Bay Area to do for sure!

Latino comic and graphic novel creators from around the country are guests at The Second Annual Latino Comics Expo at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. Panels, workshops, readings and fan meet-and-greets are set for Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6, 2012.

“The Latino Comics Expo showcases some of the biggest Latino names in the comic industry, including comic books, newspaper strips, webcomics, zines and more,” says Expo co-founder Javier Hernandez, creator of  El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie. “It’s one of the most unique comic events in the country, and it gives comic and graphic novel fans a chance to personally meet top creators.”

Artists and comic creators scheduled to appear at the Latino Comics Expo include Crystal Gonzalez (In The Dark), Hector Cantu (Baldo), Liz Mayorga (Spunky Cat Comix), Anthony Oropeza (AmigoMan), Graciela Rodriguez (Spadra), Rafael Navarro (El Sonambulo), Jaime Crespo (Tortilla Press), Jose Cabrera (Crying Macho Man), Gabrielle Gamboa (Miss Lonely Hearts), Adriana Garcia Cabrera (Aztec of The City), Richard Dominguez (El Gato Negro), Isis Rodriguez (Niñaji), Javier Hernandez (El Muerto) and Octavio Rodriguez (Pixar).  Also scheduled to appear is Mario Hernandez of the famed Los Bros Hernandez and the Love & Rockets graphic novel series, as well as underground comix legend Spain Rodriguez.

Running concurrent with the Latino Comics Expo is the original art exhibition LA RAZA COMICA: Celebrating the Latino-American experience in the Comic Arts at the Cartoon Art Museum from May 5 thru September 30, 2012.

All events are open to the public and are included with paid admission to the Cartoon Art Museum at 655 Mission Street, near Yerba Buena Gardens between New Montgomery and Third Street in San Francisco.

The Latino Comics Expo was co-founded by Ricardo Padilla and Javier Hernandez to provide a showcase for Latino creators and others to share their work with the public. Through published comics, webcomics, graphic novels and other visual mediums, the Expo seeks to share the Latino-American experience through the diversity of the artists and their works.

The Cartoon Art Museum, founded in 1984, is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to cartoons and comics in all their forms. The museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, study and exhibition of original cartoon art in all forms to benefit historians, cartoonists, journalists, artists, collectors and the general public.