Your Brain on Latino Comics

"'Holy funny pages, Batman!' Fred Aldama's Your Brain on Latino Comics tears open new tierra as its savvy x-ray vision parses Latino visual culture. With voracious eyes attuned to word-image conspiracies, grandmaster Aldama's ink-stained hands reveal the legacy and destiny of 'American' comics. This is a go-to book for profs in ethnic/cultural studies and communications. Jump into a phone booth and reach for your hot spandex tights-Aldama's lush, semiotic alchemy will have you leaping buildings in a single bound!" -- William A. Nericcio, Chair, English and Comparative Literature, San Diego State University; Visiting Professor, Media and Cultural Studies, University of California, Riverside "Your Brain on Latino Comics is a much-needed addition to the field of Latino studies, serving as a bridge between a rich Latino comics history that has been paid little scholarly attention in the past and a thriving contemporary Latino literary culture that was widely influenced by Latino comics like Love & Rockets." -- Eric Reynolds, editor, Fantagraphics Books

The first comprehensive exploration of Latino representations in comics, from Marvel superheroes to creations by Latino masters such as Richard Dominguez.

Though the field of comic book studies has burgeoned in recent years, Latino characters and creators have received little attention. Putting the spotlight on this vibrant segment, Your Brain on Latino Comics illuminates the world of superheroes Firebird, Vibe, and the new Blue Beetle while also examining the effects on readers who are challenged to envision such worlds.

Exploring mainstream companies such as Marvel and DC as well as rising stars from other segments of the industry, Frederick Aldama provides a new reading of race, ethnicity, and the relatively new storytelling medium of comics themselves. Overview chapters cover the evolution of Latino influences in comics, innovations, and representations of women, demonstrating Latino transcendence of many mainstream techniques. The author then probes the rich and complex ways in which such artists affect the cognitive and emotional responses of readers as they imagine past, present, and future worlds.

Twenty-one interviews with Latino comic book and comic strip authors and artists, including Laura Molina, Frank Espinosa, and Rafael Navarro, complete the study, yielding captivating commentary on the current state of the trade, cultural perceptions, and the intentions of creative individuals who shape their readers in powerful ways.