September 2007 Blog Posts Note: Some links may no longer work
Sunday, September 30, 2007 Carmen, Gracie! Carmen, Gracie! What became of the romance between Tia Carmen and Gregorio? I think Tia Carmen and Gracie are both great and would like to see more of their charactors in your script. thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by goldie at 11:39AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦We've sketched out a few ideas on Gregorio returning ... this time in cartoon form! But nothing has taken shape fully yet. We'll keep working on it. We know lots of readers out there want Tia and Gregorio to hook up again. Post by HCantu.
Friday, September 28, 2007 Pass along a message, will ya? I'm a 62 year old Anglo living in McAllen, Texas and I really enjoy Baldo. Do me a favor... tell Ben thanks for me too. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Paul B. at 9:38PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
COMMENTS ¦Consider the message passed along, Paul. Post by HCantu.
Your comic is all propaganda Your intentions may be honorable however you are racists. Comics are not a platform for teaching the public anything about Political Correctness , Race Relations, or Religion. They are for the lighter side of life. I love reading the comics to my kids and I skip yours because you trash white people and at times, perhaps without you realizing it, make hispanics look stereotypically ignorant. America will not exist if the people do not join together in one culture. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your roots but you do not have the right to make fun of others because they are not like you. I am proud to be an American first and not who my ancestors are. I am going to urge our paper the Salinas, CA, Californian to move your hispanic propaganda to the editorial or sports page where it belongs. Right next Doonesbury. They could even move it to El Sol and take it out of the Californian. I love the Californian and would not do anything to harm it's circulation. Thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Dave Clark at 12:31PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦This is an example of what I am talking about. The title over my letter is "Your WWII story is all propaganda" My letter had nothing to do the WWII story. They have proven me right. They are not only racists but liars. I am an advocate for civil rights going back to the 60's. Any person who does not give equal rights or treat others they same way they want to be treated is a racist. No matter what the color of there skin is. I have been married for 27 years to a beautiful hispanic woman. We have two children. I was a member of LULAC for several years. This are provable facts. I am sure the writers of Baldo Comics will enjoy my name being smeared my veterans such as myself for mislabeling my letter. I hope the public will see there is no mention to the honorable men and women of our armed forces. Race does not come between soldiers. We were there fighting to keep one another alive. I urge them to post this letter as well on www.baldocomics.com right under the one they have already posted. Post by Dave Clark.
¦Mr. Clark: For almost two weeks, we told the story of a WWII veteran. Then your letter arrives, with the opening statement: 'Your intentions may be honorable however you are racists.' If you were not referring to the WWII Baldo storyline and instead were referring to other Baldo storylines or even the entire strip, we're sorry. The headline has been changed to encompass the entire strip, not just recent strips. Post by HCantu.
¦One more point: I walked with Cesar Chavez and protected Dolores Huerta during the UFW strikes in the early 70s in Monterey County. I did this all 6 years. I stopped the teamsters from harming innocent farm workers on the picket lines. I had to walk a fine line and treat both sides equally. Those who choose to work to support their family and those who walked the picket line for better working conditions and wages. I am a retied Monterey County Deputy Sheriff. All I ask Baldo Comics to do is show the lighter side of life or move off of the comics page so they can go on with their agenda. Thanks. Post by Dave Clark.
¦Obviously you do not really read the comic page to your kids or else you would know that almost ALL comics are political in some way. Take into consideration Doonesbury, which has been extremely political from day one! Your newspaper may choose to print it in the political section, but many others do not. They place Doonesbury right alongside these other gems on the comics page: Beetle Bailey - pro-military! Peanuts' basic theme: "If you can't trust your friends, who can you trust?" Political. (Think: Lucy lying to Charlie Brown's face right before she yanks the football out from under him & proceeds to tell him he's a fool to trust anyone). Family Circus - very religious (frequent mentions of God, the dead grandfather wearing angel wings watching down from heaven, plot lines involving church and bombarding the minister with endless questions of faith). Mutts - strong political animal advocacy (one of my top fave strips!). Curtis - religious (frequent plot lines revolving around church, not to mention the fact that all the old black men hang out in the barber shop!). Boondocks - very political with a heavy racial theme including a bi-racial character. Zippy - political/social/twisted. Hedge - political/social commentary from the displaced-by-urban-sprawl animal perspective. Secret Asian Man - racial commentary galore! Bizzaro - political/social. Hi and Lois have a "stereotypical" white neighbour named Thirty who drinks beer all day from his hammock while watching the grass devour his lawn mower. Remember Pogo? Political! ..... OK, should I go on or do you get the point? Carlos and Hector are not "racists". If they are, then to whom are they being racists towards? They constantly promote racial harmony and equality. They always demonstrate both the sameness and the uniqueness of different races and cultures. Perhaps your newspaper is printing some alternative reality version? Baldo is EveryTeen - he just happens to be Hispanic. Maybe Carlos & Hector should instead pen a strip about a boring middle class white family who have no cultural background or ancestry, have no opinion on anything, eat lots of white bread, and wear polyester? Post by Catharine Espinosa.
¦Baldo racist? Puh-leeeze. It's interesting how people throw around the word "racist." Everybody wants to lob that bomb at second's notice. 'You're racist!' 'No, you're racist!' 'No, you're racist!' 'Uh-uh, YOU are!' It's almost meaningless. 'We're ALL racists, so therefore there's NO RACISM!' I'm not sure that's what the real racists don't want. They want to kill that word so there's no legitimate word for discriminating against people, and thus it 'doesn't exist anymore.' Saying it doesn't make it true. Post by neddie.
