Dr. Anthony Ramirez

 

Adam: Dr. Anthony Ramirez, thank you for taking the time to sit down and chat with me. Let's start off with you giving us a rundown of what you currently do professionally.

Anthony: Hi Adam! Thank you so much for having me on Frontera Files. It is great to be talking with you. I’m Dr. Anthony Ramirez, I’m originally from El Paso, but currently work in Houston, Texas at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) as an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies. I am also the Assistant Director of the Center for Latino Studies at UHD.

Adam: Very cool, how did you end up landing on Communications?

Anthony: When I was younger, my dream career was to be an animator and work for Pixar. At UTEP, they didn't have an animation program so I went into a fine arts program and got my Bachelor's in Fine Arts. I then went to NMSU for a semester to try and get a second bachelor's degree in computer animation, but due to various circumstances I ended up leaving NMSU and decided to pursue a Master's degree instead. When trying to find the right program for me, I spoke with various professors including those from the Communication program at UTEP. I also remembered one of my best friends got a double major in Communication Studies and he learned film editing and camera work. I thought I could continue my path to my animation career in that way. After speaking with one of the COMM professors, I learned the grad program was centered more around reading, writing, and research. I gave it a try and enjoyed it tremendously. That led me to continue on that path and led me to where I am today.

Adam: How cool is that, it seems like that subject kind of found you when you had other plans, pretty much how life usually works!

Anthony: It really has been an amazing journey! A long one too, but one I'm very grateful for. One thing I have learned is to trust the process.

Adam: Would you say that growing up in El Paso had an influence on you being involved with the Chicano Studies program?

Anthony: El Paso is truly the foundation and inspiration of my research. I talk about El Paso all the time and center my identity, both personally and professionally around being from El Paso and the border. It means the world to me being from the 915. A lot of my research focuses on borderland identity and representation within popular culture and media. I feel that the media really misinterprets and stereotypes the border tremendously. So, I feel that it is my job as a scholar or someone who focuses on this topic to highlight the border identity and representation in genuine way that showcases the beauty of the border.

 

Adam: Love it, I definitely feel the same love and pride for El Paso, there is no other City like it. So, when I met you years ago, you were heavily involved in the art scene, I still have a few of your hand-drawn pieces tucked away, I know life took you on a different path but, is creating art still a part of your life

Anthony: I would say I do create artwork still through logos and graphics I do for the Center for Latino Studies and also occasional stuff I do for fun for myself, but I don’t really do things for art shows anymore. I would say my artistic or creative side has changed into more of a storytelling realm and style. I tell stories in the classroom, I had a podcast, I also do a lot of social media posts on my Instagram and TikTok that are a mix of my creative and critical side highlighting the border and Latino/a/x/e identity and representation within media and popular culture. There is a part of me that does miss doing artwork, but I’m glad that I am able to express my creative side through other outlets.

Adam: If you are anything like me, I always have to have something creative going on, that's part of the reason I started doing this blog, creating keeps me from going crazy.

Anthony: Oh, absolutely! I do not like being bored or not having anything to do. I always have multiple projects or things going on. It keeps me level headed.

Adam: Talk to me about Chicano Studies, paint a picture of what that kind of educational path consists of, is it strictly learning history, or is there a greater experience to the program?

Anthony: In my case, I'm not a full Chicano or Latino Studies Professor. I would consider myself an Interdisciplinary Professor. What that means is that I know a mix of subjects including Latino/Chicano Studies, Communication Studies, Border Studies, Popular Culture and Media Studies, and Digital Humanities (which means using technology and new media to conduct research). When I was working on my dissertation, I started read a lot of books centered around borderland history and identity, Latino/Chicano history, and current events centered around Latinidad (characteristics of what makes one Latino). This helped me get a better grasp of various concepts, scholars, and topics centered around Latino culture. A lot of my past classes, focused on broader and generalized topics at both UTEP and Texas A&M. I did take a few specialized classes at Texas A&M like Latino Psychology and Latino Film, and that helped me out quite a bit. I think at UTEP conversations about Latinidad were had often. Especially, in my courses with Dr. Roberto Avant-Mier, who has been an incredible mentor and friend since my days at UTEP.

 

 

Adam: The term "LatinX" is also put out there a lot these days, can you expand on that concept?

Anthony: The term Latinx or Latine is similar to Latin@ in a lot of ways. It is meant to be an inclusive term for our non-binary members of our culture and community. That is the most simplistic way I can describe the term. There is a lot deeper conversations behind it, but in a nutshell that is what that term is used for.

Adam: What does being “Chicano” mean to you personally?

Anthony: It means a lot to me! I’m very proud to be Latino, Mexican American, Chicano. Whichever term works and applies, I’m grateful for it. My racial and ethnic background means a lot to me because our culture is so beautiful, vibrant, and incredible. We have amazing music, food, artwork, traditions. As a professor, it’s also allowed me to connect with my students on a deeper level that they can relate to with my examples and experiences. It just fills me up with gratitude and appreciation being Latino, Chicano, Mexican American, and an El Pasoan. I wear all those titles of my identity proudly!

Adam: Do you see that Chicano influence in Houston too as far as culture, food, visibility, etc?

Anthony: There is, but it is very different from what we are used to in El Paso. There is a lot of Tex-Mex food over there, while I consider El Paso’s Mexican food more Mex-Tex. Also, Houston is very diverse! You see more than just Chicano and Mexican culture. You have Mexicans, Salvadorians, Puerto Rican, Honduran, Peruvian, Brazilians, and more. It’s cool meeting so many people from various cultural backgrounds.

Adam: Always great to experience other cultures. I want to switch gears a bit and talk a little about another major passion of yours, let's dive into the world of Comics, we'll start off with how you initially got into Comic books.

Anthony: As a child from the late 80s-early 90s, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons like Batman: The Animated Series, Superman, X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and Sonic the Hedgehog. I remember my mom took me to a corner store and they had some comics; one was of Sonic the Hedgehog issue 19 from Archie Comics and the other was DC vs. Marvel issue 2. I loved those comics so much and those were my gateway issues into comic books. And anytime my mom and I went to a book store, I would get a book and a few comics. Since then, I have continued to enjoy these characters tremendously through comics, films, cartoons, and more. One of my favorites being the third iteration of Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, who is from El Paso in the comic books.

Adam: Were you as disappointed as I was when they basically deleted El Paso from the movie? (Even though I did still enjoy it as far as entertainment goes)

Anthony: I was so disappointed and upset by that news that I wrote a whole article discussing that disappointment. I wrote about how much the film missed out on an opportunity to highlight the border in a positive manner and create a superhero on screen for a space that truly has never had one within mainstream media. While I did love the film, it still was a major letdown that they didn’t include El Paso as the home of Blue Beetle. I will forever be bitter about Palmera City.

Adam: Yeah, I was really let down by that too, I think Hollywood still relies a little too hard on historical stereotypes, but I for the most part felt the corazon in the movie was there in the right place. Have there been any Blue Beetle animated films, or do you know of any other Chicano influenced comic book characters that you could recommend to us?

Anthony: There have not been any Blue Beetle animated films, only his live action films. There have been a few appearances that he has made throughout variety of cartoons like Young Justice, Batman: the Brave and the Bold, and Justice League Action, but all of these appearances, he is a supporting character. There are plenty of border centric characters and comic books that I can recommend, also plenty of Latino centered comic books. I have actually been working on a book that focuses on this topic, and I have found around 40 comics books that focus on the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of them that I recommend are This Land is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story and Frontera. Those two titles are written by Julio Anta and illustrated by Jacoby Salcedo, who are amazing creators that I'm lucky to consider friends. I also recommend Barrier by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin, which looks at the U.S.-Mexico border and borders as a whole in a science fiction type of way.

