Los Compas: El Chale Gallego y'l Xorty

by José Montoya

This (almost) silent graphic cuento by José Montoya was originally sketched on napkins and follows two vatos from New Mexico and their dog. Laced with humorous and historic undertones, this uniquely designed edition unfolds Montoya’s loose narrative inside a traditional Mesoamerican codex book form to be read from right to left. This limited edition first printing features locally produced letterpress covers and offset printed interiors. Each copy is lovingly bound by hand. Known as "the godfather of Chicano poetry," José Montoya's early blending of English, Spanish and Caló earned him both esteem and a collection of poems deemed unpublishable by established presses. In spite of this, he is the author of numerous silkscreen posters, murals, musical compilations and four books, including El Sol y Los De Abajo (Edicciones Pocho-Che, 1972), The Bully (Red Wing Press, 2001), and In 20 Years of Joda (Chusma House, 1992). In 1969, he co-founded the Royal Chicano Air Force and continues to serve as Major General. Today, his works are exhibited worldwide and are housed in such collections as the Smithsonian Museum, California College of the Arts and UC Santa Barbara's California Ethnic & Multicultural Archives.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2010