“Easter Hunt” pg. 1 - Love and Rockets #42 (1993)
Artists: Jaime Hernandez (All) , Gilbert Hernandez (Writer)
15 Comments - 969 Views - 16 Likes
Additional Images:
Early version of "Easter Hunt"
Love and Rockets #42 (1993)
Artwork Details
|
DescriptionNOTE: The other 5 pages of original art from this story can be found in my gallery.This six-page story was originally published in Love and Rockets #42 (1993) and later reprinted in the collections Hernandez Satyricon and Amor y Cohetes. The original art for this story was also showcased in the Jaime Hernandez Studio Edition published by Fantagraphics in 2017. "Easter Hunt" is a mostly improvisational story that has its roots in a childhood collaboration between Gilbert and Jaime (see additional image). This updated version showcases very exaggerated versions of Hopey and Maggie. Hence, over the course of six pages you get the duo building and flying a UFO, several Hopey punch-outs, a beatdown of longtime nemesis Julie Wree, and an Easter Egg chow-down that would put Joey Chestnut to shame. Pure fun that doesn't make a lick of sense...or does it? Enjoy and check my gallery for the complete story. (Additional image of the childhood "Easter Hunt" from Todd Hignite's book on Jaime Hernandez, entitled The Secrets of Life and Death) ******************************************************************************************** Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth discusses "Easter Hunt" with Jaime in the Studio Edition of Jaime's work: GROTH: It's one of my favorite stories. It's so liberating. JAIME: I think that's what I liked about it. GROTH: It's funny how you can go from such restrained and delicately modulated panel progressions to something like that. It's an amazing spectrum. JAIME: Well, thank you. GROTH: But I think it's what also gives your work the depth, the range of humanity, what's inside of you. Because there's a little bit of "Easter Hunt" even in your more somber and serious stories. In certain fleeting moments. Like life. JAIME: It's something that I noticed in Crumb's early Zap work, that I remember reading when I was older, in my twenties, and going, "I like Crumb because he draws like he's a kid. Just drawing from panel to panel, making the story move."...Well, Crumb found his freedom in that, where he just goes, "Drawing comics like a kid is sometimes way better than this well-thought-out stuff." And I think it holds up next to his more serious stuff, because it's so pure, so uninhibited. And that's when I do something like "Easter Hunt," when I go from something very dialogue-heavy or very important, and I just go and play. I'm trying to capture that child part where you don't know what you're doing, you just wanna have fun. BONUS: Gary Groth and Jaime Discuss "Easter Hunt" in 2019 at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Social/Sharing |
About the Owner
|
 |
Contact the OwnerUse can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
|
Comments on this Artwork
You must be logged in to make comments.
Bob Kopman 
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 8/3/2022
Very cool, Mark. I remember this story well. A great time period for Jaime. It's very interesting that Beto originally wrote this. It makes you wonder who his protagonists were. Congrats an a stellar addition to your collection.
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 8/3/2022
Bob Kopman wrote:
Very cool, Mark. I remember this story well. A great time period for Jaime. It's very interesting that Beto originally wrote this. It makes you wonder who his protagonists were. Congrats an a stellar addition to your collection.
Thanks, Bob! This is perhaps my favorite out-of-continuity Locas story and I only recently learned about the backstory from Todd Hignite's book. I assume the earlier protagonists were either Gilbert or neighborhood friends / nemeses but your guess is as good as mine.
Jeremiah Avery
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 8/3/2022
It's awesome that you have a complete "Love&Rockets" story! Congratulations on these great additions to your collection!
Comic Art Channel
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 8/3/2022
Amazingly fun story that's made even more special due to its connection to the youth of Los Bros. Really great that they had the freedom to revisit this after they had "made it."
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
2 - Posted on 8/4/2022
Pure exercise in joy through cartooning. It is like those self aware cartoons that play with the format to incorporate and string together as many influences and tributes as possible and doesnt need to make narrative sense. It is the improvisational creative groove and not knowing where it will lead you that makes this exciting.
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 8/4/2022
Marcus Wai wrote:
Pure exercise in joy through cartooning. It is like those self aware cartoons that play with the format to incorporate and string together as many influences and tributes as possible and doesnt need to make narrative sense. It is the improvisational creative groove and not knowing where it will lead you that makes this exciting.
Couldn't agree more and appreciate your generosity with these comments,
Mark V
Member Since 2021
Posted on 8/4/2022
Ben Damstedt wrote:
Tremendous. What a fun complete story.
Thanks, Ben. Much appreciated.
Tyler T
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 8/4/2022
What an adventure!!! The whale page might be my fav, but they sincerely are all great. Huge congrats on getting the whole story, a fantastic add to the collection. Ya did good Mark, real good.
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 8/4/2022
Tyler T wrote:
What an adventure!!! The whale page might be my fav, but they sincerely are all great. Huge congrats on getting the whole story, a fantastic add to the collection. Ya did good Mark, real good.
