[00:00:00] How are you?
[00:00:33] What's up John? Kevin Garcia, you know what I mean? Speaking of Kevin Garcia, Primos of course go check out Primo Kevin's Kickstarter that's live right now, WorldsWarComics.com Of course, check Kickstarter for Worlds WarComics.
[00:01:17] His comic book is out there. We want to support him. Definitely, definitely, definitely go check out Kevin Garcia underscore com as well for more details. But tonight Primo, we have John here. We're talking about some of his new work.
[00:01:31] I'm just a fan of his stuff. You guys know that he was one of my top guys last year that I really recommended you guys to check out.
[00:01:36] And John, you know, for those that don't know you that just, you know, stumbled upon this interview and go, man, who's this John Avina cat? So tell everybody who you are and what you do. So I'm John Avina. I'm a comic book writer and mortician from Chicago.
[00:01:51] I wrote a lot John Pistolero Lucha Forever Americana cinema muerte. And this year we have out Loteria, familiar dungeons, mile high fright and dead man's Marquis. Yeah. Man, all these merit badges you across your chest. Seriously, dude. Right.
[00:02:17] So far, actually in your card is the mortician slash comic book writer slash creator slash photographer. Listen, it's true. It's true. That's the way to do it. Diversify the Avina name, you know. But let's talk about some of the stuff here that you mentioned right.
[00:02:38] I'm a big fan of Americana. I love horror. I love the greatness of that book 1986, as well as the original one and a lot of this stuff you've written man we talked about it last time where Latinos love horror Latinos have a something have like some some invisible vein in
[00:02:53] us man that we just we just get attracted to it and we're not we don't shy away from it. And you don't.
[00:02:58] But you also have a great way of presenting it to fans that is very consumable. It's not over the top, but it hits right there if someone that can appreciate good horror man so I want to just applaud you.
[00:03:09] And I want to talk about your latest books, Dead Man's Marquis. Oh, we got a chance to read it and I did as well. Yeah.
[00:03:18] Let me gush a little bit because dude I dig the I dig the style of the story. I'm not going to give away much because it's one of these books that you should really check out but we'll do like a bird's eye. You know, view of it.
[00:03:29] Can you give us the pitch so that way that way we can kind of talk a little bit about it. Yeah, so dead man's Marquis follows a writer who has stolen another person's tragedy and is turning a profit from it. So now that he's sitting at the peak.
[00:03:46] He realizes that the person that he stole this idea from isn't dead. And he's out for revenge so it's a it's a really fun one and it's like a Twilight Zone episode and I'm like what? Yeah, it's so cool.
[00:04:03] We'll work your thoughts because I'm going to just kind of go nuts on my yeah. No, yeah for sure. So first of all, I love like the noir aspect of it all. I'm a sucker for that stuff.
[00:04:13] So I was like, All right, this is the setting let's go. And also I'm not going to spoil anything but there were multiple moments where my jaw was just like. And then also moments where I was like, you're like, heck yeah, get him.
[00:04:26] You know, it's like the story and the message of it all is something that I feel like I could yell to like a crowd of so many people. And I think as a Latina person, I like I was just sitting there like, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
[00:04:42] So clearly I'm ready for like the next installment. But it's going to be so enjoyable for if this is someone's first like introduction to your works, they're going to want to pick up more because it's that great. Thank you.
[00:05:01] It's not a book I've gotten a lot of feedback on so that's why I was like, oh, I got a yeah, because like a lot of my books come from like personal stuff but that one came from.
[00:05:11] I wanted to do a Zoro story like I wanted to write Zoro.
[00:05:15] So I had a whole pitch and I submitted it to the owners of Zoro because I thought he was a public domain, but he's owned by a few different companies so you got to like jump your hoops. So I was talking to one of them.
[00:05:28] And I can tell I can tell you my Zoro pitch because like they rejected it. So basically it was a Zoro goes into retirement. You see like this big final fight, he saves the day he falls off the bridge and you think he's gone forever.
[00:05:42] It cuts to a little like web leto town in like the Texas border area. And you see a guy getting ready for his daughter skin to Nier so they got like the like mentalists up.
[00:05:52] You see him like setting up around town and it's very obvious that this man is Zoro but he's learning to live a normal life. There was an old man there telling the story that we just saw about Zoro's like final adventure and all the kids are going crazy.
[00:06:07] And then this lady goes up to the husband to Zoro and says like, like, well that's behind you like focus on today. So he is like, well where's my daughter.
[00:06:16] And then you see her with like a little gun like shooting cans off like a fence post because she's very much like, she's the son that Zoro thought he wanted.
[00:06:26] But he has a son who's more like the mom who's more like into books into like the people and the daughter is more like him like ready to punch the first guy that steps out of line.
[00:06:36] The army shows up and the army is run by like a corrupt general and it ends up they crash the Quintanilla at all falls apart. The wife gets killed so Zoro dons the mask again, but this time with his daughter and son. Oh, and it's a magnificent.
[00:06:55] They didn't take that's blasphemy. I want to see it. So it turns into like a magnificent seven story like the army is like we're going to come back in two weeks and we're going to take out anyone that doesn't turn this man over.
[00:07:10] So he gets a bunch of like his old teammates together like I have like this whole like Zoro continuity thing. So one of them are like those folklore dancers, but at the end of the dress are little blades. So like cuts up a room.
[00:07:25] There's like a whole character. Yeah. So yeah. So a lot of the Phoenix, you know the universe she has a political dancer I think as well. That's cool.
[00:07:40] So I wanted to do that and they sent me this really long rejection letter just kind of saying like, no, like you don't own the right we don't want to see this anywhere else.
[00:07:50] So I started with Zoro because I was like there's got to be someone that can help me with Zoro. And I looked and then I found out about that Joaquin.
