1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

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Latinx comics anthology offers "a multiplicity of

different voices and identities"
Written by Kellie Jones

Professor Frederick Luis Aldama is a professor

of English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and
teaches courses on Latinx and Latin American
cultural phenomena. He also directs LASER,
the Latinx Space for Enrichment Research,
and is the author, co-author, and editor of over
thirty books. He has received numerous
awards for both his writing and his work in the
Latinx community.

In this interview, Aldama discusses Tales from

la Vida, a graphic anthology that is part of
the Latinographix series published by OSU
Press which focuses on the Latinx narrative. In
Tales from la Vida, Latinx creators recreate a “hinge moment” from their lives in two
pages of comic book storytelling. Aldama discusses the project as well as his work
as editor for Latinographix and the upcoming SÕL-CON convention.

You work through a lot of different mediums: literature, music, film, comics
and graphic novels….What do you think that a comics anthology uniquely
brings to the table in terms of communicating the Latinx narrative?

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

First of all, we’re talking about general narrative, the kinds of stories you can tell and
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show through the visual means of comics, graphic novels, graphic memoirs. All the
creators got to create images, identities, true images to complicate Latinx identity.
So, I think that it’s a uniquely important form for us to be able to work within.

In Tales from la Vida, not only do we see all these incredible, visual, verbal stories
that are very autobiographical, but we also have them all collected into one volume.
There’s a multiplicity of different voices and identities and experiences all being
showcased in one volume. Everybody really stepped up to the plate.

You have a piece in the anthology recounting a fairly vulnerable “what if”
scenario from your childhood. What was the process of developing the
comic?

Yes, I worked with John Jennings, who did the art. Working with him was amazing.
There were a lot of phone conversations back and forth with art and getting it right
and getting the writing spot-on, and really portraying this hinge moment where
something inside of me said "maybe it’s better to stay home." And thank goodness
because my life could have been very different if I hadn’t, if I had said "Yes," and
gotten in that car.

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

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Did you know when you posed the question to the other artists that that was
the moment you were going to pick for yourself?

Yes. I knew that that was going to be my moment because that is a moment that I
always feel, almost on a daily basis.

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

Are there aspects of the Latinx narrative that the anthology does not or cannot Tra
address?

No, I think we kind of go at it all. Everybody is extremely honest and forthright; they
do not hold back. And I think with honesty comes truth, and with truth comes both
inclusion and affirmation, a kind of bridge building and finding our common humanity.
So I think that, by looking at the particulars of our experiences and showcasing
these in our comics, we actually get at the roots of a deeper reason for being here
and a deeper reason for our humanity.

Other than your own story, is there a story in this anthology that really speaks
to you?

[Laughs] They all do, obviously in very different ways. But what I love is that each of
the stories is not just unique in the story itself but also the style. Everybody has their
own unique style. For me it’s just mind-blowing that within this single volume you can
encounter all these amazing ways that creators decide to visually shape their
stories.

What is the process of compiling/editing an anthology? What was the most

difficult part of the process for you? What do you love about it?

I love reaching out to and discovering new talent.

A large part of editing any volume is sending gentle but persuasive reminders,
keeping people on deadlines, offering feedback as the work comes in, keeping track
of everything. And, of course, working with you guys at the press. You all have been
amazing. This was a monumental achievement. All the art, all of the design, all of
the copy editing, the hand-written words, this is really beyond any academic press
that I know of.

The other thing about this is the generosity of the creators. This is not just an
opportunity to tell your story, to show your story. It takes a lot of time out of their own
work schedules and their own comic book creation schedules. This is a tremendous
gift on the part of everyone who contributed to the volume.

How has the digital age affected graphic storytelling?

A lot of the creators might sketch with Bristol pads and with pencil, but many of them
end up doing work on tablets and computers. So in many ways, the digital age has

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

empowered and freed up a lot of the creative possibilities. On the other hand, it’s a Tra
challenge to make sure that what is finally produced feels personal, feels like it has
that creator touch. Very often, tablet- or computer-created works can come off as
tablet- or computer-created, not author or artist-created. On the one hand it’s
liberating, and on the other hand there are challenges.

Do you think that affects the authenticity of the story?

It can. There’s nothing in Tales from la Vida that has been affected, but I have seen
work come my way that looks too computer-based. It’s lost its personality, it’s lost its
texture. Often the digital platforms can take away that sense of the personal touch,
the artist’s touch. Sometimes I see these comics with fantastic stories that fail
because they feel too sterile.

What’s coming down the line for Latinographix? What are you excited for?

I just got a manuscript from a Latina comic book creator and professor. I’m really
excited because so far we’ve had a bunch of Latinos. I am looking, bursting, waiting
to have some Latina voices in the series. We have so many Latina comic book
creators out there now, and we have to make sure that Latinographix is seen as a
space for them as well.

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

SÕL-CON, The Brown and Black Comix Expo, is coming up at the end of Tra
September. Can you talk a little more about that?

I’m so excited for that. I noticed that our city unfortunately suffers from segregating
our Latinx and African American kids, among others. We share so much in common
in terms of histories of oppression, exploitation, histories of even things like lynching
and so on. Even beyond that, our kids experience the same kinds of push-out and
lock-out that we see with both Latinx and African American kids. I wanted SÕL-CON
to become a space where I brought in all these creators—African American and
Latinx—not only to expo their work and be role models, but also to run workshops
for K-12, especially African American and Latinx kids. And it’s been pretty
gangbuster. We are lucky that we have all these Latinx and African American
creators who are travelling by plane, by bus, by train, by whatever to get here for
SÕL-CON to share and gift their time and their sort of creativity. It’s going to be
amazing.

Have you read anything good recently? Inside or outside your field?

I just taught a really awesome comic called Black Panther and the Crew by Ta-
Nehisi Coates and Yona Harvey. It’s amazing. The superheroes are fighting not only
street crime but also super-villains, and what’s really cool is that the comic book
flashes back to significant moments in our history: our histories of protest, histories
of pushing against the system that has otherwise exploited and oppressed folks of
color, the historically under-represented. And so it has this tremendous historical
significance. It’s got amazing writing, and the artwork is just off the hook.

Is there anything else that you want to share about the anthology or
Latinographix?

I’m just really excited. OSU Press has done such an amazing job. It’s such a go-out-
on-a-limb idea. We’ve got some really strong books out of the gate with Alberto
Ledesma’s Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer, Eric García’s Drawing on Anger, Ilan
Stavans and Santiago Cohen's Angelitos, and of course Tales from la Vida—all in a
pretty short amount of time. I’m just blown away. I think that we’re really at the
vanguard, and I guarantee that other people are going to be jumping on the band
wagon after they see the success of Latinographix.

Tales from la Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology Mad Creek Books is

Edited by Frederick Luis Aldama an imprint of The

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1/14/2019 An interview with Frederick Luis Aldama

Latinographix Ohio State University

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Mad Creek Books Press, based in
September 2018 Columbus, Ohio. Find
Paper $17.95 SALE PRICE $12.57 out more at
30% off and free US Shipping! ohiostatepress.org.

Copyright © 2018 The Ohio State University Press, All rights reserved.

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