contributed photos of original artwork by Malwin Davila

Throughout my life, I have been drawn to superheroes and the values that guide their engagement. DC Comics’ Super Friends were there to “Fight injustice, to right that which is wrong, and to serve all mankind!” I found their commitment to these values inspiring, and often imagined a world in which people with power lived by such altruistic codes of conduct. As Marvel’s Spider-Man explained, “…with great power there must also come great responsibility.”

That said, I also always bristled at the hyper-stereotypical characteristics of non-white superheroes.

My love of superheroes, combined with my love of art, Puerto Rican culture and a sense of accountability to the greater good, led me to imagine and create my own collection of superhero characters. This exploration and evolution took about a decade-and-a-half to develop, as the time I had for art diminished while other life responsibilities increased. But I’m finally going to share a five-part series featuring my own heroes!

My inspiration for the characters came from an unlikely source: the classic salsa music delivered to the world by Fania Records. I was not always a fan of salsa. As a Puerto Rican boy growing up in the projects of Springfield, Massachusetts, the music was all around me. But it was my parents’ music, and not particularly meaningful enough for me to really listen to the words, rhythms and stories.

It was not until I was in college and met an artist named Richie (like Prince he had no last name); through him I was able to develop a new appreciation and tap into the inspiration in music. Richie used salsa’s narratives to create his illustrations. One day, he shared his visual representation of a Ruben Blades song, “Pedro Navaja” and I was blown away. Through Richie’s artistic expression – gorgeous pencil and charcoal drawings – I could finally hear the music for myself.

Over the next several years, I listened to salsa with a new purpose. I experimented with my own contemporary versions of the characters and stories of the songs that were the backdrop to my childhood.

Paradoxically, the first piece I created was of a villain. Like Richie, I created a fairly literal interpretation of Ruben Blades’ Pedro Navaja. The song tells the story of a serial killer who meets his end at the hands of his final victim. After completing it, I thought, “what about heroes in this world who endeavor to stop such tragedies?” It was then that I began to imagine heroes who looked like the people I grew up with, driven by ethical codes emblematic of comic book supers. I chose college as my setting, both as an homage to Richie and because it was a place where I met people who embodied the codes of ethics that I revered, who were real and superhuman in their pursuit of justice.

My first piece was of Hatcha y Machete, twin brother and sister setting out to college, confronted with a longing for independence and their unabating commitment to each other. The next piece introduced two more characters: Ogun and Albizu. The unlikely pair just met in the lobby of their freshman dorm building, but share a sense of justice and mischief that make them fast friends. The most recent and final piece of the series reveals the lynchpin character: Anacaona. She is a local who, upon arriving on campus, realizes she is now a small fish in a big pond. She is intent on finding – or creating, if need be – her new community.

Each of the characters is strong in their own right. Together, they amplify each other’s power. The series introduces us to the characters on their separate journeys as they arrive at a crossroads – one at which they will be asked to make decisions that may have great implications for their future and the fate of the whole world.

As I reflect more about the series, I am aware of many important influences. For sure, I borrowed inspiration from DC and Marvel artists. And from Richie, who shared his own music-inspired art and stories in his dank post-graduate kitchen. I am also filled with gratitude for my two giant twin older brothers, who sparked my love of art at an early age. We spent hours trying to perfectly copy the TV Guide’s pirate and turtle (“Tippy”) pencil drawings, challenging each other to keep creating. They also introduced me to indigenous stories and myths during treks to our local library and throughout our college experience. My parents, who played music from Puerto Rico in our home to help them feel close to the island they left behind. Finally, our CLP family has influenced me, by inviting me to examine my own values and share my story while keeping me company as I did. It has been during the development of this post – or perhaps in an attempt to avoid it! – that I was able to complete the final character, Anacaona.

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