Thursday, September 27, 2007 You have taken the high road I am not Hispanic, but my kids and I have been fans of Baldo for years. I want to thank you for your efforts to educate the public on the role of Hispanics in World War II through your series on Ben Ramirez. I am probably more aware of their role than most Anglos, since I live in South Texas and grew up knowing many of those who served, from every race, through my Father’s membership in the American Legion. I am aware of the controversy concerning Ken Burn’s documentary about the war and I admit that I have mixed feelings over it. This is why I am writing to you. You have taken the high road in this struggle. Because of that, you have probably reached more people with a more positive and potent message about the plight of not only the Hispanic, but the Afro-American, Native American and other men and women of color who valiantly served our country even when many in this country would not recognize them as equals. Thank you for that. This country needs to know that heroes come in all colors and genders. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Tammy C. at 5:54PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Grateful for the armed forces I wanted to mention that I am very proud of the way your strip has demonstrated respect and honour for the men and women that have served in the armed forces. This is a very difficult job to do and under some of the worst conditions. The driving force to keep going is often that desire to do the right thing. I am not in the military, nor have family in the military, I am a naturalized citizen whom the US provided refuge from an oppressive regime many years ago. I am grateful for the courage, strength and heart of the men and women in the armed forces that make it possible to live a life of freedom. “Thank You” is exactly right. Thanks for your strip and for touching the heart. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Ana Yelen at 1:55PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Moving and informative Your story line this week about WWII has been very moving and informative - thank you for reminding us of how much we owe ALL of our members of the Armed Forces. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Sue Collins at 7:46AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
I've enjoyed your WWII story I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your cartoons on WWII this week. This week it was very special in reminding us that Americans from all walks of life fought in and contributed to the efforts of the war and all of their stories are interesting and valuable to our society. Thanks again. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by holly christmas at 5:58AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 This is my first fan letter I am a 55 year old Hispanic. I read two newspapers every day, comics first. I save yours to last because I enjoy it the most. I have never written a fan letter to a comic strip before, but I just wanted to compliment you on the fine series this week. This latest panel was touching, warm, uniting, and made my eyes moist. Thank you for a fine job not only commemorating the contributions of Latino veterans, but pointing the way to a future of an America where one's efforts and accomplishments earn you an equal place at the table of opportunity that makes this the greatest country in the world. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by M.D. Cave at 9:23AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Thanks for the WWII series Thank you for the storyline highlighting the Latino experience of service in WWII. I did not realize until recently that, here in California, Latinos were the most decorated group of servicemen--and women. What fierce dedication those young men and women demonstrated, and how bitterly ironic it is to me that California, among other states, continued to enforce legislation intended to exclude and marginalize non-Whites, even returning veterans. Your strip handles with straight-forward beauty a sad truth in our recent history. I wonder how many proponents of "stronger immigration laws" know about the service and sacrifice of Latinos, not to mention African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Native Americans? ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Andrea McDaniel at 8:05AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 You people should grow up So what is so unique about your groups experience? The irish were discriminated against. So were the italians. Get over it and grow up! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by kram56 at 11:31PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Kram56, you fail to get the point of all this. It is not about not being grown up, as if this were about a bunch of whining babies who didn't get extra play time. Yes, the Irish (which I am descended from) were discriminated against, as were Italians, Jews, Asians, Africans, Native Americans...the list is endless. THAT is the point of all this commentary and discussion. Baldo's recent plot line is referring primarily to the unrecognized contribution of los latinos to the armed forces, but it is about more that that. It is about the unrecognised contributions of many different ethnic groups to the many different aspects of this country- economic, political, cultural... Like the many different faces that make up this country, and the world, the list of contributions is endless. Carlos & Hector, being latinos, have created characters that not only reflect la experiencia latina, but have made much effort to always acknowledge the fact that we are ALL sailing in this Strange Boat together (mikescottwaterboys.com). You are well aware of the expression about those who don't bother to learn from history being doomed to repeat it. History is repeating itself right now in a most brutal and ugly way. No one seems to have learned from the past several thousand years that the mass slaughter of humans (under the terminology of "war to establish peace") is not a solution to the world's problems which are all artificially created by other humans in the form of economic power & world domination. The character of Señor Ramirez is desperately trying to teach all of us to stop this horrible cycle of death, despair, and destruction. It starts with the simple act of respect for all living beings on this planet. When you accuse those who are trying to teach history of not being "grown up" and that they should "get over it" you are spitting in the eye of all those who walked before you who suffered, bled, and died so that YOU can have the wonderful opportunity to grow up and have the freedom to speak your mind. As long as there are those who perpetuate discrimination we will all never be able to get over it - we will be doomed to repeat this history until we are all ultimately destroyed by our own hands. Post by Catharine Espinosa.
Let's meet, greet and doodle Hey gang, I’m thrilled to announce I will be visiting the main Broward County Library, 100 South Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, October 13 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. We’re gonna talk cartooning, answer cartooning questions, and do some cartooning. So bring your sketchbooks and pencils! My sons will be there taking pictures to capture every moment I make a fool of myself. Aren’t kids awesome!? The event is free and open to the public. For additional info, call 1-954-357-7504 or download the pdf flier. See you there! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by CCastellanos at 12:21PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed your workshop this Saturday, Oct. 13th at the Broward Library. My daughter spoke to you at length after the presentation and came away even more excited and enthusiastic (if that were possible) about her craft and its many possibilities for her future. Mom was impressed too. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It was well worth the drive up from South Miami-Dade. Post by Berta.
Do strips on Andy Rooney Thanks for a highly entertaining strip that has done so much for the Latino community. Anglo America has finally come to the realization that we are an impact group and not a group of manual laborers here to serve them. I have a suggestion for a series of strips. About a couple of weeks ago, Andy Rooney made the comment in his weekly column that "there are so many Rodriguez in baseball I have no interest in the game anymore"! I couldn't believe that stupidity still exists, but then I should know better and instead say that stupidity will never die. Robyn Norwood, a sports columnist at the LA Times, made mention of it in her column. Norwood's last comment was, "Somebody should tell Rooney to retire"! Again, thank you Baldo for being here. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Ed Campos at 11:24AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Mr. Rooney has said he regrets the remarks. Post by HCantu.
Monday, September 24, 2007 Elders dealt with discrimination First let me say I am of Italian descent. I relate to "Baldo" and his ethnicity which represents his "roots". I feel an affinity to it because it represents my memories of my background. That said, I stop reading him when the story line delves into the discrimination issue. All of our elders, new to this country, dealt with it. I read the comics for enjoyment not a political statement. Get through it and get on with the humor of a boy growing up and his interaction with his family. Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Mike Cipolla at 3:20PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Appearing on NPR this afternoon! Hey everyone, I will be a guest on today's "Talk of the Nation" show on National Public Radio. We'll be talking about our WWII sequence appearing in papers this and last week. It's scheduled to broadcast live at 2:40 p.m. Eastern time, 1:40 Central time, 11:40 Pacific time. Hope you can tune in or even call with a question! You might be able to hear the show live from their web site. Afterwards, a transcript should be available. We'll let you know. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 12:23PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦I listened to NPR this afternoon and heard the discussion on the slighting of Hispanics in Ken Burns's The War film. I taped the first segment of The War last night and have yet to see the whole film, but did hear Burns's presentation to the National Press Club in D.C. once again, on NPR. Burns's articulation about the conditions and soldiers' attitudes he and his producer of The War encompassed, what they learned about the battles and survival of these, the common man--having stayed away from any brass who have always been the focus of past studies--was electrifying when taken in Burns's command of language and the comparison with the character of The War men as opposed to the character of the common man today. When asked about the lack of diversity among his characters and stories, Burns replied, "No Hispanic came forward, no WAC or WAVE came forward. We told the stories of those who came to tell them." I am remembering a conversation from last Friday but am sure that these are Burns's words because I was surprised that no one from these groups--I'm assuming that African-Americans, in their segregated condition, did come forward--came to add their stories to flesh out the picture of the war and sacrifice Burns intended to present. I'm not sure Burns acted in a prejudicial manner in not covering Hispanics or Jews as soldiers . . . a closer look into Burns's words at the Press Club, his comments on the project, and direct contact with him about this issue might shed light on the slight certain groups feel. Post by Barbara Gilman.
¦Good job with the NPR interview (I heard it today in Bend, Oregon on KOAB)! I'm putting together a essay about my dad's participation in the Korean War effort and the effect of segregation (Mendez vs. Board of Edu.) on his life experience. I'll put you on my email monthly newsletter so you'll know when it's up. Your piece inspired me to keep up the work. Here is an essay about my abuelita. I put a link to your website on my web site at this page. Thanks for speaking up about Hispanic history. So often Anglos see it as an immigration issue and "forget" that about 1/2 of the US was Mexico at one time. (My grandmother's family became US citizens by conquest -- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848). Unfortunately, Hispanics have also not always been educated about their own history and been marginalized historically. Post by Cristina Acosta.
¦Listen to a recording of the National Public Radio segment here. Post by HCantu.
¦Hey, I just heard you on NPR and it was really enlightening. Great work, same as you guys do on paper. Nice to hear another cartoonist's voice. www.dieselsweeties.com Post by R Stevens.
Check out story on the comic Editor & Publisher has just posted a story on me and Carlos and our WWII series. Check it out here. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 12:15PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Does this car look familiar? I just have to say that I loved your comic for this past Sunday and wanted to share this picture with you. The attached is a picture of my VW Golf with a paint job you will recognize. I’ve had the car for about five years, most of which it has looked like this. I read you in The Washington Post. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Dian Cronan at 10:56AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Here's a look at our Sunday strip! Great minds think like their trapped in the '70s! Post by HCantu.
Sunday, September 23, 2007 Three uncles served in the war Thank you for creating the WWII tribute to U.S. Latinos and Latinas. I had three paternal uncles (los hermanos Castro, from Cucamonga, CA) who served in WWII. One served in the Army Air Corps in China (died while on a supply mission); one served in the Army in Germany; and the youngest enlisted in the Navy at age 16 (when it was discovered that he was underage - after about 8 months of service - he was discharged to complete his high school education; he later re-enlisted and made the Navy his career). An interesting fact about the uncle in the Air Corps, is that when he was being transported to India, the ship he was on - HMT Rohna (Google Rohna for details) - was hit by a German glider bomb (the Rohna was part of a 26-ship convoy, and the only vessel hit); the Rohna was carrying 2,000 American troops, and more than 1,000 perished; my uncle survived the sinking; his eye-witness testimony is in the National Archives. The survivors were ordered to keep the incident secret. The records were de-classified in the late 50's, but the soldiers were never told, and they mostly kept the secret for 50 years, when severeal of them decided it was time to tell their story. Anyway, thank you for Baldo. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by NC Coleman at 4:42PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Hey, what happened to Benny? I was looking forward to seeing Benny's WW II story continue to unfold but instead the yellow bug strip ran in today's strip. Tonight the Ken Burns film "The War" airs and I thought Benny's story might reach a climax of sorts. What happened? ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by David Rodriguez at 10:55PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦OK, here's the deal. When we run continuing stories during the week (Mon thru Sat), we typically don't include Sunday in the story line. Why? Well, about half the papers that run Baldo don't run the Sunday strip. The other half run Baldo during the week and on Sundays, too. Some papers run Sunday only! So we consider Sundays a standalone day. Almost always, it's written as a one-shot. The story will pick up again on Monday. Post by HCantu. Remembering the 65th Regiment I think you should do a comic strip about the all Latino 65th Regiment of the 3rd Division during the Korean War. It is a true representation of their involvement in the military service of the United States. I was there with the 7th Regiment of the 3rd. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Larry at 9:32AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Thanks, dad, for being there I'm new to your strip and really enjoyed this past week. It's hard to send this e-mail, because I miss my Dad so much sometimes. As a young boy growing up, my Dad filled my head with the humorus exploits of him and his buddy, Coco. A young man from somewhere in West Texas as I recall. Dad only told 'War Stories' that were humorous. He preferred to deal with the bad things by remembering the good he saw on occasion. In life, Dad made Archie Bunker look like a liberal, so you can only imagine how shocked I was, much later in life, when I found out his best buddy in combat was a Latino. The things they shared and the stories of what they went through made it seem like they were brothers, not buddies. Before I went in the service myself, Dad told me that I'd make many friends from many places. He said I would change and be a better man afterward. Later, when I was out, we would share stories. He'd tell the same ones he told when I was a kid. And that's when I found out about Coco. I'm just trying to tell you that in a foxhole, when your being shot at, skin color or accent is not so noticeable. If we can ignore it when were scared to death, maybe we should try to ignore it when we have the good times. Like Dad and Coco did. Thank you, Dad, for being there when your country needed you. Thank you, Coco, for helping my Dad get home in one peice. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Edward A. Milliron at 9:15AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Saturday, September 22, 2007 Young'uns need the reminder Thanks for doing this; my father and most all of my male kin of his generation fought in it, and we lived in Germany in '51. It's not only a good story you're telling, but all too many of the young'uns need the reminder (and perhaps it'll spark some interest in history, who knows?) Also, my thanks in general for your strip. The gentle yet sometimes pointed commentary is a daily delight. Cheers. ------------------------------------------------------------ Post by Jonesy at 1:31PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Friday, September 21, 2007 A few questions 1. What happened to the "Tia Carmen and USICE" story line? One Sunday, then no more? 2. Here's a pito from my Pennsylvania College days, may be a little too long to use in a strip. CEBOLLAR -- to go to the Student Union, particularly at Ursinus College 1975--1979. Derivation: union --> onion --> cebolla --> cebollar BTW, I majored in Spanish at Ursinus, with a summer in Salamanca, Spain, and have been fluent for at least 30 years. Now preparing to be a tri-lingual (English, Spanish, Sign) interpreter. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Gilder at 1:39PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Re Tia Carmen and ICE: Okay, I found the "April Fool's" explanation on your blog. Confession: I'm ex-migra (when it was INS) and have a sense of humor. I have a photo from the last days of the application period for amnesty, 1989 or 1990. The applicant, in all innocence, wore a shirt reading "Destination Procrastination." He joined in the chuckles when I interpreted it to him. Post by Gilder.
