Ariel Medel: Adelita 3017

I have been following Ariel for a few months now. Neither of us is going to San Diego Comic Con this year so, instead, we interviewed him and talked about his new creation, Adelita 3017..

ARIEL

Chimera Magazine: Who is Ariel Medel? Think of your short LinkedIn intro.

Ariel Medel I’m still in the process of finding that out, lol. But, OK, I’d say a comic book creator and artist.

CM What do you do, creatively and otherwise?

AM I mostly do comics nowadays. I draw them and create my own characters and stories. As an artist, I try to visually tell the story in the best way I can, and not only do I try to develop technically more and more, but also to make my style more interesting. As a creator and writer, I try to tell stories and ideas that seem interesting to me and fun. Aside from that, I like to spend time with my wife. I like mythology, archeology, a little bit of history. Theology of many kinds is something very interesting to me. But all this in a more practical sense, I like to go places and museums and see how all of those things have impacted people. I’d love to have more free time for that, lol.

CM When did you start working professionally in comics/fandom?

AM I tried in the late 90s and I was very close, I’d say, but then life happened. But in 2012, I tried again and I got my break from Zenescope. I drew a story for a Halloween special and I didn’t look back. From there, I’ve done several books for Dynamite , tons of Indies and a little bit of Marvel and IDW.

CM Where are you based? Where do you travel - conventions, talk shows, etc.?

AM I’m from Mexico, but I’ve been living in Croatia for more than a year now. Mmm, I haven’t done conventions for a while now. I’d do La Mole Comic Con in Mexico City (biggest con in Mexico), and small events in comic shops, but that’s it. I’d love to do more, though. Every now and then, I do interviews. Sometimes I get to talk about comic book art, which I love doing. I’m hoping to do that at least a bit more often.

CM How do you work? Medium? Method?

AM I used to be all traditional. Then I mixed it up with digital, and I’ve been completely working digitally for the last couple of years. I did a few traditional commissions recently and I can’t wait to do more. Oh, before the pandemic, I’d regularly go to drawing sessions with live models and that was completely pencils and paper, which is super enjoyable.

CM Why have you chosen comics as your profession?

AM I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember. And I’ve also always felt fascinated by the mythological side of stories in movies and whatever kind of entertainment. And comics have that. The journey of the hero being told in all cultures. And I like doing my own version of that.

Adelita shoots a bad guy in North Mexico 3017

ADELITA 3017

CM What is the 1-2 sentence description of the Adelita 3017 comic?

AM Set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, the story follows Adelita, a character based on the archetype of the female soldier in the Mexican war of Revolution.

It’s influenced by movies like the 80s Mad Max movies and Star Wars, along with elements from Mexican folklore, of course. You’ll find anthropomorphic coyotes, witches, giant iguanas, robots, rotten flesh skeletons and of course a plethora of Mexicans! All packed into an action-adventure comic with a compelling story and a mystery that will unravel throughout the mini-series.

CM Who is Adelita modeled after?

AM In general, the archetype (I guess we could use that word) of the Mexican female fighter in Mexican revolution. There’s a song composed in their honor. I like this definition I found online: “Since then (since the song became popular) an Adelita has come to signify a woman soldier, or soldadera, as well as a brave woman”. I should mention, I’ve had the idea of the character based on a soldadera for some time now. And this year I said, what the heck, let’s do it.

CM Where and when does Adelita take place?

AM Mostly in the year 3017. In what used to be the north of Mexico.

CM How is it different from other comics?

AM I don’t know. I feel it’s different, but I didn’t set out to make a comic that was different, I just felt I wanted to do that comic and it came out different because there are several things that you don’t see often in comics. And also, I try to avoid clichés a little bit, at least the ones that are not fun to me. It’s almost impossible to avoid them, though.

CM When will it be available? If not, when does Kickstarter start?

AM I wanna know that, too! Unfortunately, there is nothing concrete just this moment. But I’d say, in a month I will be announcing the Kickstarter campaign. People interested can follow me in social media (links below) Itand I’ll be making the proper announcements. Right now, the 22-page issue #1 (hopefully 1 of 4) is completely finished and I’m talking to a friend about launching it.

CM Why should readers buy and support Adelita?

AM Because I really think they will enjoy it. It’s fresh and fun. And not only will it help me do more issues of it, so you can read the whole thing, and do more of my comics and ideas (I have a lot of those), but it helps indie comics in general.