What God gave me when he brought me into this world, the "ganas" to make a difference in my community, to bring "bad luck" to those who do evil in my neighborhood. Helping those who cannot fend for themselves, to bring a positive attitude to the youth in this generation. My never-ending battle with crime in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Spending a lot of time with my grandfather, Agustine 'Gus' Guerrero, the original El Gato Negro, giving me advice about life, about being El Gato Negro, about Lucha Libre over some hot chocolate and pan de dolce.And finally, on a slow day (like that will really happen...!), spend some time with Lady Lawyer, Narcilina 'Narci' Montoya. This piece was done by a young Freddie Williams (Robin DC Comics). EL Gato Negro facing The Dogs of War and Relampago!
First and foremost, Robert Rodriguez, for he and I have a lot to talk about. Then, it would be Zack Synder, for he too, is an awesome director. Next, it would be the Latina version of 'Charlie's Angels': Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria and Penelope Cruz (at the same time!). The entire cast of SpyKids, because my creator's children would like to meet them, El Rey Mysterio of the WWE, because he could play the part of my grandfather back in his day as a luchador/crimefighter (and everyone else in the Lucha Libre world for that matter!),El Valiente, Bluewing and Aym Geronimo, for I will be teaming up with them real soon in the "War of the Independents" coming in July of 2008,and last but not least, his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI for he is a great man of faith.THE GREATEST FAN-FILM EVER CREATED, BATMAN: DEAD END A film by Director Sandy Collora and starring Bodybuilder, Clark (Batman) Bartram. Both whom my creator, Richard Dominguez had the pleasure of rubbing elbows with while down in San Antonio, Texas for a weekend comic book convention (find out more about it in the blog above: El Gato Negro meets The Batman). Both Collora and Bartram became instant "Gato-Fans", and Collora told my creator that he would LOVE to do an El Gato Negro "short film".
The group known as the "Fab Four", The Beatles, Elvis, Nat King Cole, Big Band, Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Archies (I bet you did,too?),Simon & Garfunkul, 70's Disco, Anything Old School,Frankie Beverly & Maze, Enigma, Cusco, Barrage, Santana, Malo, Selena y Los Dinos, Chingon,The Gypsy Kings, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Los Anything...and the beat goes on...er, the mean, the list goes on.
Flicks from the Silent era: Chaplin, Keaton, Chase, Arbuckle, Lloyd, Chaney,Sr.,Vintage movies from TMC, the two versions of Scarface,All the flicks of The Dead End Kids; Leo Gorcey,Huntz Hall,Billy Halop,,Bobby Jordan,Gabriel Dell & Bernard Punsly, Penny Serenade with Cary Grant and Irene Dunn, all of the Republic movie 'serials: Captain America, Batman and Robin,Superman,Blackhawk, Copperhead,Spy Smasher,Captain Marvel, Mask Marvel,King of the Texas Rangers, all the horror flicks from the Golden Age: Dracula, Frankenstein, WolfMan,The Mummy, flicks from Mack Sennett, Hal Roach, Ben-Hur with Charleton Heston,Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments & The Greatest Show on Earth, Sunset Boulevard,Citizen Kane, Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier & Merle Oberon,Bonnie & Clyde with Faye Dunnaway & Warren Beatty, nearly all the chessy and classic Lucha Libre adventure flicks; El Santo, Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras,and the rest of the zany maskarados,Gregory Nava's Mi Familia & Selena, Like Water For Chocolate,Star Wars all episodes, The John Carpenter-Kurt Russell Film Festival: Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China (now that's comic book style martial arts!),The Thing & Escape from LA, Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and all the Mel Gibson's movies: Braveheart, Patriot, The Passion of the Christ (to remind us how Christ died for all of our sins)and Apocolypto. Batman, Batman Begins, Daredevil, Hulk, Spider-Man 1&2, X-Men Trilogy,the short film by my creator's friend Sandy Collora, Batman: Dead End and of course...all of Robert Rodriguez' flicks.
Our Gang, Three Stooges in Slam Bang Theater with host, Icky Twerp, Popeye from Max Fleisher, Green Hornet, Time Tunnel, Lone Ranger,anything Hanna Barbera, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Battle of the Planets, Speed Racer, Batman the animated series, Batman Beyond, Justice League by Bruce Timm on the Cartoon Network, Nick's Jimmy Nuetron, SpongeBob Squarepants, Fairy Oddparents, Danny Phantom, and of course, the one that got me started...Batman TV series with Adam West, Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig.
Early Marvel Kirby's FF, Captain America, Wally Wood's Daredevil, Ayers' Giant-Man & Wasp, Avengers,Hulk, Lee & Ditko's Spider-Man, DC's Superman and Batman, early JLA, Challengers of the Unknown, WonderWoman, Sea-Devils,Green Lantern, Flash,Aquaman all which lead me to the 'Golden Age of comics, the true Pioneers of this craft: Simon & Kirby, Finger & Kane, Eisner, Jack Cole, My inspiration, Judge Maragarito Garza's Relampago, The Watchmen (truly the 'Citizen Kane' of comics), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, They Called Them Greasers by Arnoldo De Leon, With His Pistol in His Hand by Americo Paredes,Esperanza's Box of Saints by Maria Amparo Escandon, Rise,Let Us Be On Our Way by John Paul II.
Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Will Eisner, Gus Arriola, Hector Cantu, Carlos Castellanos, Icky Twerp, Adam West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, George Perez, Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker, Bill Watterson, Charles Schulz, Gary Larson, Steve Ditko, Sandy Collora, Clark Bartram, Judge Margarito Garza, Robert Rodriguez, my Mom and Dad (and I never knew them), my childhood friend Mario Bustamonte, his brother, Miguel Bustamonte, my machanic and gadget-maker, Antonio Trujillo, my grandfather Agustine Guerrero, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI and last but not least...my creator, Richard Dominguez.