Latino Comics Expo

Sunday, December 7, 2025!  

Established in 2011, the Latino Comics Expo is the premiere event to connect with Latinx and Latin American comic artists and animators, experts, and fans. This year, the Latino Comics Expo in collaboration with MOLAA, will be held in the Viva Event Center on Sunday, December 7th, 2025! This event is free of charge to the public on Sunday.

There will be a $15 fee to park onsite.

Comic Book Vendors and Illustrators; Panels and Meet & Greets! Food Trucks & Beer Tent; Drawing Workshop; Cosplay and More!

Gates open at 11 AM. Last call for the vendor hall is at 5 PM.

#MOLAALatinoComicsExpo #LearnwithMOLAA #EducationwithMOLAA #LatinoComicsExpo

On Instagram @molaa.art @LatinoComicsExpo

2025 LCX Poster Design by Carlos Saldaña.

Program and Panels (Viva Lecture Hall)*

*Panels subject to change

SUNDAY December 7, 2025

12:00 PM: Unmasking Cultura: Latino Legends in Cosplay - A conversation on community, identity, and creative resistance hosted by six seasoned cosplayers. Moderated by Funky, Comic Store Manager and Artist. Panelists inlcude: Nancy, Collaborator and Mixed Media Artist; Ricky, Cosplay and Club Leadership; Bruce, Foam and Prop artist; Noemi, Latina Photog; Michael, Educator and 3D prop artist.

1:00 PM: Drawing Cultura: Creating From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides - Celebrating the launch of his newest comics anthology, scholar and writer Frederick Luis Aldama pays tribute to the ways food and sports endure as touchstones in the Latin American diaspora. In the vein of his last bestselling anthology Tales from la Vida, creators featured in this newest book offer slice-of-life comics in an array of styles to capture common threads that bind this dizzyingly diverse community. Moderated by Frederick Luis Aldama (aka Professor LatinX) along with guest artists Angela M. Sánchez, Javier Solorzano, Pablo Leon, Rosie Murillo and Jazmin Puente. Books for sale in Artist Alley.

1:00PM El Verde: The Wrath of Kahlo! (Outdoor Stage): El Verde follows the adventures of Arturo Sanchez, an immigrant factory worker–turned–superhero who fights for truth, justice, and the Mexican-American way. Since 2006, the stage show has toured theaters and schools across Southern California and now expands into graphic novels and online videos. Follow @elverdeshow or visit elverdeshow.com for more adventures.
El Verde: The Wrath of Kahlo: Featuring Anthony Aguilar, Karla Ojeda, Juan Enrique Carillo, and Oscar T. Basulto. Written by Anthony Aguilar. Directed by Alejandra Cisneros.

2:00 PM: Celebrating 30 years of Burrito - Creator Carlos Saldaña shares with us his journey in crafting the comic book series "Burrito" starring his adventurous anthropomorphic title character. Hear about the ups and downs and the long and winding road a cartoonist takes to bring his stories to life. Moderated by Javier Hernandez.

3:00 PM: Batman Azteca: From Tenochtitlán to the World - Juan Meza-León takes us through his journey from storyboard artist to become director of animated tv shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rick & Morty, Harley Quinn and most recently teaming up with WB Animation and Ánima Estudios in Mexico, to bring to life one of the most daring adventures of DC's Dark Knight, Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios. Moderated by Jose Iturriaga.

**ALL DAY (Outdoor Stage) DJ Irving Keys will have you dancing to Oldies, Funk, Old school, Freestyle, New Wave/Post Punk, House, Hip Hop 90’s, 2000’s and Up, R&B, Rock en español, Cumbias, Merengue, and more!

Some Confirmed Artists (Artist Alley, Viva Events Center)

Carlos Saldaña, “Over 30 years of self-pulbishing comic books”creator, writer, artist and publisher of BURRITO comic books. Member of the National Cartoonist Society (NCS) and the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) for over 35 years in-good-standing. Starting at age 3 with a box of crayons to studying graphic arts at Los Angeles City College. Born and raised in Eastside of Los Angeles CA.

Lalo Alcaraz is an award-winning visual/media artist, political cartoonist, and television/film writer whose work has chronicled Latino life in the U.S. for over 25 years. Based in Los Angeles, he is the creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip La Cucaracha and founder of the influential Latino satire site POCHO. A six-time Los Angeles Press Club Award winner, Alcaraz has published widely and authored several acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestseller A Most Imperfect Union and Latino USA: A Cartoon History. His Hollywood contributions include roles as writer and producer on Fox’s Bordertown, and cultural consultant on major animated projects such as Pixar’s Oscar-winning Coco, The Loud House, and The Casagrandes. Alcaraz is also active in public-interest campaigns, notably combating COVID-19 misinformation through CovidLatino.org, and consulting on projects like Forza Horizon 5. A graduate of SDSU and UC Berkeley, he was born in San Diego to Mexican immigrant parents.

Frederick Luis Aldama aka Professor LatinX is an Eisner Award winner and author of over 50 books, including the comic Pyroclast (CHISPA/Mucho Mas Media) and award-winning graphic novels Through Fences and Labyrinths Borne, among others. He is the creator of the first documentary on the history of Latinx superheroes and founder and director of UT’s Latinx Pop Lab. In 2021, the Spanish translation of his kid's book The Adventures of Chupacabra Charlie (2020) will be released in Spanish and he will debut his animation film based on the adventures of Chupacabra Charlie. IG: @professorlatinx

Jaime Hernández. As a young aimless Latino punk rocker in Oxnard CA, the artist, along with his brothers, Gilbert and Mario, self- published the first issue of Love and Rockets in 1981. It was picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982 and he has been doing comics since. He has also done illustrations for album covers and magazines and has won numerous awards including being inducted into The Eisner Hall of Fame. He still lives in Southern California.

Rafael Navarro is a veteran artist with nearly thirty years of experience across animation, illustration, and comic books. His diverse body of work has earned him a Daytime Emmy Award and two additional Emmy nominations for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program, along with the prestigious Xeric Foundation Award. A versatile story artist, Navarro excels in action and adventure but is equally at home in comedy, surrealism, and other genres—always driven by the goal of telling a compelling story. In comics, his resume includes Gumby’s Gang Starring Pokey, Bela Lugosi’s Tales from the Grave, and his cult-favorite, Xeric Award–winning creation Sonambulo, published internationally in Spanish, French, and Croatian. His recent graphic novel Guns A’ Blazin’, co-created with Mike Wellman, has become a celebrated indie sci-fi western. Navarro’s clients include major studios such as Marvel, DC, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Lego, with credits spanning The Batman, Scooby-Doo, Rugrats, Mucha Lucha, and more.

Paul Sharar debuted his first comic,the cult classic magazine Red Calloway's Big Bang, a David Lynchian dark noir tale, 30 years ago, and Top Shelf Productions shortly picked up his humor comic Clock. He broadened his horizons with Manning Town, a dystopian war graphic novel, addressing the dissonance in modern politics in an old world tale. He now self publishes under the direct moniker "Paul Sharar Comics" and follows his every muse from Chromasomas, a 36 issues punky Superhero comic, to Hot Dog Chronicles, a crime noir 50s throw back G rated book, to his new Heavy Metal Trilogy, Benny #1, White Wolf Graphic Novel, debuting Nov 16 at the Grasshopper Bar in Long Beach and at Latino Expo! He's currently inking and lettering Rokulus, the end of his trilogy, a 150 page epic that fuses the soul of Ozzy with the voice of Dio all behind a Spinal Tap-esque, Heavy Metal Parking Lot background.

Javier Solorzano is the creator of Super Lucha Cats, a comic series about a family of lucha libre cats defending their neighborhood from monsters and sinister forces. The comic is based on his real-life cats and his love of lucha libre. Javier is a writer and artist whose work has been featured in galleries throughout Southern California. An avid lucha libre fan, he’s given talks about lucha libre and its connections to broader socio-economic issues at college campuses throughout the country. Javier is also the creator of “Luchisimo” and his new story “Nuestra Lucha”, part of “From Cocinas to Lucha Libre Ringsides” from The Ohio State University Press. By day Javier is a Creative Director and spends his free time with his spouse and 2 cats hunting for tacos throughout Los Angeles. Social media handles: Instagram: LuchaCat | Bluesky: LuchaCat | Facebook: LuchaCats

Y&C Comics is a bilingual YouTube Channel where we share all things related to comic books from collectible pick ups, reviews on TV shows, comic/toy collection updates, comic cons, events and much more. We bring our personal collection of silver and modern age comic books to comic cons to introduce young readers to family friendly characters and stories that encourage reading. 

J. Gonzo is a Chicano Comicbook Artist best known as the Writer/Artist of his own title La Mano del Destino and cover artist for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Godzilla, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and many other Marvel and indie titles. He attended the Orange County High School of the Arts’ Visual Arts Program and went to a terrible trade school for a degree in Graphic Design. He also apprenticed and tattooed professionally for a number of years before entering the world of advertising and design. Gonzo has spent the past 30-plus years using his creative skills at comic companies, ad agencies, design studios, freelancing, and creating his own Comicbooks.

Rhode Montijo is the creator of Sí. ¡No!, Más. ¡Menos!, and Hola. ¡Adiós!, the first three books set in Skeletown, a fun, imaginative world inspired by Día de los Muertos. He is also the author and illustrator of the Gumazing Gum Girl! chapter book series, as well as the picture books Cloud Boy and The Halloween Kid. 

Jorge Garza is an Illustrator/Storyteller known for his Aztec art and pop culture mashup style called, Azteca Pop. His artwork has exhibited at the National Museum of Mexican Art, Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery and Amor Eternal Arte. He also writes and and draws his own comic book creations. 

Fanbase Press - a GLAAD Media Award-winning and an Eisner and Harvey Awards-nominated comic book publisher and geek culture website, Fanbase Press produces new and distinctive works, as well as daily reviews, interviews, and podcasts, that span the pop culture spectrum and give voice to the themes, ideals, and people that make geekdom so exceptional.

Maxi Rodriguez (KasutoProductions, she/her) is a plus size Latina artist from Long Beach, CA. She has a BA in Graphic Design from Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA (2014) and an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA (2019). She is a self-published cartoonist with works such as “Chronicles of a ChubbyBunny,” “Plus Size Girl Magic,” “BrownGirl Awkwardness,” and “ChibiBunny’s Rules of Boundaries.” She is currently working on her lucha libre comic, "El Llorón" which she just published and is currently available online. When not working on "El Llorón," she's working on dorky little cartoons that can be enjoyed on her socials.

Javier Hernandez is the co-founder of the Latino Comics Expo. He's also an independent cartoonist who's been chronicling the adventures of El Muerto the Aztec Zombie since 1998. Javier served as the Associate Producer of the El Muerto film adaptation. He's also an arts educator, having taught comic book classes since 2003, and a lecturer on Latino comics and his personal artistic career.

Comadres y Comics is a Latina-led podcast dedicated to celebrating the Latinx representation in the comic book industry as creators, characters and fans . Founded by three longtime friends and comic lovers, the show blends thoughtful interviews, industry insights, and plenty of comadre-style chisme. Comadres y Comics champions representation, community, and cultura—uplifting stories and creators often overlooked in mainstream comics. Celebrating their 10th anniversary next year, the Comadres continue to build comunidad one episode at a time.

Haydeé (Ay-de) Yanez is a native Cora artist shaped by the colors of Tepic and Tijuana. With 20 years in design and illustration, I created Mexicons Art from a heartfelt thesis celebrating Mexican icons—now a collection of nostalgic treasures sharing cultura, cariño, and the spirit of home.

Other Amazing Artists in Attendance!

Labishka Ink, Jose Alaniz, DSTL Arts, Jorge Garza/Qetza Art, Mark Jiro Okui, Triple OG Comics, chCAnime, Fanbase Press, THE ART OF RONNY, Leuqar Backstitch, Jose Pimienta, Lucha Cat, Diesel Tyme, Y&C Comics, Mexicons Art, Paul Sharar Comics, Winestone Entertainment, Mis Nopales, Pepe Melan, Pulp Americana / Anthony Carranza, Maxi Rodriguez, Rick Lopez, Gordo: The Teenage Flying Saucer, Cartoon Distortion, Art by Kuzeh, Rafael Navarro, The Fantasmical World of Rhode Montijo, Johnny Parker II, EVN Art, Marco Finnegan, How To Draw Club / Chris Duarte, Prism Comics, Nathaniel Osollo, José Cardenas, EVILLUSTRATIONS, Comadres y Comics Podcast, Johnny J Flores, Lil Libros, Luis Godoy, J. Gonzo. Los Comex, Jaime Hernandez, Lalo Alcaraz, New Creation Comics, Womp Comics, Professor LatinX.

Workshops & Activities (Outdoor Lot)

Join the fun! Come in Cosplay!

Come in Cosplay! Random prizes handed out to the first 10 cosplayer of the day! Latino/a/x characters or characters by Latino/a/x creators and artists are especially encouraged! Who will YOU be?

Gastronomy

In Memory of Ricardo Padilla, Co-Founder of Latino Comics Expo

F.A.Q.s

We are excited to welcome you to our 2025 Latino Comics Expo on December 7th!

Important to note the following:

• Backpacks and large bags are NOT allowed in the Museum; please leave oversized items at home or in your vehicle (Limited small lockers available).

• Bike rack space is available (limited); Skateboards, scooters, and roller skates are NOT allowed in the Museum, and storage is NOT available.

• There will be a prop-check table for all cosplayers to ensure guest safety (e.g., no real weapons, orange-tipped barrels on fake guns, bokken, sharp objects etc.).

• Please respect the personal boundaries of cosplayers, staff, artists, and fans.

• Audience seating for panels are first-come, first-served. Max capacity of our lecture hall is 50 guests.

If you have any questions, please call us at 562-437-1689 or email education@molaa.org