To kick off its thirteenth season, KCET’s documentary series Artbound is dedicating a special episode to Love & Rockets, one of the most seminal graphic novels of the 1980s alternative scene. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, a new episode titled Love & Rockets: The Great American Comic Book will focus on the comic and the work of the Hernandez Brothers, who have presented a broad range of stories to readers throughout the world and adapted their style to reflect the changing times.
The premiere airs on KCET, the main PBS station in Southern California, on October 5; PBS SoCal airs it on October 7, and Link TV airs it on October 11. In 1981, Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez launched Love & Rockets, and since then, they’ve been respected figures in the alternative music scene. Stories by them were generally set in Los Angeles or the made-up Central American town of Palomar, and they were an attempt to provide a voice to underrepresented populations, especially the Latinx and LGBTQ+ ones.
Their extraordinary depth of character, which was shown throughout the comics as new generations joined the group, set them apart from other series. Even after 40 years, the comics still felt current because of the way they dealt with contemporary topics and dilemmas. Producers Omar Foglio and Jose Figueroa of Dignicraft will helm the upcoming episode. After an exclusive preview screening of the Artbound premiere on October 4, the directors, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez will participate in a panel discussion with arts journalist for the Los Angeles Times, Carolina A. Miranda.
The event will have a limited amount of tickets available, and fans of the comedian may enter to win them through social media and the KCET Instagram page. With the intention of showcasing artists and practises from all throughout Southern California, Artbound has been airing on KCRW since 2013 and has won many Emmys for its short films. Given Love & Rockets’ importance and the Hernandez Brothers’ own inspirations from Oxnard, it was just a matter of time until they were included. Artbound’s thirteenth season will have six new episodes, each of which will focus on a different influential artist, art publication, or other topic related to the visual arts.
As a follow-up to last season’s examination of the Dada artist Rubén Ortiz Torres, this one will delve into the works of Marcel Duchamp, the impact of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the groundbreaking run of the Asian pop culture magazine Giant Robot, and the work of contemporary artists from “Arte Cósmico.” Fans may also see a new series of short films from director Dolly Li (Historian’s Take) on Artbound’s site to hold them over until the next season premieres in October. The premiere of Love & Rockets: The Great American Comic Book will air on KCET on October 5.