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Love and Rockets #7
Love and Rockets, Vol. 7: The Death of Speedy
Book by Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Los Bros. Hernandez
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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275 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Hernández
264 books454 followersJaime and his brother Gilbert Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 10, 2015
I haven't read Jaime's work in a while. After getting wrapped up in Gilbert's world of Palomar two winters ago, I took an absence from Love & Rockets. Picking The Death of Speedy up at the library has cemented what I already suspected: Jaime Hernandez is my favorite creator in the medium. As much as I love Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, nothing touches Love & Rockets, in my eyes. It's am extended, and I mean extended, love letter to punk, female perspective/women, and minority culture. As a man who has never cared for men or male culture, I find peace and mutual loves in Jaime's writing. Hopey and Maggie are two of the most established, heartfelt characters in comicdom. The longstanding history/continuity of a long running superhero title, but with none of the corruptive influence of major publishers and 'events.'
I thought I had grown out of comics. The Hernandez brothers have twice now showed me, no kid; you're a fanboy for life.
I thought I had grown out of comics. The Hernandez brothers have twice now showed me, no kid; you're a fanboy for life.
October 30, 2025
The world’s greatest graphic telenovella rolls on.
May 9, 2008
Girls love jerks. Speedy was a loaf.
December 9, 2025
On another site, I've been doing a series of posts about graphic novels, both series and standalones, that I've been exploring and enjoying. One of the responses was a recommendation to try Love and Rockets, Vol. 7: The Death of Speedy by Jaime Hernández. So I thought... what the hey, why not. I have to say that it was quite a pleasant surprise.
How to describe?? Well, let's start by saying it was an engrossing, beautifully drawn graphic novel. It contains a 9 separate chapters, from The Return of Ray D., the Death of Speedy, Jerusalem Crickets, The Letter, etc.
Well, let's consider. It's about relationships, friendships, battles, kind of a modern, updated version of Archie, more like the Riverdale TV series, than the comic books. You've got relationship entanglements, like both Betty and Veronica after Archie... Instead here you've got Maggie, trying to decide between Hopey and Ray D. and instead of a setting in Riverdale, it's in a Hispanic community in LA.
You've got a series of stories following Hopey and her band that reminded me of Henry Rollins book about touring with his band, Black Flag... the living out of your van, trying to scrape up enough money for meals between gigs.
You've got Maggie's Tia (aunt) and her touring WWW wrestling shows. You've got the irreverent feel of the Tank Girl books, without the fantasy, because Love and Rockets feels so real. Oh you've also got a sort of gang friction that ends up being important in the The Death of Speedy.
It's just a breath of fresh air. I loved the artwork, the people varied but beautiful. The stories wander from the present to the past to give us perspective on the events and people. The focus is generally Maggie, but also her friends and acquaintances. I don't know how to describe it, except to say that it was so very, very good. I've ordered another volume in the series just to see more of their lives. So excellent. (4.5 stars)
How to describe?? Well, let's start by saying it was an engrossing, beautifully drawn graphic novel. It contains a 9 separate chapters, from The Return of Ray D., the Death of Speedy, Jerusalem Crickets, The Letter, etc.
Well, let's consider. It's about relationships, friendships, battles, kind of a modern, updated version of Archie, more like the Riverdale TV series, than the comic books. You've got relationship entanglements, like both Betty and Veronica after Archie... Instead here you've got Maggie, trying to decide between Hopey and Ray D. and instead of a setting in Riverdale, it's in a Hispanic community in LA.
You've got a series of stories following Hopey and her band that reminded me of Henry Rollins book about touring with his band, Black Flag... the living out of your van, trying to scrape up enough money for meals between gigs.
You've got Maggie's Tia (aunt) and her touring WWW wrestling shows. You've got the irreverent feel of the Tank Girl books, without the fantasy, because Love and Rockets feels so real. Oh you've also got a sort of gang friction that ends up being important in the The Death of Speedy.
It's just a breath of fresh air. I loved the artwork, the people varied but beautiful. The stories wander from the present to the past to give us perspective on the events and people. The focus is generally Maggie, but also her friends and acquaintances. I don't know how to describe it, except to say that it was so very, very good. I've ordered another volume in the series just to see more of their lives. So excellent. (4.5 stars)
March 7, 2017
I've been extremely immersed in fantasy worlds, sci-fi worlds and I'll always love the feeling of reading something that makes me wanna spend time in that world and go away of the real world for some hours. Well... sh%#!
I had never felt so immersed in a world where the characters are so much like the real people around me (near or far) in the real world where real problems sleep under the pillow waiting for the right time in your sleep to slip into your life and make you ask yourself what the hell you're doing. Ultimately "The Death Of Speedy" by Jaime Hernandez makes the question that precedes death: Does it all, good AND bad, make you, at the end, happy?
I've just finished reading it so I'm not sure if it's going to be true but either way I think these characters and events will stay with me for quite some time. Maybe, in my sleep, the characters will stop the problems under my pillow from waking up. And for that I don't have any words left.
I had never felt so immersed in a world where the characters are so much like the real people around me (near or far) in the real world where real problems sleep under the pillow waiting for the right time in your sleep to slip into your life and make you ask yourself what the hell you're doing. Ultimately "The Death Of Speedy" by Jaime Hernandez makes the question that precedes death: Does it all, good AND bad, make you, at the end, happy?
I've just finished reading it so I'm not sure if it's going to be true but either way I think these characters and events will stay with me for quite some time. Maybe, in my sleep, the characters will stop the problems under my pillow from waking up. And for that I don't have any words left.
January 28, 2008
I get teary every time.
June 6, 2010
My second venture into "Love and Rockets." All full of adore. Got to spend lots of time with Maggie, my favorite character. The title event unfolded in an unusual elliptical way -- very well done.
