Julio Anta – författare

2024 Eisner Award Nominee for Best Publication for Teens2024 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2024 Children’s Book Council’s Young Adults' Favorites Award2024 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading ListMateo makes the dangerous journey back home to the United States through the Sonoran Desert with the help of a new friend, a ghost named Guillermo, in a supernatural borderland odyssey by debut graphic novelists Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo. As long as he remembers to stay smart and keep his eyes open, Mateo knows that he can survive the trek across the Sonoran Desert that will take him from Mexico to the United States. That is, until he’s caught by the Border Patrol only moments after sneaking across the fence in the dead of night.Escaping their clutches comes at a price and, lost in the desert without a guide or water, Mateo is ill-prepared for the unforgiving heat that is sure to arrive come sunrise. With the odds stacked against him, his one chance at survival may be putting his trust in something, or rather someone, that he isn’t even sure exists.If you’d asked him if ghosts were real before he found himself face-to-face with one, Mateo wouldn’t have even considered it. But now, confronted with the nearly undeniable presence of Guillermo, he’s having second thoughts. Having spent his afterlife guiding migrants to safety, Guillermo knows things about the Sonoran Desert far beyond what could be explained by a mere hallucination. But even as Mateo forms an uneasy partnership with Guillermo, survival is still uncertain.The Sonoran Desert, with its hostile temperatures and inhabitants, is teeming with danger as the Border Patrol and rogue militias prowl its deadly terrain. As his journey stretches on, Mateo will have to decide exactly what and who he’s willing to sacrifice to find home.

Almost American Girl meets Brownstone in Second Generation Blues, a poignant coming-of-age young adult graphic novel about a Cuban American teen as he struggles to choose between being the son his parents need him to be and living the life he wants.Luis Menendez wants to be free from his immigrant Cuban-American parents’ expectations. Instead, he’s spending the summer delivering food for his family's faltering restaurant, sweating under the hot sun and the crushing weight of a future he didn’t choose.At least there’s Yara. Confident, assertive, and basically Luis’s dream girl, she might be the only person who understands him. If only he had any free time to spend with her.Amid the chaos, Luis starts carving out his own path. But when trying to be the son his parents need clashes with the life he wants, he’s forced to face the question he’s most afraid of answering: Is family loyalty worth sacrificing his own happiness?

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees. When we weren’t sheltering in place, we were advised to wear masks, wash our hands, and practice social distancing. We watched in horror as medical personnel worked around the clock to care for the sick and dying. Businesses were shuttered, travel stopped, workers were furloughed, and markets dropped. And people continued to die.Amid all this uncertainty, writers and artists from around the world continued to create comics, commenting directly on how individuals, societies, governments, and markets reacted to the worldwide crisis. COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthology collects more than sixty such short comics from a diverse set of creators, including indie powerhouses, mainstream artists, Ignatz and Eisner Award winners, and media cartoonists. In narrative styles ranging from realistic to fantastic, they tell stories about adjusting to working from home, homeschooling their kids, missing birthdays and weddings, and being afraid just to leave the house. They probe the failures of government leaders and the social safety net. They dig into the racial bias and systemic inequities that this pandemic helped bring to light. We see what it’s like to get the virus and live to tell about it, or to stand by helplessly as a loved one passes.At times heartbreaking and at others hopeful and humorous, these comics express the anger, anxiety, fear, and bewilderment we feel in the era of COVID-19. Above all, they highlight the power of art and community to help us make sense of a world in crisis, reminding us that we are truly all in this together.The comics in this collection have been generously donated by their creators. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this volume are being donated by the publisher to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) in support of comics shops, bookstores, and their employees who have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

“This story of hope, survival, and superpowers will enchant and enlighten readers.” —The American Library Association's Graphic Novels & Comics RoundtableAfter being separated from his mother at the US border, a young Guatemalan immigrant must learn to harness emerging superhuman abilities while being hunted by the Federal Government. JULIO ANTA and ANNA WIESZCZYK debut with a deeply grounded, and heartfelt graphic novel that explores the real world implications of a migrant with extraordinary powers. Collects HOME #1-5

After being separated from his mother at the US border, a young Guatemalan immigrant must learn to harness his emerging superhuman abilities while being hunted by the Federal Government. JULIO ANTA and ANNA WIESZCZYK debut with a deeply grounded and heartfelt graphic novel that explores the real world implications of a migrant with extraordinary powers. Collects HOME #1-5Includes an Educator Guide created by Re-Imagining MigrationSelect praise for HOME: “You very much feel drawn into the story, and the added wrinkle in the last act will definitely hook you.” —Black Nerd Problems“A potent reminder that while fiction can ultimately do very little to alter the horror outcomes of reality, it can at least offer solace in the guise of revisionist—and cathartic—fantasy.” —Comicon.com“The story we need right now. It''s great to see a tale told from a marginalized group''s perspective in the comic book medium.” —Monkeys Fighting Robots “An extremely beautifully written book.” —Major Spoilers

2025 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2025 Texas Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List (Starred Title)Writer Julio Anta and artist Jacoby Salcedo take readers on a gripping and inspiring journey filled with both high stakes and heart as Jaime embraces his new calling as Blue Beetle!Jaime Reyes is an ordinary high school student in El Paso, Texas, with a deep love for his family, culture, and home. Whether it’s working with his dad at the auto shop or a multi-generational barbecue filled with music and dance, Jaime loves nothing more than his neighborhood’s spontaneous gatherings that go late into the night. But lately he’s begun to realize that he and his border community are being used as pawns in an increasingly toxic immigration debate.The last few months have seen armed troops deployed along the U.S. and Mexico border, manufactured crackdowns at official border crossings, and now at the community level, a mounting resentment amongst a group of disaffected and reactionary youth who believe they’re being “replaced” by El Paso’s growing immigrant population. And to make matters worse, one of Jaime’s oldest friends, Riley, has bought into the propaganda. What started off as innocent web searches has now led Riley down a path to joining an unabashed hate group with a chapter in El Paso looking to cause some real-world violence.But Jaime’s problems get even more complicated when he finds an odd bug-like artifact while stargazing. He starts feeling a little different—like there’s another voice in his head pushing him towards his most base instincts. And to make matters worse, he’s been having surreal dreams that show him that the true threat El Paso faces isn’t “illegal aliens,” but actual aliens known as the Reach. In fact, according to his dreams, Jaime is meant to pave the way for the Reach’s impending invasion!