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Comic books are no longer geek territory. Monster motion pictures like “The Dark Night,” “Hellboy,” “Wanted,” “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” are earning frightening numbers at the box office and exposing comic book culture to new audiences. And, with the business becoming a major force in Hollywood and in print, what was once a majority White industry now boasts a multitude of Latin illustrators, writers and editors who are influencing and reshaping this highly profitable genre.

The Latin movement in American comics cannot be easily traced. But, arguably one of the forefathers of the Modern Age of comics is the enormously talented illustrator George Pérez. Born in Puerto Rico and later raised in New York, Pérez ascended to superstar status in American comics in the mid-80’s working on titles for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Known for his very detailed pencilling, Pérez set the bar high for illustrators that followed, with an almost cinematic style of illustration. Along with illustrating such landmark titles as Wonder Woman, The Avengers and The Teen Titans during his now thirty year plus career, it his work with writer Marv Wolfman, in the now infamous mini-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, that has left an indelible impression on die-hard comic book fans. Within the pages of this 50th Anniversary 12 issue event for DC Comics Pérez and Wolfman rocked the industry by killing legendary characters The Flash and Supergirl, which was blasphemous at the time, forever branding Pérez as a trailblazer.

Another Latino pioneer is the current Editor-in chief of Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada. The illustrator is the very first Latin Editor-in-Chief at Marvel and was massively influential in saving the publishing company from impending bankruptcy during the mid-late nineties. One of his more radical decisions to date was to introduce a new line of comics aimed at younger readers unfamiliar with the Marvel mythology, under a completely new brand entitled Ultimate. To differentiate these titles from existing publications, Quesada contracted a group of rising star writers and illustrators from independent publications to take existing, critical characters in the Marvel universe and retool them in the Ultimate universe. In other words, beloved characters such as Spider-Man, X- Men, and The Fantastic Four were completely stripped away from their mythology and rebuilt, gaining instant popularity and garnering unheard of circulation numbers. Quesada, of Cuban descent, was known for introducing daring ideas such as hiring director Kevin Smith to write Daredevil, and in doing so, the character become more than just a cult character, leading to the eventual self-titled film. Quesada still retains his independent spirit by thinking and acting like an indie, himself while continuing to work with indie writers and artists, giving them an opportunity to work for a major publishing house while maintaining artists’ rights.

The Latin illustration voice in comics is distinct and trendsetting. Argentinean illustrator Eduardo Risso’s noir style of artistry has won critical acclaim with the Vertigo title 100 Bullets, which awarded him four Eisner Awards, along with writer Brian Azzarello. In Christopher Lawrence’s Wizard piece (the premiere trade magazine for the comic book industry) entitled “The A Teams”, Azaarello states that Risso is “arguably the best storyteller working in comics today. What Eduardo does is, he composes an entire page. Where a lot of guys go panel to panel, Eduardo’s composition, the way he moves your eye, takes into account the entire page.”

The artistic Eduardo Risso shares his story with us…

Your work is absolutely stunning. How did you become interested / get your start in illustrating?

It was the time where comics reigned, without any PC or videogames around, and with a little TV time. I began to see comic strips before learning to read. Soon it was pure exercise and I realize that drawing woke me up certain adrenaline that I didn’t obtain with any sport.

Growing up in Argentina, what comic titles were you reading and how do you think they influenced you?

I read just those I could get in my small hometown. In general they were anthologies. So, I wasn’t following a single character and this helped me to compare and to separate the good things of those which weren’t so good. Perhaps that has been the best influence I obtained in those first moments.

How would you describe your style?

I would not know how to say it. For me, a style is composed by the way to narrate, to compose, to handle the camera, to illuminate, plus the work on all and each one of the characters.

Your work has hints of Frank Miller. Have you heard that before? How do you feel about the comparison?

Yes, a lot of people said this to me. Frank is an incredible and incomparable artist and surely he has seen some work of an old and dear comic book master, Alberto Breccia. He was one of those who generated the Argentine Comic Book School based on black and white. His disciples were Mandrafina and Muñoz, and behind them we come: me and some other lovers from the good narration, the lights and shades.

100 Bullets was both critically acclaimed and a tremendous success with its audience. How do you feel now that it’s coming to an end?

Happy and proud. We build a good team, we resist the pass of time and several temptations, maintaining certain quality. Eleven years, wow. Maybe it is time to begin something new.

You style is very pulp-noir. Is that intentional?

Of course. Like I said before, although I’m always interested in black and white, the 100 Bullets script let me deepen into it.

There is currently an influx of Latin comic artists like Adriana Melo and Ed Benes. Is this an untapped pool of vast talent? Why do you feel that it’s shifting now?

It must be always welcome what it can contribute with something new. In fact, the Comic Industry maintains a constant search of new values. Those who have the power to touch our hearts from their pages must have their own space in any market that tries to evolve.

Why do you feel there isn’t a leading Latin superhero character in the comic world?

I wouldn’t dare to make a deep analysis, but I think that it is related to a history of oppression and a reality with very deep social differences.

You and Brian Azzarello were given the opportunity to do a 6-issue arc “Broken City” in Batman. How did that feel to be given the reigns on one of the longest running comic book titles in history?

This was a true challenge, at least for me. By the way, I desire more of this. It was done in a way that did not give us too many opportunities of planning things, plus the story was really short, and there are so many and so rich characters to explore…

Obviously, the comic book artist bullpen is still known as a “boys club”. Why do you feel this is so? Do you see it changing anytime soon?

It has been like this historically, but I think this is changing nowadays in some way. The quantity of girls who read comic books is greater than some years ago. I have the impression that the industry – except very specific cases – did not pay the necessary attention that they required. It’s not an accident that many girls are interested in reading Manga instead of American comic books. That market develops histories for both sexes with good success. In most of comic books – those which men like to read – woman appears as a secondary character, and if she is a central character… she has super-powers. I believe that girls would like to see themselves reflected in comics as whatever they really are.

Is there a lack of women in the field or are women not taken as seriously?

If the question is in a professional level, it seems that the more women read comics, the more professional women will be.

Any advice for those artists who want to be the next Eduardo Risso?

Try to have an open mind, especially at the beginning. Accept the knowledge, experience and advice of the others with humility. This is a good way to prepare itself to a great but hard professional world. Artistically speaking, try to be unique when you feel safe, but you don’t have to be ashamed to follow the line of other artists. Each one must construct its own way. It’s not useful trying to repeat the way taken by others but it is possible to avoid repeating errors made by them. If you could do what you love with respect and professionalism, you will have something remarkable.

You’ve accomplished a great deal in your career thus far, including winning four Eisner Awards. Where do you see yourself going from here?

I pretend to do the same as always, but in a more relaxed tempo. I want to take certain time to face some project outside the American market and to let me have more and better moments with our readers.

What is the one thing you can’t live without and why?

The freedom that my work gives me, because it allows me to handle my own time and also lets me travel next to the characters to another reality, very different from the real world.

All illustrations provided courtesy of Eduardo Risso and are available for purchase on his personal website.