The introduction of major comic superheroes of color would likely not happen without audiences from underserved groups demanding representation and artists of color creating their own characters. Many of these creators from Latinx backgrounds will descend on Dallas, Texas, later this month to celebrate their community at the first-ever Texas Latino Comic Con.

Organizer and "El Peso Hero" creator Hector Rodriguez told Remezcla today (July 17) that he hopes the free July 29 convening can be an accessible counterpoint to expensive ticketed events like San Diego’s "Comic-Con." [Comic conventions normally take] a lot of money," he tells Remezcla. "It’s between $22 and $44 per ticket. And if you have multiple kids, that’s a week’s groceries. So one of the great things about Texas Latino Comic Con is it’s free, and it’s in Central Dallas. It’s in a place where it’s accessible, and we don’t discriminate on the basis of income, socioeconomic status, because a lot of these conventions cost a lot of money and they tend to discriminate on who’s able to afford to go in."

Rodriguez adds that this move to reach Latinx people, in a nearly half-Latinx city, has special importance in a state whose senate recently passed a bill outlawing sanctuary cities. "Now, more than ever, with some of the struggles our community is facing—especially in Texas with SB4 and the attack on sanctuary cities—for me, it seems like a big opportunity for us to have a showcase for our community, for our comic book artists," he says. 

In the promotional video above, Dallas-based comic artist Eliamaria M. Crawford ("Elia in a Box") says that the event "will feature many up-and-coming new Latino artists, cosplay contests and so much more." She and Rodriguez join Hector Cantú ("Baldo") and Sam de la Rosa ("The Amazing Spider-Man") as featured speakers. 

Texas Latino Comic Con takes place July 29 at Dallas’ Latino Cultural Center. Learn more about it on its website.