AZCAF tomorrow! Wonder Con Next Week! See you soon?
Hello!
I have a ton of new subscribers thanks to one of my favorite authors and humans, Greg Pak. There was one wild night on Bluesky when he shared my post notifying everyone that I had abandoned Substack for Buttondown. Consequently, a lot of subscribers unsubscribed for one reason or another. But I don’t regret that decision one bit. So I say welcome to the new faces—and thank you to the folks who are still here.
Quick intro! I’m Henry Barajas. I am an author from Tucson, AZ. You might know me from my work: La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo, Historias de Resistencia #1: Dolores Huerta and the Plight of the Farm Workers & Union Organizers, Helm Greycastle, Batman Urban Legends, TMNT: Splintered Fate, Creepshow, and the daily newspaper comic strip I work on with Rachel Merrill: Gil Thorp. I love the sound of Defiant Jazz and the smell of burning Telsas in the morning.
My current Con Schedule:
I’ll be at the Arizona Comicbook Festival on Saturday, March 22nd!
My good friend, Ryan Cody, invited me to his show. I’ve said many times, but AZCAF is the best comic convention in the greater Phoenix area. I told Phoenix Fan Fusion to lose my number because they invited me to be a “guest” by offering me only a table and $100. Sorry, but, no. That’s not how you treat a guest. So, I say support AZCAF where comic book creators are treated with respect and dignity.
A lot of friends are going to be there like Eisner winner Chris Robinson, J. Gonzo, Stephanie Phillips, Thomas Healy, Jay Fotos, Mike Macropoulos, Nick Cagnetti, Matt Goodall, Luis Castillo, Brad Dwyer, Jodie Troutman, and many more! Come on down and let’s have a good old AZ time!
I will be at Wonder Con 2025!
No rest for the wicked! I will be at the con on Saturday and Sunday only. The only way to catch me on Saturday is via the What’s the Buzz with The Beat: Inside the News panel in Room 213CD at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 29th. You can find me at the National Cartoonist Society booth on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. P.S. Don’t miss my friend Rachel Pinnelas’ Women in Comics Panel in Room 209 on Sunday at noon!
I will be Toronto Comics Arts Festival 2025
For my friends up north: We got in! I will be sharing a table with Rachel Merrill at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival June 7-8 2025. We are going to learn a classic Looney Tunes dance number in hopes of improving foreign relations. We might even wear matching suits! Stay tuned. Stay Looney Tuned.
I will not be at Tucson Comic Con 2025.
I took to Facebook to alert folks I was told by Tucson Comic-Con that I was not going to be a guest this year like I have since 2016 and beyond.
I want to make it clear that I have no ill will against the show.
They always fly me out, put me up, and give me some gas money. It is common for conventions to hold invites and skip years. But considering my history with TCC and the near decade of repeat appearances, I thought I should let everyone know. I treat every invite like it’s my last, and I hope to return in the future.
I have no delusion of who I am. I’m no Tom King or (insert famous writer here). But it was touching to see the response from people who value my presence at the show. In all honesty, I thought I’d get a few jokes like “oh you're too good for Tucson now” and “see you next year” types of responses. When I am in town for the show I talk to schools, support local comic shops, and the juvenile detention center to do outreach for the con and the medium on my dime. I do my best to give back to Tucson because I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.
Honorable Mention: Latinx BIPOC Pop 2025
I was a guest at the Latinx BIPOC Pop event at the University of Austin. There was a terrific energy and collection of all different kinds of BIPOC artists sharing their stories, projects, and experiences. It was great to spend quality time with my pals and forge new bonds with folks I respect. Big thanks to Aldama and all the volunteers for their tireless work that week.
Death To Pachuco is coming together nicely.
Speaking of Rachel, Death to Pachuco is coming together nicely. She is working on revisions and cursing my name under her breath as she also draws Gil Thorp. To be fair, she said yes to drawing both things—and thank goodness she did!
My friend Will Dennis has agreed to be the editor of the series. He was the first person I showed the pitch to because I have been wanting to work with him since he was at Vertigo. I don’t have to list his credits because you know them all. We’re excited to have him on board—and no one is more excited to have him a part of the team than Lee. Trust me.
Preorder Green Hornet/Miss Fury #4, #5, & Vol. 1!
We are putting the last issue of the Green Hornet & Miss Fury story to bed this week. It’s bittersweet because this has been in the making for a year. I can't tell you how grateful I am to Alex Segura for bringing me along on the ride. I couldn’t ask for a better team than Federico Sorressa, Lesley Atlansky, Taylor Esposito, and editor Joe Corallo. There are two more single issues left then the trade paperback is expected to hit shops in the summer. Ask your local comic shop if you want two copies! One for your shelf and the other for a friend…or just get one copy. Heck, tell your librarian they should order the trade for all their branches. We hope that with better sales, we get to tell more stories. That’s how that stuff works. I don’t make the rules. Capitalism.
Speaking of Alex, check out his new comic on Patreon: The Forgotten!
Stuff I’d like to highlight:
Go see Mickey 17.
I don’t like sharing photos on Meta anymore, so I’m going to share photos here for you. The people. I had dinner with my friend Erica before going to see Mickey 17 in the theaters—and there were these cool paintings behind us. She thinks I should make this photo my new author bio pic.
I think I should. But let me know if you think I should. I probably will.
See you in the funny papers,
HB
P.S. I promise I will talk about how much I loved the Severance season two finale in my next email.