El Muerto
Encyclopedia
El Muerto also known as El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie, is a fictional character
and comic book
superhero created by American
comics creator Javier Hernandez and published through his own imprint Los Comex. The comic book follows the story of 21-year-old Diego de la Muerte, who while on his way to a local Dia de los Muertos festival in Whittier, California
, is abducted and sacrificed by the Aztec
gods of death and destiny only to return to earth one year later with supernatural powers. The character made his first appearance in a xeroxed black-and-white preview comic titled Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition (February 1998).
in San Jose, CA. His debut comic was titled "Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition" and was a in a xeroxed in a black in white format which included the short story of Weapon Tex-Mex a character Hernandez had created prior to the debut of El Muerto. At the same time, Hernandez brought along his newly printed newsletter "The Border" featuring any news on subsequent issues and short comic strips. He later toured the Numero Uno Edition for a year in places like the Wondercon and San Diego Comic Con. For a time, the title was printed under an independent imprint created by Hernandez and a few close friends called Big Umbrella
. Unfortunately, the imprint ran in to some financial issues and disbanded sometime in 2003. According to Hernandez:
Despite the break-up however, the indie comic-book creators still remain close friends and often collaborate on their independent works. Currently, Javier is finishing the official sequel, "El Muerto: Dead & Confused" which will be the first issue to be featured online before put to press. In an announcement found on his website, Hernandez declared "I've seen the future and its digital...", referring to his plans to release future issues of El Muerto in a webcomic
format with collected issues being printed with an option to buy. In February 2008, the comic will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. The original "Numero Uno Edition" has since been reprinted in a special "King Size Edition" which along with the follow-up book "El Muerto: Mish-Mash" is available for purchase on the official website.
had just broken up with him. Anticipating a local Dia de Los Muertos festival, Diego dons the guise of an undead Mariachi
. He applies the traditional facial markings to give himself a ghoulish look and even gets a tattoo of a calavera
skull on his left arm to celebrate the occasion, a inspired from an Aztec temple bearing the same design. After getting the tattoo, Diego eagerly calls his friends to see if they are to celebrate at the upcoming festival. Unfortunately, all his friends were busy on that particular night and had to "flake-out". Zak had become terribly ill but to make up for his absence lent his car to Diego for the evening. Undiscouraged, Diego planned to have the best time possible. Unbeknownst to Diego, the tattoo he marked himself with was actually an ancient Aztec
symbol of death. While driving his friend's car to the festival, the vehicle is struck by lightning causing him to veer off-road and crash into a tree, killing him. He soon awakened in Mictlan
to meet the Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli and the Aztec god of dreams Tezcatlipoca
. It was there the god of death sacrificed Diego in an ancient ritual in which his heart was ripped out with an obsidian
blade. Mictlantecuhtli then placed the still beating heart in a clay pot and permanently seared Diego's facial markings to his flesh. Soon after his horrific ordeal, Diego is cast back to earth via lightning bolt, exactly one year after his death. And so Diego de la Muerte was reborn as El Muerto. His costume once intended for fun was now his permanent appearance. Realizing his family and friends already mourned him, he concludes that it is best to leave his hometown and heads to Mexico, in search of answers.
. He also has super-strength and superhuman agility. A power unique to El Muerto is the ability to give life or take it away.
-themed universe. The character made his first appearance in Hernandez's 2000 issue of The Border in a comic strip titled "You only die twice!...OR...Dial "R" For Robot". The strip introduced Diego de la Muerte as a foreign exchange student in Tokyo, Japan. While enjoying a meal of noodles, he is interrupted by the brilliant scientist Dr. Shimahara. Dr. Shimahara was forced to create a giant robot for the infamous Black Moth gang called Skeletron. He reveals to Diego that Skeletron can be voice-controlled but has a major flaw in its design; it will only respond to the voice of a dead person. Diego happily offers his services and easily defeats the Black Moth gang and their inferior robot Skullion. Manga Muerto would later return in a 2001 collaboration between Javier Hernandez and Ted Seko
, entitled Super Comics Blast, which included a cross-over between Seko's own Skyman, Fusion Android and a reprint of the Skyman origin story.
. Subsequent festival screenings included Toronto, New York, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. The film received a full-fledged theatrical premiere at Laemmle Grande Theatre on September 14, 2007 located at its downtown Los Angeles venue and was later screened at the first annual Whittier Film Festival where it won the Best Feature Film award. A straight-to-DVD release was distributed on September 18, 2007 by Echo Bridge Entertainment. Despite being titled "El Muerto" throughout its conception and subsequent film screenings, the DVD was later re-titled "The Dead One" (the English language
translation of El Muerto) for marketing purposes. The original DVD release holds several special features including; seven original illustrations by special guest artists, DVD commentary, three original featurettes, a Spanish language
track, a slide-show of the original comic, a DVD-ROM feature and an exclusive mini-comic. Currently, the DVD is being reissued under the film's original title, with the same special features. The possibility of a sequel is likely to depend on positive DVD sales.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero created by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comics creator Javier Hernandez and published through his own imprint Los Comex. The comic book follows the story of 21-year-old Diego de la Muerte, who while on his way to a local Dia de los Muertos festival in Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, is abducted and sacrificed by the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
gods of death and destiny only to return to earth one year later with supernatural powers. The character made his first appearance in a xeroxed black-and-white preview comic titled Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition (February 1998).
Publication history
El Muerto's first public appearance was in 1998 at the Alternative Press ExpoAlternative Press Expo
The Alternative Press Expo or APE, as it is more commonly known, is a comics convention. It was founded in 1994 by Dan Vado as an event for self-publishers, independent publishers and alternative cartoonists to showcase their books. It was originally held in San Jose, California. Comic-Con...
in San Jose, CA. His debut comic was titled "Daze of the Dead: The Numero Uno Edition" and was a in a xeroxed in a black in white format which included the short story of Weapon Tex-Mex a character Hernandez had created prior to the debut of El Muerto. At the same time, Hernandez brought along his newly printed newsletter "The Border" featuring any news on subsequent issues and short comic strips. He later toured the Numero Uno Edition for a year in places like the Wondercon and San Diego Comic Con. For a time, the title was printed under an independent imprint created by Hernandez and a few close friends called Big Umbrella
Big Umbrella
Big Umbrella is currently a defunct comic-book imprint which was formed by indie comic creators Rafael Navarro, Javier Hernandez, Michael Aushenker, Ted Seko, and Rhode Montijo. It wasn't considered an imprint as along the lines of a DC or Marvel imprint but more along the lines of a loosely formed...
. Unfortunately, the imprint ran in to some financial issues and disbanded sometime in 2003. According to Hernandez:
Despite the break-up however, the indie comic-book creators still remain close friends and often collaborate on their independent works. Currently, Javier is finishing the official sequel, "El Muerto: Dead & Confused" which will be the first issue to be featured online before put to press. In an announcement found on his website, Hernandez declared "I've seen the future and its digital...", referring to his plans to release future issues of El Muerto in a webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
format with collected issues being printed with an option to buy. In February 2008, the comic will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. The original "Numero Uno Edition" has since been reprinted in a special "King Size Edition" which along with the follow-up book "El Muerto: Mish-Mash" is available for purchase on the official website.
Fictional character biography
Diego became 21-years-old on November 2 and wanted to have as much fun as possible- despite the fact his girlfriend of eight monthsMaria Hermosa
Maria "Mari" Hermosa is a supporting character in the independent comic El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie created by Javier Hernandez and published under his own comic-book imprint, Los Comex. Despite being mentioned in the first issue, Maria is never seen...
had just broken up with him. Anticipating a local Dia de Los Muertos festival, Diego dons the guise of an undead Mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
. He applies the traditional facial markings to give himself a ghoulish look and even gets a tattoo of a calavera
Calavera
The word calavera, Spanish for "skull", can refer to a number of cultural phenomena associated with the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and the Roman Catholic holiday All Souls Day....
skull on his left arm to celebrate the occasion, a inspired from an Aztec temple bearing the same design. After getting the tattoo, Diego eagerly calls his friends to see if they are to celebrate at the upcoming festival. Unfortunately, all his friends were busy on that particular night and had to "flake-out". Zak had become terribly ill but to make up for his absence lent his car to Diego for the evening. Undiscouraged, Diego planned to have the best time possible. Unbeknownst to Diego, the tattoo he marked himself with was actually an ancient Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
symbol of death. While driving his friend's car to the festival, the vehicle is struck by lightning causing him to veer off-road and crash into a tree, killing him. He soon awakened in Mictlan
Mictlan
Mictlan was the underworld of Aztec mythology. Most people who died went to Mictlan, although other possibilities existed . Mictlan was located far to the north, and consisted of nine distinct levels....
to meet the Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli and the Aztec god of dreams Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca (Los Comex)
Tezcatlipoca is a fictional character appearing in the independent comic book, El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie, created by Javier Hernandez and published under his privately-owned imprint, Los Comex...
. It was there the god of death sacrificed Diego in an ancient ritual in which his heart was ripped out with an obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
blade. Mictlantecuhtli then placed the still beating heart in a clay pot and permanently seared Diego's facial markings to his flesh. Soon after his horrific ordeal, Diego is cast back to earth via lightning bolt, exactly one year after his death. And so Diego de la Muerte was reborn as El Muerto. His costume once intended for fun was now his permanent appearance. Realizing his family and friends already mourned him, he concludes that it is best to leave his hometown and heads to Mexico, in search of answers.
Powers and abilities
Being undead, El Muerto possesses some extraordinary supernatural powers. He is nearly invulnerable, having a heightened pain threshold and a rapid regenerative healing factorHealing factor
A healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate...
. He also has super-strength and superhuman agility. A power unique to El Muerto is the ability to give life or take it away.
Manga Muerto
Manga Muerto is an alternate version of El Muerto, one who exists in a Japanese mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
-themed universe. The character made his first appearance in Hernandez's 2000 issue of The Border in a comic strip titled "You only die twice!...OR...Dial "R" For Robot". The strip introduced Diego de la Muerte as a foreign exchange student in Tokyo, Japan. While enjoying a meal of noodles, he is interrupted by the brilliant scientist Dr. Shimahara. Dr. Shimahara was forced to create a giant robot for the infamous Black Moth gang called Skeletron. He reveals to Diego that Skeletron can be voice-controlled but has a major flaw in its design; it will only respond to the voice of a dead person. Diego happily offers his services and easily defeats the Black Moth gang and their inferior robot Skullion. Manga Muerto would later return in a 2001 collaboration between Javier Hernandez and Ted Seko
Ted Seko
Ted Seko is an independent American comic-book artist best known for making imaginative comics with B-Movie-like storylines. His works are known for their fast-paced action without narration overpowering or convoluting the story. Seko has received great acclaim for having a unique style that is...
, entitled Super Comics Blast, which included a cross-over between Seko's own Skyman, Fusion Android and a reprint of the Skyman origin story.
Film adaptation
The official premiere to the public was on March 1, 2007 at the Latino Film Festival in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. Subsequent festival screenings included Toronto, New York, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. The film received a full-fledged theatrical premiere at Laemmle Grande Theatre on September 14, 2007 located at its downtown Los Angeles venue and was later screened at the first annual Whittier Film Festival where it won the Best Feature Film award. A straight-to-DVD release was distributed on September 18, 2007 by Echo Bridge Entertainment. Despite being titled "El Muerto" throughout its conception and subsequent film screenings, the DVD was later re-titled "The Dead One" (the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of El Muerto) for marketing purposes. The original DVD release holds several special features including; seven original illustrations by special guest artists, DVD commentary, three original featurettes, a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
track, a slide-show of the original comic, a DVD-ROM feature and an exclusive mini-comic. Currently, the DVD is being reissued under the film's original title, with the same special features. The possibility of a sequel is likely to depend on positive DVD sales.