Press Release

Starburns Industries Press, the comic book publishing division of the acclaimed studio that created Rick and Morty, announced today that the company will launch Fantasmagoria, an all-new quarterly horror anthology inspired by folklore from Mexico and the American Southwest.

Written by Starburns Industries executive producer James Fino (Anomalisa, Rick and Morty, Animals) and Eric M. Esquivel (Bordertown, Gregory Graves) with a variety of artists including Fernando Pinto (The Mall, Starburns Presents), Julieta Colás (Rick and Morty, Invader Zim), and more, FANTASMAGORIA #1, will hit local comic shop shelves this September!

The new series will focus on mythology specific to Mexico and The American Southwest. On that topic, Eric Esquivel said, “If I see one more comic book about a vampire or a Frankenstein on the comic shop shelves, I am going to blow my brains out all over the Funko Pops display. Our world is huge, and violent, and weird. There are as many myths out there as there are different kinds of people. To me it's a crime, culturally, to keep going back to the same Eastern European guys over and over and over again."

Esquivel added, “Inspired by the unforgettable work of folks like Rod Serling, William Gaines, and Al Feldstein, FANTASMAGORIA is basically what would happen if you spilled your salsa on an issue of Tales From The Crypt and it somehow got infinitely more awesome!"

The horror anthology will give new voices and untold stories a platform to thrive in comics. When Esquivel and Fino first met, the desire to tell tales of horror based on their shared heritage quickly led to a plan for Fantasmagoria.

“Even before growing up on a supernatural diet of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Kolchak The Night Stalker, and Stephen King novels,” said James Fino, “being raised in El Paso, Texas, exposed me to some of the most fantastic ‘true’ horror stories from Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico. They filled my dreams and imagination and now I’m excited to team up with Eric and Simon to share our community’s creepy myths and legends through Fantasmagoria!”

Starburns Industries Press President, Simon Oré, described the decision to publish a Latin-inspired horror anthology.

“As a child, growing up in Acapulco, there were so many stories that shaped my love of horror. The thrill of being scared delighted me and that feeling was a huge part of my childhood. When Eric and James told me they wanted to do this, it’s like they were pitching the 10 year old version of me my ideal book.”

Oré added, “Eric and James are two of my favorite people, they have an incredible grasp of storytelling and an unending well of urban legend knowledge. Giving them a platform that allows them to tell all the stories from our shared culture seemed like a no-brainer.”

Touching on the issues of racism and aggression in the news with the kind of humor fans of Starburns have come to expect, Oré said, “As a proud member of Trump’s America I know there ain’t nothing scarier than Messicans - so I figured stories ‘bout them would be good for makin’ folks scared.”

Humor aside, Fantasmagoria comes at an important time in American history and is a declaration of intent from the new publisher. Not only will this be a humor-horror anthology inspired by the great classic comics of the 20thCentury, it is Starburns Industries Press stating publicly that the stories, creators, and even executives behind this company come from diverse backgrounds and plan to support diverse voices with titles like Fantasmagoria.

FANTASMAGORIA #1 is currently available for pre-order in the July catalog edition of Previews Magazine. To place an order, use item code JUL182148.