What do you think?
Rate this book
Love and Rockets
Maria M.
This brutal, original crime thriller graphic novel, from the co-creator of Love and Rockets , tells the story of femme fatale Maria M. Maria M.'s is a sordid tale of sex, drugs, violence, and power. When she comes to America for a better life, she marries a drug kingpin, whose son learns Maria’s darkest secret, leading to the most violent gangland bloodbath in organized crime history. Maria M. collects 2013’s Book One (now out of print), and the never-before-published Book Two, presenting the complete graphic novel for the first time. Longtime readers of Hernandez’s books will recognize a metatwist worthy of Maria M. ’s pulpy pages: Maria M. doubles as a “biopic” of the mother of Hernandez’s most beloved character: Luba from Love and Rockets ! Black & white illustrations throughout.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2018
122 people want to read
About the author
Gilbert Hernández
431 books420 followersGilbert and his brother Jaime Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.
Gilbert Hernandez is an American cartoonist best known for the Palomar and Heartbreak Soup stories in Love and Rockets, the groundbreaking alternative comic series he created with his brothers Jaime and Mario. Raised in Oxnard, California in a lively household shaped by comics, rock music and a strong creative streak, he developed an early fascination with graphic storytelling. His influences ranged from Marvel legends Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to the humor and clarity of Hank Ketcham and the Archie line, as well as the raw energy of the underground comix that entered his life through his brother Mario.
In 1981 the brothers self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets, which quickly drew the attention of Fantagraphics Books. The series became a defining work of the independent comics movement, notable for its punk spirit, emotional depth and multiracial cast. Gilbert's Palomar stories, centered on the residents of a fictional Latin American village, combined magic realism with soap-opera intimacy and grew into an ambitious narrative cycle admired for its complex characters and bold storytelling. Works like Human Diastrophism helped solidify his reputation as one of the medium's most inventive voices.
Across periods when Love and Rockets was on hiatus, Hernandez built out a parallel body of work, creating titles such as New Love, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, as well as later graphic novels including Sloth and The Troublemakers. He also collaborated with Peter Bagge on the short-lived series Yeah! and continued to explore new directions in Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Celebrated for his portrayal of independent women and for his distinctive blend of realism and myth, Hernandez remains a major figure in contemporary comics and a lasting influence on generations of artists.
Gilbert Hernandez is an American cartoonist best known for the Palomar and Heartbreak Soup stories in Love and Rockets, the groundbreaking alternative comic series he created with his brothers Jaime and Mario. Raised in Oxnard, California in a lively household shaped by comics, rock music and a strong creative streak, he developed an early fascination with graphic storytelling. His influences ranged from Marvel legends Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to the humor and clarity of Hank Ketcham and the Archie line, as well as the raw energy of the underground comix that entered his life through his brother Mario.
In 1981 the brothers self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets, which quickly drew the attention of Fantagraphics Books. The series became a defining work of the independent comics movement, notable for its punk spirit, emotional depth and multiracial cast. Gilbert's Palomar stories, centered on the residents of a fictional Latin American village, combined magic realism with soap-opera intimacy and grew into an ambitious narrative cycle admired for its complex characters and bold storytelling. Works like Human Diastrophism helped solidify his reputation as one of the medium's most inventive voices.
Across periods when Love and Rockets was on hiatus, Hernandez built out a parallel body of work, creating titles such as New Love, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, as well as later graphic novels including Sloth and The Troublemakers. He also collaborated with Peter Bagge on the short-lived series Yeah! and continued to explore new directions in Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Celebrated for his portrayal of independent women and for his distinctive blend of realism and myth, Hernandez remains a major figure in contemporary comics and a lasting influence on generations of artists.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 16, 2020
One of several comics stories (novelizations) based on B-movies Fritz starred in within the Hernandez Love and Rockets LA punk eighties universe (dozens of books, for the uninitiated). The very point of these B movie books is not that the stories are Great Fiction but that they are pulpy, violent, grindhouse, cheap, sexy, sensational, graphic (re: both sex and violence), trashy. This one is a lonnng story compared to the others—you don’t want B movies or pulpy novels to bore you like long Russian novels, is the idea—that purports to be the “true crime” story of Luba’s (the comically large-breasted star of so many of the decades of Beto books) mother, Maria M, who made her way north across the border to LA and survived as an “exotic” dancer (okay, stripper) and “blue movie” (okay, pre-porn “stag” movie) actress, and married mobster Luis Cienfeugo.
