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The Daily Fandom had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Rise of the Latina Superheroes panel at WonderCon 2021! This is a discussion with Latinx comic book creators who have created Latina superheroes. Attendees were able to add some comic books to their reading list if they aren’t already familiar with their works while also learning about their experiences with indie comic book publishing.
Meet The Panelists & Their Heroes
Rise of the Latina Superheroes included Latinx creators with years of experience in indie comic book publishing. All of them have created their own Latina superheroes and share their thoughts on the future of Latinx representation and why creating these heroes were so important to them.
The panel included Kayden Phoenix and Amanda Julina Gonzalez from the A Lava Brava, a Latina superheroes series produced by Phoenix Studios. These series establish a superhero universe filled with Latinas of different backgrounds. They fight against injustices and violence experienced by women. Kayden Phoenix is the founder of Phoenix Studios and the creator and writer of A Lava Brava universe. Her characters include Jalisco, who fights crime through the tradition of Folklorico dance, Santa who takes down ICE and the detention camps in her border town, Loquita who fights the supernatural, Ruca who must find the kids that have disappeared from her neighborhood, and Bandita, the gunslinger. Amanda Julina Gonzlara illustrated Jalisco and Ruca; besides her work at Phoenix Studios, she is an artist and voice actor.
The panel also included graphic novelists Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, writer and creator of La Boriqueña. La Borinqueña is a Puerto Rican superhero whose powers are drawn from history and mysticism found on the island. Marisol Rios De La Luz is an undergraduate study at the Columbia University studying earth and environmental sciences. During a study abroad semester at the University of Puerto Rico, she explored the caves of Puerto and found five crystals. Atabex, the Taino mother goddess, appears before her when the crystals are united. She summons her sons Yúcahu, spirit of the seas and mountains, and Juracan, the spirit of the hurricanes, to give Marisol superhuman strength, the power of flight, and control of the storms.
Ralph Henriquez, creator and write of Fuerza, a hero who must defend the Earth from any intergalactic an extraterrestrial assault against humanity. This hero has both a comic and a short film! Barbra Dillon also attended and brought her experiences as the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fanbase Press, an award-winning comic book publisher, and geek culture website.
The entire Q&A session is moderated by Nelly Castillo, co-founder of Vendetta Entertainment, a full-service creative production company based in Los Angeles, California. Castillo did an incredible job of moderating meaningful conversations and ensuring that the panel was a learning experience for herself and the attendees.
Latinx Indie Publishing
Since many of the panelists were indie publishers, a lot of the conversation was dedicated to their experiences in indie publishing and the importance of directly serving their community through their small productions. Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez was particularly passionate about this subject, explaining that for him and Latinx creators, it’s not about getting noticed by the Big two (Marvel and DC); it’s simply about creating something for their community. Miranda-Rodriguez views indie publishing by Latinx creators as part of a larger history of Latinx creating their own small businesses within their community. He creates books with a Latina superhero to satisfy the community’s need to read about themselves; others are the mechanic that everyone at their Spanish-speaking church hires or the bodega owner that everyone in the neighborhood visits. It’s not about being bought by Marvel and DC; it’s about enriching the community.
The writers also discussed how intelligential property becomes very tricky when their characters are rooted in culture, history, and societal injustices faced by the Latinx community. When large publishers do approach indie creators, there is a danger of them taking their character and completely butchering them and their cultural roots. What was supposed to be an icon for Latinx readers becomes a large studios’ mistreated token Latina superhero they use to prove they aren’t racist. Some creators feel like they can’t be sold at all because of how heavily connected they are to a history; how do you permit a bunch of white men to make a movie for a character whose powers come from their culture? Even when creators sell their characters, it’s common for them to see whatever TV show and movie to be shelved shortly after.
Many discussions around representation often focus on how Marvel and DC need to create more comics, movies, and tv shows featuring Latinx superheroes, which is true but is often a simplistic lens of looking at the issue. DC and Marvel need more characters of color, but they also need more people of color behind the scenes in all departments. The companies have to normalize people of color writing series for their white heroes. They don’t need diversity decisions made by old white men with precise standards for what they think a Latina should look and act like. This discussion reminds us that while we should push for larger representation in the mainstream, there many socio-political barriers to be torn down. It also reminds us to support the indie creators that are already serving the community and providing the representation the big two won’t be able to accomplish for years to come. Supporting these Latina superheroes is something any comic book reader can do right now.
Creating Latina Superheroes
When discussing their creation process, the creators all cited their personal experiences and histories as inspiration for their heroes. For example, Kayden Phoenix talked about how her choice for a black dress came from growing up seeing her mother wearing a black Jalisco. Amanda Julina Gonzalez also explained she grew as a storyteller when she began to look back on her experiences growing up in New Mexico. She is often creatively inspired by looking at old photos and talking to her family.
Additionally, the panelists also discussed that as Latinxs who grew up with Latin media that promoted Eurocentric beauty standards and with American media that acted as if there was only one look for Latinas, they want to create heroes as diverse as the Latinx community. For example, Afro-Latinx is rarely shown or written, and Afro-Latinx actors auditioning for Latinx roles are often told they don’t look Latinx enough for the part. The moderator Nelly Castillo shared her own experiences as an Afro-Latina actress; in order to be considered Latina, she has to straighten her afro and add black hair extensions. There is no specific Latinx look, and it’s important to these creators to create Latina superheroes that reflect the diverse Latinx community.
More Heroes Of Color
WonderCon 2021 is a wonderful opportunity to discover new characters and creators from the indie comic book world and also to sit down and learn about the experiences of underrepresented communities. Creators of color are producing incredible series; you might find your new favorite superhero!