John Vasquez Mejias is a visual artist and high school art teacher in the Bronx. He regularly produces zines, comics, and performs hand-crafted puppet shows and theater events based on The Puerto Rican War and other subjects. The self-published version of The Puerto Rican War is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Library.

https: //www.johnvasquezmejias.com

"The woodblock method lends density and gravitas to the work that command attention; each centimeter of each panel is rich in visual detail, inviting readers to linger over the page....A brilliant blend of graphic and literary narration and a lovely work of art in itself." --Kirkus, STARRED Review

"Mejias brilliantly weaves his heavy, saturated, and stunningly beautiful woodblock method with common comics tropes, as in an entire narrow panel filled with firefight sound effects--"PEW TANG ZANG BANG PIM PLIP ZAP BUM ZOP."--Booklist, STARRED Review

"Mejias's painstakingly hand-carved woodblock art results in vibrant, detailed scenes that lend a poetic touch throughout. This impressive work of art brings history to full and fascinating life." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

"Each page of this elegant, agit-prop stylized, confrontational yet nuanced account of the 1950s Puerto Rican independence movement is printed from painstakingly hand-carved woodblocks. It took Mejias a decade to create this art object--cutting into the negative space to reveal history more often swept away. I've been a fan of Mejias's since I first (many years ago) picked up his zine Paping. It's cheering to see the dedication he puts to his craft respected in such a high-quality hardcover release."--Publishers Weekly

"This is a story most people today have forgotten, but one full of fascinating people and riveting events. The graphic format makes this history accessible to today's readers, whether in school or out."--We Are Teachers