La Voz de M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo is out now. — **La Voz de M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo** is out now.

The new original graphic novel from Image Comics, La Voz de M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo has been one of the sleeper best comics of the year, featuring a mix of journalism and graphic sequential storytelling. The story is based on the oral history of Ramon Jaurique, a WWII veteran who co-founded an organization called Mexican, American, Yaqui, and Others, or M.A.Y.O. Simply put, this is an important and often-untold chapter of American history, in which activists lobby the city council in Tucson, Ariz., to improve living conditions for the Pascua Yaqui tribe, working to get them federal recognition.

The central character of this story, Jaurique, is also writer Henry Barajas great-grandfather. In the book, Barajas delves into his own family’s history to do the work. He’s joined by artist J. Gonzo, letterer Bernardo Brice, and editor Claire Napier. The end result is a fantastic read that offers something wholly its own among the usual direct market comics offerings, and today we are lucky to have an interview with Henry Barajas about the book.

Check it out below…

Comics Bookcase: There are a lot of interesting issues and themes here, from substance abuse to the systematic oppression of indigenous communities to the erasure of Latinx figures in history texts. How did you as a creator and journalist organize the story and make decisions about which subjects to give the most weight?

Henry Barajas: Native American struggles are not well known and intentionally shunned from conversation. I read a piece that K-12 education now has no mention of Native American history after 1900, according to Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. We're supposed to have a mature love for our country, but it's important we know that the land we stand on is stolen. It all comes at a cost. I'm lucky that my Tata Rambo helped give Mexican and Native Americans score a win in this never-ending war.

CB: With so much community history and family material intermingled, what was the research process like for this book?

Barajas: I had a blast researching 1970s Tucson. Some much of it is still around, architecture wise. Tucson is a post-WWII city, and it shows. Most of my time was spent in libraries to research various newspapers on microfilm, reading out-of-print research books, and visiting landmarks. Thankfully, I grew up in the neighborhood that was saved thanks to M.A.Y.O. and Ramon so it wasn't hard to gain the trust of the community that still can recall the events. I got to speak with Rosie Jimenez look back on the amazing work they did. Congressman Raul Grijalva gave me some time at his office in South Tucson.

The hardest parts were having to navigate my family and their feelings about speaking the truth. The whole truth. I wanted to portray a real, full human warts and all. If I could do it over again, I would started when my Nana was still alive.

CB: The importance of this story is self-evident, but can you talk a little bit about why this story is so meaningful, especially given some of the forces at work in the country right now?

Barajas: The country is slowly doing away protections for precious lands that hold finite resources. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is still fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline. While everyone is well aware what Thanksgiving represents but we still celebrate it. This book has opened my eyes to the long, bloody racist and violent history this country has with its indigenous people. La Voz De M.A.Y.O. almost serves a reminder that our government had people like Morris K. Udall to fight for Natives.

CB: I've long thought that stories of the past tend to hang vaguely around families, like a fog. The older folks have lived them and maybe don't think of them as that interesting, while the younger members are left to sort of connect dots and draw connections. What was it like for you personally to be able to bring so much of your own family history into the sharp focus we get within this story?

Barajas: My family paid the price for Ramon's activism. Everyone I talked to said he wasn't around much. He was very busy helping the community install sidewalks, plumbing, electricity, low cost healthcare, and street lights for safety. The Jaurigues paid the cost and it bleed through the years. Ramon was sort of ostracized from this history books and birthday parties.

CB: Finally, if there was one idea or question you wanted the audience to come away from this book with, what would it be?

Barajas: I would like the readers to feel some hope. I started writing this when Donald Trump was nothing but a joke. Making La Voz with J. Gonzo, Bernardo Brice, and Claire Napier gave me something to look forward to and know what we can accomplish. If this had to beg a question, I hope it's where are you stand and who did we steal it from? Is that tribe still here?