Thanks, Tyler. Gotta say, that whale page might be my fave too.
Yo Kuri
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 8/5/2022
Absolutely love the madcap tempo and slapstick cartooning.
It showcases Jaime's polished pro skills while retaining the primitivism and naivity of a child's story and drawing.
Massive win. Another jewel in your fantastic collection.
Aaron N.
Member Since 2009
2 - Posted on 8/28/2022
Hard to pick a favorite page out of this--Jaime is rolling out genius cartooning flexes several times a panel throughout the whole story--but I have two reasons to favor page one especially. One is just that the kinetic moment-before-impact bigfoot cartooning sublimity of the last panel has stayed with me all these years since the comic came out. The other thing I love here is the forgotten girl who seems to be with Maggie in panel two. Or were they just waiting at a light at the same time? When Maggie turns away to join Hopey, it could be a version of their first meeting. Are they goose-stepping in common loyalty to the punk cause? (Some readers might not know that both T-shirts reference bands important to SoCal's hardcore punk scene in the '80s--the plain circle on Maggie's shirt was the symbol of the Germs). Have I reached my 5000 character limit yet? No? Well, pretty cool story bro.
Jason Hussa
Member Since 2017
Posted on 10/11/2022
A stunning, madcap, killer score, Mark: 48 panels of unleashed imagination and mischievous glee. When I think "Easter Hunt", it's the quest for eggs that first comes to mind (of course), but that's all subverted in dashing Jaime style by the end of page one here, with the first prey being poor Hook... Jaime's unerring sense of design and panel framing and what exactly to show is absolutely THRILLING: his sense of which "snapshots" of which moments to include (and how much he can leave out and still have the narrative - such as it is - be coherent) has always been amazing, and it is in stories like this that he continues to sharpen that toolset and approach. It's almost like deconstructionist "anti-comics", maybe? - of leaving out as much as possible and having each panel focus on an emotional beat, which forces the reader to invest themselves to decipher his code... and allows the reader a heady rush from leaping from panel to panel in some Easter-candied, sugar-induced stream of consciousness graphical confection. Six pages of this?!? Epic score, Mark, and thank you for sharing this with us! Fantastic add to your awesome gallery!
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 10/11/2022
Jason Hussa wrote:
A stunning, madcap, killer score, Mark: 48 panels of unleashed imagination and mischievous glee. When I think "Easter Hunt", it's the quest for eggs that first comes to mind (of course), but that's all subverted in dashing Jaime style by the end of page one here, with the first prey being poor Hook... Jaime's unerring sense of design and panel framing and what exactly to show is absolutely THRILLING: his sense of which "snapshots" of which moments to include (and how much he can leave out and still have the narrative - such as it is - be coherent) has always been amazing, and it is in stories like this that he continues to sharpen that toolset and approach. It's almost like deconstructionist "anti-comics", maybe? - of leaving out as much as possible and having each panel focus on an emotional beat, which forces the reader to invest themselves to decipher his code... and allows the reader a heady rush from leaping from panel to panel in some Easter-candied, sugar-induced stream of consciousness graphical confection. Six pages of this?!? Epic score, Mark, and thank you for sharing this with us! Fantastic add to your awesome gallery!
Many thanks, Jason. Appreciate the thoughtful response to this page. I love the idea of thinking of this story as anti-comics that encourages the reader to decipher!
Robert C
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 7/19/2024
Love and Rockets has that indie feel, yet became such a breakout in the field.
Latest Updates
All |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
Auctions ADVERTISEMENT
Auctions
| Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom Marvel Universe: The En |
Auctions
 |
BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #79 COVER (SOLD FOR $320K) |
Auctions
 |
Tom Lyle - Amazing Spider-Man #431 Cover - Silver Surfer as Cosmic Carnage! |
Hakes Auctions
 |
STAR WARS WEEKLY #8 COMIC BOOK COVER ORIGINAL ART BY GIL KANE. |
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.. FREE!
3 Wishes
21 Accepting Commissions
Commission an Artist
For Sale Updates
Classified Updates |
|
Chris Dietzel9/6/2025 3:38:00 PM |
|
Peter Venkman9/6/2025 2:54:00 PM |
|
Will Gabri-El9/6/2025 12:52:00 PM |
|
COMIX ART9/6/2025 11:30:00 AM |
|
Federico Bettini9/6/2025 11:20:00 AM |
|
P A9/6/2025 11:02:00 AM |
|
Dealer Updates |
|
Anthony's Comicbook Art9/6/2025 3:57:00 PM |
|
Coollines Artwork9/6/2025 3:28:00 PM |
|
Will's Comic Art Page9/6/2025 12:52:00 PM |
|
Essential Sequential9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
Kinetic Collectibles9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
Achetez de l'Art9/6/2025 12:15:00 PM |
|
|
Become a Premium CAF Gallery Owner & you'll be supporting CAF and also gain access to many services and features not available to standard members.
|