- Human Diastrophism
- Perla la Loca
- Beyond Palomar
- Amor y Cohetes
- Penny Century
- Esperanza
- Luba and Her Family
Palomar stories. The residents suffer through a serial killer and an earthquake. For the reader, it's rough when terrible things happen to a community you care about. Kids grow up too fast as decades often pass in just a few pages. The most interesting story follows Pipo - interesting because the tale told in the images is independent of the one told in the text.
Maggie and Hopey start out in Hoppers (LA) but ultimately wind up on separate cross-country adventures. Loads of wrestling in this one.
This one moves way too fast for me. Quite a lot of time passes from one panel to the next and it's hard to keep track of it all. This is also the book where, as the title suggest, the characters start to move away from Palomar to the US. When they finally do make it back, it feels like coming home for me, too.
This one is a collection of shorter pieces. My love for the series relies on absorption and I couldn't get into most of the material here. However, AyC does include a truly excellent biography of artist Frida Kahlo with images based on her work.
Still with Locas. Esperanza is Hopey's given name. Esperanza, of course, is the Spanish word for hope.
Writers and artists: Gil, Jaime and Mario Hernandez
Since my last post about the series in August, I've gone on a deep dive with Love and Rockets, powering through seven more trades. For the most part, each volume is devoted entirely either to Jaime Hernandez's Locas world or Gil Hernandez's Palomar, though few of those are actually set in Palomar anymore, much of the family having moved to Los Angeles. The exception is Amor y Cohotes which includes unrelated material from each of the two main creators, plus a few stories from brother Mario.
I won't pretend that over several hundred pages, all of the material is great. But when Love and Rockets is good, it is astonishingly good. The greatest strength throughout is the seemingly effortless intimacy. A few thoughts on specific volumes:
Human Diastrophism
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| via Amazon |
Palomar stories. The residents suffer through a serial killer and an earthquake. For the reader, it's rough when terrible things happen to a community you care about. Kids grow up too fast as decades often pass in just a few pages. The most interesting story follows Pipo - interesting because the tale told in the images is independent of the one told in the text.
Perla la Loca
 |
| via Amazon |
Maggie and Hopey start out in Hoppers (LA) but ultimately wind up on separate cross-country adventures. Loads of wrestling in this one.
Beyond Palomar
This one moves way too fast for me. Quite a lot of time passes from one panel to the next and it's hard to keep track of it all. This is also the book where, as the title suggest, the characters start to move away from Palomar to the US. When they finally do make it back, it feels like coming home for me, too.
Amor y Cohetes
 |
| via Amazon |
This one is a collection of shorter pieces. My love for the series relies on absorption and I couldn't get into most of the material here. However, AyC does include a truly excellent biography of artist Frida Kahlo with images based on her work.
Penny Century
Back to Locas. One of the most important through stories of L&R is the on-and-off-again love affair between Maggie and Hopey. They're rarely actually dating. In fact, they're both usually with other people. But they still hook up with each other seemingly every chance they get and clearly, it's not just about sex. There is a potent love between them.
However, it's not exactly equal. Hopey is the more attached (though also the less dependable) of the two. At one point in this volume, she muses about the nature of the relationship, basically acknowledging that it's all pretty messed up but in the end, she'll take what she can get from Maggie.
I've heard people say this in the real world, too. In effect, they'll take all of the dysfunction over being alone. Honestly, I've never understood that attitude. But here, I kind of understand it. Hopey knows they can never have anything normal. But she's in love with Maggie. She doesn't really have a choice. If it's the mess or nothing, she'll take the mess.
It's still unhealthy. But I kind of get it.
More wrestling.
Esperanza
 |
| via Amazon |
Still with Locas. Esperanza is Hopey's given name. Esperanza, of course, is the Spanish word for hope.
The truth is, it's nearly impossible not to fall in love with Maggie. Most of the other characters do at one point or another. I kinda did, too. She's not perfect - far from it. But she's believable, accessible, vulnerable, unassuming. Her reflections on her divorce - from a marriage that never even seemed to be especially important to her - comprise my favorite story in the entire series.
We're also reminded that she's still a kickass mechanic.
And still more wrestling.
Luba and Her Family
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| via Amazon |
Much of this collection is told from the viewpoint of the precocious Venus, Luba's niece, as she writes letters to her cousin back in Palomar. Venus, probably about 10 years old, is hilarious and her insights into her family are keen. However, her perspective is far from omniscient. There's quite a lot of sex going on among the adults, including her own mother's extra-marital affairs.
In my previous post, I proclaimed Palomar to be the superior of the two main worlds. I've since changed my mind. Those stories are still good but for me, they lose something after the family moves to the States. Meanwhile, Maggie and Hopey always draw me back.
I've still got two more trades on my shelves and there are two more beyond that in this series. At this point, I see no reason not to read all of them.
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