Review Fix chats with Quetzalcoatl co-creator Sam Jimenez who discusses the series and its goals.
About Quetzalcoatl:
Herminia was not bitten by a radioactive spider; she was not shot by gamma rays. She’s just a girl with a one of a kind grandmother and a rich history. Once upon a time her ancestor was the greatest warrior in the village. She cared and protected her small community from the evils of the outside world. She fought monsters, demons and men who wanted to harm them. Until one day a great storm came and proceeded to wipe out villages on all sides. The warrior went to confront the storm and found a god living inside of it, causing havoc- Quetzalcoatl. The warrior fought the god and trapped it in a ring. That ring has been passed down from generation to generation and has now been given to Herminia. Can she control the god inside or will she be overcome by it? Herminia wants to live her normal life with her friends and we get to see how this god changes her world around, and just how much courage she has in her.
Check them out on Kickstarter here.
Review Fix: What inspired this comic?
Sam Jimenez: Truthfully, movies like Black Panther and Shang-Chi. It’s a powerful thing to see yourself represented in media and when Black Panther came out, I remember telling Mickey that we need to make something that gets people as hyped as this. We had already been working on the story for a while at that point and after we saw Black Panther in theaters we both texted something like “let’s do this!”
Review Fix: What makes these characters unique?
Jimenez: We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel when it came to Herminia. But we felt it was very important to have Herminia be our hero. She’s an artist with dreams and ambitions but she’s also a realist and understands that the most important thing you can do is help those around us. Herminia isn’t in this for fame or glory; she’s here to help because that’s what’s right. And although you haven’t seen Quetzalcoatl yet, I can tell you that they’re in a peculiar situation and whether they want to admit it or not, they need Herminia’s help to get out of it.
Review Fix: What has the creation process been like?
Jimenez: Short of nerve wracking, it’s been a blast! Mickey and I send each other like 20 texts back and forth with ideas. I’ll have an idea, send a zillion texts or audio messages, and then wait for Mickey to send a reaction gif. We usually sit with ideas for a while too. Once we’ve written the outline or rough draft of an issue, we’ll typically wait about a week before going back and reworking it until we get it right. And Anna, bless her, gets our frantic scribbles and has to make some kind of sense of it all. And she always knocks it out of the park!
Review Fix: How is it different from your previous work?
Jimenez: There’s a lot I didn’t know about writing comics before our first issue. That was sort of our first huge hurtle in this whole endeavor; trying to figure out how to write a comic. They don’t exactly teach you that in college. Mickey & I had co-written some scripts before but mostly student shorts and one comic in the past but we really poured our heart and soul into this one. Of the works we’ve collaborated on, this has been my favorite.
Review Fix: How did you feel when it started coming together?
Jimenez: It was a dream come true. I think even when we got Anna’s art back, it was so unreal. Seeing the story we wrote and the characters we created fully come to life on the page was an amazing thing. And having the physical issue in my hand did a lot to really solidify that we did. We set out to make a comic and we did and it’s here! That was incredible. Can’t wait to see that in a fully graphic novel.
Review Fix: What makes this Kickstarter special?
Jimenez: We’re not trying to just one or two issues funded, it’s the whole volume. The first five issues in the novel is telling the complete origin story of Herminia Ximenez and her encounter with the ancient god, Quetzalcoatl. All five issues will be included and we’re giving supporters the chance to produce this amazing adventure. They can even be in the comic! Who can pass up an opportunity like that?
Review Fix: What’s next?
Jimenez: After this volume gets funded, the next step is to physical copies it comic book store. Really just getting the comic into as many hands as possible. And then get started on the next arc. And that’s where things REALLY start to get interesting!
Review Fix: Anything else you want to add?
Jimenez: I want to take a minute to just thank everyone who believes in this project and who supports our story. It means the world to know just how supported we are and I can’t wait to make you all proud.
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