Trino Exhibit Brings Bi-National Crowd and Recognition to Comic-Con Museum


When the Comic-Con Museum opened in November 2021, organizers talked about creating a year-round place to celebrate pop culture that would attract San Diegans and visitors.
But they also talked about drawing fans from Mexico who in the past had crossed the border to attend Comic-Con.
On Friday night, that became a reality as a crowd of about 200 filled the Museum’s auditorium for a conversation with popular Mexican cartoonist José Trinidad Camacho, better known as Trino.
The event called “Una Noche con Trino,” or, “An Evening With Trino: How to Make Everyone Laugh Again Without Face Masks,” attracted a binational crowd that included the Mexican Consul General and the Mayor of Guadalajara.
Many in the crowd laughed and smiled during the one-hour event as Trino took center stage, speaking mostly in Spanish but also using the well-known Spanglish that many practice in San Diego’s border region.
“I’m very happy to be in San Diego,” said Trino. “It’s a city that I love.”
It wasn’t Trino’s first brush with Comic-Con. Last year, Trino was a guest at Mexican pop culture exhibit that was held during the annual Comic-Con gathering in downtown San Diego. The event proved such a success that in April, the Museum opened an exhibit featuring drawings, watercolors and other material representing his 40 years of work.
Trino was not able to attend the opening of the exhibit but he made up for it Friday night, riffing on a variety of topics, including the differences between Mexican and American cultures.
“I know that in the U.S., you have Taco Tuesday,” he said. “In Mexico, it’s taco every day.”
He said Americans drink tequila too quickly, like they see in the movies. He urged people to sip tequila.
“The power of tequila is strong,” he joked. “You are going to take it very, very wrong and your underwear is going to appear over your pants, like Superman.”
Regarding the theme of the event, Trino lamented that during the pandemic, the world stopped laughing and became too polarized.
“One of the great medicines that we have is laughter. We can’t lose that.”
The evening included a video showcasing animation Trino has worked on. He also signed books of his works.
William Nericcio, an English professor at San Diego State University who also works with the school’s Center for Comics Studies, praised Trino’s work in an introduction of the artist.
“The magic of it,” he said. “The humor. Vey light touch but also beautifully human, not just Mexican. Essentially Mexicano but also human, all too human.”
The Trino’s World exhibit runs through July 5 at the Museum, which is located in Balboa Park.
Categories
Recent Posts









