Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, Award-Winning Puerto Rican Comics Creator, Reacts To Governor's Resignation

Comic book writer Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, who won the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award at Comic [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Comic book writer Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, who won the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award at Comic Con International in San Diego earlier this month, chimed in late last week to praise th activists in Puerto Rico who forced governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign his office. Miranda-Rodriguez, who is best known for his creation La Borinqueña, a Puerto Rican superheroine, has dedicated almost all of his professional time since Hurrican Maria devastated Puerto Rico to using his comics to help raise awareness and money for the victims of the storm and its economically-catastrophic aftermath. Following Rosselló's resignation last week, Miranda-Rodriguez shared a brief statement with ComicBook.com, which you can check out below:

"Will this day that came about via the leadership of young people, mostly women, be known by its hashtag #RickyRenuncia? In college I recall first learning about El Grito de Lares, an uprising against the Spanish empire that occurred in Lares, Puerto Rico on September 23, 1868. Leaders of this revolution were women like Mariana Bracetti, who created Puerto Rico's first flag, and Lola Rodriguez de Tío, who wrote the lyrics to "La Borinqueña," the island's original national anthem. El Grito De Lares was an armed resistance, and it lead to the deaths, imprisonment, and exile of Puerto Ricans. I chose on its 150th anniversary to award our first annual La Borinqueña Grants to nine local grassroots organizations in El Viejo San Juan. We raised close to a quarter of a million dollars from the sales of our benefit anthology Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico, which teamed-up my superhero La Borinqueña with Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and others. I chose this day to show the world that although Puerto Rico does not have its own independence, as Boricuas from the diaspora, we have the freedom to choose how we support our people.

"On July 19, 2019, I was honored at the San Diego Comic-Con's Eisner Awards, with the 2019 Humanitarian Award, mostly dedicating it to the lives lost by Hurricane Maria. In front of hundreds of comic book professionals, on the world's stage for popular culture, I brought to light that the 121-year-old U.S. colony was amid a historic revolution and I denounced Governor Ricardo Rosselló, demanding his resignation.

"The next few days in San Diego, I watched as a revolution unfolded in real time on the internet. In solidarity with this movement on the island, I posted art from my graphic novel series La Borinqueña. Then, as I was boarding my flight back to New York City, I saw that on my social media feed there were images of young women dressed as La Borinqueña marching for justice, peace, and for a newer Puerto Rico.

"As I finish writing this, I reflect that today, July 25, 2019 is the 121st anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico. Yesterday was the first true step in the direction towards decolonization and it was led peacefully by a new generation of activists that are part of the Ricanstruction of Puerto Rico. These are the true heroes that we should celebrate. Next month we return to Puerto Rico, to visit our 2018 grantees, distribute more grants, and continue with our work. It's a new day, so let's continue the Ricanstruction."

You can see a video Miranda-Rodriguez released on Facebook immediately following Rosselló's resignation below.

You can follow Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez on Twitter here, and subscribe to his YouTube channel through the video above.

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