July 27, 2017
Jaime is one of my favorite artists... grew up seeing their punk rock flyers on the light poles - wish I had snagged a few.
August 12, 2018
¡¡¡INCREDIBLE!!!
January 31, 2013
Groundbreaking-cum-iconic works from one of comicdom’s greats, Jaime Hernandez. The breadth of his work is shown in ample display in this particular volume, where the centerpiece work is “The Death of Speedy”, a West Side Story in reverse about a ne’er-do-well who plays two girls from rival gangs (Hoppers & Milktown) with no concern for the consequences. With artistic influences as wide ranging as Dan De Carlo (Archie), Hank Ketchum (Dennis The Menace) and even Japanese manga, the storytelling stacks up every bit as hauntingly as the artwork.
But there’s more: “Jerusalem Crickets” about Hopey’s struggling punk band on tour, the origin of Penny Century (showing the strongest of De Carlo influences) and “In The Valley Of The Polar Bears” where Maggie is reluctantly dragged into playing her Aunt Vicki Glory’s “accountant”.
Cartoonists in 1987 weren’t spending their time tackling issues like lesbianism, gang wars, championship wrestlers (handled compassionately, who would have thought) and even hardcore punk rock with as much intelligence, sensitivity and humor like Jaime Hernandez, and nothing will convince you more of his genius than this amazing collection.
But there’s more: “Jerusalem Crickets” about Hopey’s struggling punk band on tour, the origin of Penny Century (showing the strongest of De Carlo influences) and “In The Valley Of The Polar Bears” where Maggie is reluctantly dragged into playing her Aunt Vicki Glory’s “accountant”.
Cartoonists in 1987 weren’t spending their time tackling issues like lesbianism, gang wars, championship wrestlers (handled compassionately, who would have thought) and even hardcore punk rock with as much intelligence, sensitivity and humor like Jaime Hernandez, and nothing will convince you more of his genius than this amazing collection.
October 13, 2008
Probably my favourite volume of all the Love & Rockets stories, partly because it was the first one I read (when it was originally serialised in Deadline magazine), and partly because the relationship development between Maggie and Ray had parallels with a relationship that I had, and partly because it's a damn good book, period.
It still never ceases to amaze me how much emotion and change that Jaime Hernandez can manage to show with a few simple lines, either.
I was prompted into re-reading it again because last weekend I found out someone I know actually owns five of the original pages, and I'm jealous.
It still never ceases to amaze me how much emotion and change that Jaime Hernandez can manage to show with a few simple lines, either.
I was prompted into re-reading it again because last weekend I found out someone I know actually owns five of the original pages, and I'm jealous.
May 10, 2012
This is the first volume of the series that's devoted to just one brother, Jaime, and he puts it to good use by making a huge stride in his storytelling ability with the titular tale. Rather than the typical linear, nine-panel-slavery kind of narrative, 'Death of Speedy' attempts to link simultaneous stories through a few panels at a time, with no regard for their connection (or lack thereof). He turns what could have been a typical tale of a dead cholo into a bigger story about community, family and the roots that run between us. Remarkable stuff.
Compared to that, though, all the Hopey's-band stuff just kind of seems ordinary. But it is fun.
Compared to that, though, all the Hopey's-band stuff just kind of seems ordinary. But it is fun.
January 20, 2011
This books is all Jaime and his girls from Hoppers. While this story line does not interest me as much as the Palomar stuff, I do love how the characters begin to grow up some and the story becomes a lot more grounded in the worries of (mostly Latino) young people in southern California ex-urbs, ignoring the devil horned billionaire corporate dictators and the pro-mechanics and rocket ships and robots and dinosaurs - not that it is forgotten, but rather the lens focuses in the "home" part of Maggie's life and a lot more obvious exploration of her and Hopey's sexuality.
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
August 1, 2016
Jaime's creation of the So. Cal. town of 'Hoppers' and its loveably life-like denizens Maggie, Hopey, Izzy, Penny, Ray, Danita, and the rest of the gang are almost too good to be believed. "The Death of Speedy" comes smack in the middle of the series, but it's one of Xaime's best; even if you didn't already know the characters and the ongoing saga, you could probably pick up the trail from here without too many headaches. Other highlights in the series include "Flies on the Ceiling" and "Wig Wam Bam". But everything these guys did in the '80s is worth checking out.
March 7, 2015
Hopey's on tour with her band, and after the title death, Maggie's on tour as her aunt's accountant. As usual the art is amazing. I thought the death of Speedy story was a little disjointed, and the ending seemed out of character. Maggie as the accountant was very funny.
February 13, 2008
Jaime Hernandez says, "POW!"
February 11, 2008
This is so poetic and tragic. It proves that a story can be told in graphic novel format and live up to a text novel, perhaps even exceed it. It haunts me still.
March 23, 2008
re-reading all of these, they are so great, so real!
September 29, 2008
I cant explain why, but this was the only Love & Rockets volume I have read that I cared for.
January 10, 2009
I recommend this graphic novel to any new Love and Rockets fans. This volume is entirely by Jaime Hernandez and is not as silly as the first volumes...
July 16, 2009
By far, my favorite Love and Rockets book.
August 2, 2019
My Favorite J. Hernandez Love and Rockets storyline.
December 26, 2017
The Death of Speedy is one of my best reads ever. Heartbreaking, in a good way.
July 30, 2013
An excellent and poignant Love and Rockets graphic novel featuring the suicide of Speedy Ortiz after he reaches out to Maggie and is rejected. Magical realism and punk bisexuality at it's best.
February 7, 2013
Interesting for its influence of Junot Diaz.
September 5, 2013
Got bored with it.
January 24, 2011
My all-time favorite L&R book. Speedy is so fine!!!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews