In the land of top tier comic book brands like Marvel and DC, the Latino superhero is still a rare phenomenon. Change is certainly in the wind; for example, Marvel’s new Spider-Man is a black/Latino teenager by the name of Miles Morales. Still, by and large, Latino characters are often limited to supporting roles in the mainstream comic book world. That’s why comic creators like Hector Rodriguez have come to save the day and rescue an underrepresented Latino audience from comic book obscurity.
I first met Hector on the ground floor of the Irving Convention Center in the midst of the joyful chaos that is Dallas Comic-Con. This was 2012 and Hector was sharing a booth with several other Dallas/Fort Worth based artist and comic creators. Hector had an image hanging in his booth that caught my attention and my curiosity was immediately piqued. This is the image:
It was obviously a play-off of the infamous highway safety sign that warns motorists to avoid immigrants darting across the road. Except this image had a person in a cape leading the immigrants to safety. It was a powerfully simple illustration that spoke volumes about its creator and the story he was telling. I introduced myself to Hector and he proceeded to tell me all about El Peso Hero. You can experience that day for yourself and get a crash course on El Peso Hero by watching this video:
Four years later, El Peso Hero has made the jump from web comic to physical book and Hector himself has gained national attention for his work as both an educator and a comic book creator. A controversial cover of El Peso Hero that portrays the Latino superhero punching the shit out of Donald Trump had national media ringing Hector’s phone, but he used the opportunity to speak about education. See, Hector has been teaching reading and writing in a Dallas suburb for nearly eight years now and since 2012 he’s settled down in more ways than one. He’s now a married man with a newborn baby, but 
despite all of his newfound responsibilities he has still kept his passion project alive. El Peso Hero continues to battle corruption on the border and offering Latino comic book readers an iconic figure to cheer for.
I caught up with Hector recently and over coffee, we chatted about how El Peso Hero has progressed in the past four years. I covered some of our conversation in an article I wrote for Mercado Bilingue. But there was much I didn’t get to include in that article, so I wanted to share it here:
Hector, you’ve come a long way since we first met at the Dallas comic-con back in 2011. Back then El Peso Hero was only available online as a web comic.
Hector: Yeah, I was going to these comic book shows and la raza was coming up to me, saying “Hey man, its cool that you have a web comic but I want a physical comic.” So I was like alright, let me put a physical issue together.
Your genius cover with El Peso Hero punching Donald Trump caught the attention of national media. It’s a great homage to the Caption America cover from 1949 which features that classic superhero punching Hitler. What inspired you to create this cover?
Hector: I’ve never really taken a political stance [within the comic book] until Donald Trump became a nominee and said the things he’s said. I’m Hispanic, so I feel like I have a sense of responsibility. Plus it affects me, it affects a lot of my students. It’s in the stuff they write – they know about it. They are scared for their own families. It hurts them. It affects them personally. So that was a special cover to produce.
Did you get any blow back from that cover?
Hector: Oh yeah [Laughs]. I got lots of hate mail for that.
I bet. Another interesting El Peso Hero cover is the one that takes the Mexican flag and reflects its various elements in a very artistic way.
Hector: Mark Hoffman did that cover as a guest artist. It’s interesting because he’s actually a doctor, an anesthesiologist, so he’s really good with his hands. Which makes him a super talented artist.
It sounds like you’re doing a lot of collaborating these days with artists and stepping back from the artwork itself. Do you miss “getting your hands dirty” with pencil and paper?
Hector: Yeah, people ask me all the time, “why aren’t you still drawing?” I tell them I’m too busy writing. If I did everything – the writing and the artwork – it would take me over a year to get an issue out.
Where did your inspiration to become a comic book creator come from? Did you grow up reading comic books?
Hector: My dad was a big influence. He was the nerd, the back sheep of the family, reading comic books, watching star trek, watching Santos. I grew up watching that with him, reading comic books with him. That’s where my love for comic comes from. My dad was a big influence in em
bracing my inner geek. He’s also an educator so my career as a teacher has also been inspired by witnessing him further his education.
Reading comic books with him as a kid, what characters or books were you drawn to?
Hector: I read a lot of Superman, Batman – mostly DC comics.
I suspect the fact that there wasn’t a lot of diversity in those comics is what lead to the creation of El Peso Hero, huh?
Hector: Yeah, I had a bit of a culture shock when we moved to college station when my dad went back to school. As a Hispanic kid growing up in college station, I would go to the comic book stores and see only Anglo superheroes. I read them but they never really resonated as much to me as when I read El Santo and Blue Demon. That was a big precursor for me creating El Peso Hero.
(Sarcastically) I’m sure growing up on the border has no impact at all on the idea for El Peso Hero.
Hector: Well actually, I moved when I was young but from visiting my hometown and stories from people like my grandfather played a big role in themes and ideas for the comic.
Oh, so your grandfather is also a big influence?
Hector: Yeah, my grandpa came from Mexico and started a business selling used cars. And he became successful doing it. He wanted the American dream on a 6th-grade education. I always looked up to him. So in 2003 I remember visiting my grandfather in Eagle Pass and he was telling me rumors about these elite ex-military guys who had created their own cartel in Mexico. They were a precursor to modern-day cartels. So in my head, my gears are turning, while my grandfather is talking. I thought, in order to confront these type of cartels, you would almost need someone who is bigger than life.
You mentioned that your character’s name, El Peso Hero, is a moniker that he owns even though it was a name meant to belittle him. You also mentioned that he has another name on the other side of the border.
Hector: In Mexico, on the other side of the border he is known as El Toro Pesado, the “Heavy Bull”. He’s considered this unstoppable force for good.
Hector at work on his next issue.
That reminds me: back in 2012 you said that you compromised with yourself and gave the audience what they wanted – an English comic. With one exception: El Peso Hero would only speak Spanish. Is that still something you stick to?
Hector: Yep.
I think it’s interesting that you sort of followed in your father’s footsteps and became an educator yourself. Is that still a passion for you now that you’re on your way to becoming well-known within the comic book industry?
Hector: Professionally my main goals is to help as many kids as I can through education.
If you want to check out an El Peso Hero comic for yourself, head over to Hector’s website and be on the lookout for an upcoming short film starring the border hero himself.
