With the release of Calavera, P.I. from Oni Press next week, we are delighted to be joined by cartoonist Marco Finnegan. We chatted with Marco all about his new comic series Calavera, P.I. Marco has worked on a number of comics, including Morning Star and Night People.
Hi Marco, it’s so wonderful to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Thanks so much for having me! I am Marco Finnegan, a Cartoonist from Southern CA.
Can you tell us about the origins of Calavera, P.I.?
Calavera, P.I. came about with me riffing on the Calavera drawings of José Guadalupe Posada while I was trying to come up with an L.A. noir. The idea of a Calavera as a detective seemed like a fun way in and that gave me the structure for the story. Here is this detective returning from the dead and he has a ticking clock while he drives to solve this case.
How would you describe Calavera, P.I.?
It’s a supernatural Chicano noir, which just means that it pulls from both American noir and Mexican/Latino folklore influences. It’s set against the backdrop of LA in the 1930s which was a tumultuous time for Angelinos in general and Mexican Americans, specifically.
What can you tell us about Juan Calavera?
I patterned him after some of my favorite gumshoes from the genre. He has that blue-collar approach to the job that [Dashiell] Hammett’s Continental Op had. Hammett was a huge influence because of how grounded his detectives are. I think of Juan as a craftsman—his craft just happens to be solving crimes. He’s not particularly romantic about it.
You created all of the art for the Calavera, P.I.; what part of that process did you enjoy the most?
I really got to lean into some of my favorite influences art wise, lots of Jack Cole’s Midnight and [Will] Eisener’s The Spirit as well as EC’s Crime books and [Milton] Caniff’s daily strips. The goal was to make it seem “of the time,” as if it was created in this golden age.
How did Oni Press get involved with Calavera, P.I.?
Oni was a result of me and my editor, Gabriel Granillo, hitting it off and having similar ideas in terms of what this book could be. Gabriel is an amazing editor and storyteller and can harness what I am trying to get at in the most succinct way.
Can you tell us about the world that Calavera, P.I. set in?
Calavera P.I. is set in Los Angeles in the 1930s, but this LA has dark corners tinged with supernatural elements. Just on the premise of Calavera being a dead detective, we are opening the world to the possibility that anything can happen here. I think that Los Angeles is one of the most interesting cities in the world because, even today, when you walk around you move between the real and the surreal just by turning a corner.
What has it been like working with Oni Press?
Oni has been amazing, the whole crew from Winston Gambro and Matt Harding’s design input (wait till you see the title pages!) and Jeff Eckleberry’s amazing letters are making me look way better than I deserve. I’ve gushed about Gabriel, and Sierra Hahn and Hunter Gorinson both have had great input into the book and have really pushed me to do the best work I’ve done to date. It’s a great team.
How long have you been working on Calavera, P.I.?
The idea came to me in January 2023 when I was in a hotel near LAX and I have been chipping away at it pretty steadily since then in one way or another.
As a creator, do you prefer writing or creating art?
I think it’s the same? The luxury of writing and drawing is that I can start with the images as my first pass. So my first “script” is usually stick figure layouts. The dialogue is when we (Gabriel and I) just try to hack away and make it as succinct as possible. I don’t know if I could ever just write, though, without drawing. I have to see it on the page.
With Calavera, P.I. releasing in November, how do you feel?
I’m excited! You spend a lot of time on these things and then it’s really out of your hands how they will be received, but I do hope people dig it and see it as a different take on the genre.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Please buy this so Oni will let me make more LOL! I just hope people dig it and if they want to reach out and tell me what they think, that would be rad.
We would like to say a big thank you to Marco for chatting with us and wish him all the best for the release of Calavera, P.I.
