"A thrilling new True Weird series from Tiny Onion by co-creators Julio Anta (Frontera; Sí, Se Puede) and Daniel Irizarri (Xino, Cementary Kids Don't Die) bringing el Chupacabra to life!"
With the first issue of Beast of Borikén now available from Dark Horse Comics and Tiny Onion, I was excited to catch up with writer Julio Anta to learn all about the new "True Weird" series. Along with a preview of the first issue you can read now, Anta and I discuss the origins of the series, the Chupacabra, Puerto Rican culture, and the series' central character, Loli:
Can you share with our readers the origins of the story behind Beast of Boriken and how this became your latest comic book project?
Julio Anta: Like all my books, Beast of Borikén is the culmination of many disparate ideas. There’s my love for the Chupacabra that dates back to a childhood watching Spanish language tabloid news shows like Primer Impacto which followed the Chupacabra all over Latin America; my own activism in fight against the Esencia project in Puerto Rico – the luxury development being built on protected land that inspired the hotel development in the book, Alma; and a desire to write a story about an activist that is so driven by rage they burn down the rest of their life in service of their truly important work.
When all those ideas connected, I knew we had something special.
What research did you do into accounts of the Chupacabra? Are you a believer? And how did you lean into or subvert real accounts when telling this story?
Julio Anta: As someone who grew up with the Chupacabra as an ever present cryptid I had a lot of preconceived notions about it that my research helped correct. For example, I didn’t realize how young this cryptid truly is! The first use of the term “Chupacabra” (goat sucker) wasn’t until 1995. And the initial origins of a creature that sucks the blood of livestock didn’t begin until 1975 when it was first called el Vampiro de Moca (the Moca vampire).
Am I a believer? I desperately want to be! I grew up obsessed with aliens, UFOs and cryptids. I think that’s what makes me love Tiny Onion’s "True Weird" line because it treats real accounts (we can look back at them in newspapers, government reports, etc) with the seriousness they deserve!
Whether the Chupacabra exists or not is almost beyond the point, because what we do with this book is give it a purpose, which is to protect its island and its fellow inhabitants from true evil.
The story features Loli Flores fighting the overdevelopment of Puerto Rico. Why is Loli a character that resonated with you and will resonate with readers? Can you talk about the importance of weaving in Puerto Rican culture and development concerns into the story?
Julio Anta: Loli is an extremely passionate and effective activist. For better or worse, she’s single minded in her struggle against people who wish to steal Puerto Rico from Puerto Ricans. I know so many people like Loli. Sometimes I’m Loli! But for Loli to continue to be Loli, she’ll need to find the space to wrestle with the trauma that shaped her.
Loli’s trauma may have begun during Hurricane Maria, but the truth is that it began 500 years before her birth when the Spaniards first invaded the island in 1493. And, again, when the Americans arrived in 1898 and began (and still!) ruling Puerto Rico as a colony. All of this history is incredibly important to our book because it’s incredibly important to the lived experience of all colonized people. And the Chupacabra, who has lived on this island since the time of the Taíno (Puerto Rico’s indigenous people), has experienced it as well. He and Loli have the same trauma, one has just lived it for longer, and when they meet at the end of issue one and see each other in each other’s eyes, they’ll know it too.
What was the collaborative process like working with Daniel Irizarri to bring this story to life? How did Daniel positively impact your ideas for the comic book's characters and/or story?
Julio Anta: This would be a different book without Daniel. Before Tiny Onion even became involved in this project, I was DM’ing with Daniel about my dreams for this project. As someone who was born and raised on the island, and lived through Hurricane Maria, Daniel brought so much love and passion to this book. He put so much of his own life into this book, from the devastated landscapes of a post-Maria Aguadilla, to bedroom interiors and locations throughout the island that he’s visited himself; his finger prints are everywhere.
Can you give our readers a tease of the "true weird" that Loli will encounter over the course of the series?
Julio Anta: I may say that our Chupacabra is a centuries-old creature, but there’s a lot of mystery to this character – Loli will spend much of issue 2 attempting to unravel that mystery and the answers will be truly weird!
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Beast of Boriken #1
"In contemporary Puerto Rico, Loli Flores is a fierce activist fighting the overdevelopment of the island by outside investors. When a ground-breaking ceremony is violently interrupted by a supernatural force, Loli discovers that the stories of el Chupacabra are not just echoes from the past, but a brutal protector of generations extending back to the indigenous people of the island. As Loli uncovers the horrors firstand, el Chupacabra is on a parallel path with elemental destruction left in his wake."
Creators
Issue #1 Details:
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
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