[00:07:59] I think Marquez is the last name, but he was like the the the soul he like he had a house. He had a wife, he had a brother and somebody came like the American army came after the war said like, oh you don't live here anymore.
[00:08:13] And then they killed the wife killed the brother and then he went out on revenge like this is a real person that they based Zoro on. So I was like, oh they took his story of a Mexican guy fighting back against the US Army.
[00:08:26] And then they changed it to a Spaniard fighting it back against the Mexican army. I was like, oh, yeah. This story was all my anger about like you can't take like this raw passion that this guy had and an actual cause of being displaced.
[00:08:50] And then just like somebody from Wisconsin is making a profit off of it. Yeah, because like their great-grandpa took someone else's story and just sugar coated it for like, man, isn't that just like another example.
[00:09:05] Right. Another example of just stories being stolen, you know, like who who I'm kind of by it because there was a new Zoro that came out right on prime. And I started seeing that one involves a native native tribal Zoro, you know, Native American Zoro and whatnot.
[00:09:25] And went there. Okay. And then we still got that super white Zoro at the end, the Spaniard one, you know, we still got that.
[00:09:31] Yeah. When you hear the story that it's it's more than that, you know, the Latino Zoro is one of these things that you kind of look back at and go like, wow, why isn't that bigger than what it should be?
[00:09:42] Right. Like Zoro at one time was like the shit. And it kind of just, yeah, like fizzled away. And I'm like, damn, like there were rumors that what there was supposed to be the woman by the Rama was supposed to be Zoro for a while. Yeah.
[00:09:54] That didn't happen. And so now here we are. And I was like, what the hell? But I don't know. I'd read your Zoro. I'd watch your Zoro. Yeah, absolutely. We're not we have dead man's marquee, right? And dead man's marquee is is my Zoro.
[00:10:07] So it's a tale of revenge. It's like Phantom of the Opera, but with like Latino representation in it. No, man. It's cool. The writing behind it, not to take it away. Like I don't want to take away beach from it, but the art is great.
[00:10:19] Talk about who helped with the art. Yeah. So he's really new to me. So I didn't get a chance to meet this artist like really there. I wanted that Mike Magnola Hellboy kind of vibe to it. So I was asking around.
[00:10:35] I was like, does anyone know anyone that can do this? So then they sent me the link. And his name is Fred Marino. And I was just like, all right, man, like this is the story. It gets real weird. It gets real bleak.
[00:10:48] But like, like if you stay with me, it has an ending. Like, yeah, it's not the kind of story that you walk away happy from. I was like, but it's got an ending that like I really want to tell because it's like real Phantom of the Opera.
[00:11:01] And I pitched it to him and he was like, how many issues? So it'll be a three issue like mini series. Okay. So I was just like, this is what I have. And we're on issue two now. So it is coming out.
[00:11:13] But it dude, yeah, you are also in Ilya. Like, and everybody talks about it. I mean, I know you said, you don't you should come to Texas. I'm just telling you that you got off. You got fans here, man.
[00:11:23] But look in the community, like they're like, dude, this John Avena cat, like he bangs these things out. Like he is nonstop on these things. Like, what's that work that they come from?
[00:11:32] Man, is it just that like you got so much you want to get out on out there in the world? What is it? Yeah, I want to, I always feel it's like that musical Hamilton. Like, like you're running out of time. And they wouldn't know. Oh yeah.
[00:11:45] I got that going on. So it's like, I feel like at any moment someone's just going to take this away from me. So I got to get as much out before that happens. So I'm chasing myself basically I'm going till that time catches up.
[00:12:00] But I want to get as many of these stories out. And we have like two other really cool things planned. But Lucha forever, we actually found a partner for now. So issue two is already like well into production.
[00:12:14] So that'll be out soon because people ask me a lot like what's Lucha forever's deal? I'm like, I'm working at it. So they picked up that one and la Yorona. So I get to tell those two stories side by side. That's cool man.
[00:12:25] That's how you did the Yorona. And you can talk about that a little bit. And Lucha, one of the well, was it inspired by a friend of yours? Am I understanding that? Yeah.
[00:12:35] So Yorona, I have a lot of my sister was super got growing up like my older sister. So she was into like anything that looked like military anything black. Like I watched the movie that craft over and over.
[00:12:47] And like, focus, focus or no, yeah, focus, focus all those. Yeah. Kind of like movies. And I was like, I want to do that for my sister. But I have a friend named Rose and she's like, she cosplayed as la Yorona.
[00:13:00] We did like a whole photo shoot a whole thing. And she's got that personality. So I was like, all right, I'm going to write it. I know these two girls that I'm making it just for them,
[00:13:10] but I think other girls are going to see it and be like, oh, she's a badass. Like, cool. It's not like a love story. There's never going to be a love story for her because it's more of just like getting the work done is her goal.
[00:13:22] And it's not really about like who goes with her. It's about her doing it. So I was writing that one and I was like, well, I got a wrestler story already. How can I tie in Yorona to that? So I found a way to do it.
[00:13:34] So I set it in like the 90s so I can still do that grunge aesthetic. And just I brought it in and it was, it's been a lot of fun.
[00:13:41] And a lot of people asked me like, oh, Yorona, like I kind of want more of her and Guillermo and all that stuff. So I'm working on it. But yeah, I have issue two already like ready to go. Nice.
[00:13:53] You know, like when you were women like in books, I've noticed that they don't take just back seats, man. They're pretty pivotal in almost every of the books. I grew up with a single mom.
[00:14:05] So I don't know the girls that cry over like boys because my mom's role to my sister was like if a guy upset you, you got like a week to get over it because you got to move on like the world's not going to wait for you.
[00:14:21] So I but I picked up on all these things because it was just my mom and my older sister and me. So it was just like, okay, like my sister could kick my butt. My sister's six to it and I'm not.
[00:14:33] So it was always like, I want to mess with her, but like she can keep me at an arms distance. Yeah. Yeah. So like I took from the mom was a mariachi singer.
