Tag Archives: yehudi mercado

Preview: Garfield: Full Course Vol. 5

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Garfield: Full Course Vol. 5

(W) Scott Nickel (A) Andy Hirsch, David DeGrand, K. Lynn Smith, Roger Langridge, Yehudi Mercado, Brittney Williams, Frazer Irving, Genevieve Ft, Antonio Alfare, Sara Talmadge, Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb, Ben Sears
In Shops: Jan 08, 2025
SRP: $16.99

In 1984, Jim Davis created a groundbreaking series of illustrated short stories called Garfield: His 9 Lives, setting the ever so hungry and lazy-yet-lovable Cat in various eras, which became an instant classic. Inspired by the original His 9 Lives stories and the 1988 animated special, here are all-new, unique interpretations of Garfield from the Stone Age to beyond the stars

Meanwhile, Garfield explores what life is like outside of the friendly confines of Jon’s house. Feeling mistreated and unappreciated, Garfield embarks on a search for a new home. Along the way, he meets up with a clown who works in an old-timey traveling circus. Convinced that this is the place for him, Garfield becomes part of the act. Wait. What is that cannon for?Join Garfield as he travels to find the perfect home, and as he finds a lot of not-so-perfect homes along the way.

Collects Garfield #33-36, originally collected in Garfield vol. 9, Garfield: Homecoming #1-4.

Garfield: Full Course Vol. 5

JewCE 2023: Kids Comics for Mini Mensches

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To go along with the Jewish Comics Experience exhibition, JewCE held a convention with numerous panels highlighting the history of comics and it connection to Jewish culture and history. Taking place in November, the convention has now released all of the panels for streaming and to watch on demand.

What does it mean to make a Jewish comic for kids (or a comic for Jewish kids, which isn’t necessarily the same thing)? Join us – kids very much encouraged! – to ask these questions and others of some of the best kids’ comics creators working today; and we might just have some drawing challenges…

Moderated by Jeremy Dauber, the panel features Yehudi Mercado, Terri Libenson, Chari Pere, and Barry Deutsch.

JewCE 2023: Jewish Folklore in Comics

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To go along with the Jewish Comics Experience exhibition, JewCE held a convention with numerous panels highlighting the history of comics and it connection to Jewish culture and history. Taking place in November, the convention has now released all of the panels for streaming and to watch on demand.

As a uniquely visual mode of Jewish storytelling, graphic novels that deal with Jewish historical topics often delve into the realm of folklore to broaden the cultural reach of their work. This panel will look at the ways in which Jewish graphic novelists engage with folklore and history in their work.

Moderated by Eddy Portnoy, the panel features Dani Colman, Trina Robbins, Chanan Beizer, and Yehudi Mercado.

Watch Jewish Folklore in Comics now!

Preview: Sci-Fu Book 2: It Takes 2

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Sci-Fu Book 2: It Takes 2

Yehudi Mercado

Wax, aspiring DJ and sci-fu master-in-training, made it back safely from the alien robot planet of Discopia, where he defeated the Five Deadly Dangers and became the rightful king of Discopia. He doesn’t want the crown, though. He just wants things to go back to normal. Wax and his crew thought the robot trouble was behind them, but strange style-biting creatures have been showing up in Brooklyn, and Wax is determined to take care of them once and for all. Little does he know, there’s a new villain in Discopia, and she’ll do anything to take the crown from Wax. Wax will need to kick his hip-hop and sci-fu training into high gear—and learn to rely on his family and friends for help—if he’s going to have a shot at saving his neighborhood.

From legendary cartoonist Yehudi Mercado comes the much-anticipated follow-up to his hit Sci-Fu: Kick It Off. With a second volume jam-packed with all kinds of hip-hop, sci-fi, and kung-fu goodness, Sci-Fu: It Takes 2 spins the perfect track of friends working together to protect their home.

Sci-Fu Book 2: It Takes 2

Shazam! Thundercrack from Yehudi Mercado in June 2022

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Go! Fight! Win! DC has announced that middle-grade readers can prepare for an all-new graphic novel from DC’s Books for Young Readers line with Shazam! Thundercrack, available on June 7, 2022. From acclaimed writer and illustrator Yehudi Mercado, this original story is set within the Shazam! movie timeline, featuring Billy Batson as the newest player on the Fawcett Tigers’ football team. Super-heroics are dangerous but joining the football team is an even bigger problem!

Billy Batson has never been a team player and becoming the superhero Shazam didn’t seem to change that much, but his new strength and stamina will make football a breeze. After skipping school one too many times, Billy is offered a choice: football or detention. The Fawcett Tigers need a new champion—their last quarterback ended up in the hospital and the coach is pretty sure rival team the Fishtown Atoms are to blame.

Between football practice and superhero training, Billy’s muscles are getting bigger, but so is his ego. Will foster dad Victor’s wise counsel and memories of his own football triumphs help keep young Shazam grounded? Young readers can follow along on this new journey to find out! Best friend Freddy is also there every step of the way vlogging Billy’s superhero training montages, family pranks, and the new gig he took to monitor Billy’s football practices.

