Laura Pérez at SPX 2024

SPX (Small Press Expo) 2024, the premier event for indie comics, cartooning, and graphic novels, presents “Totem” by Spanish graphic novelist and cartoonist Laura Pérez.

Panel: Altered Realities

• On Sunday, September 15 at 2 pm.
• Panelists: Christi Furnas, Laura Pérez, Peter Kuper, Nate Powell.
• Special Guests: Christi Furnas and Peter Kuper.

Comics provide a unique way of looking at consensus reality in startlingly new and different ways. Whether used to represent the way mental illness can affect the way we perceive reality, how occult forces can warp perception, or how in the far future the ways in which surviving species might perceive humanity, the use of line and color offers a world of possibilities. Francesca Lyn will explore the topic with Peter Kuper (Ruins, Insectopolis), Laura Pérez (Ocultos, Totem), Christi Furnas (Crazy Like A Fox: Adventures In Schizophrenia), and Nate Powell (Fall Through, Swallow Me Whole).

Book signing

• On Saturday, September 14 at 12 pm.
• On Sunday, September 15 at 3 pm.

Totem

A dreamy journey from the Arizona desert to the land of the dead. Two young women road trip through the Arizona desert in search of a spiritual awakening. Crowds gather to see the village wise woman commune with the dead. Strange bright lights flash across the night sky, provoking all manner of interpretations. A mosaic of experiences, Totem offers tantalizing glimpses of characters on their own journeys connected by some ethereal thread. The narrative slips through time and space, drifting from reality to different states of consciousness.

Laura Pérez

Laura Pérez is a Spanish illustrator and comics artist known for her evocative and atmospheric graphic novels. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as The Washington Post, National Geographic and Vanity Fair. Pérez has a diverse educational background, having studied at San Carlos Fine Arts University in Spain, École Régionale des Beaux Arts de Rennes in France, and Alberta College of Art and Design in Canada.

Pérez’s graphic novels often explore themes of mysticism and the supernatural. Her notable works include Náufragos (2016), Ocultos (2019), Espanto (2022), and Tótem (2021), which was published in English by Fantagraphics in 2023. Tótem is particularly acclaimed for its dreamlike narrative, which blurs the lines between reality and the spiritual realm, following characters on a journey through the Arizona desert and beyond.

In addition to her graphic novels, Pérez has illustrated several children’s books and has received numerous awards for her work, including a nomination for an Emmy Award for her title design on the TV series Only Murders in the Building. Her distinctive style, characterized by wispy, atmospheric pencil lines, has earned her a reputation as a leading figure in contemporary illustration and comics.