In the manner of such pulpy/trashy stories, there are various sort of unsurprising mob wars and LOTS of people die. Over-the-top in a way I see most people haven't appreciated here. I think it goes on a bit too long, comically sensationalistic (which is to say he is commenting on the joys of sensationalism) and is ridiculously violent, but it’s Beto, I can’t really complain, he’s having fun with early sixties genres he loves, and if you are offended, hey, go watch some tame telenovelas with your grandma, he'd probably say. We meet Luba as a toddler, and become acquainted with the brutal killer and the mobster’s son, Gorgo, a name we also know from other works in the Love and Rockets series.
In the manner of such pulpy/trashy stories, there are various sort of unsurprising mob wars and LOTS of people die. Over-the-top in a way I see most people haven't appreciated here. I think it goes on a bit too long, comically sensationalistic (which is to say he is commenting on the joys of sensationalism) and is ridiculously violent, but it’s Beto, I can’t really complain, he’s having fun with early sixties genres he loves, and if you are offended, hey, go watch some tame telenovelas with your grandma, he'd probably say. We meet Luba as a toddler, and become acquainted with the brutal killer and the mobster’s son, Gorgo, a name we also know from other works in the Love and Rockets series.
August 2, 2023
Very (to the nth degree) violent look at what we (would now) call cartels and how a woman (Maria M.) gets caught up in the burlesque/stag film industry that existed before XXX films. Many sexual situations - adult content. If you are familiar with the work of Gilbert Hernández then you know what to expect; if you are not then you are in for a treat - his gritty tales are filled with pain and deception - but there is always hope of redemption if the protagonist can ultimately believe in their own self worth.
December 29, 2019
Gilbert Hernandez continues his recent practice of making graphic novels that are "movies" featuring his Love & Rockets characters. This one, facetiously claiming to be "based on a true story," is a true crime exploitation biopic based on the (fictional) life of Luba's mother, Maria Martinez. Starting in 1957 it follows Maria as she emigrates from Mexico to America and stumbles into modeling, acting, and being the wife of Luis Cienfeugo, the boss of a crime family. L&R fans will immediately recognize the name of the mobster's son, Gorgo.
The story unspools erratically with sex and violence, alliances and betrayals, retaliation and revenge, kidnapping and rape, as Maria's life is buffeted by a pretty standard, dull and slow gang war between the Cienfuegos and a couple other crime families. Fine enough for L&R completists who want to see Luba as a toddler, I suppose.
The story unspools erratically with sex and violence, alliances and betrayals, retaliation and revenge, kidnapping and rape, as Maria's life is buffeted by a pretty standard, dull and slow gang war between the Cienfuegos and a couple other crime families. Fine enough for L&R completists who want to see Luba as a toddler, I suppose.
December 7, 2019
Sometimes I don’t know whether to laugh at all of the moments of depravity that occur in Maria’s story or just be puzzled, but that’s how I take in most of Gilbert’s works. They feel like a lot of what I was looking for in movies and comics back in the ‘90s as a teen: something that dared to show or discuss such shocking stories. So, even though I’m left wondering how Hernandez intends for me to react with these stories, they are enjoyable and leave an impression, to say the least.
Maria, like so many of Hernandez’s leading ladies, are “gamed” to provoke a sexual reaction, which also feels like a holdover from the ‘90s - when boobs in tiny bikinis could be seen in most publications, not the mainstream and the alternative. The flip side of that, which I find particular funny, is how he draws most of the male antagonists - as skinny, boyish dweebs and jerks. These characters are also a throwback to an even earlier time when Bazooka Joe and Jughead first had their share of cache in pop culture.
I enjoy the intricacy and wide scope of the story, how Maria goes from being merely troubled to drowning in a sea of trouble, but I also question IF I should enjoy that? Does Gilbert enjoy writing such tragic tales of women? I almost sense that he’s laughing at them while creating their stories and that remains a sticking point that makes stories like Maria M. hard to enjoy in full.
Maria, like so many of Hernandez’s leading ladies, are “gamed” to provoke a sexual reaction, which also feels like a holdover from the ‘90s - when boobs in tiny bikinis could be seen in most publications, not the mainstream and the alternative. The flip side of that, which I find particular funny, is how he draws most of the male antagonists - as skinny, boyish dweebs and jerks. These characters are also a throwback to an even earlier time when Bazooka Joe and Jughead first had their share of cache in pop culture.