[00:14:46] So like she would take us to clubs and stuff and it was kind of like look out for each other.
[00:14:51] So whenever I write women, I don't write it from like a place of like a lot like that kind of weird creepy like if you read an old new water paper back where the guys were right. Oh, and she like jiggled while sitting on it.
[00:15:02] I was like, yeah, that's weird. But like I tried to think of that while I'm writing like it's still fun to have like sexualized moments and stuff because like that's a part of life. But don't overdo it.
[00:15:13] Like just, yeah, it's going to happen because it's my first time writing like a sex scene too was in dead man's marquee. Hey, yeah, I never written that before.
[00:15:24] But like I wrote it and I gave it to my wife and I was like, you know, just look this over because like I don't want to be weird or anything. Yeah. And she was like, you feel weird because it's your first time writing it.
[00:15:34] I was like, yeah, she was like, that's fine. She's like one page dude. Like you're fine. Yeah, let me ask you. Yeah. I write women a lot and I grew up with I don't have any brothers. I have all sisters. I have four sisters.
[00:15:46] And so I have a lot of women around me. That was the right. But I really might as well just been part of the furniture.
[00:15:52] But when I when I write women, I always feel Johnny can time in after if I want to see what they have things because you know, a woman and I have yet to ask him this question.
[00:16:03] But when I write a woman, I second guess myself so much because I don't want to fall into that camp. Like, you know, like John says, like, oh, am I over specializing it or am I under playing it?
[00:16:15] Is it do I look at the Bechtel test, you know, that stuff too? Like is that something to really like sit down and look at?
[00:16:21] I mean, what's your take on this whole I mean, when, when, because this is a conversation we had a little bit earlier, the right people writing these stories. Men can write women women can write men, etc. I mean, there's nothing about that.
[00:16:32] But what do you feel about men writing women and how they've been written in the past, especially in comics and animation? Yeah, no, it's, you know, it's it's been men who have not been around women, real women that.
[00:16:52] And so they don't know how to describe those kind of things. They just have like the superficial like outlook of it all.
[00:16:57] I have seen and like, y'all as examples, men or male presenting people who have grown up surrounded by women who are surrounded by positive female presence do write them better because they have better experiences with them.
[00:17:12] And that's that's just like being able to write something I feel like is you're writing also from your own perspective of experience. So if I got all the experience a guy has talking to women is a girl, how you doing?
[00:17:25] Then that's how the writing is going to feel. But if there's been genuine like understand I think understanding is also something to go hand in hand with it is if you haven't had those experiences take time to understand the experiences.
[00:17:38] I think that's something that I feel like it's getting better lately in both comics and film and everything. But there are definitely things that should be a little bit looked over before and I'll use the the the Marquis comic as an example.
[00:17:54] Every woman in that comic I did it deal was being forced into some kind of box they they had their kind of like set job they had their set purpose.
[00:18:05] I empathize with the right ones I was like girl I get it but like come on with certain other ones but that's how they're written that's how they're supposed to be, which was the correct way. There was no form of like, oh, oh God that's wrong.
[00:18:16] So yeah, but that's good on you but I do think in general the human experience helps learn or helps teach how you write, whether you experience it or you take time to understand it. Oh, thank you.
[00:18:32] I really I take away from that because I'm like when I'm writing these characters I'm like, I'll even read books that are written by women that talk about that nature and like, especially with the example like you said like a sex scene right. We'll talk about that.
[00:18:44] And I'm like, am I am I overstepping it. But then when I read some of these novels and these women read I'm like oh shit. Let me. Whoa, like, so I was moderating.
[00:18:57] Sorry, I was moderating a book account for my wife like she runs a Facebook page where it's just it's a lot of women talking about books but I worked at a borns level for 10 years so I was like, I can handle this.
[00:19:08] I was there to give recommendations, but like some of the recommendations like they're like oh I read this book. Let me look it up. I look it up. I was like Jesus Christ like porn. Yeah.
[00:19:19] But then like my wife got really into like fantasy novels so I was like, oh sweet like we could talk Lord of the Rings now all these other books and she's like no you got to read these and I'm reading it and it's like small fragile girl who kicks by.
[00:19:33] And it's always like the wrong guy she falls in love with it's the same formula for all of it. And I was kind of joking about it.
[00:19:39] I was just like, you know, it's almost like a dude wrote it because like every other time it's her changing into the armor and then the guy walks into the room is like the armor going on. And I was like hot man. That's like, I know what's happening.
[00:19:53] And my wife will be like that's such a small part of it. And then I'll see her like go through her Kindle. I'm just like, yeah, I'm sure. Right. It's bookmark. It's bookmark but yeah.
[00:20:03] And then like everyone shares fan art there and it's just like you just see all the fan art. I'm like, God, damn like I was worried about my page. Like, okay. I mean, tell me guys, you both are artists. Aaliyah yourself have your original characters and John too.
[00:20:20] But are you are you rule 34 and your stuff to see if like anybody just went crazy and just made it made it where it shouldn't be made a naughty version of your stuff because it's out there man. I'm not as prominent yet. So I don't have my opportunity.
[00:20:34] We'll see after other stuff comes out. Yeah, I'm not going to like King Shane people like do your thing or whatever. But like, yeah, I do get a lot of guys that are like, oh you should do like a hemena variant. I was like, oh I have one.
[00:20:48] They're like no, like another one. I was like, come on. Another one. I was like all these characters even the bad guys are my babies. Like, yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah. Some guys making an action figure of lockjaw right now. Like he's like a custom one.
[00:21:08] So like he found me through tiktok. I was like this is amazing. But he was like, oh I could do him and all the other ones. And I was like, let's see how lockjaw goes like.