El Peso Hero is another comic series I recommend by Hector Rodriguez III. Hector is an amazing person and another friend of mine. He has been working on that series for a good while now and I like to think of that character as the Superman of the border. If you are looking for something more for children, I recommend Mexi-Kid by Pedro Martin. That is a cute graphic novel. If you are a fan of sci-fi and the Fast and the Furious franchise, you would enjoy Daizee & the Dukes of Chuco: Chuco-Juarez World Rally, that was written by E.C. Dukes and illustrated by Ronnie Dukes. E.C. and Ronnie are also good friends of mine, who have written and done a lot of work highlighting the borderlands.

I have been pretty lucky because my love for comic books has opened up a lot of doors for me, allowing me to meet so many of these creators of these comics and graphic novels.

Adam: This is so cool, I'm glad I got to touch on this subject with you, not only am I excited to inform my readers about this, but I personally had no idea there was this much representation in comic books to dig into.

Anthony: There is a lot more of it, some of which highlights the border in a positive way and a lot of others that are very stereotypical and cringy too.

Adam: Oh I believe it, so how have you incorporated your love for comics into your professional life?

Anthony: Two of my biggest projects, my master’s thesis and my doctoral dissertation have been focused on comic books. My master’s focused on comic book fandom and my dissertation on border identity and representation in comic books. I’m also working on a Blue Beetle essay and the book I mentioned earlier, but those are probably going to be my last two that focus on comic books for a while. I plan on exploring other topics and forms of media to do research on.

Adam: You mentioned a couple of animated series' earlier, I watched many of the same ones as a kid as well, I think part of the reason I grew up to be such a metalhead were those opening theme songs, some of them went hard!

Anthony: Power Rangers, Wild K.A.T.Z, X-Men all had some epic rock/metal theme songs.

Adam: X-Men was probably my favorite, but man was the opening to Batman The Animated Series epic too! Why do you think comic characters and stories continue to resonate so much with adults?

Anthony: I think adults resonate with comic characters for a variety of reasons. Nostalgia is a big factor, but in a lot of ways people connect with characters because they can relate to certain characteristics or traits of the characters. Sometimes, fans feel inspired by the characters and some of those traits they use to motivate themselves to be better versions of themselves. In other cases, people just enjoy the stories or characters because they are just interesting or cool!

Adam: Or even characters that we wish we could be more like, sometimes I have to refrain from the desire to mouth off like the merk! Which characters would you say you can relate to the most?

Anthony: My first and go to answer is Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, because he’s a Mexican American from El Paso. I also felt a lot like the Spider-Man or even Donatello from the Ninja Turtles because both are smart characters and at times witty/sarcastic. Here is a deep cut, Saint Walker from the Green Lantern series. He is a Blue Lantern and blue lantern’s represent hope. I try to be an optimistic and hopeful person. Plus, I love the color blue.

I would also include Batman. Even though, I really admire his detective and research side of crime fighting. Also, he is a character that preserves through his various battles, which is something I admire a lot as well.

Those are the characters I find some relatable traits in. They are also some of my favorite characters within the world of comics.

Adam: I don't know if I have ever had anything in common with him but since I was small I have always related to Wolverine, especially from the 90's cartoon and now X-Men 97! As far as TMNT Mikey was my guy! I went in the completely opposite direction, I am not that care-free, not even a little bit.

Anthony: On the topic of Wolverine, there is a Wolverine storyline where he is in the El Paso/Juarez area looking for a cartel member. It’s an interesting story. Mikey is a classic character. If you want a dark but really awesome story featuring Michelangelo, check out The Last Ronin. Soooo good!

Adam: Wow I never knew about that Wolverine story line, you will have to share with me how to find it, and I still have hopes for a Last Ronin film!

Anthony: The book is called Wolverine: Coyote Crossing. I’m also hoping for a Last Ronin film. I’m glad we are getting a video game for it.

Adam: So, is there someone in particular that got you into the comic book world, or what is it something that you discovered on your own? I think our generation was fortunate in that all of these wonderful animated series were on TV while we were growing up.

