TEX's BACK-ISSUE QUEST 2.0 EPISODE 6

Hey, there!

Hi, there!

Ho, there!

      What's shaking? Eggs and bacon? :)

      Hello my brothers! As you guys know, I collect comics in every language that I speak, read, or am learning to speak. I have 1st issues and key issues in American, British, Spanish-language, and French-language comics, with a sprinkling of Italian Comics...because my Italian is pretty bad still. LOL. I love comics!

      So, let's see my last buy of 2015:

It's my copy of El Gato Negro #1 (The Black Cat), published in 1993 by Azteca Productions. El Gato Negro, created by Richard Dominguez, is Francisco "Pancho" Guerrero, a kind-hearted, civic-minded social worker in Edinburgh, Texas by day, and a fearless, unstoppable vigilante crimefighter by night. Francisco's best friend was brutally slaughtered by narcos, and it is this pain that drives him to push his mind and body past their limits to protect the innocent and bring criminals to justice. Crime-fighting is in Francisco's blood. His grandfather, Vietnam veteran, Agustin "Gus" Guerrero, first donned the mask of El Gato Negro in the 1950s. At first, Agustin was a successful luchador who fought for glory inside the wrestling ring; but soon his sense of justice would not allow him to stand idly by as criminals sought to ravage his community. Agustin would fight crime for over a decade, finally retiring the late 60s, and almost 30 years later, his grandson would take up the crime-fighting mantle of El Gato Negro.

Only about 5,000 were printed, and even less probably still exist. I was happy to find out that Richard was working on a live-action film starring El Gato Negro called, El Gato Negro: Prey.

Here's the crowdfunding site, if you want to help Richard realize this film: El Gato Negro Fund

FUN FACT 1: El Gato Negro is also called The Nocturnal Warrior

FUN FACT 2: El Gato Negro is an olympic-level athlete, an expert in several combative art forms, and a skilled detective.

FUN FACT 3: El Gato Negro eschews the use of guns, choosing to depend on his own skills and wits to defeat his enemies. He does use shuriken and batons when necessary. His mask is equipped with an array of gadgets to expand his effectiveness.

NEXT UP....EL PANTERA!!!


El Pantera is Gervasio Robles Villa, a native Mexican (Indian) with green eyes and cat-like features. He is an unofficial special agent of the police - a man who does whatever it takes to bring narcos, pimps, murderers and all types of criminals down hard. What El Pantera lacks in intelligence, he makes up for with loyalty, amazing luck and an iron-clad resolve. These, along with his uncanny ability to read people, attract the ladies (and the problems that come along with them), and his devastating, expert hand-to-hand combat skills, make El Pantera a nearly unbeatable, highly-feared street-level crime-fighter.

El Pantera was created by Daniel Muñoz Martinez (R.I.P. / Q.E.P.D.) in the early 1970s. He first appeared in EDPA's (Editorial de La Parra) comic, Super Mini #40 and in the early 80's El Pantera finally got is own title.

Next to Santo and Blue Demon, El Pantera is my favorite Mexican hero, followed closely by Kaliman, y Fantomas.

In 2007, El Pantera got his own TV show in Mexico, and it was a smash-hit, lasting for 3 seasons (and I own them all on DVD). Here are the opening credits for the 3rd season of the show:

In this version of El Pantera, Gervasio Robles, son of a white man and an indigenous woman, is framed for the murder of his  fiancée. In prison, he is taken under the wing of a shadowy, but lethal figure, El Indio, who teaches him Wushu and uses his connections to get Gervasio freed and returned to his life. The only catch is that he becomes and unofficial "problem-solver" for the police at the beck and call of the General of the Police Force, Porfirio Ayala, who soon becomes a father figure to Gervasio. I loved this show and was very sad to see it go.

Imagine my pure, unadulterated joy upon hearing that critically acclaimed writer of novels, comics and TV shows, Warren Ellis, is now adapting El Pantera for an English-language TV show with executive producer of The Walking Dead, Gale Ann Hurd, signed on to produce it!! YES!!!!Somebody in Heaven loves me!!

In light of this, I thought that I'd share my key El Pantera comics (historietas, tebeos o cómics) with you all today. First up:

These are my copies Super Mini #40, published in 1971, featuring the very 1st appearance of El Pantera. The other is Super Mini #98, published in 1973 - a later, but still very early appearance of El Pantera. It took me several years to finally find these comics. Collecting foreign comics is, in my experience, more challenging than collecting American comics due to the fact that not many people kept these around - more often than not, comics were read into oblivion, used for insulation or used for kindling. The comics collector culture never really caught on in Mexico, Latin America, France and many other places like it did in the United States. That's what makes amazing finds like these all the more sweet.

It's my copy of El Pantera #1 published by Grupo Editorial VID (EDAR) in the early 1980s. I am so glad to have it!

FUN FACT 1: In the comics series, El Pantera is an indigenous Mexican, in the TV show, El Pantera is of white and indigenous Mexican ancestry; however, the actor that portrayed El Pantera, Luis Roberto Guzmán, is actually Puerto Rican.

FUN FACT 2: El Pantera usually eschews the use of guns.

Comics have many fun and interesting genres - it would be a shame to limit yourself to just one. Comics also have such a long and rich history in many places all over the world - it would be a shame just to confine yourself to comics published here in the U.S.A.. Branch out, and taste that diverse comic book goodness, and have some fun.

You never know what you might find that could change your mind, and change your world for the better.

ENJOY!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!