Hernandez Brothers' Love and Rockets
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Critical Survey of Graphic Novels LOVE AND ROCKETS LOVE AND ROCKETS Author: Hernandez, Gilbert; Hernandez, Jaime; Her- nandez, Mario Artist: Gilbert Hernandez (illustrator); Jaime Her- nandez (illustrator); Mario Hernandez (illustrator); Jeff Johnson (colorist); Rhea Patton (colorist); Chris Brownrigg (colorist); Steven Weissman (colorist) Publisher: Fantagraphics Books First serial publication: 1982-1996; 2001-2007; 2008- First book publication: 1985- Publication History Soon after brothers Mario, Gilbert, and Jaime Her- nandez self-published their first issue of Love and Rockets in 1981, it caught the eye of Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth. In 1982, Groth republished the inaugural issue; the first series ofLove and Rockets ran for fifty issues, ending in 1996. All issues in the orig- inal volume were magazine-size, and the comics were black and white. The art duties for the color covers al- ternated between Gilbert and Jaime; one would draw the front cover and the other the back cover, then switching responsibilities for the following issue. Love and Rockets. (Courtesy of Fantagraphics Books) After the end of the first series, Jaime and Gilbert began working on separate titles that continued many large omnibus collections, and Love and Rockets Li- of the stories in the original Love and Rockets. In brary editions. 2001, the brothers began their second series of Love and Rockets, which ran for twenty issues, until 2007. Plot Although these issues were smaller than the originals, Love and Rockets contains a variety of narrative arcs, they nonetheless retained a similar format: color covers many of which have convoluted plots. The two pri- illustrated by Jaime and Gilbert and black-and-white mary stories, however, concern the associations of the content written and illustrated by all three brothers. “Locas,” Maggie and Hopey (Jaime’s comics), and In 2008, the Hernandez brothers returned with a those of Luba, her extended family, and the fictional third manifestation of their comic series. The new se- Central American town of Palomar (Gilbert’s comics). ries, Love and Rockets: New Stories, was still in black In “Mechanics,” Maggie, a mechanic, goes with her and white, but the publication size changed again; the group of prosolar mechanics to a South American town comic was published as an annual and in a graphic to repair a rocket. While there, they get caught up in a novel format of about a hundred pages. political revolution. Since the mid-1980’s, Love and Rockets issues “The Death of Speedy Oritz” is a story of romantic have been collected and repackaged in three primary entanglements, focusing primarily on the Maggie’s formats: the early Complete Love and Rockets series, personal relationships. Ray Dominguez likes Maggie but assumes incorrectly that Speedy is involved with 517 LOVE AND ROCKETS Critical Survey of Graphic Novels her. Speedy professes his love for Maggie, which she Hopey’s indifference to this slight, Maggie leaves the cannot handle; he apparently commits suicide. party and temporarily runs away from her past. The rest “Flies on the Ceiling” is a short but significant story, of the story focuses on the relationships of Hopey and in which Izzy has a nervous breakdown while in the Hoppers crowd. During this time, Izzy searches for Mexico. She becomes involved with a man and his the two friends. young son, but because she is haunted by her past, she In “Ghost of Hoppers,” Maggie is back on the West decides to return to Huerta (or Hoppers, as the barrio is Coast, divorced and managing an apartment complex. called). Although still in an off-and-on relationship with Hopey, “Wigwam Bam” is a complex, sustained narrative she meets the seductive Vivian Solis and travels with and one of Jaime’s most ambitious. It begins when Vivian to her native barrio, Hoppers. There, she under- Maggie and Hopey are on the East Coast at a party. goes a surreal experience and witnesses the burning of Angry for being mocked as a “Mexican” and for Izzy’s house. Love and Rockets. (Courtesy of Fantagraphics Books) 518 Critical Survey of Graphic Novels LOVE AND ROCKETS With “Tri-Girls Adventures Number 34,” Jaime Volumes revisits the mock superhero genre that he explored in some of his earlier comics. In it, Maggie’s friend, Complete Love and Rockets Angel Rivera, teams up with several superpowered • Music for Mechanics (1985). Collects Love and women to battle another female team and help subdue Rockets Volume 1, issues 1-2. the renegade Penny Century. • Chelo’s Burden (1986). Collects Love and “Heartbreak Soup” is Gilbert’s first sustained story Rockets Volume 1, issues 3-4, and Mechanics, of Palomar and its citizens. It involves the entrepre- issue 1. neurial Pipo’s ill-fated relationship with the philan- • Las Mujeres Perdidas (1987). Collects stories dering Manuel and establishes the rivalry between from Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues 5-11. Luba