Vertigo Writer Receives Death Threats Over Upcoming SDCC Appearance

San Diego Comic-Con is the pinnacle of comic book conventions across the globe. It serves as a [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

San Diego Comic-Con is the pinnacle of comic book conventions across the globe. It serves as a Mecca for comic and entertainment fans worldwide and it's the biggest convention comic creators can schedule for their con circuit. Needless to say, it's something that fans and creators — ahem, and comics press — look forward to each summer.

That was, of course, until a creator started receiving death threats for creating comics. The creator in question — Vertigo Comics writer Eric Esquivel. The 31-year-old creator took to Twitter this week to reveal he's been subject to death threats as he made his preparations to attend SDCC next week.

"I woke up to death threats ('We're not sending I.C.E. to Comic Con, we're sending exterminators')," Esquivel tweeted.

Esquivel hinted that he more than likely received the threats as a result of the publication of Border Town #1, a collaboration between he and artist Ramon Villalobos.

"Received my copies of Border Town #1 about an hour later," Esquivel continued. "No matter what, there is nothing anyone can do to me that will unmake this comic. If I die, I'll die with a smile."

Esquivel isn't a new creator by any means whatsoever. The Illinois native's writing credits include Freelancers, Adventure Time, and Sonic the Headgehog.

"It's time to rebuild DC Vertigo," Vertigo editor Mark Doyle recently explained. "We're returning to our roots by spotlighting the most exciting new voices in comics, as well as bringing new voices to comics. From the corners of television, games, music, activism, podcasting, comics and more, all of our creators are passionate and have something to say. These sophisticated stories have amazing new characters and vast worlds to explore. That's what it has always been about for me — new stories, new voices, new possibilities. We're creating a new generation of DC Vertigo classics for readers of all genres."

Border Town is part of the fresh new Vertigo lineup that is set to roll out later this year. The first issue itself is slated for release on September 5. The series' synopsis can be found below.

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore, the residents of Devil's Fork, AZ, blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on "God-dang illegals." With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it's up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what's really going on in this town torn between worlds.

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