Interview: Ariel Medel Talks ‘Adelita 3017,’ Live Now On Kickstarter

Welcome to the table,

Hello all, it’s been a second since I have been in “The Wizards Tomb” or whatever this nebulous space that we hang out in is called. I’ve been hard at work on a few things that I can hopefully show you soon and talking to some really wonderful creators and designers from all over this big blue rock we call home.

Recently I had an opportunity to sit down and talk to artist and writer Ariel Medel about his Kickstarter comic project Adelita 3017.

Anton Kromoff: Hello, Ariel. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about Adelita 3017. Before we dive to deep, tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

Ariel Medel: Hello, Anton. Thank you for the interview. I’ve been a pro comic book artist for around a decade. I’ve done work for several publishers, mainly Dynamite, for which I did John Carter, Xena, Agent 47 and most recently Evil Ernie. But I’ve also done some work for IDW, Marvel, and a bunch of indie titles like Spider Squirrel, Milestone, Skater Girls, ACD, and others. Some of the things I love are comics, art, movies, music (in a nut-shell: classical, rock and metal), and mythology. I like traveling, too. When possible, lol.

Kromoff: Now the comic is set in a post-apocalyptic world. What inspired you to lean into that as a setting?

Medel: Well, I’m originally from the Northwest of Mexico, and I spent many years living in the North and Northeast. And a lot of that is desert. So, I knew I wanted that to be the setting. And I didn’t want the story to be historical, so it had to be futuristic. And “post-apocalyptic” fiction, for some reason comes hand in hand with “desert” and “futuristic”, for me. It’s probably the influence of movies like Mad max.

Kromoff: There seems to be a ton of Folklore elements woven into this story, can you talk to us a little bit about your influences?

Medel: Mexico is rich in Folklore (which I love), and of course with the main character being an Adelita (Mexican female fighters of the Revolution), there had to be a lot of it. As I said, I’m a Northerner, however, I’ve been all over Mexico, Tabasco, Chiapas, Yucatán, Veracruz. So, the story has a bit of the Folklore of all those regions.

Kromoff: Coming from the Sonora Desert in Mexico, this feels like such a love letter to Mexican Culture. Can you talk a bit about why it was so important to infuse this level of representation into your work?

Medel: Well, for stories I think more in terms of “I think this is cool, so I’ll use it”. Or if it helps the story move, I’ll use it. For me, the story is the most important thing, and if that element(s) serves as a way to show Mexican culture to others, then it’s a happy and very welcomed accident.

Kromoff: What can people expect out of Adelita 3017?

Medel: I think a different and fun comic. Lost of action. There’s a bunch of cool thing thrown in together in there, monsters, rotting bio-mechanical villains, an evil witch. But also, a good story. There are a few surprises in store. It will certainly make people wonder what’s the deal with Adelita.

Kromoff: Are you planning on continuing the story beyond this issue?

Medel: It’s thought out as 6 issue mini-series. It kicks in with high-octane action, but we’re supposed to get more bits and bits of the story as the series progresses. With the support of people, I hope we can get the 6 issues done.

Kromoff: If you had 25 words to convince Adelita 3017 is one amazing action-adventure comic experience what would you say?

Medel: It will blow your sucks off. If you like Mad Max, Star Wars and 80s sci fi and action movies, you’ll love it. How many words were those?

Kromoff: Thank you so much for taking the time to sit with me. Before we wrap let our readers know where they can keep up with you and your work.

Medel: Thank you for having me. They can back the project here.

And in my site, they can know more about my career and see my work here.