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Los Tejanos
paperback/graphic novel/comic as shown. Fantagraphics Books (November 1982)
Paperback
First published November 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Jack Jackson
138 books6 followersJack Edward Jackson, better known by his pen name Jaxon, was an American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer. He co-founded Rip Off Press, and many consider him to be the first underground comix artist.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 3, 2021
The untold history of the early days of Texas independence.
October 23, 2021
I love everything about this book... story, art, history. Jackson is one of my favorite comics people.
May 27, 2014
Sort of a combination of the story of Juan Seguin and of Texas breaking away from Mexico and the aftermath thereof. It's an odd book. On the one hand, it is (or seems to be) meticulously researched--there are even a few pages at the end reproducing images of primary-source historical documents Jackson used, so it offers a presumably fairly accurate exploration of the complex questions and issues. Jackson seems to have done more work on the subject and to know it better than many a historian does. On the other hand, as a narrative rather than a history, it needs to find ways to make that material work, and here Jackson hits some snags. His art is generally detailed and evocative, but it's also generally static--illustrative more than . . . well, comics-oriented. Page layouts tend to be repetitive, and images are often constructed as mid-range or distant panoramic views, so there is often little sense of action or dynamism, even in sequences dealing with what we might consider as key dramatic events. The fall of the Alamo, for instance, barely registers, in large part no doubt because Seguin got out before the end. Now, part of me does admire Jackson for avoiding the obvious and not revelling in extended action sequences. On the other hand, though, it seems like he's missing some opportunities for making his narrative more effective and affecting by taking advantage of the dramatic possibilities. When we do get more dramatically-constructed imges, they sometimes tend towards the melodramatic or stereotypical.
The tonal tension between historical perspective and personal/character-driven exposition is perhaps most clearly evident in the odd disjunction between the tone of the narrative captions, which are generally (though not always) presented with a veneer of the objective and neutral, and the dialogue (or thought balloons, sometimes), which are more often colloquial and often at times seem almost jokey. If the intent is to contrast a neutral "historical" tone with a more earthy depiction of the "real," it doesn't quite work, coming off instead at times as superficial or, at best, satirical.
The focus, as well, is somewhat unsure. Admittedly, telling the story of Juan Seguin does necessitate also telling much of the story of Texas (and the title does suggest that Juan is in some respects a representative figure, rather than the primary focus), but overall I didn't get the impression that I was getting much insight into Seguin the man. Historical facts as weighed against human motivations can be difficult to reconcile, but this ended up feeling more like a sequence of reported events than a narrative or an analysis of those events or of Seguin's role in them.
Still, this is an interesting and worthy project. I'd recommend it to history buffs perhaps more enthusiastically than to comics fans, but I strongly admire Jackson (and others who have done similar work) for turning the comics medium to such an end. I certainly want to read more of his work in this vein.
The tonal tension between historical perspective and personal/character-driven exposition is perhaps most clearly evident in the odd disjunction between the tone of the narrative captions, which are generally (though not always) presented with a veneer of the objective and neutral, and the dialogue (or thought balloons, sometimes), which are more often colloquial and often at times seem almost jokey. If the intent is to contrast a neutral "historical" tone with a more earthy depiction of the "real," it doesn't quite work, coming off instead at times as superficial or, at best, satirical.
The focus, as well, is somewhat unsure. Admittedly, telling the story of Juan Seguin does necessitate also telling much of the story of Texas (and the title does suggest that Juan is in some respects a representative figure, rather than the primary focus), but overall I didn't get the impression that I was getting much insight into Seguin the man. Historical facts as weighed against human motivations can be difficult to reconcile, but this ended up feeling more like a sequence of reported events than a narrative or an analysis of those events or of Seguin's role in them.
Still, this is an interesting and worthy project. I'd recommend it to history buffs perhaps more enthusiastically than to comics fans, but I strongly admire Jackson (and others who have done similar work) for turning the comics medium to such an end. I certainly want to read more of his work in this vein.
February 2, 2011
Under the non-de-plume "Jaxon," the late Jack Jackson may have first established his legendary reputation as the producer of the first underground comix (God's Nose) and as the co-founder of the influential publisher Rip Off Press, but his most important and lasting legacy lies in his historical publications. His third Texas history graphic novel, Los Tejanos, relates the tragic tale of Juan Nepomuceno Seguin. An important figure during the War of Texas Independence, Seguin played crucial roles at the Alamo and the war's finale at San Jacinto. He served as a Senator in the Texas Republic and as mayor of San Antonio, but he ran afoul of his own government when he protested the mistreatment of Tejanos, Texans of Mexican descent. Falsely accused by his opponents of aiding the Mexican army, he fled to Mexico where he was conscripted into the army and even served with Santa Anna during the Mexican-American War. Refusing to gloss over the uglier aspects of history, Jackson expertly and accurately recounts this largely ignored tale of racism and betrayal.
August 12, 2015
This was crazy.
It's not the earliest graphic novel I've ever read, but maybe the most idiosyncratic - clearly deriving equally from the discussions of local Texas historians and afficianados and from comic books/illustration. It is a work of pure geography, had the illustrator been absent from the place or the place from the author this work would not be.
I highly recommend it as a reading experience. As a history... it has many of the flaws of, say, the Cartoon History of the World, but it improves on its charms.
It's not the earliest graphic novel I've ever read, but maybe the most idiosyncratic - clearly deriving equally from the discussions of local Texas historians and afficianados and from comic books/illustration. It is a work of pure geography, had the illustrator been absent from the place or the place from the author this work would not be.
I highly recommend it as a reading experience. As a history... it has many of the flaws of, say, the Cartoon History of the World, but it improves on its charms.
January 25, 2022
Love this so much and miss the late, great Jack (Jaxon) Jackson, who could tell complicated histories in comics.
This was one of the earliest book collections from Fantagraphics Books. It holds up incredibly well. Makes me want to read more about Juan Seguin, Texas history, Mexico, and all the topics of the border(s) and wars of conquests.
Highest recommendation.
This was one of the earliest book collections from Fantagraphics Books. It holds up incredibly well. Makes me want to read more about Juan Seguin, Texas history, Mexico, and all the topics of the border(s) and wars of conquests.
Highest recommendation.
October 16, 2016
Jack Jackson, one of the founders of the underground comics of the 1960's created a really good graphic novel about the great Juan Seguin. The artwork is fantastic and the story is moving. Glad I picked this up. A must for all Texas History buffs.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews