Relampago

Relampago is a fictional character, a comic book superhero self-published by creator Judge Margarito C. Garza. The character made his first appearance in Relampago! #1 (Feb. 17, 1977) making him the first Mexican American superhero in the American comic book industry.[1][2] The character’s debut series only ran for three issues, ultimately ending with the passing of Judge Garza 1995. A planned revival series by comic creator Richard Dominguez was later scrapped as he was unable to gain the consent of the surviving Garza family.

District court Judge Margarito Garza conceived of Relampago shortly after attending a comic convention. Garza, who had grown frustrated with seeing the same crimes being committed, had created the hero as a way to exercise fantasies of stopping crime. Noticing a lack of representation at the time, he also decided to make the character Tejano, believing that the Mexican-American youth needed a superhero of their own. With the help of his wife Jean, Relampago became a more well-rounded character embodying both Catholic and Mexican folklore. As the character further developed, Judge Garza sent letters to Marvel and DC Comics telling them of his creation, but both companies showed little interest.[3] Garza would later try to get a listing in a comic pricing guide, but the publishers said the character was “too obscure”. The Judge decided to maintain the comic in a self-published print, becoming more of a personal project than a money-making venture.