Cartoons, Comics & Latinx Culture Combine Forces at Alamo Drafthouse
The Latino Comics Expo (LCX) is the nation’s largest gathering of its kind for Latinx comic book creators and animators, as well as the host of the 2nd Annual Latino Animation Festival. Animators from all over the U.S. and Latin America will be showing off their latest cartoon creations on Wednesday, September 5th—bringing humor, emotion, and animation badassery to the Mission’s Alamo Drafthouse.
While the actual expo happens in Long Beach, their executive director, Ricardo Padilla, is closely tied to the Bay Area. He first organized the Latino Comic Book convention in 2011 at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, along with his producing partner and creative director, Javier Hernandez. He has also included many local artists in the lineup of animators, including Prof, John Jota Leanos, Dustin Garcia, and Crystal Gonzalez.
Through both the Latin Comic Expo and the animation festival, Padilla looks to create a “positive outlet for all the ‘Latinx’ creators that were being overlooked at some of the other expos.” He adds that now is “a ‘Golden Age’ for Latino and Latina creators and animators,” and found an urgent desire and need to “highlight all the different artists using their culture and backgrounds to make amazing and original art.”
Padilla shares a true understanding of art as a connector for communities. Through a mix of light-heartedness and hard truths, Padilla’s events are a way to bring people together cross-culturally and—despite tough political and economic issues facing the Latinx community in the U.S.—add some good energy and fun into the mix.
“Especially in these ‘treacherous’ times, we feel that ‘Representation is Resistance’…so here we are…being visible. But what’s really exciting is all the unique themes, distinct characters, and vibrant colors being used to tell our stories, by our own people, in our own style. It’s eye-opening and refreshing. Plus, a lot of fun. People forget Superman and Batman are 80 years old…We…are the Future.”
Latino Comics Expo: 2nd Festival of Animation
Wednesday, September 5th, 6pm
Alamo Drafthouse, SF
