The first EGN FANCLUB contest!

Welcome to another EGN FANCLUB first! Today we're offering all you 'Gato-fans a chance to win a free copy of Frederick Luis Aldama's Your Brain On Latino Comics- a book that places the spotlight on Latino comics characters and their creators. Featuring over 21 interviews with various writers and artists (including Richard!)- this book is a must have for any comics fan. And we're giving you not one, but TWO chances to win a free paperback edition of Your Brain On Latino Comics, each of which will be signed by Richard. (and yes, FREE shipping/handling)

An associate from the Pacific Northwest was kind enough to donate two pristine, never-before read copies of the book just for our contest! To enter, simply send your name and current mailing address to gatograms@gmail.com The contest will run from today to July 7th 2009 and end at Midnight (Pacific Time). The following day we will announce our two winners of the contest.

So what're you waiting for? Get your free copy today! (...er, on July 8th or so...)

-SALUDOS!
Azteca Productions Staff

PLEASE READ THE CONTEST ENTRY RULES BEFORE ENTERING:

• The contest is open to all those who consistently read the EGN FANCLUB blog as well as those in the general public within the United States. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD PLEASE.
  
• Decisions are final. EGN FANCLUB will not offer any substitutions or consolation prizes.
• Winner of the prize authorizes the use of their name and municipality of residence, as well as their likeness (whether it be audio/visual or otherwise) for the use of promotion on the blog.
• Those who enter the contest must send us their correct mailing information before the prize is awarded to them. U.S. Postage to be paid, free of charge by EGN FANCLUB. WE WILL NOT SEND YOUR PRIZE VIA UPS OR FedEx. The winner must acknowledge that EGN FANCLUB will not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize.
• Contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules. EGN FANCLUB has the right to withdraw or terminate this and any other contest at any time without prior notice.

The 'Secret Origins' of El Gato Negro! (part three)

Hey 'Gato-fans! It's Richard once again, taking some time out of my busy schedule to let you all in on the "Secret Origins of El Gato Negro!"

The early conception of EGN's character design was far different from the one we all know and love today. First of all, he didn't have the trademark cat-ears and the original sketches of his mask were not as eye-catching. Also, he sported a mustache, which I later decided to take out since I didn't want the character to suffer any comparison to the stereotypes. (I'm looking at you Frito Bandito!)

As I mentioned before, Lee Falk's The Phantom was a very strong influence in the creation of EGN. The idea of having generation after generation of crime-fighters adopt the same nom de guerre appealed to me. Also, if you look at most superheroes in the 'mainstream' today, they all had predecessors from back in the Golden or Silver Age of Comics. So, kind of as a shout out to the Silver Age and Phantom, I created Agustin Guerrero- a luchador-turned crimefighter of the 1960s and grandfather of the current (or more "modern") El Gato Negro.

A good friend and mentor of mine, Tex Henson once said, "You are the storyteller first and the artist second. Good art alone will not sell a product." Which is one of the things I did my best to tackle with EGN. I wanted to make sure that these characters, specifically Francisco and his grandfather, Agustin, would be well grounded in reality. That these could be people the reader could believe exist.


While the thought of EGN was still rumbling in my mind, I discovered a copy of Relampago #1 in a quarter-bin box at a half-price bookstore. The book was self-published by Margarito C. Garza, a district-court Judge out of Corpus Christi. It had this byline that proudly exclaimed "America's FIRST Mexican-American Superhero!" To my surprise, the book also included a phone number to Judge Garza's comic shop, COLLECTORS BOOKSTORE. I quickly called up and let him know that I'd become a fan of his work. After that we became close friends, and even discussed the possibility of reviving the Relampago series. (At this time it'd been out of print for a few years) But our progress on the project was hindered, mainly due to the Judge's hectic hours in court.


I wanted to prove myself to the Judge, so I decided to pursue El Gato Negro in a self-published format. So, in October of 1993, the first issue of El Gato Negro hit the shelves. I did a print of 5,000 and within a month it was gone. Retailers told me it actually sold faster than ANY X-Men title in the area. The Judge was impressed with my achievement, and even considered a potential cross-over between our respective characters. Ultimately, this did not come to pass, as my good friend and mentor passed away in 1995 long before a script could be written. That man was an inspiration to me, and such a ball of fire. I can honestly say, that without Margarito Garza, there would be no Azteca Productions or El Gato Negro today. (Which is why, with permission from the Garza Estate, I have taken it upon myself to relaunch the Relampago series under the Azteca Productions flag.)


