My best friend, GILBERT HERNANDEZ
“GIANT MONSTERS HAVE BEEN IN MY GIANT IMAGINATION ALL MY GIANT LIFE. I WISH I COULD HAVE MORE OF THEM IN MY PRESENT GIANT LIFE, AND THIS IS THE PLACE TO FILL THAT GIANT NEED!” – GILBERT HERNANDEZ
(Gilbert sent me his quote of endorsement in all caps)
[NOTE: PART ONE of THREE! As you’ll see if you click through the following pages, I chose to publish these beautiful pieces by the Hernandez Brothers in THIS order – Gilbert, Jaime, Mario. But I received them in THIS order: Mario, Gilbert, Jaime. Rather than try to make narrative sense of these two disparate orders with these commentary pages, I will share the story in the chronological order it happened, with part one here on “Gilbert’s” page, even though all three artists may be discussed, or alternatively, the artist whose pin-up I am “commentating” on may not be mentioned.]
(Photo: With my best friends, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, San Diego Comic-Con 2006.)
Below are a couple notes from my diaries, edited for clarity and transitions, covering San Diego Comic-Con 2002, and my first meeting of the Hernandez Brothers.
San Diego Comic-Con 2002
I wasn’t interested in doing portfolio reviews again this year. I decided, I’m going to get advice from artists. From people who draw for a living. And then I won’t have to wait in line for over an hour (which is what I was doing in portfolio reviews the years before). I can just walk up to the artists and show them my stuff. And I’ll be able to take their advice more seriously, because they don’t have any motive to do anything except just tell me what they think.
I wasn’t looking for work. I was just looking to meet some people whose art I admired, and get their takes on my artwork. Because if I like their art, they should have the best advice for what to do with my own work to make it good. And in addition, then I could meet and spend some time with all these artists I admired!
Even so, I still got different advice from everybody. And for a while I would just try and sort out what advice was helpful to me, and then try and make my art better.
* * *
All three Hernandez brothers were in artists alley, sitting together. The first day, Gilbert wasn’t there, and I had really enjoyed his “Grip” for Vertigo. Jaime was friendly, but quiet and didn’t really have any advice to offer about my work. Mario seemed friendlier and more outgoing.
Next day, I found Gilbert, but Mario and Jaime weren’t there. Gilbert looked at my stuff and recommended I put more space around the voice bubbles. He said things are too cramped otherwise, and it’s amazing how much less professional bubbles look when they’re cramped. To show me an example, he pointed out some of his “Grip” pages, and realized they looked pretty cramped, and didn’t think they were a good example.
* * *
(ABOVE: My sleeping son and I, with our best friends, Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez, at San Diego Comic-Con 2007.)
Please read the next installment of this progression from meeting and getting to know the Hernandez Brothers to getting pin-ups from them, on page 058 JAIME HERNANDEZ – Commentary