Thursday, September 20, 2007 Paying homage to grandfather My grandfather, Arturo Magana II, was a bombardier in WWII. I have pictures of him on his B-2 bomber, dressed as a Scotsman when he was stationed in Ireland, and one with him and his buddy. I would like to pay homage to him. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Julie Ponce at 2:46PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Thanks to all the Bennys To Benny Ramirez, and to all the real life Bennys like my friend, the late Al Mesa, I thank you for your service and your sacrifices. I have enjoyed reading Baldo for many years now. I appreciate the humor, the strong family, the real life issues, the well crafted characters, the artwork, and the insight into Latino-American life. Best wishes for continued success. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Paul Marshall at 10:17AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Here's a comic for you
------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Sergio Hernandez at 8:16PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
How about telling other stories? Hey I love this comic! Sometimes I even translate for my mom who is from Mexico and doesn't speak English. She was actually very upset when I told her about Tia Carmen being taken by immigration because she is also older and said that just proved her point that even older people who've been here forever are being deported as well. Keep up the good work but if you can try to make a comic strip about why immigrants come to this country. They sometimes hold down jobs even Americans wouldn't do for pay we would actually laugh at. They come here to support families they leave behind in hopes of coming to the land of the free to provide their own families with a better future at all costs. So many immigrants never make it here and their families never hear from them again. It's a dangerous thing to do but many are willing to risk it for their family and a better life. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Norma Bautista at 4:24PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦In case you missed them, check out the strips we did on the immigration walkouts last year. Post by HCantu.
Sharing my father's story Thought I would share my father's story. He joined the Air Force out of high school in the early 50's thinking that he would make it a career. He slowly made his way up the chain of command to staff sergeant by the time he was sent to serve in Viet Nam in 1965. After being passed up for further promotions he pressed his superiors to find out why less qualified airmen had been promoted over him. The reason they gave him was that his speech impediment, a Puerto Rican accent, made him unfit to be an officer. He left the Air Force shortly after Viet Nam and had a very successful career in the computer industry. He still has his "speech impediment", but it never held him back once he left the service. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Gary at 1:57PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Helmet looks wrong Obviously you were not around in 1941 when Baldo's grandfather joined up. If you had been you would know that the helmet that our GI's were issued at that time were WWI helmets, just a round dome on the top with a short brim around the edge. We always thought that the German helmets were odd looking, with their sides coming down to protect their ears and back of the neck. Especially because some of them had a spear point on top. Don't know what that was for, except for looks, or maybe as a weapon in hand to hand combat. (Or would that be head to hand combat?). I like your comics anyway. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Dick at 1:43PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Here's another story to tell I recently found out about your comic and other interesting things that are happening with it. I am very happy to have seen all this. I wanted to let you know about my great uncle Baldamore Garcia. Although I did not know him, I seem to feel very close to him. Please let me tell you a short story. I am hoping it sparks your interest and imagination. My father recently gave me a large book which includes clippings, stories, letters and many photos of him and his fellow crewmates on The Iron Duke, a B-24 shot down over Germany in WWII. My father and I didn't know where this book came from, but we know that it was created specifically for my family. The story of The Iron Duke is quite unique, as hopefully you will read on the supplied link. I tried desperately to find out who created this book and after months of searching, I discovered that the navigator created it. A phone call from the navigator's son was a pleasant surprise and also knowing that he lives in the same town as me was even better! Richard, the son, had me over to see memorabilia and remnants of the plane that his father unearthed in 1974. I could go on and on, but I don't want to bother you too much. Please visit this link to hear more about my great uncle "Baldy's" and The Iron Duke's story. Thank you so much for listening. Hopefully I can add inspiration to your comic and add some heart-felt stories to your life. Story of The Iron Duke and its crew. http://www.458bg.com/crewli41duke.htm My meeting Richard Eselgroth II (navigator's son) http://www.nordingarcia.com/jason/ironduke Thank you so much. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Jason Garcia at 1:38PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Movie producers should open eyes I read your article in the Marine Corps Times, and I totally appreciate what you guys are doing. In EVERY war it was not only the Caucasians that made contributions to the war efforts. If anyone looks throughout U.S. Military history it wasn’t just the Caucasians who won the Medal of Honor, barracks in which all of our service members sleep in. If you go to ANY military base the streets and buildings are named after fallen service members. WWII was a huge success because of the Marine Corps and the Navajo Code Talkers. The movie producers who are not portraying Hispanics in their movie should open their eyes, brush up on military knowledge and go back to middle school theater class. Below is a link of all the Medal of Honor recipients that will be left out of the movie if they proceed to make the movie. Thank you for representing us in a positive light. http://www.homeofheroes.com/e-books/mohE_hispanic/index.html Native American MOH recipients: http://www.homeofheroes.com/e-books/mohE_indian/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Marine702 at 1:21PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Benny's story goes out to the world! Hey all. The Associated Press has written a story on Benny Ramirez. Here's a version of it on the ABC News web site. We've seen the story posted on webs sites out of France and other countries. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 12:03PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Those signs did exist My Great-Grandmother came to Texas in the '30s and had several of her children here. My Grandpa and his sister have many stories about being discriminated against in Austin, Texas, and many other cities around the U.S. They were migrant workers so they moved around a lot, but Austin was always home. My grandfather owned one of the first blues/jazz bars in Austin (La Cucaracha) in the late 60s-70s and was forced to close it down by the local police because he didn't discriminate against his patrons. Therefore, the young white females of Austin had a place to socialize with Hispanics and African Americans, and that wasn't something that they were going to allow. He has many stories about how they raided his bar and harassed him in order to try to force him to shut down. My Tia told me a story once that even I repeat because it made such an impact on me... On her way home from elementary school one day (probably in the late 40s), she decided to stop a restaurant and when she sat down, the waiter told her that they didn't serve Hispanics (in a not so kind way) and then pointed out a "Whites Only" sign. She left the restaurant angry, hungry, and sad. She was a child! Who discriminates against a child? That evening she decided that she wanted to teach the man a lesson, so she bleached her hair blond (she's also very fair skinned). The next day after school she stopped by the restaurant again and ordered something to eat. After she had been served and finished her food, she got up to walk out and told the man "Gracias!" At that point he recognized her from the day before. He was angry and said "We don't serve Mexicans here!" and she replied "You just did." and walked out of the restaurant. I know that some people have complained about the "Whites Only" sign in your strip, but I can verify (second-hand, of course) that those signs did exist and discrimination was a problem for Hispanics in the U.S. throughout history. Thank you for sharing the History of Hispanics in the U.S. The role that we Hispanics have played in making this country what it is today should be shared and celebrated. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Dana at 10:49AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Dealing with the same thing I really enjoy Baldo and I think the series you are doing now on Latino soldiers fighting and facing discrimination is such an important one to tell. I remember my father, who fought in WWII, telling me about the difficulties he faced as a Jewish soldier and how ironic it was that they were fighting against anti-Semitism in Germany but he was dealing with the same thing in his own unit. (That’s a lousy run-on sentence but I think you get my drift.) I do have one question though: what ever happened with the storyline about Tia Carmen getting taken away by Immigration Services? I LOVE Tia Carmen and I was so enjoying learning about her story while she flirted with that handsome stranger, but then you just dropped it. I was so confused! I think Tia Carmen should have a gentleman caller – she deserves it. And while you’re at it, how about a date now and then for Papi once in a while? I think he would be a good role model for single parents who think that they have to cut off the adult part of their lives while their children are home. Those are minor quibbles though. I really enjoy your strip and I wish you nothing but the best. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Erika J. Muller at 9:27AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Erika, that Tia Carmen strip was printed on April 1. It was our (maybe lousy) idea of an April Fools joke. Read about it in our blog archives here, beginning with the April 1 entries at the bottom of the file. Post by HCantu. Veterans story has to be told Anytime anyone tells the stories of veterans -- no matter what their ethnicity -- they are doing the country a favor. My own ancestry is German; I've been told that my relatives and many other German-Americans were sent to serve in the Pacific because their possible service fighting against Germans was suspect. Likewise, I've heard that the 442nd RCT (made up almost exclusively of Japanese-Americans and probably the most decorated unit in WW2) was sent to Europe because the military was unsure they'd fight against Japanese. Of course, my family had been in the US since the 1830s and many members of the 442nd didn't speak Japanese and knew no one in Japan. Even the Navaho "Code Talkers" were, on many occassions, nearly shot as Japanese. Tell it! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Mike Doellman at 6:45AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Strip has a big mistake When I read the Sept 14th strip, I immediately saw an error. You forgot to mention that the yogurt and broom cost 50% more that the non-Hispanic versions. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Sonny Scott at 6:43AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 Strip disappoints me I love your strip. I grieved when one of your sunday strips showed tía carmen being taken away [although you never followed up on that], but today’s strip where you had the sign “whites only” really bothered me because hispanics/mexicans/latinos can be from any race, including white. up to now, i’ve felt you’ve honored that reality, but today’s strip disappointed me. i endorse the sentiment, of course, but not the terminology, because it only serves to reinforce the error. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Sandy Sánchez 6:29PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦My brother, husband and I were having a conversation about the "Whites only" sign on the bathroom door. Would a Hispanic not go in there? Were Hispanics discriminated like blacks in the 1940's? This is amazing, and unbelievable to us! What a shameful thing. I am ashamed to be so ignorant about this, I am sorry to say. My father was a GI in WW2 (from Ohio) and was sent to Tehran, Iran in 1944. He met my mother at a USO dance (accompanied by her brother and mother!) They married, came to America and had 5 children, all of whom live in California. Mom's still here (loves your strip) but Dad lived to be 85 and passed away in 2005. The WW2 vets were remarkable people. God bless you both for your tribute to them, as well as teaching us about the struggle of the Hispanic soldiers. You are educators, as well as artists and writers. I'm looking forward to the next segment. Post by Joan.
¦The use of "Whites Only" signs directed at Latinos in the Southwest is well-documented. As mentioned below, our strips this week are based on first-hand accounts collected by the U.S. Latinos and Latinas & WWII Oral History Project at UT-Austin. In addition -- do I really have to do this?!?!? shesh!!-- the book "The Mexican Outsiders: A Community History of Marginalization and Discrimination in California" by Martha Menchaca (University of Texas Press) reports in West Texas, "sixty counties practiced local de jure segregation law prohibiting Mexicans from eating in restaurants designated for Whites only." The book "Greasers and Gringos: Latinos, Law, and the American Imagination" by Steven W. Bender (NYU Press) reports that "a sign outside a Texas restaurant photographed in 1949 evidenced the reach of discriminatory practices beyond government action to private business, reading 'We serve Whites only. No Spanish or Mexicans.' " Post by HCantu.
¦I noticed some negative comments about the new Baldo storyline, and specifically the use of a discriminatory sign on a public restroom. Let me first say you may find this surprising, but I'm actually pleased to read the negative feedback. It's comforting to know even the more popular syndicated comic strips have it's fair share of negative comments. It puts my trials dealing with negative feedback on my own cartooning projects in perspective. I guess the old saying is right, "you can't please everyone all the time." As for the discriminatory sign, let me first say I wasn't around during World War II, so I can't provide a firsthand account of the various forms of discrimination during the time. All I can comment on is what has been shared with me from grandparents and through various forms of media. I have read a little on segregation from decades past, and one common practice was to isolate an area as "whites only", so the comic strip doesn't seem to contradict that. As for Hispanics being discriminated, at the time there were many establishments that tailored only to "whites" (Caucasians), so the comic strip doesn't seem to contradict that either. Even today discrimination is still out there in some parts of the country (maybe not as bold as a "whites only" sign, but it's there), so this use of the country's past segregation practices shouldn't be that much of a culture shock to your readers. I'm certainly not saying discrimination is right, just that's it's still out there today (and that's unfortunate). All-in-all, I like where the storyline appears to be heading, and I look forward to reading more on Mr. Ramirez' experiences during WWII. Keep up the good work! Post by Keith.
¦It's sad that in this day and age, it is still necessary to inform people about what has happened in their own history. I'm a white girl proudly married to a Chicano, and since I met him I have learned a LOT about the experience of Hispanics in America, both from him and from my studies at Texas A&M in South Texas. It stuns me that some of these bloggers are so ignorant! My husband's family was established in this country well before 1690--their land, which was granted them by the Spanish King, was stolen from them by the Anglos. They are still told to go back to Mexico, when they were never even FROM Mexico! My late grandfather-in-law was a veteran of WWI. I applaud your decision to tell the story of some Mexican-Americans through your strip--it is brave, and it is obviously necessary. Think you could squeeze in word of the Felix Longoria incident? Post by Vickie.
¦It's too late for us to mention the Longoria incident in the strip, but here's a good synopsis of what happened for those interested. Post by HCantu.
