“Sights and Sounds” is our weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. On this episode, host Jenee Darden speaks with Ricardo Padilla. He’s the co-founder and executive director of the Latino Comics Expo, the nation’s largest gathering of Latino comic book creators & animators.
Mission: Comics and Art
Mission District
This comics store has a variety of graphic novels from large publishers, such as Marvel and DC, to independent local artists. They have signing events with comics artists and writers. The store is managed by Leef Smith. If you’re new to comics and don’t know where to start, Leef knows his stuff. He helps suggest comics based on what your interests are.
Sodini’s
North Beach
This Italian business was previously “Green Valley Restaurant,” before the Sodini brothers bought and rebranded it to what it is today. Their food reflects the flavors of the Tuscany region of Northern Italy. Most of their popular dishes, such as lasagna, rack of lamb, and gnocchi, are imported from Italy. As you enter, you see photos of the Sodini family and their friends along the wall.
Silver Sprocket
Mission District
It’s an indie comic store with art, zines, shirts, and more by independent artists. While Marvel and DC dominate the comics scene, this store provides a space for radical subcultures to flourish. They provide material revolving around queerness, mental health, punk culture, and anti-establishment politics. Their mission is to push the boundaries of what comics can do as a medium. They also publish works of independent artists who align with their leftist values.
Ricardo Padilla is the executive director of the Latino Comics Expo.
