saavedra77 | Imaginary Friends, Fictional Landscapes (Reply)

I've been reading Love & Rockets since the mid-1980s. I feel as though grew up with Xaime Hernandez' Margarita "Maggie" Chascarillo and Esperanza "Hopey" Glass, and I love the way that these characters have evolved over the years. More than any other fictional characters I can think of, they're like people I know--people I've known since "we" were teenagers.

I've always been a big fan of Beto Hernandez' Palomar stories, too: I certainly won't be the first to liken these to Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Macondo or Fellini's Amarcord--tightly-knit fictional communities whose dozens of characters you come to know with the intimacy of family, or at least with the intimacy of the village gossip.

Which is why it looks like I'm spending a big chunk of this weekend in Georgetown:

"Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to present '25 Years of Love & Rockets.' This multicultural comic book epic by Los Angeles brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez single handedly launched the alternative comics genre, and remains as fresh and relevant today as when it was introduced in 1982. A riveting combination of punk, futurism, Latino and North American pop culture, 'Love & Rockets' inspired a generation of narrative artists. The publication of this title cemented the position of Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books as the leading publisher of challenging comics and graphic novels. This exhibition of original artwork opens with a gala reception for Los Bros Hernandez on Saturday, February 10, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S. Vale St., in the heart of Seattle's lively Georgetown district."