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I have a motto: There's never a good time to launch a new comic book series.
When La Voz De M.A.Y.O. launched, it was this month four years ago. The pandemic derailed my 12-month book tour. Helm Greycastle launched in 2021 when it wasn’t !00% safe to leave your home and go back into comic book shops, but you did and we sold over 24K unites of the first issue.
Now smash cut to today. I can’t think of a better time than now to write a Chicano noir based on a true crime and racist historical event in American history: The Zoot Suit Riots.
I’m working with Rachel Merrill and Lee Loughridge to bring to you…
Death to Pachuco
I started writing Death to Pachuco when I worked on the Dolores Huerta comic for the Civic for All NYC public school program. I found myself deep in the rabbit hole that is the Sleep Lagoon murder trial and Zoot Suit Riots. Horrific events in Mexican-American history. But I have always loved noir. I did a 10-day countdown with Rachel to show you the cinematic-specific influence on social media 10 days before the launch day. I love films and you would know that if you followed me on LetterBoxd. Next, I’m going to do the literary reasons why I do this, and reason number one is Stray Bullets.
I got to meet David Lapham at Atomic Comics back in June 2010. I took my mom with me an hour north to get an autograph from my favorite cartoonist. I started picking up what David was dropping back when he was publishing Young Liars for Vertigo. My good friend Charlie Harris hand-sold me the series knowing I would buy the rest of his Stray Bullets comics. Spoiler: I did and it changed how I looked at the medium. David was incredibly kind when I pulled up a chair at his signing and just started asking him questions like “How do you write comics?”
It’s like asking a comics creator how to make a biscuit from scratch.
He emailed me two different scripts. One he wrote for Kyle Baker and Dalibor Talajic. David was kind enough to break down both issues and explain to me his choices—and how was able to write to the strengths of both artists’ art styles. I will never be able to repay him for what he did, but I try to keep paying it forward.
Lee Loughridge is someone I have respected and cherish. He is one of the greatest colorists of all time, but don’t tell him I said that. Lee has been someone I can rely on and that’s rough these days. I’ve been in Los Angeles for a decade now, and Lee has always been kind and made me feel welcome in the community. But don’t tell him I said any of this stuff!
I lost a couple of good friends very close to one another. This comic is dedicated to them. But I made a new friend this year. I can’t tell you how exciting and fun it is to work with Rachel Merril. We have been making Keri Thorp aka Gil Thorp for newspapers—and it’s been a blast. She has been a huge help with nailing the vibe of DTP. She has been an invaluable co-collaborator and friend.
Click here to check out the Kickstarter page. A $20 tier that includes both Lapham’s cover and Chloe Brailsford’s NSFW cover. You remember Chloe from the Latinx Press Podcast! It’s an honor to work with such a rising star in the comic book industry!
Please read the first four pages of the first issue, enjoy:
Nostalgia Kick
But who could forget that swinging tune ZOOT SUIT RIOT by those Dads who pop cherries?
If you listen to the lyrics, they are referring to the actual that happened on American soil…but in that 90’s ska swing way we all foundly remember. But you should watch the incredible PBS documentary on The Sleepy Lagoon murder. Hector Elizondo narrated it, so you know it’s good. Apparently, there’s a photo of my buddy Tyler Button crowd surfing at a Cherry Poppin’ Daddies show in Eugue, OR. But I refuse to believe it until I see photographic evidence.
BTW
Support BLACK GIRL MAGIK#2 on Kickstarter!
