Los Angeles Libros Fest: Interview With Yehudi Mercado

Press release from the Los Angeles Public Library:

August 30, 2021

Yehudi Mercado is a writer-artist-director known for his graphic novels Buffalo Speedway, Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage, Fun Fun Fun World, Hero Hotel, Cat Ninja and Sci-Fu: Kick It Off. He is also the showrunner for the Hero Hotel and Crime Origins podcasts, based on his graphic novel Hero Hotel. His newest book is the highly anticipated middle-grade graphic memoir Chunky. Born in Mexico City and raised in Houston, TX, Yehudi is also a former Art Director for Disney Interactive.

Yehudi Mercado will be one of the featured authors at the Los Angeles Libros Festival, a free bilingual book festival for the whole family. L.A. Libros Fest will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube on Friday, September 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and Saturday, September 25 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

I have always made a character of color the main protagonist of my stories and I make sure to portray them as real heroes. So many portrayals of Latinos show us as victims, or as the lesser quality hero. I want to show kids that they can be heroes.

I like to put a lot of detail into drawing food. In Fun Fun Fun World, I had to draw a lot of churros and that was very satisfying.

I read mostly newspaper comics as a kid. Far Side, Calvin & Hobbs, Garfield, those were my early inspirations.

For Fun Fun Fun World I would cast Eugenio Derbez as Captain Minky. For Chunky I would cast Gabriel Iglesias or Jack Black as Chunky.

I always tell young writers to start small. Start with a 4-page comic and complete it. Once you complete that book then move on and work on your next book. The most important part of the process is finishing the project.

My first published book was called Pantalones, TX and it was published by Archaia which later became Boom. I loved seeing my jokes out in the world and showing little Mexican kids being funny.

"I have always made a character of color the main protagonist of my stories and I make sure to portray them as real heroes. So many portrayals of Latinos show us as victims, or as the lesser quality hero. I want to show kids that they can be heroes."

I don’t really find that I face many challenges. The real challenge is making them fast enough before my audience ages out of them.

I haven’t had the pleasure of having my book translated yet, but I look forward to it.

I would not have a comics career if not for librarians. They embraced my book Sci-Fu and made it my biggest success to date. I love librarians. They help curate a young reader's imagination.

I’m working on Sci-Fu 2, a Shazam graphic novel and Chunky 2.

Yehudi Mercado

Chunky Mercado, Yehudi View on OverDrive View in Catalog

Fun Fun Fun World

Mercado, Yehudi

• View on OverDrive

• View in Catalog

Fun Fun Fun World

Yehudi Mercado at L.A. Libros Fest

This press release was produced by the Los Angeles Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.