Few cartoonists have crafted deeper worlds in pen and ink than Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, whose peerless comic Love and Rockets celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Each brother’s work is distinct: Gilbert’s given to novel-length stories of magical realism and the adventures of busty narcissists, while Jaime is given to more grounded tales of moody punks grown middle-aged and still stumped by the mysteries of life. But the two have combined in a unique partnership, each crafting their own universe into the long-running anthology that mixes the influences of classic comics, their early years in the L.A. punk-rock scene, and the realities of Mexican American life. Their vast casts of mostly female characters are as vivid — and beautifully drawn — as any captured in comics, a keenly observed soap opera about the quest for happiness, and how it’s sabotaged, unfolding over decades. (A third brother, Mario, contributed to early issues but has since hung up his nib.)
To celebrate four decades of unforgettable women, KCET produced a documentary about the brothers and Fantagraphics has published Love and Rockets: The First Fifty: The Classic 40th Anniversary Collection, a bonus-stuffed collection of the series’ early years. Alongside those releases, Jamie and Gilbert spoke from their homes in SoCal about their favorite L&R stories, each other’s work, and their difficulty remembering everything that’s happened over the years.
Best story
Jaime: I really like how “The Love Bunglers†wrapped up 30 years of the comic. I was proud of “Browntown†because it was such a self-contained story and I was able to fit in everyone’s emotions. Sometimes certain characters take over a story while others get pushed to the background, but in that one I got to give everyone their voice. I do like “The Death of Speedy,†but part of it makes me cringe because I could have focused on certain things that would have made it stronger.
Gilbert: Probably the best stories are the ones that created the most burden, like the first “Heartbreak Soup†story, “Sopa de la Gran Pena.†I put it together as a film — I edited it that way, and it came out like a little movie to me. That approach worked at the time, but it’s not something I could repeat. It’s like they say about musicians: You have your whole life to record your first album and a year or two to do your second.
Jaime: I used to constantly reread my own old stuff when I was younger, but I don’t as much anymore unless I have to for reference. Some of it is a little cringey, but it’s out of my hands.
Gilbert: Only for reference because otherwise I see all the things I should have done. I’ll go in to see if a character is still alive and I’ll get stuck reading a portion of it.
Best character
Jaime: Maggie. This is gonna sound weird, but I like that she has no control over anything; she’s just this person trying to survive. I like seeing things through her eyes because Maggie’s the most unpowerful person in the universe, yet the whole comic revolves around this invisible person.
Gilbert: They’re all my children. I think the best-written one, the one that stands the test of time, is Luba. She went from a simple pinup drawing to a full-fledged human being with a soul — and she’s kind of a jerk too. But that’s part of reality. She started as this bombshell, but I liked that she was mad all the time. Where was a good place to go with her? I thought she might have started a revolution, but now she’s ousted and hiding out. That was the first idea for her and Palomar. I realized that I had to create a character that’s worth people’s time, even if I drew her as a pinup.
Best male character
Jaime: I like Ray. He was another one I had to figure out. Who the hell is this guy? I’m still learning about him. I created Ray because I needed a male Maggie, so I could have Ray and Maggie to handle all my thoughts. I like that he doesn’t have much to say but there’s a lot going on in his head and he’s an observer to Maggie’s crazy world. I’m enjoying his old-man qualities, his “I’m gonna sit back and watch these kids destroy themselves†mood.
Gilbert: I can’t even think of male characters that are important.
Most underrated story
Jaime: There have been stories I liked that went by the wayside. “Chester Square,†where Maggie was in that desert town, is one that I was proud of and worked really hard on, but there was no talk about it. Then one day I ran into Chester Brown, and he said, “Hey, I really liked that story.â€
Gilbert: My non–Love and Rockets story “Marble Season†was done in one fell swoop, and that character is probably the closest thing to me as a kid.
Best work of each other’s
Jaime: I remember a story Gilbert did called “Mouth Trap†about Fritz and Petra as little girls and their mom leaves them at home by themselves for days. I really liked it, and Gilbert was pretty bummed because it was one of those stories that just didn’t get much attention. But I love his first “Heartbreak Soup†story and the stories in between.
Gilbert: My favorite Jaime panel is not just because it’s so well done. It’s in the very first “Love and Rockets,†and it’s the first time you see Maggie out doing mechanic stuff. There are some robots, Maggie’s on her knees, and she’s happy. Just the shading with the pen was so engaging and hit the right note. You’ll notice a lot of superhero and tough characters are unhappy with everything they see. I never understood that.
Wildest Comic-Con memory
Gilbert: The early cons were fun because none of us knew what the hell we were doing. At the end of the day, we’d end up in some suite with people like Matt Groening. You’d mix with different people, and everybody was mostly cool because we were all in the same boat. It was a new world of comics.
Jaime: They all kind of run together for me. Crazy stuff is usually happening to someone else. In real life, I’m not that adventurous. I remember going to strip bars with Dave Stevens, but is that wild and crazy?
Biggest idol
Gilbert: I’d seen Jack Kirby, co-creator of the Marvel universe, at cons but was too shy to talk to him. I just loved him so much and was starstruck.
Jaime: In the early ’80s, before we did Love and Rockets, Mario, Gilbert and I went to a local con, and Kirby was there signing. Mario walked up to him to have him sign something, but he was so nervous he couldn’t even talk. Gilbert was next in line, and he started blubbering, “Oh God, I’ve loved you my whole life.†And then it was my turn and I looked at him and smiled and just walked away. I didn’t know what to say after those guys.
Gilbert: In 1985, one of the reporters from the Comics Journal was going over to Kirby’s house to talk about the Marvel problem. We went with him, and Kirby showed us all the stuff that you see in history books. We were giggling the whole time because we loved it so much. But what I remember was being sad that he had drawings of Thor and the Hulk and Captain America together, all these team pictures we had never seen before. And he was saying, “Those are my kids.†I would have been furious if I’d known what was gonna happen with the movies. Eighty-five percent of the goddamn billion-dollar Marvel industry is based on Jack Kirby.
Most shocking death
Gilbert: Probably Tonantzin, from “Human Diastrophism,†because that wasn’t supposed to happen. It was even a surprise to me. As I was writing that story, I was going, This is not good. But I let it go because I knew it would have an effect on readers.
Jaime: People seem to like “The Death of Speedy.†I think of more people to kill every once in a while, but I don’t. Sometimes it’s too easy, you know? I think about real people I’ve known — how did their deaths affect me? Did I just say, “Oh, wow,†and go back to work? There are a lot of kids I knew in the punk days who abused their bodies with drugs and stuff. They died in their 40s or even earlier. After a while, my younger brother would go, “Hey, guess who died?†It’s sad, but [whistles], everyone, stay alive if you can.
