La Valda

Born into the boundary-pushing world of Gilbert Hernandez's Birdland, La Valda made her entrance in 1990 at the height of Fantagraphics' commitment to bold, creator-driven comics that dared to go where mainstream publishers wouldn't. A product of the Copper Age's most adventurous independent scene, she shares her pages with a lively cast including Simon Herrera, Mark Herrera, Bang Bang, and Petra Martinez — the kind of colorful ensemble that made Hernandez's work so electric. With only a handful of catalog appearances, La Valda is a rare and intriguing figure, the sort of deep-cut character that rewards the curious reader willing to dig into one of alt-comics' most distinctive corners.