July 6, 2017
By Garett Cook
By day, Hector Rodriguez is an unassuming fifth grade teacher at McKinney ISD.
But by night, he has a whole other identity as an up-and-coming Latino comic book artist whose creation, El Peso Hero, has become an international sensation.
The Hispanic bulletproof crime fighter with super strength battles crime along the southwestern Texas-Mexico border. He brings down corrupt border patrol officials, saves minor from falling into the clutches of the drug cartels and helps immigrants cross the border safely.
The stories draw on Rodriguez’s own upbringing in Eagle Pass, a border town in Southwest Texas, and a long time passion for comic books and the arts.
“I wanted to create a Mexican superhero that spoke Spanish that was contemporary, kind of like a Mexican Robin Hood: stealing from the cartels and giving to the poor, fighting discrimination,” he said. “He’s a humanitarian.”
His creation has garnered Rodriguez widespread attention in the world of Latino comic books. He’s been interviewed by major Hispanic media outlets like CNN Mexico, Telemundo and Univision. He was a featured guest at Dallas Comic Con, an annual convention that draws around 20,000 visitors.
Of the effect his character has had among Latino fans, Rodriguez said, “In the Hispanic community, they have somebody they can get behind. Helping out, fighting these corrupt officials at the border. There are Hispanic superheroes but they tend to be more stereotypical or more aloof from what’s going on down there. I’m just telling stories about what’s been going on between Texas and Mexico on the border.”
Whether he likes it or not, any story in this time set in that world that talks about immigration is liable to draw its share of negative attention, something Rodriguez readily admits. Even the character’s name is taken from a put-down in one of the comic books, meaning he’s a hero as worthless as Mexican currency.
The thing about the border -- it’s a multicultural crossroads, so there are a lot of grays, moral ambiguity, and El Peso Hero tries to walk that line between what’s good and what’s bad,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of people look down on what he does, trying to help folks cross. He does it for humanitarian reasons.”
Rodriguez grew up with a foot in both Texan and Mexican culture. His father was an educator with a deep love for Captain America and Sgt. Rock comics and MAD Magazine. In third grade, the family moved to College Station, which Rodriguez called a “culture shock” and not just because he was the only Hispanic kid in third grade.
“I’d never been to a Kroger; we always had H-E-B,” he said.
In his senior year of high school, his class took a field trip to Texas Woman’s University where Rodriguez fell in love with the school’s art program. He earned a bachelor’s degree there and went to work at Dallas ISD where he taught for five years before accepting a job as a bilingual reading teacher at McKinney ISD. He recently earned a master’s degree from the University of North Texas in school administration.
Rodriguez’s experience at Dallas Comic Con was so memorable that he wanted all kids who love comics to have a chance to go to it, not just the ones who could afford $50 tickets. In that vein, Rodriguez has made the event free of charge for admission.
The slogan for the event? “Our Stories Matter.”
“Representation matters, especially in Texas where the majority of the student population is Hispanic and Latino kids,” Rodriguez said.
Source: Allen American
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