[00:21:17] Yeah, like, yeah, I was like, you know, at the anime conventions where you're like have to cover up. And like, yeah, you want to buy a bike in a box and a bag in a brown paper bag. Sneak out the back of it. I don't know.
[00:21:31] I've always thought someone told me once like, hey, if someone's really making fan art there, you've arrived, especially that. Yeah. But I want to take a little left turn here. John, you mentioned earlier, mortician slash comic book writer slash photographer. You wear many hats.
[00:21:52] And you literally came from. Do you call it an event, a service, a job? What do you call this? In Illinois, we call them like wakes like you're waking the dead. So it's like a presentation of the body to the family. So in the morning we dress them.
[00:22:10] I placed them in their casket. I went through the rest of my work day and then from three to seven was the visitation. But the Latinos aren't good at saying goodbye to each other. So they always do that thing like, okay, I'll see you later.
[00:22:25] Hey, what happened with work? And then they talk in the like the lounge for like 40 minutes. I'm like, hey guys, like we got to go. I got to close this building up like we got to go. So it's a lot of that.
[00:22:36] But I always joke like because I got to turn off all the lights. And a lot of times I'm too tired to like pay attention. I'm just like turning off lights. But today I was locking up and I was like joking.
[00:22:46] I was like, oh, this would probably scare someone else. And as I was turning it, the doors behind me that like closed by the casket shook a little bit because of the wind. And I was like, oh, I'm still, I'm still moral. Like I'm still afraid of.
[00:22:59] You can still get you can still get scared because I'm all about that man. Like I love people telling me wonky stories, crazy stuff that happens. Like what's something that's maybe kind of a mess with some weird shit that you saw or experienced or whatever.
[00:23:12] Because when you say you're a mortician, do you like, I mean, do you embalm the body too? Or are you just what is it? My mom's a full-fledged funeral director. Like so I work with her. So she does the embalming. So like me and her will turn bodies.
[00:23:31] She does like so Ted, just to show you guys. So as I do it, you cut right here and then you can pull the artery up. Yeah. You pull the artery up and it's like as thin as like a strain of spaghetti, the artery.
[00:23:44] So you put one hook up, one hook down and then you tie it with like a piece of illo so it's stuck. And then you inject up for like five seconds, like one, one, one thousand two, one, one, because there's so much pressure that it goes into that.
[00:23:58] And the whole time you're massaging the body as you're going to make sure that there's cause you don't have a pulse. So there's no way. I'm smiling. Oh yeah. It's cool, right? Yeah. So you got to do, you got to massage the head, turn it off.
[00:24:12] Cause if you don't turn it off, the eyes pop out. Cause I'm going to ask you like if you do too much or something, do they pop out? The eyes, the eyes will come out so and you're screwed if that happens.
[00:24:23] So you got to just count it, turn it off, take it out, let that sit so you're on a block like the laying down on a block. So the chin's up so that way it all sits and flows.
[00:24:33] And then you shoot down and then when you shoot down, it goes through. But the hard part is if it hits a blood clot, it literally clogs the, where the fluid comes through the, from all the high.
[00:24:44] So then you got to grab a long like bottle, like a little stick and you go in and you just poke it out or you can pull it out with tweezers, but they're like super long. And then you pull them out and they look like worms,
[00:24:55] like real thin. Like rat tails? That's what a blood. Like a really long rat tail? Yeah. Oh my gosh. So you just pull it out and then you just keep poking it out. And then people get pink again.
[00:25:08] So everyone's always worried about like rig a mortise and stuff that breaks after a couple of hours or you can break it manually like turning the body around. So you break the rigor mortise. That way the hands are pliable because you always have to
[00:25:20] have the hands like crossed over the body. Yeah. It's like a sign of respect. So you got to do that. So then after all that's done, you got to stitch it up. So you got to go from like here up, but not so high that the
[00:25:33] family can see it. It's got to be able to hide under a shirt. Okay. So I always tell the family, like you got to wear a dress shirts or just a high collar. And it's always terrible because like if it's a younger girl
[00:25:46] that dies, the family will give them like a v-cut thing because they're like, oh, she liked this. And I was like, you can see the scar for what I had to do. I was like, she can't wear it.
[00:25:56] We got to give her like a wrap or something to do it. Okay. And most bodies of fun fact are in a plastic suit underneath their clothes. Why? Interesting. So you don't leak. I was going to say.
[00:26:12] If you got a, if you got like a hole or something from like like a needle stab doctor, anything we get, we've had gunshot, like we've done some murder cases and gunshot wounds and stuff. Like you can stitch them. You can clog them up.
[00:26:26] There's these like a little rubber stoppers that you can put into a body. So you use the troll car buttons, you put them in and they hold like it's pretty solid. But if any fluid gets out, like I can smell it now. It smells almost like gasoline.
[00:26:40] So if I walk past the body and I smell it, I was like, they're leaking. Oh no. Cause we ship, we ship a lot of bodies to Mexico. So when we do that, like they got to be perfect because the, in the plane with the pressure, it all
[00:26:53] Oh no. Oh no. I mean, like that told me that sometimes when he's in the services that I don't know if it's someone did the job, the job wrong or something that they burp. Yeah. But the body ends up burping in the middle of the service.
[00:27:08] Oh my gosh. The other in the burping burping the afterlife. My legacy. So I had to turn a body the other day because I had to clean under the sun. So I had to turn a body the other day because I had to clean underneath them.
[00:27:24] So I'm used to it, right? So I turned it and then I just heard, and I was like, oh, that's weird. Cause usually it's like a solid burp. But then I went to turn them down and luckily I like the head was lit right here.
[00:27:35] Like I was further south. So when I did that, all of it came out of the mouth and just flew up. So I was like, you know, oh, so many times I'm just like, I'm going to my office and no one talked to me. Like, oh man. Yeah.
