Monday, February 9, 2009

Love & Rockets - Locas

The Hernandez brothers have been around for quite some time now, but I was only recently introduced to them. The other day I finished the storyline Locas, which follows a group of latino friends from their teenage years into adulthood. The main focus is on two women who are best friends– Margarita Luisa "Maggie" Chascarrillo and Esperanza Leticia "Hopey" Glass.

Sounds like a pretty standard story right? Well let's also take into account when this series got started Jaime Hernandez started off with a very 1960's sci-fi theme, which involved Maggie as a rocket ship mechanic, in love with her coworker Rand Race. Couple that with stories about Hopey - a punk rocker/musician who happens to be in love with her best friend Maggie.

Ok. Sci-fi, punk rock, and an ambiguous love triangle. Fabulous.

Eventually, Jaime phased out a lot of the sci-fi aspects and dove deep into all of his characters. The end result was an intense on-again off-again romance between Maggie and Hopey, and a rich cultural backdrop of their hometown, Hoppers.

Not only is the story line amazing, the artwork is absolutely stunning. Line and ink work are as good as it gets. Not to mention Jaime's attention to the details; as the story progresses through the years, all the characters age accordingly (unlike almost every other comic I've read).

In short, this series is one of the most captivating comics I've ever had the pleasure of reading. His characters are so profound and distinct I feel like I know these ladies like my own friends. I highly recommend this series! The book Locas is a collection of stories that *only* involve Maggie and Hopey. However there are several collections that encompass the entire series.
--C

1 comment:

  1. It is fascinating story, I really liked a lot, it is a great reading.

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