

Milestone Talent Development Program 2022

Review: Home #1

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Home #1

I had no idea what Home #1 was about when I opened the review pdf just after midnight on Wednesday. Absolutely none – and while that experience was incredible, it’s going to be hard to talk about the comic without talking about the content of the book, so if you want the same experience then stop reading this review now, because frankly this comic is one that you should read.

Still with me?

Fair enough.

So what’s the comic about? Home #1 is the story of a mother and son who have given up everything to come to the United States, by seeking asylum at the border between the USA and Mexico. Given that this comic is set at some point in the last four years, and given the news that has emerged about the Trump Administration’s policy of separating parents and children, you can probably imagine what happens next. But even knowing that, doesn’t make it any easier to read.

Written by Julio Anta with art by Anna Wieszczyk, colours by Bryan Valenza and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the comic takes an unfiltered look at what life had been like for asylum seekers during the last four years (am I being too optimistic in thinking that things have changed? I hope not, but I also know that this isn’t an area that I’m an expert in). Anta’s dialogue will tear at your heart, the hope his characters have turning to uncertainty and fear is heartbreaking, and it hits so much harder because of the art work. There’s a distinct shift from warm colours toward cold and clinical greys and blues as Mercedes and Juan Gomez are faced with the reality of their situation.

Home #1 is not easy to read, but I think it’s a story that needs to be read; just because it’s a fictional story, doesn’t make the emotions within the comic any less vivid. The creative team really knows how to punch you in the gut. There’s a slight drop in the art toward the end of the book as things feel a little looser than before, but after reading the book a few times, I’m inclined to think that the looseness is a choice based on the events on the pages themselves.

But there’s still optimism in the story – well, apparently there will quite a lot based on Anta’s afterward, but I don’t know what to think of that at the moment, but there’s definitely signs of a brighter future… maybe. I don’t know. Obviously I believe the writer of the comic, but I’m not seeing anything like that right now.

All I really know about this book is that you need to read this comic.

Story: Julio Anta Artist: Anna Wieszcyk
Colourist: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided a FREE copy for review, but I also purchased the comic

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – TFAW

Home #1 Has Sold Out and Gone Back to Print

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Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk’s series Home sold out at the distributor level yesterday immediately, on the day of release. Image Comics has greenlit a reprint of the debut in order to keep up with growing demand for the popular new series.

The new super-powered series Home explores the real-world implications of a migrant who is suddenly imbued with extraordinary powers. Home follows a young boy who is torn away from his mother while seeking asylum at the U.S. border—just as something begins to change in him. He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s the onset of superhuman abilities that will alter the course of his life forever. 

Home #1, second printing (Diamond Code MAR218115) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 12.

Home #1, second printing

Review: Home #1

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Home #1

Fuck our immigration system. Fuck taking kids from their parents. Our system is broken and needs vast reform. This is where I’m coming from going in to reading Home #1, the new comic series published by Image Comics. Home follows a young boy who is torn away from his mother while seeking asylum at the U.S. border. The trauma unleashes something within him, causing him to gain superhuman abilities. Yes, that latter part of the concept might sound familiar but it’s the raw and heartbreaking setting within which it happens that is different, though a reality that’s not new.

Written by Julio Anta, Home #1 opens with a riff on real words from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The address was delivered in 2018. The comic follows a mother and her son as they flee their home of Guatemala in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States. What they don’t know is that policy changed while they were making their journey morphing into the horrible policies under former President Donald Trump. Anta doesn’t name Trump or Sessions but the words used, the hate inflicted, the cages, it’s all clear that the administration is the inspiration for this story.

Anta delivers a heartbreaking story. While we’re given only a bit of the details of why these two, Mercedes and Juan Gomez, are fleeing their country, it’s no less difficult to read. The comic gives an overview of the difficult journey of the two but what’s presented is nowhere near the brutal reality many face. And what’s presented is still difficult to read. We’re also taken through the immigration system with guards and bureaucrats whose racism and hate flows from their mouths at ease. The comic reminds us that due to the election of Trump, far too many in the nation felt it was ok to look at others as less than human. That compassion was something that wasn’t deserved. The hate is present.

Anna Wiesczyk‘s art is really nice to look at. With color by Bryan Valenza and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou the art emphasizes the emotion of its two travelers. It’s heart is in the looks of fear, sadness, and anger. There’s a dip towards the end of the comic where it dips into a bit of a cartoon look that reminded me of Don Bluth but the visuals overall will stick with you. The big thing that stands out though is things are a bit too “clean”.

There’s a worn-down grittiness that’s missing in the art style which stood out to me. But, depending on where the series goes, that style might not work. We’ll see. If anything, the “lighter” style of the art doesn’t quite match the tone and subject for me. It’s good though and if anything lightens up what would be a very dark and emotionally straining comic otherwise.

Home #1 isn’t perfect and has some bumps in its narrative but it’s an important read. The end of the comic is a bit rocky and doesn’t match the quality of everything up to that point. Some dialogue feels a bit comical in its delivery, an unfortunate distraction. But, the majority of the comic is heartbreaking. Home is attempting to address a wrong that persists and it’s doing so through the long tradition of using entertainment as its messenger.

Story: Julio Anta Art: Anna Wiesczyk
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.45 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – TFAW

Home Will Feature Variant Covers by Jacoby Salcedo

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The upcoming series Home by writer Julio Anta and artist Anna Wieszczyk will boast a special, collectible series of variant covers featuring artwork by the lauded Jacoby Salcedo. 

Salcedo is a longtime collaborator with Anta. They’ve previously worked together on “The Price of Freedom,” “Between Two Worlds,” and “Balseros,” mini-comics which were published in anthologies like COVID Chronicles and magazines like Panel X Panel. The pair have a forthcoming graphic novel together, Frontera, slated for 2023 with HarperAlley.

There will be a Salcedo variant available for each issue of the five-issue miniseries in stores this April. 

The new series Home explores the real-world implications of a migrant with extraordinary powers, and will launch from Image Comics in April.

Home follows a young boy who is torn away from his mother while seeking asylum at the U.S. border, just as something begins to change in him. He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s the onset of superhuman abilities that will change his life forever. 

Home #1 Cover A by Sterle (Diamond Code FEB210032), Home #1 Cover B by Salcedo (Diamond Code DEC209048) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, April 14.

Home #1 Cover B by Jacoby Salcedo

Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk Explore US Immigration Policy and Border Patrol in Home

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Debut creators Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk weave a deeply grounded and heartfelt story in the forthcoming comic book Home. This five-issue miniseries will explore the real-world implications of a migrant with extraordinary powers, and will launch from Image Comics in April.

Home follows a young boy who is torn away from his mother while seeking asylum at the U.S. border, just as something begins to change in him. He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s the onset of superhuman abilities that will change his life forever. 

Home #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, April 14.

Home #1