¦I just wanted to thank you for speaking about this topic. I, as coming from both Latin American and Spanish background always wondered where we were in American history since I was taught very little of it, even in college. I have always loved your comic because so much of it I could really relate. So again thank you! In response to some of your latest readers: I know many of us may look “white’ as one of your readers said (myself included) but we are not “white” in the anglo saxon sense of the word and the way it is used in the US today and I am sure then. It is right? No...but that is the world we live in and those before us lived in. It is not just our Bad English that differentiates us. Even when we speak good English and maybe could have “blend in” our cultures were and are different and thus are seen as different. Even as a child growing up here in the states (I am only 25 now), with perfect English, even better then Spanish, I was told I was not White or American. And if these are children telling me this, then where did they learn it from? Their parents, and I am sure they learned it from their parents, so on and so forth. So as you see this is not a new phenomenon made by Hispanics to jump on the African American band wagon. It’s always been there. And I think to acknowledge it, is not a bad thing at all. How could we just ignore it or “let it go” So good for Baldo to bring it up. Keep it coming. Why hide because of fear. That’s what everyone would love us to do. Post by Vanessa.
¦I was born and raised in the furthest west Texas City of El Paso, Texas. A Juarez, Mexico border city, now mostly 65% Hispanic, and looked at by the USA as a part of Mexico by many because so many Mexicans jump the border there and come into the USA. As an example of what went on in Hispanic cities, watch the movie “Glory Road.” You’ll see racial problems and remarks made back in the sixties, (1965-66). It’s about the Texas Western Minors College now known as UTEP. I personally know Coach Don Haskins. While it’s about the black’s basketball team in El Paso Texas, you can see that even the College Supervisory board at the college was prejudice with the remarks that they make in the movie. Yes this movie is about now UTEP, but you can clearly see that blacks as well as Hispanics were not accepted even in a city that was well populated with American born Hispanic’s. Some of your readers must be younger than 60, need to study Hispanic/Latino history, and have NO IDEA of what we the older Hispanic/Latinos went through back in the fifties-sixties. We, as well as the blacks had to ride at the rear of the bus, picked the cotton in Texas and had a terrible time trying to attend college. I have no proof, as far as a picture, but I too had seen the “Whites Only" Signs, not to mention other terms used. Even the Cesar Chavez march and protest in southern California to get better wages for the lettuce pickers back in 1967-69 was about more money for WHOM? Not the illegal Mexican worker, but the held back, under educated Hispanic/Latino born in the USA. The East L.A Riot (1968) was over a person running for office and making a statement at a rally that if Hispanics and Blacks were off of welfare, working or in college; less Latinos and blacks would have been killed in Viet-Nam. Why were they on Welfare? Why were they unemployed? Why were we not in college? WHY, because the whites kept us away from an education and employment. His claim was that this is why so many were drafted. I lived in East LA when all of this happened, and I was a member of MAPA, (Mexican American Political Association). We were a part of what was trying to give the Latino/Hispanic more rights. An El Paso News reporter was killed in the riot at a bar on Whittier Blvd. It upsets me to see a name tag on a dark completion Latino/Hispanic and he speaks not a word of Spanish, let alone NOT know that we that lived in Tejas, Nuevo Mejico , Arizona , Nevada y California are called hijos de Santa Ana , and known to Mexico as pocho’s. They DO NOT know the history of how Mexico ( Santa Ana ) sold to the USA for pennies, several now USA states. Even Mexico does not except N. American Hispanics. It’s as if you’re not a true Mexican, and on the other hand, the USA calls you a wetback, greaser, mojado etc, and also did not except us. The Hispanic’s were/are and seems to be a race with no country! Yet, some of us were born in the USA and are US Citizens. This did not matter; we grew up being called Mexicans yet were US Born Citizens and some of us are USA Military and War Veterans. Your last name could be Rivera, Gonzalez, Hernandez, Garcia and even Cantu, and the USA only saw your color or last name and called you a Mexican. To this day, we are called Mexicans, yet are not. YES, even to this day there are still some racial problems in the USA . Little education and respect did they show by not knowing that those last names and person could be Mexican, Peruvian, Panama, Cuban, Puerto Rican and from so many other countries, and they call us Mexicans. Little do they realize that we are mostly of Spanish descent. Little do they, (some whites) realize that their ancestors crossed that Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to get here as did the Spaniards? Some N. American Mexicans as we are called were born and living here along with the Navajo and other Indian races before the whites took over. We are as much, if not more so TRUE USA born Americans. Post by Victor.
¦I know that my grandfather was allowed to go into the whites only bathroom during that time period, he is from Nueva Rosita, Couhila. Many Latinos are white, just some have aztec blood so that darkens the majority of Latinos. If Italy had conquered Latin America, the people would most likely look the same as they do today. There are actually more blondes in Spain than in Italy. My grandfather has very pale skin and blue eyes, everyone thinks he's Irish or something, my Mom is Mexican but she has very pale skin, light green eyes and blonde-orange hair and she was born close to Monclova, Couhila and has a Mexican-Spanish accent. I don't like the comic with the World War II veteren not going into the "whites only"bathroom because I don't think it is accurate. Post by Anil.
