Good morning! It is once again Monday, despite our best efforts.
In an…interesting bit of news, DC’s Hispanic Heritage Month covers made the rounds these past few days, and one, in particular, has garnered a bit of attention. A while back, artist Jorge Molina painted this homage to the Mexican muralist Jorge González Camarena:
According to Molina, this cover wasn’t intended to be used for unspecified legal reasons, but was revealed when DC included this unfinished version in their September 2022 solicitations. It appears that DC opted to use the cover anyway, albeit with some alterations, which led to this final version:
The final version of that cover features numerous changes to Molina’s original art:
- The removal of all background references to the original Camarena painting.
- The movement of Rayner’s right arm so that it no longer resembles the painting’s original positioning.
- The replacement of the power battery in Rayner’s right hand with a grocery bag full of tamales.
- The movement of Rayner’s left leg into what’s colloquially known as a “Captain Morgan” pose.
- The replacement of the original (albeit unfinished) Mexican flag with a ring-construct flag, featuring a flat plane that says “Viva Mexico!!”
An interesting choice is present in that phrasing, by the way. Those fluent in the language will understand that the phrase should read “¡Viva México!” according to Spanish grammar rules, and so the choice to depict it differently here, alongside the other elements, speaks to a certain anglicized view of Hispanic heritage. It’s unclear if Molina was directly involved with the alterations, but what is clear is that he had his name removed from it.
HAAAAAAARD to keep my mouth shut….all I can say is one has my signature and the other one doesn’t, go figure.
— Jorge Molina (@jorge_molinam) August 27, 2022
DC has not yet made a statement regarding the changes.
In other news, the fourth annual Tripwire awards are open for voting! Unlike industry awards such as the Ringos or Eisners, the Tripwires are open to everyone, so please feel free to add your votes! Voting remains open until the 26th of September at Midnight.
That’s what I have for you! Take care of yourselves and each other, please.
