Death to Pachuco

As you may remember from my writing about my LA Comic Con adventure, one of my comic book writing buddies and the guy who helped me prepare for my first convention was the outstanding Henry Barajas. Henry is a longtime comic book veteran and a fantastic comic book writer. His resume includes the graphic novel La Voz de M.A.Y.A: Tata Rambo, the mini-series Helm Greycastle, the one-shot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, contributing to Creepshow, and Batman: Urban Legends (with a story edited by me). Henry has a project named Death to Pachuco that he’s taken to Kickstarter to get funded, and we are going to be talking to him and his collaborator Rachel Merrill about that today.

Rachel Merrill is an outstanding artist, who has a stellar resume of credits including contributing to The New Yorker’s “Daily Shouts”, along with work for Bright Wall/Dark Room, Vinegar Syndrome, Southwest Review, the Eisner-nominated “Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes” comic anthology, and the Ignatz Award-winning “Comics for Choice”. She is also a storyboard artist whose past clients have included Ulta Beauty, NBA x Meta, and Willow.

I had an amazing time talking to them both. And I believe in their project Death to Pachuco. I’m going to include a link here and at the end of the interview so you have TWO CHANCES to support this stellar project.

Interview with Henry Barajas & Rachel Merrill

DAVE: Henry, it’s always a pleasure talking to you. Rachel, it’s so nice to speak to you for the first time, outside of the brief email exchange we had to set up this interview. I am excited to talk to you both about Death To Pachuco!

 HENRY: Dave, thank you for having us. Your newsletter has become an important venue for folks who love the business and craft. 

RACHEL: Thanks a bunch for setting this up, and the support!

DAVE: Thank you both for the kind words. I love doing this Newsletter, and I really love this project. Let’s get into it!

Death To Pachuco is a Chicano Noir based on a true story that happened in Los Angeles in 1943, where fierce clashes erupted between US Navy members and Mexican American youth following the murder of Jose Diaz. The story follows Private Eye Ricardo “Ricky” Tellez, who the family of Rosie Garcia hires to clear her good name after she’s been arrested, along with many other Mexican youths, because the Police couldn’t determine who killed the Navy-bound Jose Diaz, and initiated a dragnet arresting 600-plus Mexican youths in possible connection to the murder. And this all happens during a five day stretch called “The Zoot Suit Riots” a clash between Sailors and the titular Pachucos, which was a name Mexican American youth were referred to at the time.  

I did not know anything about this story. You both are shining light on a very particular part of history, one that I think is going to resonate very loudly with a modern audience. Henry, how long have you known about this history, and how long have you been thinking about writing about it?

Likewise, Rachel, is something you knew about, or did you find out when Henry brought the project to you?

HENRY: When I was doing research for the Dolores Huerta biographical comic, I wrote for the NYC Civics For All group, which uses comics to provide free educational resources to teachers in NYC classrooms. They printed 150K of the comic I worked on with Louie Chin, Gabs Contreras, and J. Gonzo. But they also make the comic available for anyone to read online. During my extensive research, Señora Huerta reminisced on the police brutality she experienced and witnessed throughout her life. One of the defining moments was when her brother was beaten for wearing a zoot suit. That of course lead me down the rabbit hole of what we know as the ‘Zoot Suit Riots’ and then sent me off to the Sleepy Lagoon murder case. I went to the East L.A. library and poured over their incredible collection of the Sleepy Lagoon murder case making me feel like a private investigator piecing these two events together. Needless to say, the birth of Death to Pachuco was born in the Chicano Resource Center at the LA County Library.

RACHEL: I had a certain awareness of the “riots”, but I learned a lot more as I was researching. First off, the name “Zoot Suit Riots” makes it seem like this was a conflict between two equally armed groups, but it wasn't. These were coordinated attacks by US Servicemen and stoked by the local media especially the LA Times on Chicano youth. The sailors would storm their local neighborhoods and just destroy the area. They were, in short, racist attacks. The podcast, ‘Stuff You Missed In History Class’ did an excellent episode covering the Zoot Suit Riots in 2018.