I enjoy the intricacy and wide scope of the story, how Maria goes from being merely troubled to drowning in a sea of trouble, but I also question IF I should enjoy that? Does Gilbert enjoy writing such tragic tales of women? I almost sense that he’s laughing at them while creating their stories and that remains a sticking point that makes stories like Maria M. hard to enjoy in full.
September 4, 2020
I just read a review of this in the nyrb and hadn’t realized there were new Love and Rockets books coming out. This is sort of a B reel spin off starting Luba’s mom Maria, married to the mob. It’s super violent and sort of grind house style, and honestly I didn’t need all the mafia machinations and truthfully found it confusing after a while. But I liked reading about Maria, and in the end it was sort of a love story between her and her step son (less gross than that sounds haha). Also interesting to meet Luba as a kid.
January 6, 2021
The hell did I just read? A silly graphic novel from front to back
March 4, 2022
Narrative: ***
Following the history of Gorgo was what kept me reading this disaster- it's all an overdramatized trainwreck. I was sick of it and had to force-finish it starting about 2/3 through. Then, all of the sudden, the very end gets thrilling but too late to make the overall time worth it.
Art: ***
Her breasts are just so horrifying that they kill all of the art surrounding. It's like a little boy drew them with a boner the whole time giggling. The amplitude that he picked in no way adds anything to her character- she would have the same story if they were simply monstrous and shocking, but he had to go up a whole other notch. If he wants to sell them as character defining then why didn't she get severe back problems and all hunched over? They simply gross me out of whole scenes. Any woman with 50lb. breasts would have to contain them with winches- not revealing bikini tops.
Following the history of Gorgo was what kept me reading this disaster- it's all an overdramatized trainwreck. I was sick of it and had to force-finish it starting about 2/3 through. Then, all of the sudden, the very end gets thrilling but too late to make the overall time worth it.
Art: ***
Her breasts are just so horrifying that they kill all of the art surrounding. It's like a little boy drew them with a boner the whole time giggling. The amplitude that he picked in no way adds anything to her character- she would have the same story if they were simply monstrous and shocking, but he had to go up a whole other notch. If he wants to sell them as character defining then why didn't she get severe back problems and all hunched over? They simply gross me out of whole scenes. Any woman with 50lb. breasts would have to contain them with winches- not revealing bikini tops.
November 1, 2025
Hernández's film noir approach makes the violence and sex feel deeply unsettling. It’s interesting to watch him twist ’50s and ’60s tropes into something darker, but the result plays like an ultra-violent biopic montage. I still prefer Scarlet by Starlight — it’s where Hernández's classical mix of lust, violence, and meta-commentary works best for me.
February 3, 2020
Though I felt it a bit choppy in spots, I found this to be a engaging read.
July 9, 2020
3.5/5
This one is another in Beto's series of stand alone graphic novels tangential to the Love and Rockets universe, and it may be the best one. In Beto's Palomar stories, Maria is the mother of main character Luba, and this is her story. Only it's the sleazy B-movie version of Maria's life, as performed by Fritz. It sounds more complicated than it is, only know that it's a rough, pulpy gem of a crime story with a slice of Russ Meyer's that is pretty irresistible.
No one is going as deep as Beto is with world building, I really love this stuff.
This one is another in Beto's series of stand alone graphic novels tangential to the Love and Rockets universe, and it may be the best one. In Beto's Palomar stories, Maria is the mother of main character Luba, and this is her story. Only it's the sleazy B-movie version of Maria's life, as performed by Fritz. It sounds more complicated than it is, only know that it's a rough, pulpy gem of a crime story with a slice of Russ Meyer's that is pretty irresistible.
No one is going as deep as Beto is with world building, I really love this stuff.
November 21, 2019
First time reading anything from the Hernandez brothers.
Stereotypical in the way in which women from other countries were seen at the time; exaggarated body parts , etc.
Good storyline about drugs entering into the communities as communists etc; which is what America was dealing with at the time.
Stereotypical in the way in which women from other countries were seen at the time; exaggarated body parts , etc.
Good storyline about drugs entering into the communities as communists etc; which is what America was dealing with at the time.
July 4, 2022
Noir is easy to criticize for its sexism, but to be boring, sexist, and gratuitous all at once takes real effort.
August 16, 2022
This really didn't work for me. It felt gratuitous and overly convoluted, and I had no idea who almost anyone was. The characters look too similar. Just depressing and dark without any reprieve.
