Richard Dominguez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richard Dominguez |
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Dominguez inking the latest issue of El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior
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| Born | Eufrancio Richard Dominguez September 22, 1960 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Artist, Editor |
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Notable works
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El Gato Negro Team Tejas |
Richard Dominguez, born Eufrancio Ricardo Dominguez on September 22, 1960, is an American comic book artist. He also works as a freelance illustrator, drawing pictures for stories or advertisements. Richard is famous for creating the popular comic series El Gato Negro. He publishes his comics through his own company and art studio, Azteca Productions. Richard Dominguez is also known for inspiring other artists to create and publish their own comics.
Contents
About Richard Dominguez
Richard's Early Life and Art
Richard Dominguez was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 22, 1960. He was the second of seven children. Richard grew up in a part of West Dallas. He first discovered comic books when he was six years old. He would sneak into his uncle's room to read his big collection of comics.
In high school, Richard studied Commercial Art. Later, he took Life Drawing classes at a community college. He then got a job at a local supermarket. There, he created and painted signs for displays. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Richard worked as an intern. He helped out at different art and design studios. He also designed logos for sports teams and small businesses.
How El Gato Negro Was Created
Richard Dominguez first thought of the character El Gato Negro in the mid-to-late 1980s. He originally planned for El Gato Negro to be part of a superhero group. This group was called Team Tejas and was made up of mostly Mexican-American heroes. However, Richard focused more on El Gato Negro's story and look. He decided to put the Team Tejas project aside for later.
Richard explained how El Gato Negro came to be:
El Gato Negro was created or "born" when I was sketching on my notebook paper and in binders during (when I was supposed to be taking notes) classes in a community college...He was originally supposed to be a member of an all-Hispanic superhero group which I called "Team Tejas". I later became partial [to] this particular character and put my emphasis on him and put the rest of the team in the "backburner".
Many things inspired El Gato Negro's personality and design. Richard was inspired by his favorite comic books and classic pulp heroes. These included The Spirit, The Crimson Avenger, Daredevil, Nightwing, The Shadow, The Phantom, Zorro, and especially Batman. Ideas from Japanese animation, manga, and martial arts movies also helped create El Gato Negro's costume and gear.
Richard was encouraged to publish his own comic by Judge Margarito Garza's character, Relampago. El Gato Negro first appeared in his own comic series in 1993. Richard wrote and drew this first series himself. The comic became popular. Later, a second series called "El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior" was released. El Gato Negro has also appeared as a guest in other comics and media. He was even featured in Mountain Dew's "Do the Dew" Tour. Richard Dominguez is currently discussing a possible live-action movie based on the character.
Azteca Productions: Richard's Comic Company
Richard Dominguez started Azteca Productions in 1993. The first comic they published was El Gato Negro. This comic is now considered the company's main title. In 1997, Richard also launched Team Tejas. He worked on this project with his friend and writer, Michael S. Moore.
Publishing stopped for a while in the late 1990s. This was during a time when the comic book market changed a lot. This break allowed Richard to focus on his family. He returned to comics in 2004 with a second series. Michael S. Moore wrote this series, and Efren Molina did the drawings. Some of Azteca Productions' current projects include Lucha Grande Comics, which features the original El Gato Negro, Agustin Guerrero. Other projects are [The Acolyte, Demon Hunter] and Tonatiuh the Almighty.
Richard's Personal Life
Richard Dominguez lives in Dallas, Texas. He lives there with his wife, Olga Dominguez, and their four children.
Professional Amigos of Comic Art Society
The Professional Amigos of Comic Art Society (PACAS) was a group started in 1995. It was a non-profit organization. Comic book creators Richard Dominguez, Carlos Saldaña, Jose Martinez, and Fernando Rodriguez founded it.
The main goal of PACAS was to bring together different artists. This included cartoonists, writers, colorists, letterers, and publishers. They wanted to help each other with their projects. They did this by networking and talking to each other. Their hope was to create more opportunities for growth in the comic art community. The group grew to over fifty members. Most of them lived in California. However, it also had members from other countries, like Oscar Loyo and the ¡Ka-Boom! Estudio group from Mexico.