DAVE: I’m going to have to go listen to that podcast as a companion to what I read from you guys!

Rachel, in addition to not knowing about this story before you guys pitched it in your Kickstarter campaign, I was not familiar with your work, and it’s fantastic. The characters in this story are all beautifully designed and have so much personality. I know that you are based in New York City, this is an LA story, and LA is one of the great settings for noir stories. How much visual research has gone into this project, and what’s it like not only drawing LA but this past version of it?

RACHEL: Thank you so much! One of my favorite things about starting any project but especially one set in the past is the research I get to do. Henry and I both joke about how we just want Ken Burns’ job. I was very fortunate that my grandfather, who was born in 1915, was an avid photographer so I have a GIANT  collection of photos of him and my grandmother as young people throughout the ‘40s. In addition, I also had an invaluable resource in the work of Mike Disfarmer, who was a photographer in rural Arkansas between the 1920s-1950s. His work covered the whole span of the ‘40s and I ended up using studio portraits he took from that time in addition to my grandparents own archives as character designs for the cast. I felt this approach enabled me to not go too “Hollywood” in the designs and keep the characters rooted in reality. 

HENRY: Rachel is not kidding. And I think it’s what makes our collaboration work soo well. History and comics bring those those things together in a way that might educate and entertain is what makes our comics sing. We are the Ken Burns of comics. 

DAVE: Speaking of being the Ken Burns of comics, Henry, this is not your first foray into writing about true events. Your 2019 graphic novel La Voz De M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo which you did with artist J. Gonzo, letterer Bernardo Brice, and was edited by Claire Napier was about your great grandfather. What responsibility comes with telling stories based on true events? One that involves people from your life, and in this case an incredibly resonant story but I assume involved more research.

HENRY: A fellow comics creator once told me, “you can make this shit up, you know?” That got me to thinking about how what makes me tick and how I go about making comics. Even when we worked together I went to a comic shop in The Valley (to non-Angelino subscribers, “The Valley” can encompass hundreds of miles of Los Angeles County but it’s anywhere North of Griffth Park) and I purchased a number of 90’s Demon comics that inspired my 8-page story for Batman Urban Legends. It was also an honor to work with you and Jess on my one and only DC work, so it was great to be able to help filter everything through both of you and tell a story I can stand by and be proud of. But this also stems from my days as a journalist and someone who never went to college. Not to mention being a brown guy in comics, I always feel like I have to go the extra mile to prove that this is something worth reading. That’s one of the benefits of working with Rachel as a co-creator on DTP. She has such a love and affinity for this time period I don’t have to go into full detail on what everyone is wearing or where they are. She gets it. 

DAVE: You’re both so complimentary and kind about one another, it’s a really lovely thing to read, and I think you feel that in the finished pages you’ve shared. 

You’ve got a phenomenal creative team here on this project. In addition to the two of you, we have the outstanding Lee Loughridge on colors. And then someone I think is seminal in the history of American crime and noir comics, the great David Lapham on the cover. I was curious if any of their past work was an influence on how you executed this story, and just in general, how excited are you to collaborate with them?

HENRY: Lee Loughridge is one of the greatest colorists this industry has ever known. He revolutionized the way colorists do this thankless job. I can’t tell you how honored I am to have him working with us. Lee’s work ignites something in me when I’m reading work he has colored. The latest example is his work on Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay’s Somna is incredible. Their collective work is brilliant but I think Lee provides an essential piece to the puzzle. I have said this on many occasions but David Lapham’s Stray Bullets has inspired me in countless ways. Reading that comic was getting the creative red pill that showed me comics can be more than capes and tights. It lead me down a path that introduced me to work that was outside of what I was used to, and I can never thank him enough for showing me the way.

RACHEL: As you said, they’re both such titans of the industry. It’s humbling to say the least, and I just hope I do justice in working alongside them both.

DAVE: This story is fiercely personal, and you are shining light on history that more people should have known about. I include myself in that. I imagine that even more than most comics, making this involves a lot of trust between the two of you as collaborators. What have you enjoyed about working together on this so far? And is there anything you’ve learned from each other? I find that on every project I work on, I learn a great deal from the people I am collaborating with.