and Chelo. • Tears from Heaven (1988). Collects stories from In “An American in Palomar,” Howard, an Amer- Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues 5-7 and 10- ican photojournalist, visits the small town for his new 12, and Mechanics, issues 1-2. book. Although many citizens believe that he is there • House of Raging Women (1988). Collects stories to appreciate them, he stereotypes the townspeople and from Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues 13-16. exploits them merely to further his own career. • Duck Feet (1989). Collects stories from Love and “Human Diastrophism” is a long serialized narra- Rockets Volume 1, issues 6, 9, and 17-20, and tive involving the arrival of a serial killer in Palomar. Jaime’s contribution to Anything Goes! issue 2. As the townspeople and Sheriff Chelo try to solve the • The Death of Speedy (1989). Collects Jaime’s mystery, Luba takes up with her former lover, Khamo, stories from Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues and the young artist Humberto inadvertently discovers 20-27. the murderer’s identity. • Blood of Palomar (1989). Collects “Human “Poison River” is perhaps Gilbert’s most ambitious Diastrophism” story from Love and Rockets narrative arc. It relates Luba’s long, convoluted back- Volume 1, issues 21-26, and Love and Rockets story from the early days of Luba’s broken family into Bonanza! (1989). her marriage at a young age to Pedro and through the • Flies on the Ceiling (1991). Collects stories from many twists of her husband’s criminal connections and Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues 21 and 27-32. her own drug habits. Along the way, Luba has a mis- • Love and Rockets X (1993). Collects “Love and carriage, escapes from her doomed marriage, reunites Rockets X” story from Love and Rockets Volume with her cousin Ofelia, gives birth to her first daughter, 1, issues 31-39. flees military conflicts, and ends up on the outskirts of • Wigwam Bam (1994). Collects the “Wigwam Palomar. Bam” story from Love and Rockets Volume 1, is- “Love and Rockets X” is a highly condensed story sues 33-39 and 42. with a large cast of characters. Set in Los Angeles and • Poison River (1994). Collects the “Poison following the exploits of a garage band named Love River” story from Love and Rockets Volume 1, and Rockets, the narrative is propelled through a series issues 29-40. of conflicts surrounding race, class, sexual orientation, • Chester Square (1996). Collects Jaime’s stories and generational differences. from Love and Rockets Volume 1, issues 40-50. “High Soft Lisp” is an episodic character portrait • Luba Conquers the World (1996). Collects Gil- of Fritz, Luba’s younger half sister, covering her high bert’s stories from Love and Rockets Volume 1, school days, adulthood, careers, and relationships and issues 41-50. sexual misadventures. This narrative sets up Fritz as • Hernandez Satyricon (1997). Collects the re- the future B-movie star featured in Gilbert’s later non- maining stories from Love and Rockets Volume Love and Rockets graphic novels. 1 not collected in the earlier Complete Love and Rockets volumes. 519 LOVE AND ROCKETS Critical Survey of Graphic Novels • Fear of Comics (2000). Collects Gilbert’s sto- Death of Speedy Oritz,” “In the Valley of the ries from New Stories, issues 1-6, and his con- Polar Bears,” “Ninety-Three Million Miles from tributions to Goody Good Comics (2000), Hate the Sun,” and “Flies on the Ceiling.” (1990-1998), Zero Zero (1995-2000), Mister X • Perla La Loca (2007). Reprints parts of the om- (1984-1992), and UG!3K (1999). nibus Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories. • Dicks and Deedees (2003). Collects Love and Contains the major story lines “Wigwam Bam,” Rockets Volume 2, issues 4-5, along with Jaime’s “Chester Square,” “Hester Square,” and “Bob solo Penny Century, issues 5-7. Richardson.” • Ghost of Hoppers (2005). Collects Jaime’s sto- • Heartbreak Soup (2007). Reprints parts of the ries from Love and Rockets Volume 2, issues 1-4 omnibus Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Sto- and 6-10. ries. Contains the major story lines “Heartbreak • Luba: Three Daughters (2006). Collects Gil- Soup,” “Act of Contrition,” “The Laughing Sun,” bert’s stories from Love and Rockets Volume 2, “Ecce Homo,” “An American in Palomar,” “For issues 6, 11-16; along with Luba’s Comics and the Love of Carmen,” and “Duck Feet.” Stories, issues 3, 4, 6, and 8; Measles, issue 1; • Human Diastrophism (2007). Reprints parts of and eleven new stories. the omnibus Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Sto- • The Education of Hopey Glass (2008). Collects ries. Contains the major story lines “Human Dias- Jaime’s stories from Love and Rockets Volume 2, trophism,” “Farewell, My Palomar . ,” “A Trick issues 11-19. of the Unconscious,” “The Gorgo Wheel,” “Luba • High Soft Lisp (2010). Collects Love and Rockets Conquers the World,” and “Chelo’s Burden.” Volume 1, issues 3-5, 7-9, 11, 13-15, and 17-18, • Beyond Palomar (2007).