Get off of it, why doncha?! Now wait just a minute!!! Your theme in today's strip is actually very bad. During WWII (been there, done that), Hispanics were never seen as "colored", and not discriminated against to my knowledge, except those who had bad English. Seeing Hispanics as "colored" is a recent thing, perpetuated by Hispanics trying to ride on the privileged status of "blacks". Both you supposed mis-colored groups need to get off it, and just be people. Hispanics have a more recent heritage to celebrate, but that is an internal thing, a family thing. Blacks are long overdue to let it go. Discrimination exists because those discriminated against make it exist. But then, why should we be sensible about this small issue. Terrorism exists because the US is busy pissing off the world by being a bully and a resource hog. It's their only way to fight back. It's a really screwed-up country. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Dr. Ron at 12:23PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Where you going with this? Just wondering where you are going with this strip. In particular - "why should I love a country that discriminated against me?" This is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY for building a great future for your kids to live in by focusing on the fact that we all have the privilege of living in the GREAT country of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! We have so many privileges and opportunities, one of which is to be loyal to this great country, its leaders and its people that promote unity and the future of OUR country, not focusing on details that pull us back into pasts that fragment us. This only weakens us individually, as families, and as a country especially at a time when we need to be building our country up to be the BEST THAT WE CAN BE! Please be a unifying, building force for this nation we all love - you have a mighty opportunity with the gift you have for illustrating in so many well know publications. Please don't misuse it. Please go against the grain, step out and BUILD a strong voice and future FOR AMERICA and all of us. Enough of poking fun at our country and its people. If we take our country lightly, so will the rest of the world, as is becoming the popular thing to do. Let's don't fool ourselves into thinking this is just a comic strip and just fun. It's the serious thoughts we are placing and promoting in the minds of millions who read this. Do we want a positive message, unity, and a stronger country. Then lets write about this. You can't pretend what's important to you. I hope this is. I am a fellow American - only my heritage is in Croatia where my grandfather immigrated from when he was only a teenager because he heard life was better in America. My family's heritage today depends on how he became a citizen, assimilated into this country, and persevered in a foreign land to make this country his own by adopting its language, history, knowing other Americans and contributing what he could to make this a better place for all of us to live. I'm not any different than you, I am just focusing on the present and future, not leaning on the past. What do you think? I appreciate your gift of art and are confident in the great voice you have for making our country strong! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Janet at 11:44AM Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Looks like a good story coming Although the series isn't done yet, I sense Mr. Ramirez's story will be a great one. Thanks for telling the story of Hispanics in WWII. Goodness knows, we can't count on Ken B. to do it. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Larry Gilbert at 11:12AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
If you don't like it, leave You know guys, when someone from one country and culture moves to another country and culture that is different from where they came from (and assuming they came came voluntarily and weren't forced) the immigrants shouldn't complain, about the native population's attitude toward them. Hey, Mis Amigos', the door swung in; it also swings back out. If you don't like it, leave, or, deal with it. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Jim Spaulding at 10:55AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Jim, my two uncles who served in the U.S. military were born in the U.S. They were not immigrants and, like most Latinos in South Texas in the 1940s, often saw 'No Dogs, No Mexicans' and 'Whites Only' signs. The strips you will see this week are based on history and first-hand accounts collected by the U.S. Latinos and Latinas & WWII Oral History Project at UT-Austin. Post by HCantu.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Proud of Dad's service in WWII Thanks for taking up the issue of Latinos serving in World War II. My dad served in the Aleutians. This is a photo (top) of a painting based on an old photo of him and his best friend Paddy, an Anglo from New Mexico. They shared the dog, Chamook. My godfather was on Normandy Beach and served in the Battle of the Bulge. Was injured and returned with a metal plate in his skull. They are both gone now but for what they did, the country they served owes them recognition. Have also attached a photo of a painting of me and my godfather at my first communion. Thanks again. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Cork at 5:56AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Sunday, September 16, 2007 You guys are a daily joy ANOTHER great strip today. Beautifully drawn, as usual, Carlos--love the detail on Dad's shirt! And Dad's responses to the junk caller--great! I like to jerk them around too. (Oh, sorry, my husband--father--brother is in the construction--pest control--cemetery plot business too!) You guys are a daily joy in my life, so THANKS! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Joan at 3:02PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Your strip's story line was great! In the 2nd panel, that English question is for sure off a list or else the phone person would not have asked it. His expressions for each question were great. These so-called research survey calls that we all receive interrupt what you are doing at the time and if you decide to answer their questions - they do not let you add any comments. They of course are following a set list of questions given them by the company that hired their company to do all this! Anyway as usual you both rock, comic wise and my wife Joan and I really enjoy your strip. Post by Craig.
Are you guys feeling pain? Why? Dear Baldo Creators: I read Baldo online in the mornings, and I've enjoyed making his family a part of my day. Great work! However, every once in awhile, I wonder if I'm sensing a little frustration, hurt or perhaps anger in the cartoonist(s), and this morning's strip about the telephone surveyor prompted me to write. This is not a tirade. It's intended to be encouragement and comfort, but writing, especially email writing, is not one of my great talents. Okay fine, communication in general is not one of my great talents, so I thought I'd better state my intention just in case. Encouragement and comfort! My husband and I are WASP's. His family has been in the States for perhaps 80-90 years. Mine's been here a little less. He's mostly Scottish, and I come from a long line of guys that were just passing through and women who really should have known better, so I guess you could say I'm a Northern European mix. We're in the midst of a "remodeling project" that's taken about 10 years so far, and doesn't seem to be going quite the way we'd hoped. We don't have much flooring (on top the cement slab.) Most of the interior doors need replacing. The kitchen cabinets don't have doors. The windows are mostly there, but they are jalousie windows and definitely need replaced. We're using window A/C's and space heaters. I was in the middle of exterior painting when Ivan, Arlene, Cindy, Dennis, Katrina, Rita and a few others whose names I've forgotten hit. Somewhere in all that hauling brush and debris, I lost my motivation and never finished, so I call the house color "pinto." Two families (five people) live in my three bedroom one bath house all the time. One other single adult comes and goes. We all have jobs, except for the newborn and his mother, but we're not really making ends meet. I'm sorry about the telephone surveyor. People tend to think and say dumb stuff, as perhaps evidenced by this email. But communicating (asking dumb questions) is how we learn about each other. And if the question is offensive, of course you have the right to point that out! Absolutely! But I did want to encourage you that we all get asked some pretty unbelievable questions. I don't think it's basically a racial problem so much as it is a folks have a talent for saying dumb stuff problem. So it's not that you're not valued! We're blessed you're a part of our world and part of our morning. Okay, on to the second cup of coffee! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Leah at 5:19AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Friday, September 14, 2007 How do you do that? I am a big fan of your work. Baldo is a great comic (great artwork and writing), and I enjoy following Baldo and his adventures. I appreciate the video you made of Baldo being inked in Illustrator (then colored in Photoshop). I like the end results, especially how you are able to establish a line variance with the brush tool. I have dug through the help menu and instruction booklet for Illustrator, and I don't know how you are able to set up a brush stroke with line variance (unless you use a calligraphy brush setting). Also, in Photoshop, when you add the initial color you use something that appears to look like an oval cursor. I wasn't sure what that was. Is there any way you could elaborate on your inking and coloring techniques? Keep up the great work gentlemen! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Keith at 9:12AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦Glad you enjoyed the video. I use Illustrator when I want a cleaner line with a bit smoother flow, when working on my Sunday strips for example. Otherwise I typically use Photoshop line work and color because it’s a bit looser and the line work retains more of the natural feel. Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I use the Calligraphic Brush options to control the variance in line width you’re asking about, simply double-click a brush in the brush palette to access Calligraphic Brush Options. My settings are: Angle: 0 - Fixed Roundness: 100% - Fixed Diameter: 3pt - Pressure - Variation: 3pt (this is where the line variance is set) Also, here’s a quick breakdown of the rest of the process I use in Illustrator: I start by placing my sketch into a new Illustrator document (File >Place > select your sketch file. Before you click OK, make sure the “Template” box is checked. This will place your sketch on its own layer and automatically lock and reduce transparency to 50%. Now you’re set to go. When working on Baldo, I typically just use a series of different sized basic round brushes with width determined by the pen pressure. To set up your brushes, I start by modifying my brush by double-clicking on the Paintbrush tool. The Paintbrush Tool Preferences window opens. The settings I use are: Fidelity-3, Smoothness-10, “Edit selected Path” is checked, and within “12″ pixels is selected. These controls set how much Illustrator smoothes out you’re lines. I like to keep smoothing down to a minimum. Play with it and see what works for you. As for coloring in PS, the oval curser you saw was an oval shaped brush I had selected at the time. Sorry for the long winded post. I hope it’s helpful. If you have any other questions, feel free to send ‘em in. We love talking shop. BTW - If there’s any other part of our process you or anyone else would like to know about or see recorded on video, let us know. Cheers amigo. Post by CCastellanos.
