The following is an interview with Henry Barajas (Batman: Urban Legends, Creepshow) and Rachel Merrill (Gil Thorp, Izzy N Jean) regarding the recent launch of their Kickstarter campaign for the comic book, Death to Pachuco. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Barajas and Merrill about their shared creative process in bringing the noir story and characters to life on the page, the incredible backer rewards that will be available to readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign! For those who may be unfamiliar with the project, what can you share with us about the story’s premise?
Henry Barajas: Death to Pachuco is a Chicano noir centered around two dark years in Los Angeles’ history. Private Investigator Ricky Tellez is tasked with finding the Sleepy Lagoon murderer to clear the names of the men and women who were falsely accused of killing Jose Diaz. His investigation leads him to the culprit during a 5-day period of civil unrest between the US Navy and Mexican Americans in East L.A. we now know as the Zoot Suit Riots. Ricky has to find the killer to bring him to justice before the racist mob kills him first.
Rachel Merrill: Death to Pachuco, based on a real case called the Sleepy Lagoon Murder, is set during the summer of the Zoot Suit Riots. Although the characters themselves are fictional, the events surrounding them were very much real and heavily reported at the time.
BD: Rachel, given your prior collaboration with Henry on the ongoing comic, Gil Thorp, do you feel that you’ve developed a creative “shorthand” in bringing this new project to life on the page?
RM: Yes and no. Yes in that working with Herny on both, we’re clearly operating at similar wavelengths. I’ll read a passage from the script and message him, “Oh, this reminded me of a scene from this movie,” and he’ll literally confirm he was thinking of the same film!
There’s certainly an overlap between DTP and Gil Thorp in that they’re both depicting ordinary people in a semi-realistic style. But Gil Thorp very much owes its look to Rod Whigham, whereas DTP I focused more on my personal taste, especially in terms of lighting. You don’t really do noir sincerely in Gil Thorp.
BD: Henry, you are no stranger to crowdfunding, having successfully run several campaigns for various projects. Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators?
HB: Unfortunately, Kickstarter is one of my final options to make something like this a possibility. The comic book business is trepidatious when it comes to telling stories about brown people that don’t involve border crossing or the troubles of being on the border. Those stories need to be told, but we are more than that. Noir is a very white genre. You can rarely find movies or shows or prose that are about and created by people of color. DTP is the fifth crowdfunding campaign I have run personally. I have many more for others, but I think I have a solid reputation when it comes to delivering when I say I do—and worth investing in the story I want to tell.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Ricky’s story may connect with and impact readers?
HB: Like any noir, Ricky’s story is sad and bleak. You rarely get a happy-go-lucky Dick that’s got everything going for him. Ricky is an orphan and an addict. But he is who you call when you can’t call the cops when you’re a brown person in 1940s L.A. I think we all like to think we’re uniquely troubled and what separates us is how we handle that on a day-to-day basis. We all have our personal wars we have to stand in the front lines, but Ricky also takes arms in other people’s battles.
RM: I was a giant fan of historical fiction as a kid and still am. One of my favorite series, Gore Vidal’s America is technically historical fiction, but it’s so well researched you’re blown away by the idea that history itself can be something beyond educational. Ricky himself is fictional but through him you bring this story back into the public eye.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards or tiers that you would like to highlight for our readers?
HB: All the greatest hits: get drawn in, one-on-one pitch reviews with me, riso print by Ryan Cecil Smith, and original art by Rachel. We tried to price this for everyone, and we’re always grateful for anyone giving more than what is asked.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about the Death to Pachuco campaign and your other work?
HB: I’m proud of the work we’re doing on Death to Pachuco. Rachel is an incredible talent. Lee is a legend. Cover by David Lapham? Money. But readers should get hip to what we’re are doing with Gil Thorp. It’s free to read Monday through Saturday in newspaper funnies pages, or on GoComics and MSN.
RM: Back us and/or share our Kickstarter page! Seriously, word of mouth can’t be overstressed as the key to success. Our other work together is Gil Thorp which you can read over at Go Comics or ask your local newspaper to consider carrying it.