[00:27:55] There was like a Friday. I got dressed for work. Like I was actually dressed up because I had plans afterwards and I wasn't supposed to be in the lab. There were no plans. I went to go check in a body because funeral home was
[00:28:09] bringing a body for me to look at. And when I opened it, there was like so much fluid in the body that it spilled out right onto my pants, onto my shoes, onto everything. But it went into my shoes. No. When he's stepping into a puddle. Yeah.
[00:28:25] I was like, I was like, I've had these shoes for like two days. You're literally stepping on somebody's toes. Yeah. Like there. Oh man. Or when you pick them up from the medical examiner because the medical examiner, they need to know what's why a person died.
[00:28:40] So they're not delicate. They get in a body because they need answers. So then when we get them, it's like you open it and you this is going to get gross. So when you open a bag there, yeah,
[00:28:54] when you pick up three past from like a butcher shop or something like that, it's that initial smell, but with like a porter potty. Oh, it's just like, whoa. Oh, so you open the bag and it's just earthly. Like it's just guttural.
[00:29:07] And you try to hide it because sometimes the family is there like cause they want to know. I got to see it. So then I open the bag, I go like that. I'm like, that's fine. Close it. Yeah. My dad told me that there's,
[00:29:20] there's certain people like people that are already call them Romanis. They're gypsies. I don't want to miss. Oh, Romney, Romney show. Yeah. Like they, they are very particular because they sit there and they watch the doctor. And they're like, oh,
[00:29:38] they are very particular because they sit there and they watch them work. They, they watch the body. They watch everything like there's my dad can't even, if he has to do something down there, for example, or do some work around the casket, they're like, don't, don't,
[00:29:54] they don't let my dad get near it. They're really protective of it. Like have you seen stuff like that? Yeah. We did one for a person from Ghana. So traditionally we do mostly Mexicans cause that's just like who finds us. But we did one for them.
[00:30:08] And like the women were there while mom was embalming and that wasn't allowed to help, but they would handle the instruments and stuff because it's very much like the women take care of the women in that group. So like no men were allowed any,
[00:30:21] the men had to go pray in one room while the women worked in the other, but they like got her dress, did all that. They were very specific on everything. Like we couldn't do anything. They even brought in their old people to do the
[00:30:34] makeup and stuff because like we weren't allowed to do it. They had to do it. And then we've done, I mean to see a different, I mean, I'm sure you've seen multiples mostly Mexican or Latino, right? But yeah,
[00:30:46] it's kind of cool man to see kind of how every, you know, part of the world does their traditions, especially in some of the past. Yeah. Like I do weddings too. So for weddings, it's always fun because like I get to see how different cultures celebrate.
[00:30:59] And then for funerals, I get to see how they mourn. And some like Latinos, it's you could tell the groups, like the ones that are really there to mourn will be up front mourning. But then everyone else is using it as like a time to celebrate the person.
[00:31:14] Like there's always shots. There's always people eating, drinking, whatever it's like the back room is a party. The front room is to cry. And then they kind of rotate throughout. So I know how Latinos work for that. But when you see some of the other cultures,
[00:31:26] it's very much like they go, they look at the body. They notice that they're dead and then they leave. Like I do like when we want to let us and stuff. Yeah, the what else will go to just to check in, make sure they're dead to catch up.
[00:31:40] But it's always small talk like how you doing, how the kids great. I got to go. I'm like, you've been here for 10 minutes. And they're like, yeah, well, we saw him. He's dead. They let you like, yeah. That's what they do. Yeah.
[00:31:54] No, because most of the funerals I've been to in the past, like five years have been Caucasian funerals. And that's very much the sentiment you go to a Mexican funeral. We're there for hours. Like we got, like we got the, we got the cry fest.
[00:32:05] We got the Giso. We got that there might be mariachi later to celebrate legacy. Like who knows? We had a mariachi today. I was getting into it and then I was like, oh, this took a sad turn like the song. Oh, no.
[00:32:21] They'll come in to like what a lot of what a lot. I'm like, yeah. And then it's like, There's like a song. It's like a guy and a girl singing it, but it's talking about like, I'll see in the afterlife.
[00:32:39] And I'm like every time I hear it at a wake, I'm like, yo, keep it together. Like you're professional. Like, Yeah. It's like you have to explain that or something and I was every time I hear it, I'm like, oh, no, I'm from a Salvador. Right.
[00:32:56] And every time we had a funeral, people are playing poker and eating bread with cafe and we do it for three days. What's a lot of people. They let them look for three days and it's in like in the house or, you know, I don't know if you
[00:33:13] don't hope I've been to houses when we have the casket there and people have their cards out. They're playing poker and the more the people is right there and before talking, eating fun, there are some that get out a little while,
[00:33:25] but it's like three days of just like, hey, let's play some cards, this drink, let's talk about this cat and wrap it up. You know, but that's how I grew up. In Mexico because I've been to funerals in Mexico, you're so you die within four hours,
[00:33:40] you're dressed again and you're in a glass casket like the edge of the wooded, but the viewing from like the waist up is glass. And like they measure you to the casket. Like here we don't, we have general sizes there. You're measured to your casket so you're like
[00:33:57] not moving at all, but you're in a house for like 24 hours just there and then the next day they walk you like on the shoulder to your burial spot and then you're there like you go to mass and then you go there.
[00:34:09] Yeah, it's really cool to see because in Mexico it's like an actual celebration of death and then everyone like mourns the people that were lost and stuff. So it's super cool. And then in here you still get a little bit of it like the grito thing.
[00:34:24] There was one, the guy was it was it was sad or the guy was like 34 so he was like my age and he died suddenly like he had cancer, beat it, died of a heart attack. So it was like bam. But the wife had beaten cancer too.
[00:34:39] So like they went through chemo together, they met, they fell in love. It was like the sweetest story ever. And like you can usually tell the people that are fake crying versus real crying. She was crying and the mom was crying.
