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| Pete Hernandez III (who else would it be a pic of?) |
Pete Hernandez III: Completely
intentional. One of my main goals was to present ethnic heroes in
situations normally reserved for white heroes but without being
preachy. Most times when a comic tries to present an ethnic
character, like a black hero or even rarer, a Latino hero, they take
a very clichéd and uninspired approach.
I wanted my heroes
to be from different cultural backgrounds but not throw it in the
reader’s face like “Hey, respect this guy because he’s Indian
or Japanese or I’ll kick your ass!”
I just want to write
good stories with characters that aren’t all white. No offense.
AR: For your personal projects you seem to take all the responsibility on
yourself (writing, drawing, coloring, marketing, etc) is there any
one aspect you enjoy more than the others?
PH3: If
I had to choose I’d pick writing and coloring. I’ve learned to
respect inking and lettering A LOT and I enjoy penciling but adding
the final touches and FX is always the most fun. It brings the flat
film together for me.
Marketing
is a pain in the ass and can bring on major stress. I do it all
because I have no other choice at the moment. I’ve tried working
with others in the past but most people talk a good game without
knowing how to buckle down and get the work done. Everyone enjoys
brainstorming and imagining what it’ll be like at a con and all
that shit but I’m focused on getting the work done and partying
later.
Way
too many guys I’ve met know how to talk a good game but when it
comes to hard work they fold like wet paper houses.
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| Star of Company Man, Nicholas Reyes |
PH3: I
love collaborating when it works more-so than working alone. I work
alone out of necessity than desire. The trouble is, as I mentioned
before, most people have a garbage work ethic and can’t carry their
own weight. I have a house full of electronic distractions and know
how to ignore them and dive into Photoshop.
Working
with others can be exciting and fulfilling as well as healthier for
the mind. My ideas come much faster when bouncing off of someone
else.
AR: I think it's fair to say comics are a large part of your life, do you
remember the first comics you read, or what comic it was that hooked
you?
PH3: It’s
hard to say but I think Ghost Rider and Daredevil were some of my
first comics. As a kid I was drawn, like all adolescent boys, to the
more violent stories. Back then, with the Comics Code of Authority in
place, it was rare to find a comic where there was bloodshed or
profanity. Blood, in fact, was always in black up until Frank
Miller’s Wolverine mini-series where he got around the CCA by
having the blood reflect in Wolverines eyes when he killed the
master.
I’ve
been reading comics for 30 years. Much less now than ever in my life
but that’s personal. I just feel I’m seeing the same plots and
gimmicks over and over, the same re-hashed storylines and the same
cheap death tricks.
Comics
look better now than ever before but writing wise, most of the stuff
out there is whack. Still, I can’t stay away from the art and the
rare well-written book. I’ll always read comics to a greater or
lesser degree.
AR: When did you know this was your calling?
PH3: I
always knew art was my thing, my reason for being, since I was about
five. I drew on anything when I was a kid, from loose leaf paper to
toilet paper. Nothing blank was safe from my scribbling. I never
really thought of doing my own comics until about ten years ago. Up
until then I freelanced all over the place; from Time magazine to
Colgate-Palmolive to USA network and more.
At
some point around 2003 I just got sick of busting my ass to make
other people’s dreams come true and got serious about making my own
worlds come alive. Telling my stories my way.
AR: You recently had an advertisement for your comic "Company Man"
in a Native American magazine. With the last name Hernandez its
not the first venue one would think of. Are you Native American
yourself? If not, how did you linking up with them come about.
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| Said Advertisement featuring Johnny Juice and a digital copy of Company Man |
AR: Personally, I'm still looking for a friend with a finished basement I
can mooch off of, because so few of us in the arts are able to
support ourselves with what we love. Do you have a 'regular'
job to support your art habit?
PH3: I
do freelance graphics for a living to compensate for not making a
mill off comics. I write on the side for other outlets as well. I’d
worked shitty 9 to 5 gigs most of my life until I got serious about
freelance and haven’t worked a solid day gig since 1994. Don’t
miss the office bullshit or the commute, just the steady bi-weekly
pay but you have to lose something to gain something and piece of
mind is worth more than any check I ever received in the past. I
don’t have to get up at 5 am and spend the day taking shit from an
asshole boss or dealing with insecure people looking to advance
themselves by throwing me under the bus. Bad lunches, too much
stress, bottled anger…nah, I don’t miss any of that. One of the
most often expressed sentiments by people on their death bed is; “I
wish I’d gone after my dreams and lived my life my way.”
When
I die that’s one thing I won’t regret.
AR: Where can people find your comic?
PH3: If
you have a Kindle you can go to Amazon via this link and grab a few
issues http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00D5TGQ7Yv
Or
you can go to my Company Man site and grab the issues for 99 cents
each at www.companyman.goofeesnax.com
If
you want to hire me for some work visit www.goofeesnax.com
or friend me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/petehernandezIII
I’m
also on Twitter, though I don’t know why, @companyman01
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| A collection of the amazing Company Man covers Pete does himself |