Three more issues followed soon after, about one per year. I had originally planned on publishing the installments quarterly, but that's the thing about self-publishing. You aren't quite sure when your book is gonna come out. (I had tried to market EGN to the 'big two' of the industry, but they took little to no interest. Which is fine by me, since I have the freedom to do what I want with my characters.) After the fourth issue of EGN and the publication of Team Tejas, I decided to take a break from the comic book business. Mainly, it was because I wanted to focus on being a father and look after my daughter who had been diagnosed with autism. Another factor was the industry at that time was in turmoil and a lot of indie publishers had gone belly-up. (Some before they even got their first books to press!) So I decided to fold my arms and wait for the dust to settle before I tried anything too risky.

Now that EGN is back in a new series, I hope to take this little-company that could to new heights and deliver the entertainment you 'Gato-fans truly deserve!

-Richard.

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This concludes our three-part series, "THE SECRET ORIGINS OF EL GATO NEGRO!" Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for a special announcement this Wednesday on our first EGN FANCLUB CONTEST!

-STAFF

The 'Secret Origins' of El Gato Negro! (part two)

Hey 'Gato-fans, its the real Richard Dominguez, taking over EGN FANCLUB to bring you part two of "The Secret Origins of El Gato Negro!"

El Gato Negro's development was greatly influenced by the likes of The Shadow, Batman, and The Phantom but I had also wanted to include some elements from the lucha libre tradition.


Real-life superheroes like El Santo, Blue Demon, and Tinieblas served as early archetypes for the Nocturnal Warrior. Much of the stronger Lucha Libre elements later became recycled in to EGN's predecessor. (A 'Silver Age' EGN, more on that later.) Japanese manga, animation and martial arts films also played a role- as some of you can probably tell through EGN's costume design and equipment:


Now the name El Gato Negro was borrowed from a failed settlement I stumbled upon called "El Gato" located just south of Pharr, Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley area. The reason the hero's name became 'El Gato Negro' instead of just 'El Gato' was because it sounded more mysterious. It was also a way for me to associate the character with superstition- a black cat has always been a symbol of bad luck, so in a way EGN brings bad luck to all those who do evil.


As for the character's secret identity, I wanted to devise something with historical significance. For his given name I came up with 'Francisco', borrowed from Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa. As for his surname, 'Guerrero', that's the Spanish word for 'warrior'...there is also a historical context to his last name but one I'm not quite ready to reveal yet. (Let's just say the El Gato Negro legacy has a history dating back to the time of the Mexican Revolution through his great-grandfather.)

...TO BE CONTINUED.

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That concludes part two of our "SECRET ORIGINS OF EL GATO NEGRO!" series. Stay tuned for the final chapter, here at EGNFANCLUB.COM!

-Staff

The 'Secret Origins' of El Gato Negro! (part one)

Hey gang, it's Richard once again, taking over the EGN FANCLUB blog to let you in on the "Secret Origins of El Gato Negro!"


El Gato Negro's humble beginnings started back in the mid-to-late '80s, while I was still in college. In fact, he was more or less "born" on the pages of my notebook when I should have been taking notes! I originally envisioned him to be a member of a mostly Latino super-group who I called Team Tejas. But after placing so much emphasis on this particular character, I found he didn't fit in with the other members of the group. So after some careful consideration I decided to place the other members of Team Tejas on the proverbial "backburner" and focus more on the development of EGN. In creating the character, I drew a lot of influence from some of my favorite superheroes.


EGN gets a lot of comparison to Batman, and for good reason. I've always been a big fan of the Dark Knight, particularly of the early work by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. There's always been something primal about the character, which is probably what makes him so endearing for the past 70 years, and leaves him open to many interpretations. (The great detective's sidekick, Dick Grayson, was also a strong influence. Especially after Dick decided to fly solo as Nightwing.) With EGN I wanted a hero that could feasibly exist in the real world, and so I rationalized that like Batman, he should be a 'creature of the night' who can strike fear in the hearts of evil-doers everywhere.


Bill Finger once said "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps", and EGN is no exception. Walter B. Gibson's The Shadow, Richard Wentworth's The Spider, as well as Johnston McCulley's Zorro played a vital role in EGN's early development. Unlike EGN however, some of these characters were not above killing criminals, and while EGN will use any means necessary to combat crime, I promise you he will never make use of lethal force. (Besides, the industry is over-flooded with all that 'morally ambiguous' junk!)



I wanted EGN to read as a kind of classic crime drama, so I also borrowed inspiration from two of the greatest comic detectives, The Spirit and The Crimson Avenger. And while I was still doodling sketches in my notebooks, Frank Miller had already started his amazing run on Daredevil. Until that time Daredevil's rogues gallery consisted mostly of costumed supervillains, but Miller decided to place the spotlight on organized crime, and gave the series a noir-vibe.