[00:34:50] So I was like, okay, this is going to be a rough one. We got to the burial and I have four sisters so or five sisters. So I'm like I have a bigger family, five sisters and two brothers. So when the casket was going down,
[00:35:03] I had to like get in the like the ground to pull the sisters out because now that they took care of the mom and the wife was their turn to cry. And I was like, this is usually reserved for like Mexico when I see it.
[00:35:16] But here is like they were grabbing chunks of earth and pulling it out with them because they didn't want to say bye. So I was like, well that's making it into a story for sure. I was like this has to, it has to man.
[00:35:28] Or you can take this one that my dad told me one time that they had a fresh grave buried up and security is required right in the especially because in LA and it was a gang banger, a gang member. And and these guys they went
[00:35:42] and got the body out and they were just holding up the corpse and security came up and they found them just like drinking with the corpse. I can't get out with him taking pictures and just being with him like they are not letting go of these cats.
[00:35:56] So that that's happened a lot when my dad tells me that's kind of issues that in a story. Go ahead and have that one. We did one and it was like a you go girl moment. We did one. The sister was in a gang. She OD'd the the
[00:36:14] the older sister now was raising that lady's daughter. So she was already pissed and like every time I had to talk to her, she fucking hated me. But I understood why she was mad. Like I was taking care of her sister. Her sister died. She's not responsible
[00:36:30] for a child all this stuff at the wake it was just the immediate family. So I was like, all right cool. And then I got a little bit of fun with it. And I was like, hey, don't you see the boys walking around by the
[00:36:44] street. But I was like, hey, what's going on? He was walking around the street and I was like, I don't know, I'm gonna go back to the car. I was like, well, there's a big moody on this guy. And then I saw a guy come
[00:37:00] around the corner and he had a big hoodie on. So I was just like They're drinking and it was at a church. So the end in Chicago. There's no security. There should be there's not so they're
[00:37:11] Drinking their partying the sister gets up to say goodbye because now I got to close the casket because I'm like I gotta get my people out of here
[00:37:18] Yeah, so we closed the casket. I'm sealing it up. The sisters like giving her eulogy and she's calling each one of them out She was like You weren't there for her. You weren't there for her. Why are you crying? You put her here?
[00:37:31] I know you I hate you and I was like good for you, but like you're not scared like Like one of our guys has like concealed carry and I was like Victor if something happens like we're dad before you get to your gun Like it's Chicago
[00:37:48] Chill yeah, I can talk her way out of this like put it away, but like that girl didn't care She's like fuck you fuck you fuck you. I was like goddamn That's like you go girl, but also oh god Yeah, I was just like
[00:38:02] There's a lot of that where like the family will be like oh he was associated, but he wasn't in the game I'm like just don't let them shop. Don't tell them somebody tells him
[00:38:12] I'm about to close that casket. I just hear him say like yo, that's my boy You're not gonna do that you can't close it And I'm like I have to close it like I this is closing today like what's going on
[00:38:23] I was like you guys want like 10 minutes like yeah, I come back the bodies covered in liquor Like not even bottles just like they poured it on them Lord on them
[00:38:32] Yeah, and I was like yo his mom's got to see him one more time and she's like she knows her son This is fine. Oh, so then the mom goes in there starts crying says bye sees the friends and you just see like piss
[00:38:46] And I was like yeah Like those Yeah It's it's a lot like and we try to get out of them like they'll call and I'll be like oh What's the manner of death and they're like they're at the medical examiner. I was like for what?
[00:39:05] They were shot and then I like I'm on Google already looking up the guy's name looking up shot looking up his neighborhood Oh, okay And I'm just so you can actually did like a we're not interested
[00:39:17] Kind of so you either price them out like you price fucking sky-high crazy Just to get them out of the room or you tell them we will do it But our rule for our funeral home is there has to be police presence
[00:39:33] If there's over a certain amount of people yeah, and then that usually scares them away Sometimes it doesn't and then that sucks because there is no police presence. You lied But you're just like fuck. Yeah, you just got to take them as they come a lot of times
[00:39:48] They just keep to themselves like they're gonna party But if you don't talk to them and they don't talk to you you're fine Yeah, but the times that they do want to talk to you
[00:40:00] And especially since I work with my mom so like I hear everything and I'm just like bro shut up No, man, that's crazy But also think about it this way like we don't sit down you probably do because you fucking do it every day
[00:40:19] But I don't sit down and think yeah, I got you thinking about funeral stuff. I like, you know, we joke around I have a kid. I'm 40 years old. Yeah, I'm not a kid. Oh, but I'm far from it
[00:40:28] My dad was at a cemetery. So I've always been around that stuff You know, I always make the joke on a man just put me in a fucking Folgers can and then
[00:40:37] Amongst people and leave that shit like just because I hear so much craziness that happens with like legit like bodies and burials and And then how they saw the cost right not to poopoo
[00:40:47] Yeah, that's like the cancer right and I've been here recently that they want you to go to space now It's cheaper to go to space
[00:40:56] With your body apparently like 15 grand to go to space and then they send you into space and you just end up in space floating around They want to see what happens with bodies like it's a whittle thing but they put bodies
[00:41:10] Now like they'll drop it into the water and I was like you like bitch. That's metal Yeah, that's just gonna sit down Like there's gonna be a crab living in it
[00:41:22] I was like why why do burials at sea like I get it but like wrap them in a cloth that and drop That's how you get sharks Yeah, or they want to do like organic body donation
[00:41:38] So you put them and then you turn in a fertilizer and then you drop them off Yeah, what's more than a funeral and they don't really? Yeah, they're like oh, they're like you got to do it. They just take you out. They compost you
[00:41:50] I was like it costs minimum $15,000. I didn't know Or do a cremation like cremation is bad year right but Burning a body is better than the chemicals that so if like the way I always tell my wife if I'm gonna go if I go Do rec cremation?