RACHEL: Henry is a dream collaborator. You can't do a project like this together without you both being on the same page (heh) while also knowing exactly what he wants.  I got a huge amount of leeway, not just with the interiors but the designs themselves, and we ended up having a lot of fun sharing great fits we found during the research period. And he's a great sport about laughing at my terrible jokes.  

HENRY: I’ve said this before but Rachel gets it. She is absorbing the script and not treating it as scripture. My goal for this is to tell a true-blue-noir. We both share an appreciation for film and we’re bringing those influences to the comic, and that’s something I’ve never done before. I always treat my comics like comics, and this is the first time where I’ve used the visual aesthetic that film noir has created for the genre and pushed it here in DTP. We did a 10-day countdown of film noirs that has influenced us in this work, and you will see something from all of those movies. But it’s good to know that Rachel is able to treat DTP as a comic and not a “movie pitch” but something that comes from a real love of those stories. 

DAVE: I am a massive film noir fan, so I love reading how much that has influenced you both, and that it acted as a shared language for the collaboration. 

As I am writing these questions, Henry, this past weekend, you were at the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival and met the modern standard bearer of crime/noir comics, Sean Phillips. Who I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, drew some characters that Rachel created at the show.

Was Sean an influence on either of you and who are some of the other influences that you had when making this comic?

RACHEL:  I wasn't familiar with Sean Phillips’ work (I know, I know) until we connected via Twitter years ago. That said, his work is what I want mine to look like but likely never will because the man is a drawing God. 

I wouldn't say there was anyone/any comic in particular that I was thinking of when I was drawing DTP.  I tend to be primarily influenced by film and animation, so I would say the old noirs like ‘Double Indemnity’ and ‘The Third Man,’ and animes like ‘Cowboy Bebop’ all play with darkness while still looking incredibly stylish. The photographer Reynaldo Riveria whose work I saw at Moma PS1 also played a big influence on DTP.

HENRY: Thought Bubble was incredible. It’s good for the comics soul. I got to have a chance to speak with Mr. Philips about his involvement with the Criminal Amazon show because a friend of mine was working on set. He was such a pleasant person and gracious with his time and incredible skills. He was drawing sketches for $45 USD! I asked for a little something for myself and he drew Rachel’s original characters IzzynJean. I was able to express to him that his work with Ed Brubaker actively influenced the story I’m trying to tell. Their latest series RECKLESS series is a direct influence without a doubt.  

DAVE: Cowboy Bebop, Reckless, Criminal, Double Indemnity…these are big influences on me too and I can feel them in the work you guys have done here. 

For this comic to happen, and for this story to be told, you have a Kickstarter Campaign going for this project. As I am writing these questions you are almost at 60% of your $10,000 initial goal. I admire people who do Kickstarter campaigns a great deal, but that seems like a business unto itself. 

Henry, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about bringing this project to Kickstarter, your experiences on the platform, how you chose to bring this project to Kickstarter, and maybe advice you may have for other creators who are thinking about taking their projects there in 2025.

HENRY: This is my fifth Kickstarter campaign. It’s not something I want to do, but I have to do it. Kickstarter upsides is it’s a direct-to-consumer program that comics hasn’t figured out. Comics is a backward business that requires people to order a comic they haven’t read and fully invest in the entire series on a monthly schedule barring no delays. This campaign allows us to make a comic in a reasonable amount of time giving us some grace and room to tell the story we want to tell while providing a very unique tangible object they can’t get anywhere else all while not leaving their home. I have had over 10 years of experience packaging and fulfilling projects, so I’m confident that people trust me and our team to deliver. It’s a big trust fall, but when you land there’s a comic in your hands. But my biggest advice is to start a newsletter like Dave here. The most support we’re getting in terms of backers and dollars is from my Substack. Kickstarter is the #1 revenue source but my personal network is only second place by less than a hundred dollars. I purchased an ad via Instagram that has gotten us under 200 impressions but we’re getting an organic reach of 10K views. It’s not translating to dollars, but it’s helping us create awareness. Create a manageable goal, lose all shame, and make the jump. It’s scary but it’s worth it.