Shazam! Thundercrack

Review: Buffalo Speedway

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Buffalo Speedway coverIn the biosphere of popular culture, the current range of visual artists capturing the attention of fans is pretty diverse. As the current climate has shown, geeks and everything geek related presently occupies most people’s “Reddit feeds.” It was not always like this, as there was a time before the internet when such things would looked at with ridicule. There was not one thing, movie, television show, book that changed it, it was the amalgamation of these things and the influencers behind them.

One of those influencers is Kevin Smith, whose films would portray those people who were enduring their quarterlifer crisis in a variety of ways. His debut film, Clerks, is still one of those movies that connected with people from that age group regardless of race and circumstance. It offered a raw uncut look into what it meant to be at a place in your life where you did not see yourself. In Yehudi Mercado’s Buffalo Speedway, we meet a group of characters much like those in Smith’s iconic film.

We meet Figgs, a pizza boy, who has worked for the same pizzeria, Turbo Pizza, for the last eight years, and though it seems he doesn’t have any ambition. In this world, pizza boys can become pizza men, where simple delivery drivers can become legends. This seemingly typical tale of underpaid daily workers is more like Mortal Combat meets Gone In 60 Seconds, as each driver has their own set of skills which makes extraordinary. Turbo Pizza and Pizzaurus are in constant battle to be the top pizzeria in town. Eventually Figgs and the rest of his cohorts get involved in Top Driver Race to boost the store’s sales where whoever delivers the most pizza gets the prize, a percentage of the bets.

Buffalo Speedway is a fun comic that’s both adventurous and epic. It feels like a movie lover’s dream. The story by Mercado is funny, engaging, and action packed. The art by Mercado is so detailed and vivid that it feels as though it could jump of the page. Altogether, it’s a rollercoaster of a comic that easily hooks readers with its easily likable characters, intertwining plots, and gorgeous art.

Story: Yehudi Mercado Art: Yehudi Mercado
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Sci-Fu

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Hip-Hop, Sci-Fi and Kung Fu all hit the turn-tables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.

I grew up in the 1980s and love early rap. It regularly is found on any playlists I make. So take my love of early rap and scratching and mix it with my love of kung fu films and it really shouldn’t be a surprise as to how much I enjoyed this graphic novel.

Sci-Fu isn’t really groundbreaking material but what it does it takes a lot of fun elements, mashes them together, and creates a unique experience that’s entertaining. The structure of the graphic novel is reminiscent of video games in that there’s boss battles and “levels” in between. It completely works, especially when Mercado breaks that structure later on with a twist that’s unexpected.

The story focuses mainly on Wax but also his friends and family that are pulled in the strange dimension with him. While he trains, they attempt to have a semi-normal life both going to school and also working their ice-cream truck. It’s all weird. But a fun weird.

A lot of the comic is done in rap verses an element that really works and isn’t overused. Primarily in battles, the rhymes have that throwback style to the 80s, so those who only know rap from the 90s on might find the flow and content a little off. But, it was a different time (one I prefer).

Mercado is a talented comic creator and here he mixes his unique artistic style with a story that feels like a perfect mix together, like a solid ice cream flavor you weren’t expecting (read the comic, the metaphor works). The character designs are awesome and feature his signature but it’s how out there the world and villains are that are the real fun. The battles feel like video games, the characters are creative, the coloring pops. There’s a graffiti element to it all that beyond works. It’s also an art style (and a story) that feels like kids will love.

Reading this, you can tell Mercado is having fun with this creation. There’s lots of twists and turns and I’m not going to ruin it all. There’s a lot here I want explored more, I want to see another volume. There’s some elements that could have been fleshed out more but overall, this is an entertaining debut. I’d say it’s unexpected but Mercado is a talent where you expect something as good as this.

Story: Yehudi Mercado Art: Yehudi Mercado
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Sci-Fu

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Sci-Fu

(W/A/C/CA) Yehudi Mercado
Age Rating: All Ages
Genre: Sci-Fi
Price: $12.99
Page Count: 144

Hip-Hop, Sci-Fi and Kung Fu all hit the turn-tables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage) sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.

Yehudi Mercado to Launch Sci-Fu at the SXSW Block Party

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On Saturday March 10, join writer and artist Yehudi Mercado at Austin Books & Comics, 5002 N Lamar Blvd, from 12-4pm, for the launch of his new all-ages graphic novel, Sci-Fu. This is a free, family-friendly event that requires no SXSW badge, with additional live music, exclusive swag—even a food truck!

Hip-Hop, sci-fi, and kung fu all hit the turntables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and unrequited crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now, Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.

Yehudi Mercado is a Los Angeles-based writer and illustrator whose previous work includes Guardians of the Galaxy: The Universal Weapon for Marvel/Disney Interactive, and Pantalones, TX and Rocket Salvage with BOOM! Studios and their Archaia imprint. He is currently storyboarding DC’s Superhero Girls animated series.

Since 1977, Austin Books & Comics has been Central Texas’ biggest, longest-running comics and pop culture retailer, helping fans discover their favorite comics. Austin Books is a multiple Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retail finalist, and was inducted into the Austin Chronicle’s “Best Of” Hall of Fame.

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