[00:42:12] Take the earn home and do a celebration with the earn. No one has to touch me. No one needs to see me Like put up a picture Make everyone buy a comic on the way out and that's a
[00:42:27] Force them to read it in front of the thing like yeah And you have to hold the comic mandates unreleased until the day when you pass that's what it's really It's just me ranting about you talking shit everybody
[00:42:53] I'm like, you look just burn me. No, I told my kid as I look Put my brain into an AI and then burn my body Have you ever missed me just open the program dad dot exe and then just just load me up and
[00:43:06] Just get some words of wisdom from me and then just turn me off because I can get annoying, you know Or listen to Yeah, I'm very much like I Give as much of my body to science as possible
[00:43:19] And then yeah the rest burn it but have a three-day party like you can cry about it, but we need a party So the the place I work at Monday through Friday is a body donation center for science. Oh
[00:43:32] So we yeah, there's there's it's not as crazy as people think so every time there's like an article like they found 32 bodies at this place I'm like that's just a shitty place like yeah, okay
[00:43:43] Yeah, I was like but like the place we do is for all of Illinois and Like it's always something crazy Like I'll get calls from people and they're like I want to donate a kidney I was like I can't help you with that man
[00:43:53] Like it's not what we do here and they're like well, what if I just go and drop dead at your door? I was like I gotta send you the medical examiner. Yeah come here to die That's my job
[00:44:05] All sorts of crazy people because like I answer the phones all the time So like I answer it and I'm talking to them and they're just like well I want to donate my uncle the science and I was like, okay
[00:44:16] I tell him what they like you got to fill out these two forms You gotta get a funeral home to bring you so they give you the death certificates. That's it
[00:44:22] You're with us for two years then we cremate you and we send the cream in town for your charge and They're like, okay cool Yeah I want to do that
[00:44:30] Then I'm like well you have to pay the funeral home for the death certificates and to bring you because we can't do it They got to do it And they're like how much is it? I was like I don't know where you live call for your home
[00:44:40] And then they'll call me back. They're like it's $500. I was like that's nothing man like yeah Yeah, and then they're like okay fine I'll do it and they're always mad cuz like I don't want to keep trash and white people but like
[00:44:55] When it comes to debt they're cheap as hell They're just like $700 to cremate. They're like no and then they like do a burial at sea or some shit It's always something crazy Cuz like I tell them it's this much like well he didn't have insurance
[00:45:12] I was like you're making your loved one paid for their own funeral For real Yeah, I was like help man, and they're like what am I gonna do like have like a wake. I was like
[00:45:23] Do you love them? You said it always turns into their problem not so much a morning You know I always start the calls with I am so sorry for your loss. Yeah And when it's in Mexican there's a pause crying and then they get back to it
[00:45:39] Other ethnicities are kind of the same sometimes they're meaner about it, but I'm like all right With what I was it's usually like yeah, okay anyway, so what's the cost? Yeah I'll hear them be like black grande Just and then what do you want? Okay?
[00:46:02] I just hear like strawberry refresher and then Oh That's fucking funny man. No, it's not you're right is No, no, we'll leave as we call him here in Texas. He knows how I chose whatever but I
[00:46:23] Work it also. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. No, I say it real quick. I work insurance so car accidents, you know everything like that and People say things like oh yeah, well Where's the car? Oh, it's an impound and on my head. I'm like oh There was a fatality
[00:46:39] That there's a bio issue there because the body is inside the vehicle was you know stuff and these people are at Burger King With their kids in the car and then they're like, yeah, so he was he was it was really bad
[00:46:51] There was blood everywhere, but I'm just trying to see what my rates gonna be now and it's like And you know, no, no, no, no, no, I'm just I'm checking checking just gone around trying to get my new quote
[00:47:04] My new rate for the year and I was like, okay. It's just so throws me off and people care we had one where it was a Guy died a husband died the wife was completely in shock because it was super sudden right the guy got shot
[00:47:21] Leaving his house getting into his car because they were trying to car jack him The car jacking didn't happen the guy fought him off, but he was still killed He had two kids so everyone like the mom's crying the kids are crying. I'm crying like it's bad
[00:47:36] There's a fight in the parking lot So like I gotta go I gotta see what's going on I go there's two uncles arguing because one of the other brothers Already took the car that they were attempting to steal and was putting it under his name
[00:47:52] Because he was well, I paid for part of the funeral so I get the new F-150 that he had And I was like my wife needs it to get to work. Oh Okay, yeah, my man hasn't even been put to rest yet
[00:48:10] He put the gas in the tank that he's gonna drive off with yeah And or like the Mexicans with every time someone dies and I just hear like the uncles in the corner all pissed off I was like they're not mad at me, but they're mad at somebody
[00:48:24] So I walked by and I hear him say like if he'd better still thinks he's getting in the Terenos like he's My mom and my grandpa are going through something similar like figuring out their shit
[00:48:39] And I was like for the love of God figured out before he dies because I got five My mom's got five brothers and a sister. Oh Man, I was like listening to me Figure this out cuz my grandma's got no spine
[00:48:51] So she will crumble at the first time pressure I was like and my mom's right in the middle So there's like a bunch of boys my mom and then more boys and my thea I was like you guys are getting nothing like figure this out Yeah
[00:49:04] Now that my mom does all the funeral stuff She was like we got to talk this out amongst the family while people are living because they die It's just like I get his share and then everyone starts with their like no in
[00:49:17] 1998 I gave him $50 to make a mixtape So he never paid me back so because of inflation The It's cnc music factor record off the radio is still a hot commodity apparently You know He was going through a dark time
[00:49:45] Priceless, you know, I'll be like remember how he got that new caddy who gave him the $2,000 down for it I was like in 96 Suddenly everyone's bus not receipts Not one photo of their kids in their wallet, but they got a receipt from when they got you dunking in
[00:50:04] Yeah, okay, man. That's some shit like you're right John like you don't think about that really like Oh shit someone's really gonna come up behind me and go
[00:50:15] Remember that one time when I took her to the doctor when your leg was broken and you couldn't drive her and it's like Okay, so you and they think you're right. It's shitty man Hey, remember Freddie had all those hats that I liked them
[00:50:29] No, man, I could get one and then they're gonna come and take a head out of your house while you're gone Like these people are crazy Yeah, I'm gonna bronze on my hats. No one can wear them No, they'll burn with me inside the the kill the fucking
[00:50:49] They do it well John it's always fun man Definitely Work and your books and of course and then you got more stories man, cuz you do weddings too. So I'm betting those things are wild
[00:51:04] Definitely we'll take a little break be most stay tuned and here's some more sing color No All right, Bimos. Thanks so much for staying tuned. And of course, here we are back to our final segment of the show, kind of what we're obsessed or hyper focused
[00:52:05] on this week. And then, Leigh, I'll start with you. What is it this week that has us consumed? Besides one piece, because you're all about that one piece. But listen. Three, two, what's going on? I hate to say it. I'm sorry. That's all I've consumed this week
[00:52:21] because I've been so busy with work. But I got to Joy Boy and I cried. Oh, you got there. I got to Joy Boy. OK, is it everything you expected? OK, so I know the fandom, like part of the fandom did not like the way it was handled.
