El Peso Hero: From Fiction to Historical Fiction
Since his debut in 2011, El Peso Hero has captivated readers as a Mexican-American superhero tackling social injustices along the U.S.-Mexico border. Known as Ignacio Rivera, this vigilante with super strength and bulletproof skin was born from Rodríguez’s desire to address real-world issues like immigration, human trafficking, and corruption through a comic book lens. What began as a fictional narrative grounded in borderland struggles has increasingly blurred the line into historical fiction, with recent storylines mirroring today’s global crises, most notably in a special 2022 issue where El Peso Hero intervenes in Ukraine.
In this 18-page free digital issue, I send El Peso Hero to the war-torn city of Mariupol, responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Frustrated by Mexico’s non-interventionist stance, I crafted a narrative where his hero saves civilians amidst the conflict, echoing the humanitarian crises dominating 2022 headlines. This storyline draws a deliberate parallel to World War II-era comics, where icons like Captain America and Superman rallied against global tyranny. As Rodríguez told NPR, “It’s El Peso Hero saying, ‘Well, if the president of Mexico is not able to be there, El Peso Hero will be’”. The comic, available in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian, underscores the character’s role as a border-transcending advocate for the powerless. https://www.npr.org/2022/04/06/1091199402/for-a-special-issue-the-comic-book-series-el-peso-hero-travels-to-ukraine
This shift to historical fiction is not new for El Peso Hero. I have long woven real-world issues into the narrative. Early issues depicted El Peso Hero defending refugees fleeing cartel violence and confronting detention facilities like the fictional “Camp Border Freedom,” where an American citizen is wrongfully detained—a scenario reflecting documented cases of racial profiling. These stories, once speculative, now resonate with ongoing debates about immigration policy and border enforcement reported in 2025 news cycles.
https://www.texasobserver.org/el-peso-hero/
More recently, my 2025 Kickstarter campaign for El Peso Hero: Border War focuses on American military intervention, suggesting the series continues to tackle contemporary geopolitical themes. My narrative often anticipates or parallels real-world events, such as the plight of migrants riding La Bestia, a train central to Central American migration stories, or El Peso Hero’s symbolic punch at Trump, reminiscent of Captain America’s 1941 jab at Hitler. These elements cement El Peso Hero as a modern historical fiction story, where fiction amplifies reality.
https://theworld.org/stories/2015/07/17/el-peso-hero
As global conflicts and border issues persist in 2025, El Peso Hero remains a powerful lens for examining the present.
Through comics, El Peso Hero transcends fiction, becoming a chronicle of our times.
Thank you so much for your support! We hit our Kickstarter goal and are excited to continue growing!
If you haven’t already please take a moment to support the publishing of El Peso Hero: Border War.
