Episode 265 – Jaime Hernandez

Virtual Memories Show 265:
Jaime Hernandez

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

“Whenever I write Maggie & Hopey, they’re always looking at the past, always thinking back about what they were. I didn’t mean for it to be that way, but that’s what I do: ‘Remember when we were like that, well, we’re not like that anymore. . . .'”

He’s been on my list of dream-guests since I launched the podcast, and now Love & Rockets cartoonist Jaime Hernandez joins the show! We talk about his new book, The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America (TOON Graphic), the family-centric folktales of his own youth in Oxnard, CA, the fun of drawing for kids, and the times he’s felt Maggie Chascarillo had nothing left to say. We get into the origins of Love & Rockets, how he learned to tell a story and still develop characters, the L&R story that marked a turning point for him, what prompted a big reunion storyline of his key characters, the thing he most hates drawing, the first time he saw someone with a Love & Rockets tattoo (and the stories of his own tattoos), and the vital question: is punk rock dead? Plus, Katie Skelly (My Pretty Vampire) talks about what Jaime’s comics mean to her! Give it a listen! And go buy The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America and Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez!

“I like getting cartoony when it comes to kids, because the drawings are more alive. They bust out more, they create a life of their own.”

“Writing a story that takes four years and happens in two nights drives me crazy!”

Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!

Lots of ways to follow The Virtual Memories Show! iTunes, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and RSS!

About our Guest

Jaime Hernandez lives in Pasadena, CA with his wife and daughter. He is co-creator of the long-running, award-winning, and critically acclaimed series Love and Rockets. His new book is The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America.

Credits: This episode’s music is Nothing’s Gonna Bring Me Down by David Baerwald, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Ink48 on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 Microphones feeding into a Zoom H5 digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Cloudlifter CL-1 and a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2×2 USB Recording Interface. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photos of Jaime & Katie Skelly by me. It’s on my instagram.