SOURCES:

I’d love this to be an exhaustive list of English-language resources on Mexican photo comics, but there is just a baffling lack of reliable info on the subject. Mexico ’s comic scene was second only to modern Japan, yet it’s virtually unknown just a border away. Yet I’m told the Spanish-language resources leave much to be desired as well.

Not Just for Children: The Mexican Comic Book of the 60’s and 70’s by Harold E Hinds, Jr. and Charles M. Tatum (Greenwood Press, 1992)

While very little is written about Cruz and Santo here, this book is one of the only scholarly sources I ’ve found that backs up often-heard verbal adages like “Santo sold 3 million comics a week!” Summaries of the industry and audience are concise and invaluable. The bulk of the book deals with Kaliman, Chanoc and other institutions of the industry.

SOMOS especial de colección — El Santo (Editorial Televisa, 1999)

Eight years later, this magazine annual still has the best article in any language on the subject, with pics of original cover paintings, a decent history and bio, covers, etc. Assumes the Mexican public ’s general knowledge of fotomontaje, though. These still show up from time to time on eBay.

History of Mexican Comics — http://www.angelfire.com/az/monjeloco/index.html — has a wide array of cover scans from decades of Mexican publishing, but is woefully short on lucha heroes or editorial.

Brian Moran’s “Santo Street” has a brief history and is one of the only websites with an inventory of vintage books for sale. Brian is one of the
original English-language Mexi-lucha-fan pioneers and FPU owes him a permanent debt for helping out in the early days, so support him why don ’t ya! http://www.santostreet.com

I’d also like to gratefully acknowledge the interviews, personal accounts, and translations given to me over the years by Tony Figueroa, Luis Navarette, and Rafael Navarro. When studying extinct media and searching for ghosts with a flashlight, one learns to appreciate even the vaguest personal memories and giant fish stories, but these three have been a solid reference. Many thanks!

Now, before you ask where you can find these books, I will readily divulge that more than 80% of the vintage comics in my collection were scored off eBay. The auction site is a godsend to collectors of Mexican comics in the US, and will probably be the savior of a classic body of work that no one in Mexico seems to be in a rush to preserve. International transactions via PayPal are reliable, but always pay more for the registered shipping.

In closing, I am soooo looking for input, corrections, challenges and rebukes to the this article, so all you armchair know-it-alls and silent super collectors who aren ’t sharing the wealth with the world, consider yourselves challenged.

Keith J. Rainville — unknownpubs@yahoo.com


		SOURCES: I’d love this to be an exhaustive list of English-language resources on Mexican photo comics, but there is just a baffling lack of reliable info on the subject. Mexico ’s comic scene was second only to modern Japan, yet it’s virtually unknown just a border away. Yet I’m told the Spanish-language resources leave much to be desired as well. Not Just for Children: The Mexican Comic Book of the 60’s and 70’s by Harold E Hinds, Jr. and Charles M. Tatum (Greenwood Press, 1992) While very little is written about Cruz and Santo here, this book is one of the only scholarly sources I ’ve found that backs up often-heard verbal adages like “Santo sold 3 million comics a week!” Summaries of the industry and audience are concise and invaluable. The bulk of the book deals with Kaliman, Chanoc and other institutions of the industry. SOMOS especial de colección — El Santo (Editorial Televisa, 1999) Eight years later, this magazine annual still has the best article in any language on the subject, with pics of original cover paintings, a decent history and bio, covers, etc. Assumes the Mexican public ’s general knowledge of fotomontaje, though. These still show up from time to time on eBay. History of Mexican Comics — http://www.angelfire.com/az/monjeloco/index.html — has a wide array of cover scans from decades of Mexican publishing, but is woefully short on lucha heroes or editorial. Brian Moran’s “Santo Street” has a brief history and is one of the only websites with an inventory of vintage books for sale. Brian is one of the original English-language Mexi-lucha-fan pioneers and FPU owes him a permanent debt for helping out in the early days, so support him why don ’t ya! http://www.santostreet.com I’d also like to gratefully acknowledge the interviews, personal accounts, and translations given to me over the years by Tony Figueroa, Luis Navarette, and Rafael Navarro. When studying extinct media and searching for ghosts with a flashlight, one learns to appreciate even the vaguest personal memories and giant fish stories, but these three have been a solid reference. Many thanks! Now, before you ask where you can find these books, I will readily divulge that more than 80% of the vintage comics in my collection were scored off eBay. The auction site is a godsend to collectors of Mexican comics in the US, and will probably be the savior of a classic body of work that no one in Mexico seems to be in a rush to preserve. International transactions via PayPal are reliable, but always pay more for the registered shipping. In closing, I am soooo looking for input, corrections, challenges and rebukes to the this article, so all you armchair know-it-alls and silent super collectors who aren ’t sharing the wealth with the world, consider yourselves challenged. Keith J. Rainville — unknownpubs@yahoo.com

	back to: Photo Comics The Covers FX sin limite Confessions of a Fake Santo Los Otros p. 1 Los Otros p. 2

	Article text ©Keith J. Rainville, 2007. Artwork from the private collection of Keith Rainville. Content reproduced is © of the original owners.