¦Thanks for the response, and I didn't think it was long winded at all...just informative (which I really appreciate). It was amazing to see you work in Illustrator. I admit, I like the idea of inking in Illustrator, because it allows you the opportunity to resize the inked lines to meet the need of the particular project and still maintain a consistency in the work since it's vector-based (great for enlarging line work to fit various desktop sizes if you are creating a wallpaper image). Since you said you don't mind talking shop, could you elaborate on how you create the shading effect on Baldo and his clothes in Photoshop? Is that an airbrush technique? It really adds dimension to your artwork. As always, keep up the good work on Baldo! Thanks again! Post by Keith.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Visiting some Longhorns Check it out! Here's the story written up by The Daily Texan on my visit to the University of Texas at Austin campus to talk about the strips Carlos and I are doing next week on Latinos serving in World War II. Thanks to everyone at UT, including Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, for being such great hosts and thanks to The Texan for the story! ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 10:16PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 'Baldo' getting some coverage Check it out. Here's a story Editor & Publisher wrote about our upcoming series about a World War II veteran. Stay tuned. The strip comes out Monday. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 10:57AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Sunday, September 9, 2007 What happened to Carmen story? Hello! I am finally getting this note off to you as it has been bugging me since April … I was really enjoying the storyline behind how Tia Carmen came to live with Sergio’s family and take care of them … not only was the story intriguing, but the change in illustration and tone fit perfectly in terms of a flashback about the past of these “carton” characters we take for granted … which could be a metaphor for SO MANY people we meet in life, including those in our own families … we see people as stereotypes or cartoons or the one face of themselves that is shown, when in actuality, most people are have such a full and rich history of love and loss, the person they were that we never saw and never see, complex lives that have twists and turns which have made us act a certain way, shut down certain parts of ourselves, or explore or build upon other strengths. I really liked seeing the real versions of Tia Carmen and Sergio and the kids. Kind of like a Latin “Mary Worth”… but unless I missed something, the last strip that dealt with this was April 4, 2007… and then it just seemed to abruptly end and went back to it’s usual day to day simplicity. If ending this storyline was a result of newspaper editors telling you that it wasn’t flying with the non-Latino audience, then I think they were premature in their judgment if not dead wrong. I am not Latino (although I do live in Miami) and I am a college graduate and 50 year-young female. I have little patience for many of the comic strips I deem “too stupid”, which includes some moldy oldies and some fresh new ones. I wasn’t crazy about your strip at first, as I thought the characters were a bit too “cartoonish” and a bit stereotypical, but it was really developing well, and when you came out with this storyline, and went back and forth between the past “illustrations” and the present, I thought it was great. I hope you will consider taking up where you left off with this. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Pamela at 3:24PM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com. COMMENTS ¦That story did not end on April 4 -- it went for a few more days. See the entire story here. We're not sure why it would have ended in your newspaper on April 4. Most newspapers run what we send unless it is somehow objectionable to them and they choose to run a replacement strip(s). But there was nothing really objectionable about Carmen's story, so we're not sure what happened. But yes, you make some great points. We have another similar story-telling technique coming up next week, where a friend of the family tells about his service in World War II. Post by HCantu.
¦Thanks so much for replying. I had saved the strip from the 4th… and thanks to your sending the rest of the story, I then remembered that yes, I DO remember reading those strips, including the “kumquats!” strip… but I guess I still didn’t think that was THE END… the next day the strip went on to something completely different and that was that. I guess I was expecting more… maybe about a budding romance with the handsome stranger, or more hints about the life she left behind, or how/why she ended up staying on with Sergio on a permanent basis to raise the kids and gave up any life of her own… maybe you could return to her story sometime? Maybe have her meet that handsome guy in the supermarket again, and have him ask her again to have coffee… she and Sergio are not that old; are they supposed to give up on the notion of finding other spouses ever again in life? I think these kids could handle it! Well, that’s my 2 cents worth, anyway. Thanks for listening and responding. Next week’s storyline sounds interesting! Post by Pamela.
Saturday, September 8, 2007 Hey Austin, Texas, Baldo-heads! Just announced! I will be in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 11, at noon, at the University of Texas at Austin, Union building, Chicano Culture Room. I'll be talking about "Comic Strips as Social Commentary." It sounds pretty serious, but I promise it won't be. Our social commentary tends to be mostly silly and awkward. The event is free and open to the public. So shake your nalgas and get down there. Call 512-471-1924 for more info. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by HCantu at 8:08AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
Friday, September 9, 2007 What about 'Chica Power'? I wanted to thank you for your comic strip. Since I have been following it - about 2 months - it has been funny and heartwarming. I found your website and was glad to see you were down-to-earth folks. Your intentions seem sincere and proactive, but I question one of the strips. It had an underlying statement about submissiveness expected in female Latinas. It was published July 24, 2007, and had to do with Gracie playing in the mud with a girlfriend. She was scolded by Tia Carmen. The insulting statement was this, "You know better! There are some things a little girl doesn't do!" Now, I grew up with Latinas and know the Hispanic culture very well. There are plenty of boys who play in the mud, so why does this strip emphasize that little girls "DOESN'T DO!" such things as play in the mud. I sincerely hope you are advocates for both females and males in the Latino community. Meaning, females are not placed second to men and that females should not be intimidated into submitting to a bias that may come with one's gender. Your response would be outstanding, but I understand you probably keep a busy schedule. So, I thank you for reading this and hope your intentions were pro-female and future strips will support the Latina female as well as the Latino male. ------------------------------------------------------------- Post by Sharon at 12:37AM. Comments to baldomail@baldocomics.com.