September 8, 2022
Anybody who read comics back in the early ‘80s recognizes the name Hernandez. The Hernandez Bros.—-Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario—-were to the independent comic book scene what directors like Kevin Smith and Steven Soderbergh were to the indie film scene. They were to comics what the punk rock scene was to music. Their series Love and Rockets opened the door for many indie comic book writers and artists.
Rather abashed, I have never read a single Love and Rockets comic book. I’ve always wanted to, but for whatever reason, I simply haven’t.
In 2019, Gilbert published the stand-alone graphic novel, “Maria M.”
Before my review, I should disclose that Gilbert and I clearly have the same sexual fetish, one that I’m sure we share with millions of other men in the world: ridiculously large boobs.
Now, macromastia is no laughing matter. It’s a serious medical condition for women, one that can cause serious back and neck pain. I get it, and I sympathize. That said, I really enjoy looking at ginormous fun-bags. Hooters. Jugs. Gazongas. Call them what you will. Huge boobs are punk.
So, my enjoyment of “Maria M.” primarily stems from the fact that the titular protagonist has ridiculously large mammary glands, and she appears naked in nearly half the book.
While gratuitous, Gilbert also manages to tell a decent story within the comic’s pages. It’s not necessarily a nice story, as it is about exploitation, rape, drug-dealing, and murder. There are, along with some graphic rape scenes, scenes of horrific torture and bodily mutilation. Somewhere in the book, believe it or not, there is a love story.
The plot: Maria steps off the bus in the 1950s and is immediately exploited due to her unique features. Trying to succeed in show biz, Maria ends up in the pornographic film business, run by sleazy cretins who have no qualms about using and abusing her. She eventually meets a man who proposes to her. He treats her well enough, although he is a mob boss in the growing industry of hard-core illicit drugs. The man’s son, Gorgo, becomes her life-time bodyguard, and he secretly falls in love with her. The tragedy is that Maria is oblivious to his affections. Or is she?
What’s interesting about Gilbert’s story isn’t so much what is said but what isn’t. The story seems truncated, as if Gilbert left out vital scenes, perhaps purposefully. For example, over the course of the novel, it is apparent that someone within the drug cartel is orchestrating attempts to kill off the boss. Up until the very end, it is never quite clear who this is, although there are clues sprinkled throughout. The reader has suspicions that are never really confirmed.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, as things turn out well for Maria. But she has to go through hell and a lifetime of shit to finally get there.
I can’t compare this book with Hernandez’s previous work, so I don’t know if this is a good example of his talent. I can say that I liked it. Much like Maria, it is easy to dismiss this as smutty, but, also like Maria, it’s smarter than it looks.
Rather abashed, I have never read a single Love and Rockets comic book. I’ve always wanted to, but for whatever reason, I simply haven’t.
In 2019, Gilbert published the stand-alone graphic novel, “Maria M.”
Before my review, I should disclose that Gilbert and I clearly have the same sexual fetish, one that I’m sure we share with millions of other men in the world: ridiculously large boobs.
Now, macromastia is no laughing matter. It’s a serious medical condition for women, one that can cause serious back and neck pain. I get it, and I sympathize. That said, I really enjoy looking at ginormous fun-bags. Hooters. Jugs. Gazongas. Call them what you will. Huge boobs are punk.
So, my enjoyment of “Maria M.” primarily stems from the fact that the titular protagonist has ridiculously large mammary glands, and she appears naked in nearly half the book.
While gratuitous, Gilbert also manages to tell a decent story within the comic’s pages. It’s not necessarily a nice story, as it is about exploitation, rape, drug-dealing, and murder. There are, along with some graphic rape scenes, scenes of horrific torture and bodily mutilation. Somewhere in the book, believe it or not, there is a love story.
The plot: Maria steps off the bus in the 1950s and is immediately exploited due to her unique features. Trying to succeed in show biz, Maria ends up in the pornographic film business, run by sleazy cretins who have no qualms about using and abusing her. She eventually meets a man who proposes to her. He treats her well enough, although he is a mob boss in the growing industry of hard-core illicit drugs. The man’s son, Gorgo, becomes her life-time bodyguard, and he secretly falls in love with her. The tragedy is that Maria is oblivious to his affections. Or is she?
