Calling all superheroes and fans of sci-fi flicks!
Dallas is your destination this weekend.
It’s where a comic-con festival is being held, but this one has a unique twist.
Texas Latino Comic Con highlights Latino comic book artists.
Its co-founder is Hector Rodriguez, the creator of a popular comic book series called “El Peso Hero.”
He started sketching in 2011.
“These stories need to be told,” Rodriguez said.
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His books center around a Mexican crime-fighting superhero named El Peso Hero.
“For him it was as a put down by the border patrol because he's belittling his heroics, ‘Oh he’s nothing more than el peso, he's not worth anything,’” Rodriguez explained.
The comics are examples of art imitating life. They depict contemporary issues like immigration, discrimination and violence along the border.
The border is where Rodriguez’s story begins.
He was born and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, along the Mexico border.
“There were comic book stores everywhere,” Rodriguez said, but added there were no Latino main characters on the covers.
He draws inspiration from his experience growing up.
By night, Rodriguez sketches and writes his comics.
By day, he’s a 5th grade bilingual reading teacher at Burks Elementary School in McKinney.
His stories may be fictional but reflect truth in today's world.
“They need these stories. They need to be represented,” Rodriguez said.
Texas Latino Comic Con will be held at the Latino Cultural Arts Center in Dallas on Saturday. Doors open at 11 a.m.
The event is free.