DAVE: Comics is the best storytelling medium in the world, as far as I’m concerned. The business of comics…can be very fickle and complicated. This is such a unique, original, and awesome project. One of the reasons why I’m doing this interview is that I want more projects like this to exist, to be sustainable for the creators who make them, and of course, to be successful.

I applaud and admire you both, along with Lee and David, for making this project. I believe in my heart of hearts that the Kickstarter will be fully funded and then some so you can bring this story to life the way it deserves to be.

With that being said, what are some other types of comics you both hope to make in the future? Just speaking as three creators I’m always interested in what people’s dream projects or dream genres are.

HENRY: Thank you. I hope this is the start of a long collaboration with Rachel. This is just the first issue of a long series. I’d love to go through the decades of Ricky Tellez’s life. I’m sorry to break it to you Dave, but, this is just one of many racist events that have happened in this city! There are so many to choose from! I hope that if the people want it, this is just the first of many Tellez stories Rachel and I get to tell.

RACHEL: I have a psychological horror comic pitch that’s on the backburner for the time being. Think ‘Eyes of Laura Mars’ crossed with ‘All About Eve’ with ‘Perfect Blue’ sprinkled throughout.  Otherwise, I make animated shorts about two idiot NYC party girls called ‘IzzynJean.’ I first developed them when I was a finalist for the HBO Max X WBD Access Animated Shorts Program.  My modest goal would be to get my horror comic pitch completed and pie-in-the-sky is Adult Swim giving my girlies a show. 

DAVE: I like to end these interviews with a more lighthearted question. You guys have a Private Eye lead in Ricky, Private Eyes make some of the best leads in stories. If you had to hire a fictional Private Eye for a case, who would you hire?

HENRY: Oh, man. That’s a toughie. Danny Pudi’s Community character: Abed Nadir but in the crappy Batman Begins suit. 

RACHEL: Philip Marlowe, particularly Elliott Gould’s version from Robert Altman’s adaptation of ‘The Long Goodbye.’ That movie is criminally (heh) underrated and I also want Nina van Pallandt’s entire wardrobe from it. 

DAVE: Both of your answers are perfect. But Henry’s took me off guard so completely and joyously…wonderful work, my friend. 

Guys, thank you so much for doing this. We are going to provide a link to the Kickstarter and I encourage everyone reading this to go support it so Death to Pachuco can be fully told! Henry and Rachel, where else can we find you, what do you have going on and what do you have coming up? 

RACHEL: I’m on Bluesky and Instagram at the same handle: @ohhhaeee

Aside from Death to Pachuco, I am currently animating a short film titled ‘Seen’ with my partner, Travis Carr. It’s about a rotoscoped guy struggling to fit into a live action world. Otherwise, please read Gil Thorp, better yet – beg your local paper to carry it, they pay better royalties than the internet does.

HENRY: You can find me writing stuff on subway walls and whispering sounds of silence. But my Linktree has all the ways to get in touch. I’m working with Rachel on Gil Thorp for funny papers across the country and on sites like MSN.

 DAVE: And as I promised dear reader, I’m giving you another chance to support Death to Pachuco’s Kickstarer Campaign so this awesome comic can be brought to life in full!

Huge thanks to Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for taking time out of their incredibly busy schedules to swing by the Weekly UpDave and talk to us about Death to Pachuco. It’s an amazing comic and I encourage everyone reading this post to support if they can. I would love to see this comic be fully realized and come to life.

A reminder we have three days left to get questions for the first annual Dave Wielgosz Holiday Q&A, we have seven great questions right now and I would really love to get to ten. Give me what you got question-wise about my comics, making comics in general, or even general pop culture questions. I promise the post where we run these questions next Thursday will be fun! Send your emails to [email protected] 

That’s it for this bonus post. We will be back on Thursday with our regularly scheduled programming!

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz