The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death [Hardcover]

Todd Hignite (Author), Alison Bechdel (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

In 1981 three Mexican-American brothers self-published their first comic book, Love and Rockets, and “changed American cartooning forever” according to Publishers Weekly. Over twenty-five years later it is still being published to critical and commercial success.

Jaime Hernandez’s moving stories chronicle the lives of some of the most memorable and fully formed characters the comics form has ever seen. His female protagonists, masterfully delineated with humor, candor, and breathtaking realism, come to life within California’s Mexican-American culture and punk milieu.

In April 2006 Hernandez began serializing his work with the New York Times Magazine—all of which will be collected here in full color. The notoriously private artist has opened his archives for the first time, revealing never-before-seen sketches, childhood drawings, and unpublished work, alongside his most famous Love and Rockets material.

Praise for The Art of Jaime Hernandez:
"The Art of Jaime Hernandez is proof of what I've been trying to convince comics artists to do for thirty years. FEWER lines and less technique with more 'human interest' was, and should still be, the way to approach our craft. Bravo, Jaime, for your body of work! Continue to be yourself." 
J-- ohn Romita Sr., artist, The Amazing Spider-Man

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez's Love and Rockets has been praised for its appealing characters, skilled storytelling, and gorgeously sleek artwork. This coffee-table tribute to Jaime showcases his illustration skills, in particular, tracing his art from early fanzine work and other juvenilia, through his first, early–1980s Locas stories depicting punk-rock chicas Maggie and Hopey, which made up in verve what they lacked in polish, to his recent work, in which his now-older heroines have gained a hard-won poignancy that his graceful visuals accentuate. Most of the selected artwork is individual pages and panels, though the inclusion of two complete stories permits full appreciation of Jaime's considerable abilities. In the incisive text, Hignite skillfully explicates Jaime's mastery of a complete arsenal of narrative devices and provides fascinating biographical details of the artist's childhood and adolescence in predominantly Hispanic Oxnard, California, which would become the Hoppers locale of the early Locas stories. The handsomely designed volume combines intelligence and eye appeal, much as do its subject's acclaimed comics. --Gordon Flagg

Review

"Jaime's art balances big white and black spaces to create a world of nuance in between, just as his writing balances our big human feelings and our small human trivias to generate its incredible emotional power. Quite simply, this is one of the 20th century's most significant comic creators at the peak of his form, with every line a wedding of classicism and cool," Alan Moore. "[Jaime's] stories never fail to entertain, but their claim on literature is due to Hernandez's bracing realism. His virtuoso drawings present characters of intelligence, wit and human frailty who confront each other - and the reader - with such honesty and genuine tenderness that one may find it hard to believe she/he is reading a comic book," Publishers Weekly."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Abrams ComicArts (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810995700
• ISBN-13: 978-0810995703
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing read, April 14, 2010

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death (Hardcover)

Length:: 0:38 Mins

This is a wonderful retrospect of Jaime Hernandez and his career in comics, a tale so interesting it could be material for another comic book. Every page with text on it is overflowing with insight as Jaime shares his views on comics and his characters.

Author Todd Hignite has done some intensive research to put everything together. It's filled with comic art, personal sketches, discarded work, story ideas scribbled on notes and other stuff. Lots of covers and panels are laid out and discussed in terms of what you're seeing and you're not seeing (behind the scenes). And all of them are printed huge to show off the marvelous line art.

There are also some really cool photographs, such as from his childhood, his Mohawk hair days and some with him and his brothers behind a table at some comic con.

This book is an absorbing read. Highly recommended to fans of Jaime Hernandez and his comics.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Jaime Hernandez is a Triumph., March 27, 2010

By 

D. Mangus (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death (Hardcover)

Todd Hignite's superb monograph, The Art of Jaime Hernandez The Secrets of Life and Death, belongs on the shelf of every comic art enthusiast's bookcase. Filled with Jaime's beautifully staged and drawn Love and Rockets comic book pages (shot in full color from the original art, and presented as such), covers, illustrations, sketches, and photographs, the book is elegantly designed by Jordan Crane, and sets a new benchmark for sumptuous cartoon art books. Jaime's life and art are illuminated throughout this delightful volume with the same passionate insight and graphic perfectionism that made Hignite's magazine Comic Art a legend in academic, artistic, and collecting circles. My only (tongue-in-cheek) criticism of this book is that it's so outstanding, it makes the other cartoonist monographs I've collected pale by comparison. Comic art lovers will devour this book -- it's nothing less than a twelve-course feast for the eyes.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High and Low brow Art converge to defy Acadamia nuts, October 12, 2010

By 

Sye Sye (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Jaime Hernandez: The Secrets of Life and Death (Hardcover)

I have finally read the full text of this book. I enjoyed reading the interview based text dished out in small enough portions so the Artwork could take its rightful place. For weeks all I could do was to drink in the Art.

I enjoyed the childhood art every bit as much as the published. The big picture of Speedy and Esther from the cover of 'The Death of Speedy', is one of the highlights for me. Of course, it is great to see much of Maggie and Hopey. Gee, those girls really get into your system!

There are a number of enjoyable pictures from comics that influenced Xaime: Archie, Dennis the Menace, Super hero stuff. . .

If you are a Love & Rockets fan, this is a must. But if you're generally into Art, whether street scene or character, you can't go wrong here. The work these guys have done will be around for a long time. I am glad to have lived in the era of Los Bros.