During the summer of 1943, Los Angeles became a hotbed of tension and conflict as a series of fierce clashes erupted between U.S. Navy members and Mexican American youth stemming from the murder of Carlos Urbano. Private eye Ricardo "Ricky" Tellez needs to find the Sleep Lagoon Killer before the racist mob kills him in the Zoot Suit Riots.
The clock is ticking—and it’s a bad time to be a Mexican.
The syndicated team of Henry Barajas (La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo) and Rachel Merril (IZZY N JEAN, The New Yorker) uncover a Chino Noir rooted in the shameful parts of LA's history!
Theres a lot of potential in this series. There could be a great deal of focus on the Latin American struggle in the 1940s. This could theoretically be really, really interesting in its own right. However, even if it's just a superficial element of things moving forward. It could be really cool to see the traditional hard-boiled detective story told from a slightly different perspective. And, of course, there's always the potential of it going in a completely different direction that might even a draw on some fantasy elements. Theoretically, that could be handled in the way it wouldn't be at odds with everything that's managed to make it into the first issue. The first issue with such a nice launching point for that sort of things. Read Full Review
What makes the issue especially compelling is how personal it feels. The warmth, humor, and communal spirit woven through the book resonate with anyone familiar with Mexican-American life. The story becomes not just a noir mystery, but a bridge, linking contemporary identity to a pivotal, often overlooked moment in American history. Read Full Review
Equal parts crime story, love letter to Chicano heritage, and socio-cultural warning, 'Death to Pachuco' is exactly what we need right now. Read Full Review
Best comic of 2025!
Messy first issue for new miniseries "Death to Pachuco" from writer Henry Barajas and artist Rachel Merrill. Cover art by indie crime comics legend David Lapham might have set expectations too high for this title about the investigation into a young Mexican American set against the backdrop of the real life 1943 clash between U.S. Navy members and LA's Mexican community.
Problems begin with the pacing, throwing us into the investigation before we get any sense of our characters' personalities or motivations. Maybe Barajas was hoping an overreliance on tried and trope film noir tropes and clichés would be enough to fill in the gaps, but he's further hindered by Merrill's art which makes little effort to distinguish between charac more
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