Image from the Latino Comics Expo 2017 Facebook event page.
The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) will celebrate Latino artists and storytellers this weekend at Latino Comics Expo (LCX) where comic book fans, industry veterans and emerging artists will come together to celebrate their passion.
Among them, Argentinian artist Santiago Villa will have his graphic novel “Realms of the Void” on display. Villa has worked on numerous projects since 2006 including films, games and comics.
“I’m just a nerd that wants with all his heart to tell a very nerdy story,” Villa told the Post in an email. “I’m an artist that works hard by day for money and really hard by night for my dreams, that is to create a world of fantasy that I feel really passionate about, that people love, and that I can keep telling stories about it for years.”
The graphic novel is set in a fantasy sci-fi story universe, where a chivalrous knight must fight through amnesia and enemies to find his way home. Villa says that it relies heavily on the love of roleplaying games, mythology and fantasy.
Image from “Realms of the Void” courtesy of Santiago Villa.
He currently has a campaign for “Realms of the Void” on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter where people can pledge to help create projects. Villa has successfully crowdfunded two other projects this way; one for the third book in the Dog Mendonça series and the other for the video game.
“It is also a story about many other subjects,” according to the Kickstarter. “Good against evil, betrayal and old remorses, family and legacy, friends and foes… but most importantly, it is a story about fighting our darkest demons and making room for goodness while growing up; finding our true selves as heroes of our own stories.”
More information on “Realms of the Void” can be found here.
Villa has also worked on the Portuguese comic book trilogy “The Adventures of Dog Mendonça & Pizzaboy” which was published internationally by Dark Horse Comics and adapted for a video game. He co-founded the video game company Okam Studio in 2010 and has worked as an art director for numerous games including “Foosball: Goal Crusaders”, “Último Carnaval”, “Mr Bean Around the World” and currently, a video game version of “Realms of the Void”.
“There is a very large and deep story behind this book and the next to come, and I just want people to notice it and feel the same passion that I feel about it,” Villa said.
Graphic artist and illustrator Gabriela DiSarli will be filling in for Villa who lives in Buenos Aires, exhibiting her cousin’s graphic novel this weekend to attendees and promoting the Kickstarter. She works at MOLAA as a graphic designer and has designed logos and artwork for events around Long Beach.
“The Kickstarter ends November 16, and we still need more funding to make Santi’s project happen,” DiSarli said in an email. “So my goal is to drum up more excitement about the project and expose attendees to something that is right in their line of interests.”
At the time of publishing, the campaign has raised around $3,400 of a $15,000 goal and still has five days left.
You can check out Realms of the Void firsthand at MOLAA this weekend. Admission to the event is included with $10 museum ticket and will be free on Sunday. It will run from 11:00AM to 5:00PM both days and will include an artist marketplace, panels, lectures and tours.
For more information on Latino Comics Expo click here.
MOLAA is located at 628 Alamitos Avenue.
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