[00:52:39] I have no notes with how it was done. I love the style that Joy Boy brings to the world. That's all I'll say. I don't want to spoil anything. But no, I'm very happy. I made it to this point in the show.
[00:52:54] I've never like I can't I can't complain about how long a series is anymore now that I've watched one piece, you know? Like but now hopefully next week I'll watch something else since I got to Joy Boy. You will never watch anything else.
[00:53:08] You watch all of one piece. But you don't know. Because I'm the type of person that like I have to watch a show all the way through before I started another one. Unfortunately, one piece lasts like 10 years. So yeah. Yeah, but it's fun. John, what about you, man?
[00:53:23] What are you into this week or just in general? Like, man, you're obsessed about this. Like, what is it? Yeah, right now I'm actually reading the return of Kamazos. Hey, I know that guy. I've been checking it out like it's good.
[00:53:37] So that's been like my go to right now. I'm actually reading what I'm writing a manga. So I've been reading a lot of it. So I just started one piece. You just started one piece. Hold on. I did one piece. Take a deep breath because like she said.
[00:53:55] 10 years. Oh, it's a lot. You think just started? Yeah. How far are you? In the books, I'm on volume four. On the cartoon, I'm at The Whale. Oh, OK. Yeah. Yay. It's a good place to be, man.
[00:54:09] How are you guys going to make me care about this whale? And I'm like, I care a whole lot. Yeah. The return of Kamazos is Rafael Flores Jr. Shout out Rafael because I'm a great writer. It's a great book, man. Definitely. I'm glad you got your copy.
[00:54:24] You got your copy. Yeah. For me, I'm going to I've been watching a lot. I've been watching dumb trash TV for some reason. Yes. Like it is dumb, but I've been like obsessed with the me and my wife would like, hey, what can we just put on?
[00:54:40] And sometimes when you just put something random on, you get hooked and then you're like, oh, shit, why am I watching this really good, bad TV? And that is going to be the rookie on ABC. It has Nixon, Nixon, Fillian in it. Yeah, fillian. Thank you.
[00:54:57] And I was like, what is a police officer? Dude, it's LAPD, but it's super over the top. Like there's no fucking way that the LAPD is going to let a 45 year old man join the forest as a rookie. And then he ends up solving murders and drug busts.
[00:55:14] Like they all you can do this, but I'm hooked because it is so trash. It is so it's like gummy bears wrapped in a fruit loop dipped in Chamoy. Like it's like, yeah, this is this is all the garbage that we shouldn't watch, but I'm obsessed with.
[00:55:31] So yeah, I'll put it out. That's a Hulu and like, I promise you, I'm like sitting there going away from like, why am I watching this? I know she's not going to die, but I have to keep watching. But yeah, that's been my obsession. OK, yeah.
[00:55:47] But the most we hope that you enjoyed the show tonight. I want to thank John, of course, having a comics. John, please give everybody your socials, your website where everybody can follow you. A Vina comics dot com. You can buy the comics.
[00:56:00] We we put up our interview section so you can see my last visit. If you guys haven't checked it out on there too. And then on Tik Tok, Edna Vina comics, Instagram, Edna Vina comics and on Patreon dot com slash Vina comics. Like, yeah, you'll go to that.
[00:56:16] Patreon. So definitely. Elia, what about you? Have anything happening? Anything you want to promote? Well, I do my charity streams every Friday starting tomorrow, which this will be in the past when this is up. But every Friday in February raising money for the American Heart Association,
[00:56:33] I'm doodling cursed toy hybrids for donations. So come join the curse tea party fun and then beginning of March. I think it's the second weekend of March. I will be in Austin as will Friday. Question. I think so for the BIPOC lab thrown by Dr.
[00:56:50] Aladama, Professor Latin X. He's a pop lab. Yeah. And by the way, did you guys see the the trailer for X-Men 94 or 97? Yeah, yeah. Not yet. But I know dude, what are they go watch? You're going to lose your mind because you love that old nation.
[00:57:08] Yeah, you're going to love it. You're going to love it. So good. But for us here, of course, we must know you can follow us at my famous podcast, my famous podcast dot com. You have all our episodes all about us.
[00:57:19] Elia, Kevin, Chikume, of course, all our interviews, all our posts, everything's on there for you guys to follow us. We appreciate every one of you guys. I want to thank, of course, for providing all the music on the show. Enjoy her at Singolor Music and Primos.
[00:57:33] Remember, no matter where you're from, we're all Primos. Adios.