Khamo de los Santos

Khamo de los Santos is a resident of Palomar, the fictional Latin American village at the heart of Gilbert Hernandez's celebrated 'Heartbreak Soup' stories, connected through family and community ties to characters including Ofelia Beltran, Maricela, and fellow de los Santos relatives Casimira and Doralis.

Born into the rich, interwoven world of Gilbert Hernandez's Palomar universe, Khamo de los Santos made their debut in Love and Rockets #21 in 1987, arriving at a moment when Fantagraphics' landmark anthology was redefining what American comics could be. Over roughly seventeen years, Khamo moves through a constellation of memorable characters — Ofelia Beltran, Pipo Jimenez, Maricela, and fellow de los Santos family members Casimira and Doralis — the kind of deeply human company that makes Hernandez's storytelling so singular. With appearances spread across Love and Rockets, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, Khamo is woven into one of the most celebrated runs in alternative comics history, and for any reader ready to dive deep into Beto's sprawling, emotionally generous world, that's reason enough to pay attention.