Beto Hernandez, Love and Rockets, issue 2 page 63 (page 1 to Music for Monsters), Fantagraphics 1982

L&R is one of the finest long-term storytelling examples in any medium, full-stop. I first came across it in the early 1980's while in high school, and it quickly became a must read. The range shoed by Los Bros is remarkable, from the punk scene LA to a small village in latin america. In fact, I think those are my two favorite parts of the long series: the first full stories of Palomar (Heartbreak Soup) and the descriptions of the teen punk scene in LA (Ape Sex). The Death of Speedy may be my favorite story of all.

I have been fortunate to acquire two early Beto pages. This is the title page to Music for Monsters in issue 2, and it introduces two characters who reappear in various places in later stories: Bang Bang and Inez (the stars of the well-loved Birdland side series). Both brothers are celebrated for their realistic and compelling treatment of female characters, and we can see the beginnings of that method right here.