Ivan Velez Jr.

Historically, mainstream and underground cartooning frequently provided social commentary using satire and humor. For this reason, comics reflect the ever-changing attitudes of American society in regard to queer subcultures. Above all, comics provide a vital space in publication for the expression of alternative media. It offers a platform that allows artists to explore identities rejected by mainstream culture.[3] As an adult, Velez noticed that comics preached unrealistic life lessons because all the characters were white.[4] This stood in harsh contrast to Velez's experience growing up in the Bronx. Being a multicultural neighborhood, Velez saw Blacks, Latinos, and Asians daily in his youth.

The late twentieth and early twenty-first century saw the rise of queer representation in comics.[3] Notably, Ivan Velez Jr. created one of the first narratives about queer youth in his series Tales of the Closet (1987-1993). The artist created Tales of the Closet to assert the notion that teenager had sexuality, and to protect youth. At the time, this was a novel concept. Given that queerness in teenagers was often thought to be the result of corruption or conversion from a sexual predator. The author notes that he struggled watching people in the gay community die from a lack of education and communication about AIDS. So, he created a comic to educate both straight and queer teens.[4]

The artist’s work creating educational materials for the Hetrick-Martin Institute in the late 80s brought him to Milestone Media in the early 90s. In 1993, Latino artist, Velez, expanded Latino representation to include a team of queer, straight, and multicultural Latinos for Milestone Media’s series Blood Syndicate. Importantly, Velez’ characters portrayed more than one type of Latino identity; such as, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Afro-Hispanic, among others. This is due to the fact that there is more than one type of Latino identity within the United States. Additionally, Velez brought Latino and Afro-Caribbean characters to Marvel Comics. Working through Vol 3, issue 1, 70-93 of Ghost Rider, Velez brought color to the comic by employing supporting characters of color. For instance, the supporting cast and Ghost Rider’s wife were used to broaden racial representation.[5]

Following the cancellation of the Milestone line, Velez has worked continuously to date as a freelance writer for DC's other imprints and for Marvel Comics (where he was the company's second Latino writer, after George Pérez). These assignments included Ghost Rider, Venom, and Abominations for Marvel; Eradicator and Extreme Justice for DC's main superhero line; Flinch for Vertigo; and Scooby-Doo, Dexter's Laboratory, Ben Ten, and The Powerpuff Girls for DC's Johnny DC imprint. Additionally, Velez illustrated works that commented on his experience as gay, Latino man in the United States. His work has appeared in Gay Comix, for which he illustrated one cover, Details, HX Magazine,[3] and the anthology Qu33r. Also, Velez has edited graphic novels for Dutton Books (Dead High Yearbook), earning an award from the American Library Association.[6] Importantly, Velez has been one of the only Puerto Rican writers to work for top two comic companies, Marvel and Milestone Media.[4]

Velez has used his artistic platform to advocate for LGBT characters, and in particularly youth, for nearly 30 years in comics. The artist acknowledges that the mid 80s were the time of the multicultural initiative and the onset of the AIDS crisis. So, Velez was very frank about the issues facing gay and transgender teens in Tales of the Closet,[5] an educational and LGBTQ awareness project.

Further, Velez differentiates his comics from mainstream heroes like Superman or Batman in that popular stories are restricted to predictable narratives that corporate foresees will sell. Also, he adds that mainstream heroes are usually upper-middle class and white, while other races are portrayed through negative stereotypes. Velez wanted to make comics for kids who differed from traditional superheroes in economic standing, education, or skin color. Further, the artist seeks to ground his comics by paralleling reality. He creates dysfunctional characters and families because real-life is a little twisted and muddled with grey areas.[7]

Presently, Velez works as a freelance writer and artist. Further, he is also a teaching artist for the New York Public Library, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Queens Public Library. Velez hosts cultural events primarily in New York City, such as "Mr. Papo's Drink-N-Draw Pop Up Art Show", and "Oso Oro".

Since 2015, Velez has focused his attention to The Ballad of Wham Kabam, a new comic book series. Notably, Velez’ production and publication of this series was made possible through his recipience of the Creative Capital Award. This honor funds adventurous artists with the hopes of amplifying their voice and establishing sustainable art practices. In this new series of five interconnected comic books, The Ballad of Wham Kabam, relies on the tropes of the superhero genre to tell the side of American history that has been omitted from mainstream record. To elaborate, Wham Kabam follows American history from the subjugation of the indigenous to slavery, and from the Civil Rights movement to today’s pop culture. Throughout these narratives, white Americans were the traditional hero. So, with his new work, Velez aims to subvert the legacy of American comics by documenting the experiences of the diverse and oppressed.[8] Significantly, this superhero epic can be viewed as the pinnacle of Velez's work in the comics industry. Wham Kabam's narrative, a tale spanning centuries of American history and facing conflicts of race and power through multicultural superheroes, accurately summarizes the most important aspects of Velez’ works overall meaning. Velez revealed that this new work will differ from his previous in artistic style. It will contain more realistic drawings that attempt to accurately depict the various peoples and time periods of American history.[5]

When asked about the state of diversity in mainstream comics today, Velez said it was growing. Americans and our youth are pushing for more characters and superheroes of color.[4]

• 2004 Xeric Grant[9]