What’s interesting about Gilbert’s story isn’t so much what is said but what isn’t. The story seems truncated, as if Gilbert left out vital scenes, perhaps purposefully. For example, over the course of the novel, it is apparent that someone within the drug cartel is orchestrating attempts to kill off the boss. Up until the very end, it is never quite clear who this is, although there are clues sprinkled throughout. The reader has suspicions that are never really confirmed.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, as things turn out well for Maria. But she has to go through hell and a lifetime of shit to finally get there.
I can’t compare this book with Hernandez’s previous work, so I don’t know if this is a good example of his talent. I can say that I liked it. Much like Maria, it is easy to dismiss this as smutty, but, also like Maria, it’s smarter than it looks.
December 13, 2022
Out of all the books based on the movies that Fritz has made, I think this one is my favorite one.
And mostly its because it relies heavily on the Love and Rockets stories, specifically Luba's mom's story from "Beyond Palomar". In that volume we get the full story of what this book, Maria M, serializes. And Maria M is a highly fictionalized version of what actually happened. Not that its not violent or gratuitous, cause there are moments that are definitely that, but it has that "movie" gloss on the whole story, and omits or rewrites entire chapters of history. For example, Maria's first born gets to live with her and traverse life together with her. oO mention of the other two sisters and especially not the one she abandoned - Luba, who ended up in Palomar.
This was entertaining because of the history tied to it. I don't know how this would've read if I hadn't had known the true history of Luba's mom. I would recommend this volume but only if you have read the "Beyond Palomar" stories, as you will find it a much more rounded out reading experience.
And mostly its because it relies heavily on the Love and Rockets stories, specifically Luba's mom's story from "Beyond Palomar". In that volume we get the full story of what this book, Maria M, serializes. And Maria M is a highly fictionalized version of what actually happened. Not that its not violent or gratuitous, cause there are moments that are definitely that, but it has that "movie" gloss on the whole story, and omits or rewrites entire chapters of history. For example, Maria's first born gets to live with her and traverse life together with her. oO mention of the other two sisters and especially not the one she abandoned - Luba, who ended up in Palomar.
This was entertaining because of the history tied to it. I don't know how this would've read if I hadn't had known the true history of Luba's mom. I would recommend this volume but only if you have read the "Beyond Palomar" stories, as you will find it a much more rounded out reading experience.
October 5, 2021
This is a fanciful recounting of Maria M.'s life after she fled to the United States in 1957 to escape a Gordian knot of romantic mafia affairs in Latin America. As the saying goes, 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'—or, more accurately, 'out of the frying pan and into a world of burlesque, nude modeling, stag films, and more mob relationships!' Gorgo Cienfuegos, a.k.a. Frankenstein, her husband's son and bodyguard, and a guy who can enter an alleyway full of assassins and left it strewn with bodies, is her hero and guardian angel amid the gorgeous chaos of her existence.
February 25, 2020
This one is hard to put a finger on but I did quite enjoy. Heavy exploitation sex and violence, both often together. The story seems at first to be about how Hollywood exploits women and different body types, but then like the story takes a hard right turn and says fuck that! It becomes an extremely violent crime story just filled with murder and enormous breasts. Check it out if your into that sort of thing!
February 28, 2021
I liked it enough to start researching how to collect more books from the Hernandez bros. Never read anything in the Love and Rockets and want to go down the rabbit hole now. This book was fun to me. Reminded me of an 80s B movie like Scarface. The actual book is a bit small like a digest but 270 pages.
December 30, 2019
I'm not sure what to think. This is a weird chronicle of a life of porn, violence, drug dealing, and love, with little to no character development, a purposefully confusing story, and no emotional connection.
Fun, I guess, and oddly compelling.
Fun, I guess, and oddly compelling.
December 21, 2019
No Petra, no Luba, a pale imitation.
February 5, 2021
Very unique and enjoyable
March 8, 2021
Another great book by a master storyteller.
May 2, 2022
As always, Beto's drawings are absolutely wonderful. I can enjoy his work for the compositions alone. But this story didn't do anything for me.
February 9, 2025
confused??? This is the first story I’ve read from the Palomar universe and this might’ve not been the best introduction
July 29, 2023
At times lurid, the trashy b-movie stylings almost disguise this (often) sad tale of an unrequited /repressed love that last for decades.
Maria M may not have the breadth and humanity of the best Palomar stories but it's a cleverly crafted tale none the less.
Maria M may not have the breadth and humanity of the best Palomar stories but it's a cleverly crafted tale none the less.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews