In her assessment of Gilbert Hernandez’ seminal work, Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories, Jennifer Glaser makes a number of claims about the ultimate meaning behind the work and how it relates to the larger work of transnational authors. Glaser asserts that Palomar is an important piece of transnational exploration; Through the lens of the somewhat mystical town of Palomar,Hernandez explores race, gender, class and the still unfolding effects of cultural imperialism. Glaser also argues that Palomar acts a sort of incubator to work through Hernandez clearly conflicted feelings about being a Mexican American. The Heartbreak Stories are a personal reflective thought piece that Hernandez uses to delve into the clearly conflicted feelings he has as Chicano American living in an era where the United States was dangerously meddling in Central and South American politics. Transnationalism in Hernandez’ stories, Glaser explains, appears as the blending of high and low culture to explore his vision of how Latin American (more specifically Mexican) and Border Chicanos are affected by “Western/US ideals” of beauty, race and spirituality. “After all, comics are artifacts between elite and mainstream cultural production” (Glaser, Chapter. 2) Glaser argues that the artistic style Hernandez uses in Heartbreak Soup is a way to bridge the gap between White and Latin readers. His drawing style is very reminiscent of the Archie Comics, and also the regional comics found in Mexico throughout the 50’s and 60s. This is a deliberate way to draw readers in, and use their familiarity with the comics they grew up with to introduce difficult subjects such as class, gender, and even US involvement in South/Central American politics throughout the Cold War. In addition to drawing on classic comics, Hernandez also leaves his faces somewhat simple but still vaguely “Latin.” McCloud (in Understanding Comics) tells us that this kind of simplicity allows readers to more actively engage and identify with characters by allowing them to projects their own personalities onto semi-blank canvases. Glaser says that “For Latino readers, this desire for projection is particularly strong because there are so few figures in popular culture with whom they can identify” (Glaser, Chapter 8). This is particularly strategic because as Glaser indicates, Hernandez is exploring how topics like race and gender in Latin America are viewed so differently from the United States. Hernandez’s town has residents from the entire spectrum of color and heritage; dark skinned to pale, Indian to classic looking Spanish. Race is not viewed as a hierarchy but as Chicano or Not Chicano - a group of people who have been oppressed or their oppressors. This is particularly evident in the way that Hernandez draws Palomar’s residents and the various White Americans that visit the town. While Palomar’s residents have limited depth and shading to their faces, comparatively the White characters are drawn in sharp detail. Generally, they have a much more “specific” look, and a harshness that even the roughest residents, for instance Luba, do
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The most obvious ways this is represented in Heartbreak Soup are the changing ideals of dress and sexuality. Though Glaser speaks at length about how US attitudes on what is acceptable dress affect the residents of Palomar - specifically the introduction of pants and Pipo’s career in the US fashion industry, she misses an opportunity to delve into Hernandez representation of women in Chicano culture. Hernandez’ women are a very complex bunch. They are rough and bawdy, but also prim and proper. They hold positions of power but are weak and easily taken advantage of. Glaser hints at this complex relationship, for instance, when she talks about Luba as an “Amazonian,” (Glaser, Chapter 12) and in a few other minor references but given the deep rooted ideas of female subjugation that plagues the Latin world it is striking that she doesn’t spend time talking about Hernandez’ treatment of his female characters. So many of the female inhabitants of Palomar are central authority figures. Chela is a respected midwife and sheriff, Carmen is a voice of calm rationality, and even Luba eventually becomes mayor. Despite that, they are constantly being taken advantage of, and are overcome by their own hypersexuality. All of these explorations of how women are treated in the Latin world are so tied to changing cultural ideals and the threatened male
The most obvious ways this is represented in Heartbreak Soup are the changing ideals of dress and sexuality. Though Glaser speaks at length about how US attitudes on what is acceptable dress affect the residents of Palomar - specifically the introduction of pants and Pipo’s career in the US fashion industry, she misses an opportunity to delve into Hernandez representation of women in Chicano culture. Hernandez’ women are a very complex bunch. They are rough and bawdy, but also prim and proper. They hold positions of power but are weak and easily taken advantage of. Glaser hints at this complex relationship, for instance, when she talks about Luba as an “Amazonian,” (Glaser, Chapter 12) and in a few other minor references but given the deep rooted ideas of female subjugation that plagues the Latin world it is striking that she doesn’t spend time talking about Hernandez’ treatment of his female characters. So many of the female inhabitants of Palomar are central authority figures. Chela is a respected midwife and sheriff, Carmen is a voice of calm rationality, and even Luba eventually becomes mayor. Despite that, they are constantly being taken advantage of, and are overcome by their own hypersexuality. All of these explorations of how women are treated in the Latin world are so tied to changing cultural ideals and the threatened male