Anthony: It definitely was the cartoons from our childhood. Without a doubt, it was Batman: The Animated Series from Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, and Paul Dini. That series was my entry point into comics and comic book media. That and the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

Adam: Mark Hamill, the best Joker ever!

Anthony: And Kevin Conroy was the best Batman ever too!

Adam: Would you say with today's younger generation, the equivalent would be like Anime?

Anthony: I would think so, but we also were lucky to grow up with a lot of great anime such as Dragon Ball Z and later Trigun and Cowboy Bebop.

Adam: I enjoyed AKIRA a lot myself.

Anthony: Akira is another anime that has changed the game not just for animation, but for film as whole.

Adam: Definitely see it in Tarantino stuff and most definitely in stuff like John Wick too!

 

Anthony: Oh absolutely!

Adam: Tell me about some of the current projects you have going on right now.

Anthony: Let’s see, I have quite a few going on right now. I have the Blue Beetle and El Paso identity essay that I’m working on, a book, I just finished co-writing a piece on the Netflix series Wednesday, and that should be published soon. Also, I’m editing another book chapter on Latino video game stores and spaces. Those two projects have been in the works for years now. I’m happy they are close to getting published.

I also co-host and produce a podcast at my university called Historias Del Centro, which is a project we have at the Center for Latino Studies. I also produce short pieces of content on my social media pages showcased around Latinx/e culture and identity in popular culture and also about my life as a professor.

Adam: Aside from me recommending everyone to follow you on social media, where can they find any previously published pieces that you have been a part of?

Anthony: Through Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7YTI6z4AAAAJ&hl=en

A lot of my stuff can be found there, but if you message me on Instagram, I’m happy to send you a PDF of my various projects.

Instagram

Adam: What kind of things do you discuss on Historias Del Centro?

Anthony: We have a mix of conversations with students, alumni, faculty, guests of UHD. A lot of it centers around Latino identity or the university. The student population of the university is about 57%, so we want to highlight stories around our students and community

Adam: So cool, and where can we find that podcast?

Anthony: Historias del Centro is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Adam: Brilliant! Well, my friend, is there anything else you would like to share with us you would like to promote, any words of wisdom, or any shout outs?

Anthony: First and foremost, thank you, Adam for this opportunity to connect and converse with you. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you! Please say hi to Mayra for me.

Be sure to check out my social media pages: @dranthonyrramirez both on Instagram and TikTok. Also, follow @uhdlatinostudies to find out what cool events we are hosting and more on Historias del Centro.

Shoutout to the love of my life, Ruby. Shoutout to my family, friends, and all my amazing colleagues, and students.

Words of wisdom: trust the process! It’ll all work out.

Also, inside joke for you, Mayra, and I. Shoutout to "chanclitas." (You don’t need to publish that though.

Adam: Oh but I will! Well thank you for sharing this conversation with me and letting me into your world for a bit my friend, I truly appreciate it, I've watched you bust your ass to get to where you are and I know you are going to keep doing great things! Blessings to you, and much respect for being an advocate for the Latin X movement and for continuing to the things you love part of what you do!

Anthony: Much love always, hermano.

Bonus Questions:

Top 5 Comic Book Characters?

Anthony: Batman, Spider-Man, Blue Beetle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Superman

Top 5 comic adaptions on the big screen?

Anthony: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Spider-Man: Spider-Verse films, Superman (1978), The Crow (1994)

What song do you currently have on repeat?

Anthony: "Tombstone" by The Droptines or "Rubber Band Man" by Mumford and Sons

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Anthony: Teleportation because I could live in El Paso, but still work in Houston. It would be easier for me to see my loved ones here in El Paso and still have a job that I really care about in Houston. Plus, I could travel all around the world in an instant using teleportation.

Have you ever created/drawn an original comic character? Have you ever thought about writing your own comic?

Anthony: I have thought about creating my own story and character. I have also thought of how I would write a Blue Beetle story too. Maybe sometime down the line I will write something or create something. I would love to write a children’s book inspired by the border or El Paso.

Thank you for reading.

Follow: