Mario Hernandez
Encyclopedia
Mario Hernandez is an American
writer
, artist
, and sometime publisher of comics
. Along with his younger brothers Gilbert
and Jaime
he co-created the acclaimed independent comic book
Love and Rockets
.
for review, the brothers reasoning that if they could endure the Journal's notoriously harsh criticism, they were ready for anything. To their surprise, they received not only a positive review, but an offer from the Journal's publisher Fantagraphics to publish their work. The brothers agreed, and Fantagraphics published a slightly revised reprint version of the self-published issue, featuring a new full-color cover, as the first issue of an ongoing Love and Rockets series. The title quickly found a cult audience and became a key title in the 1980s independent comics movement, developing into a highly influential early example of what came to be known as "alternative" or "art" comics.
Around 1984, all three brothers were hired by Toronto
-based publisher Vortex Comics
to collaborate on a new series, Mister X
. This project was based upon a character created by artist Dean Motter
, and had already been in development for some time when the Hernandez brothers became involved; the book had been heavily publicized in the comics press as a forthcoming title slated to be drawn by Paul Rivoche, who completed a substantial amount of conceptual design artwork but ultimately did not contribute any actual comics pages to the project as published. The first issues of Mister X were co-written by Gilbert and Mario based on Dean Motter's story and drawn by Jaime, but the brothers left the title after four issues over alleged nonpayment for their work, refocusing their efforts back onto Love and Rockets.
As the series continued, Mario's own comics contributions to the title became increasingly sporadic; he was a father by this time and family responsibilities left little time for his artwork. Jaime and Gilbert's work dominated Love and Rockets from the beginning both in volume and acclaim; in his own estimation Mario's work falls short of what he describes as his brothers' "genius." Eventually, Mario all but completely stopped contributing to the comic, usually writing and drawing a short story every few years for anniversary issues. In the early 1990s, Fantagraphics published Mario's one-shot comic Brain Capers, featuring non-Love and Rockets work. As of 2007, Mario's most recent contribution to Love and Rockets was "Me for the Unknown," a serial written by Mario and drawn by Gilbert. In 2009, Mario and Gilbert collaborated on a mini-series called Citizen Rex.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, and sometime publisher of comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
. Along with his younger brothers Gilbert
Gilbert Hernandez
Gilberto Hernández, born February 1, 1957, in Oxnard, California, usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also known by the nickname Beto , is an American comics writer/artist...
and Jaime
Jaime Hernandez
Jaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
he co-created the acclaimed independent comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (comics)
Love and Rockets is a black and white comic book series by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez, sometimes cited jointly as Los Bros Hernandez. Their brother Mario Hernandez is an occasional contributor...
.
Biography
As children, Mario (the eldest of six children) and his siblings were voracious comic readers, a habit encouraged by their mother, who had loved comics during her own childhood. Eventually, their enthusiasm for the medium led the youngsters to begin writing and drawing comics themselves for fun, collaborating with one another and sharing their own individual creations. As they grew older, Mario discovered girls and mostly abandoned his drawing hobby, but Jaime and Gilbert remained committed and prolific, accumulating hundreds of pages of increasingly sophisticated and personal work. Eventually, Mario noticed what his brothers had been up to and was so impressed by their comics that he encouraged them to try to get published. In 1982 Mario instigated and self-published a black and white comic book of his and his brothers' work, the original version of Love and Rockets #1. It was sold at that year's San Diego Comicon and by mail order, and advertised in comics fanzines. A copy of the issue was submitted to The Comics JournalThe Comics Journal
The Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
for review, the brothers reasoning that if they could endure the Journal's notoriously harsh criticism, they were ready for anything. To their surprise, they received not only a positive review, but an offer from the Journal's publisher Fantagraphics to publish their work. The brothers agreed, and Fantagraphics published a slightly revised reprint version of the self-published issue, featuring a new full-color cover, as the first issue of an ongoing Love and Rockets series. The title quickly found a cult audience and became a key title in the 1980s independent comics movement, developing into a highly influential early example of what came to be known as "alternative" or "art" comics.
Around 1984, all three brothers were hired by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based publisher Vortex Comics
Vortex Comics
Vortex Comics was a Canadian independent comic book publisher that operated during the years 1982 to 1994. Under the supervision of president, publisher, and editor Bill Marks, Vortex was known for such titles as Dean Motter's Mister X, Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss, and Chester Brown's Yummy Fur...
to collaborate on a new series, Mister X
Mister X (Vortex)
Mister X was a series of comic books first published in 1983–90 by Toronto-based Vortex Comics. Created by album and book cover designer Dean Motter, it was developed for a year in close collaboration with comic artist and illustrator Paul Rivoche, whose series of poster illustrations stirred up...
. This project was based upon a character created by artist Dean Motter
Dean Motter
Dean Motter is an illustrator, designer and writer who worked for many years in Toronto, Canada, New York City, and Atlanta. Motter is best known as the creator and designer of Mister X, one of the most influential "new-wave" comics of the 1980s....
, and had already been in development for some time when the Hernandez brothers became involved; the book had been heavily publicized in the comics press as a forthcoming title slated to be drawn by Paul Rivoche, who completed a substantial amount of conceptual design artwork but ultimately did not contribute any actual comics pages to the project as published. The first issues of Mister X were co-written by Gilbert and Mario based on Dean Motter's story and drawn by Jaime, but the brothers left the title after four issues over alleged nonpayment for their work, refocusing their efforts back onto Love and Rockets.
As the series continued, Mario's own comics contributions to the title became increasingly sporadic; he was a father by this time and family responsibilities left little time for his artwork. Jaime and Gilbert's work dominated Love and Rockets from the beginning both in volume and acclaim; in his own estimation Mario's work falls short of what he describes as his brothers' "genius." Eventually, Mario all but completely stopped contributing to the comic, usually writing and drawing a short story every few years for anniversary issues. In the early 1990s, Fantagraphics published Mario's one-shot comic Brain Capers, featuring non-Love and Rockets work. As of 2007, Mario's most recent contribution to Love and Rockets was "Me for the Unknown," a serial written by Mario and drawn by Gilbert. In 2009, Mario and Gilbert collaborated on a mini-series called Citizen Rex.