Lee Falk's comic strip superhero, The Phantom, was also a strong influence. A crime-fighter believed to be immortal but is truly descended from 20 previous generations of crime-fighters who all adopt the same persona...It was this concept that first interested me in creating a predecessor of a "modern-day" El Gato Negro. I thought this would also lend an advantage to the hero's clandestine operations, as his enemies would see him as more than a man. His strength is that few would believe in him...

...TO BE CONTINUED.

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That concludes part one of the "SECRET ORIGINS OF EL GATO NEGRO!" series. Stay tuned for part two!

-Staff

Sneak-peek of "And Now...RELAMPAGO!"

For those of you out there who read the original series of EGN, running from 1993-1997, you may have noticed issue #4 "ENTER: THE DOGS OF WAR!" ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

The events of 'Dogs of War' take place shortly after the arrest of career-criminal Armando Ochoa (a.k.a. "El Graduado"), who is about to go on trial. During this time Francisco is exhausting himself in his late-night activities as El Gato Negro, and is growing increasingly worried for the safety of his grandfather, Agustin, who has agreed to to testify against Armando. Francisco later learns Armando's father, South Texas crime-lord Ignacio J. "Boss" Ochoa has placed a price on EGN's head but won't allow any of his "minions" to take care of the job.

Boss Ochoa instead "outsources" the hit to his two nephews: Javier "Rottweiler" Briones and Jaimé "Pit-Bull" Briones of Corpus Christi. Feared mercenaries of the criminal underground, the 'Dogs of War' are experts in an arsenal of weaponry, but enjoy the rush of unarmed combat in Texas-style Barroom Brawls. (They often instigate fights or have 5-10 minute "workouts" to sate their savagery.)

Not much after being tapped by Boss Ochoa, the Briones brother's are being trailed by Marcos Zapata, better known as Relampago. (His first published appearance in over a decade) After interrogating some of their cronies in the Tejano del Mar club in Corpus Christi, Relampago discovers the plot to terminate EGN. Believing it to be his long lost friend and mentor, Agustin Guerrero, Relampago sets out to save his friend. His progress is hindered however as the overuse of his powers have been causing him intense pain.


Francisco hears of a private meeting taking place between Boss Ochoa and his associates at the Ochoa Civic Center in McAllen. Planning to just take a "quick-peek", Francisco investigates the center as EGN. But the meeting is in fact a setup for our hero. The Briones brothers nearly beat him to death but Francisco managed to escape to his home in Edinburg, where he collapsed in the arms of his grandfather.


The following issue, "And Now...RELAMPAGO!" was never published, which left some of you 'Gato-fans scratching your heads. However, we are currently in the process of putting together trade-paperback a compilation of the original series, including the unpublished 5th issue. Richard, being the nice guy he is, has allowed us to give all you fans an exlusive sneak-peek here at EGN FANCLUB of the final chapter of EL GATO NEGRO: THE ORIGINAL SERIES.

MUST READ: Your Brain on Latino Comics

Written by Frederick Luis Aldama, YOUR BRAIN ON LATINO COMICS is the first undertaking by any author to fully examine the influence of Latino creators within the comic book industry. The book includes interviews with various Latino writers and artists, including Rafael Navarro (SONAMBULO), Javier Hernandez (EL MUERTO), and one Richard Dominguez. We highly reccomend this to comic fans everywhere.

*"Though the field of comic book studies has burgeoned in recent years, Latino characters and creators have received little attention. Putting the spotlight on this vibrant segment, Your Brain on Latino Comics illuminates the world of superheroes Firebird, Vibe, and the new Blue Beetle while also examining the effects on readers who are challenged to envision such worlds.

Exploring mainstream companies such as Marvel and DC as well as rising stars from other segments of the industry, Frederick Aldama provides a new reading of race, ethnicity, and the relatively new storytelling medium of comics themselves. Overview chapters cover the evolution of Latino influences in comics, innovations, and representations of women, demonstrating Latino transcendence of many mainstream techniques. The author then probes the rich and complex ways in which such artists affect the cognitive and emotional responses of readers as they imagine past, present, and future worlds.

Twenty-one interviews with Latino comic book and comic strip authors and artists, including Laura Molina, Frank Espinosa, and Rafael Navarro, complete the study, yielding captivating commentary on the current state of the trade, cultural perceptions, and the intentions of creative individuals who shape their readers in powerful ways."

*Product description from Amazon.com

Think YOU got what it takes?

In response to recent e-mail messages we've been receiving, we've decided to leave this message here on the blog for all to view.

We are at this time accepting any and all submissions from writers and artists interested in working under the Azteca Productions banner. For all those out there who may be so inclined, please drop us a line at gatograms@gmail.com to receive our official submission guidelines. Be aware however, that we are not interested in the publication of any creator-owned ideas, and all submissions must pertain to existing Azteca Productions properties. (i.e. El Gato Negro, Team Tejas ETC.)

-SALUDOS!
Azteca Productions Staff