Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts to Host Latino Comics Expo February 3rd – 4th

The Brownville Museum of Fine Art will be hosting The Latino Comics Expo in Brownsville on Saturday, February 3rd (10 am – 6pm) through Sunday, February 4th (10am – 5pm).

The Latino Comics Expo is the nation’s first convention dedicated to highlighting the work of comic book creators, illustrators and others in the literary and visual arts whose work reflects the influence and celebration of Latino culture.

Founded in 2011 by Bay Area arts patron Ricardo Padilla and Los Angeles cartoonist Javier Hernandez, the Latino Comics Expo has been held at the Cartoon Museum of Art (San Francisco), the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library at San Jose State University and the Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach).

Since it’s debut show on May 7 & 8 in 2011 in San Francisco, the Expo has hosted a wide variety of creative talent from the world of comics, web comics, illustration and design, political comics, graphic novels, children’s books, filmmakers and animators. Veteran creators, newcomers, independent artists, scholars, female, male, LGBT. All have contributed to making the LCX the premiere showcase for Latinx pop culture in all it’s various mediums.

Scheduled special guests include Gilbert Hernandez, Award-winning cartoonist and writer and co-creator of Love and Rockets (among many other titles). Love and Rockets was one of the first comic books in the alternative comics movement of the 1980s.

The Gilbert, along with his brothers Jaime and Mario, produced stories in the series independently of each other. Gilbert and Jaime produced the majority of the material, and tended to focus on particular casts of characters and settings. Those of Gilbert usually focused on a cast of characters in the fictional Central American village of Palomar; the stories often featured magic realist elements. Reviewers have compared Gilbert Hernandez’s work with that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Robert Altman.

Also scheduled to attend the convention is Hector Cantú, award-winning cartoonist, writer, editor and co-creator (along with artist Carlos Castellanos) of the Mexican-American newspaper comic strip Baldo. Although primarily a strip focused solely on light humor, Baldo has at times delved into political and social subjects relevant to the Hispanic community, such as lottery scams, the 2006 United States immigration reform protests, and greater involvement in improving one’s community.

Other scheduled guests include Cartoonist and co-creator of Latino Comics Expo Javier Hernandez, award winning author, cartoonist and creator of LA CUCARACHA Lalo Alcaraz and artist, zinester and organizer Suzy Gonzalez.

In addition to a planned exhibit hall where attendees can meet one on one with the creators, the LCX is known for it’s wide variety of panels and workshops, which will also be a part of the Brownsville event with panels and workshops by Gilbert Hernandez, Hector Cantu, Javier Hernandez, Suzy Gonzalez, Nansi Guevara, and more scheduled for the weekend.

LCX Brownsville is also inviting all guests to attend dressed as their favorite comic book characters. LCX plans to provide multiple photo locations, panels, and designated cosplay makeup/costume areas and a Cosplay Contest set for Saturday, Feb. 3, at 4 pm with prizes awarded for best costumes. There will be no additional charge to participate! There will also be a Cosplay Afterparty scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4, at 7 pm to celebrate the end of the convention.

In addition to all the other events, The Latino Comics Expo Brownsville is partnering with the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art to present The Brownsville Latino Comics Expo Short Film Awards. This is a featured Expo event. There is no cost to submit your film. Films must be under 15 minutes long. We want to encourage and honor emerging Latino filmmakers, as well as

support sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and animated films that have Latino themes. This includes documentaries about Latino comics, graphic novels, artists, lucha libre, filmmakers, and other subjects related to the Expo. The awards will honor filmmakers whose work exemplifies originality, diversity, and creativity.

All selected films will be screened on the evening of Saturday, February 3rd. Immediately after each screening, LCX will host a Q & A with the filmmaker. All selected films will be honored, and the Festival Jury will present one film with the Grand Jury Award. They will also present the Audience Award for Best Film on Sunday at the Expo.

To submit a film, please visit https://www.lcxbrownsville.com/short-film-awards.

The Latino Comics Expo is a place to celebrate creativity, to educate, inform and learn, and to be able to share the richness of our various Latino cultures.

For more information or to register to exhibit at the convention, please visit the event’s official website at www.lcxbrownsville.com or on facebook at www.facebook.com/lcxbrownsville/.

Tickets available for the event here