There are many who reproach Sammy Harkham (Los Angeles, 1980) for taking so long to draw a comic. The renowned editor and cartoonist has a faithful legacy of fans who have followed him since his first book, Todo y nada (Fulgencio Pimentel), considered at the time the best graphic novel of the year by several American newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times. Shortly after, he would create the Kramers Ergot comics anthology, which catapulted him to fame, and he published many others along the way. However, among the fans there was a legend that something big was brewing. And now, at last, he has seen the light.
This is La sangre de la virgen (Fulgencio Pimentel), the story with which the illustrator landed this weekend at the Cómic Barcelona fair and which is set in Los Angeles in the 70s, a decade “crucial for the evolution of the industry, because the rise of independent cinema took place”, explains Harkham to La Vanguardia.
The protagonist is Seymour, an ambitious young man trying to make his way in the low-budget horror film industry. Something that is not easy for him because, beyond the difficulties of the profession, it is very difficult for him to reconcile with his family life. “The system is out of date. It happened to Seymour in the '70s but it still happens now. It seems that in order for you to succeed in your business, you have to be single and have no life. We should reflect more on this situation, which is slowly burning us but on which we speak so little.
The cartoonist says that “the plot did not change throughout all these years, basically because there was no planned story. It was only clear to me that I wanted to talk about cinema, about that time and about Los Angeles, ”he admits. For this, he had to document himself a lot, since he is not linked to the world of the seventh art, although he does have many friends. It was Joe Dante, the director of the Gremlins, who shed some light on the matter. “I stuck to him as much as possible. He wanted to know everything, from what his day-to-day was like to how many people had the key to the editing room. It is the small details that end up making a story good, as well as credible”.
Beyond the filmmakers, his parents also spoke a lot about that time, who have been "his main inspiration" in this long project. In fact, the protagonists of his cartoons could well be them. “It is true that my father is not a filmmaker or knows anything about the industry, but in many other ways he resembles Seymour, the protagonist. He was born in Iraq and ended up coming to the United States like many others, with the aim of prospering and fulfilling his dreams. Just like my mother, who comes from New Zealand and has also always had many projects in mind ”, he says.
Los Angeles also “gave a lot of play. But only as a stage. I hate those people who say that the city is one more protagonist. That is not possible. A character must evolve. And a city changes over time, it's true, but because its inhabitants do, otherwise it would stay the same. The most you can do is influence. And this concept is something I try to play with in my comic."
In addition, he adds, “I chose this location because of the theme and because it is the place I know the most. But I also try to give him truth. Living in L.A. It has helped me to de-romanticize the city and see it in a different way. It's not like the movies show us. It is a place inhabited by ghosts. Wherever you go, you feel like you've been before, because you've seen it on TV or in the movies and you know that someone very famous has been there. But once you're there, those illusions are shattered. Nothing is exactly how you thought it would be. That's the downside of having such high expectations."
