# Dave Ortega

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**Dave Ortega** is an American [comics](/source/Comics) artist whose work examines the human impact of the [Mexican Revolution](/source/Mexican_Revolution) and [Spanish colonization](/source/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas) through [family narratives](/source/Family_folklore).[1] *[The Best American Comics](/source/The_Best_American_Comics)* named his *Abuela y Los Dead Mexicans* () a notable comic.[2] He released *Días de Consuelo* (), about his grandmother's life, in six self-published issues before Radiator Comics published it as a graphic novel.[1] *[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly)* praised it as "deeply personal and affecting."[3]

Ortega's work appears in several comics anthologies,[4] and is in the permanent collections of the [Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum](/source/Billy_Ireland_Cartoon_Library_%26_Museum) and the [Lucas Museum of Narrative Art](/source/Lucas_Museum_of_Narrative_Art).[5] In 2016, he created a life-size interactive installation for the [Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston](/source/Institute_of_Contemporary_Art,_Boston),[6] and in 2025, Ortega was named a [Brother Thomas Fellow](/source/Thomas_Bezanson#The_Brother_Thomas_Fund) of [The Boston Foundation](/source/The_Boston_Foundation).[5]

## Early life and education

Ortega grew up in [El Paso, Texas](/source/El_Paso,_Texas), where he played video games as a child.[1] He was not introduced to comics until he attended the [University of Texas at El Paso](/source/University_of_Texas_at_El_Paso).[1]

## Career

Ortega read his first graphic novel, [Frank Miller](/source/Frank_Miller)'s *[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns](/source/The_Dark_Knight_Returns)*, after college.[4] Ortega studied how Miller and [Art Spiegelman](/source/Art_Spiegelman) used panel composition in their storytelling.[1]

Ortega moved to Boston in 2000 to pursue art and illustration.[7] He became part of [Somerville](/source/Somerville,_Massachusetts)'s independent comics community and has exhibited with the collaborative group The Miracle 5.[6][8]

He has taught at the [School of the Museum of Fine Arts](/source/School_of_the_Museum_of_Fine_Arts_at_Tufts)[6][8] and [Brandeis University](/source/Brandeis_University).[8] In 2024, he was a visiting artist at the [School of the Art Institute of Chicago](/source/School_of_the_Art_Institute_of_Chicago).[5]

### Artistic style and influences

Ortega's work focuses on [Mexican history](/source/History_of_Mexico) and the [Spanish colonization of the Americas](/source/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas) to address ongoing cultural trauma: "It's not a closed loop of history. It's still an open wound."[1] For his research into Mexican history, Ortega has drawn on [Eduardo Galeano](/source/Eduardo_Galeano)'s *[Open Veins of Latin America](/source/Open_Veins_of_Latin_America)*, [Frank McLynn](/source/Frank_McLynn)'s *[Villa](/source/Pancho_Villa) and [Zapata](/source/Emiliano_Zapata)*, and [Friedrich Katz](/source/Friedrich_Katz)'s *The Life and Times of [Pancho Villa](/source/Pancho_Villa)*.[4]

His work is characterized by an 8-panel grid and frantic pacing, conveying stress and elevated emotions through detailed facial expressions.[9] *[The Comics Journal](/source/The_Comics_Journal)* described him as "some kind of narrative virtuoso," praising his clever comic book writing and complex narrative structures.[9] He produces his work using brushes and Micron pens for inking, then colors the drawings digitally.[7]

Ortega has cited [George Herriman](/source/George_Herriman)'s *[Krazy Kat](/source/Krazy_Kat)*, [Ernie Bushmiller](/source/Ernie_Bushmiller)'s *[Nancy](/source/Nancy_(comic_strip))*, and [E. C. Segar](/source/E._C._Segar)'s *[Popeye](/source/Thimble_Theatre)* as inspirational works, as well as the artists [Lynda Barry](/source/Lynda_Barry), [Kate Beaton](/source/Kate_Beaton), [Jordan Crane](/source/Jordan_Crane_(cartoonist)), [Michael DeForge](/source/Michael_DeForge), [Michel Fiffe](/source/Michel_Fiffe), [Simon Hanselmann](/source/Simon_Hanselmann), [Jaime Hernández](/source/Jaime_Hern%C3%A1ndez_(comics)), [Noah Van Sciver](/source/Noah_Van_Sciver), [Dash Shaw](/source/Dash_Shaw), and [Jillian Tamaki](/source/Jillian_Tamaki).[4][8]

### *Días de Consuelo*

In fall 2015, Ortega self-published the first issue of *Días de Consuelo*, chronicling the life of his grandmother Consuelo Castañón Herrera, who was born in 1914 during the [Mexican Revolution](/source/Mexican_Revolution).[1][6][7][10] The work incorporates historical figures including [Pancho Villa](/source/Pancho_Villa), [Emiliano Zapata](/source/Emiliano_Zapata), and President [Venustiano Carranza](/source/Venustiano_Carranza), showing how the revolution affected daily life while focusing on women's experiences rather than battlefield action.[10] Ortega crafted the story from family lore and historical sources.[10]

The six-issue series concluded in 2020.[7] The complete work was published as a graphic novel in 2021.[3]

### Exhibitions and installations

Ortega regularly exhibits at comics and art book fairs throughout North America, including the [Chicago Alternative Comics Expo](/source/Chicago_Alternative_Comics_Expo), the Latino Comics Expo, the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) and Mini-MICE, the [NY Art Book Fair](/source/NY_Art_Book_Fair), the Small Press Expo, and the [Toronto Comic Arts Festival](/source/Toronto_Comic_Arts_Festival).[5][11][12][13]

In addition to his comics, Ortega creates wearable art. He participated in a collaborative silk-screening project at the [NY Art Book Fair](/source/NY_Art_Book_Fair) at [MoMA PS1](/source/P.S._1_Contemporary_Art_Center)[13] and exhibited in the group show "Beyond the Fluff & Fold: Contemporary Artists & the T-Shirt" at [The Art Institute of Boston](/source/The_Art_Institute_of_Boston), displaying work from his "Tees from the Future" series featuring characters from his comics.[14][15]

He has also created immersive experiences, including the interactive installation *Comics: Frame by Frame* at the [Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston](/source/Institute_of_Contemporary_Art,_Boston),[1][16] which featured movable black-and-white panels that visitors could rearrange to create narratives, with paper speech bubbles available to add dialogue.[1][16] Ortega appeared at the museum to collaborate with visitors.[16][4] The project explored how individuals and societies construct narratives from fragmented information, mirroring the challenges he faced documenting his grandmother's story.[1]

## Awards

- 2012 – *Abuela y Los Dead Mexicans* named a notable comic by *[The Best American Comics](/source/The_Best_American_Comics)*[2]
- 2013 – *Hacienda* won first place in the Comics Workbook Composition Competition[17]
- 2021 – Grant from [Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts](/source/Andy_Warhol#Warhol_Foundation)[18][19]
- 2023 – *Días de Consuelo* an official selection in the Book Series category for the [Society of Illustrators](/source/Society_of_Illustrators) Illustration 65 Annual[20]
- 2025 – Named a [Brother Thomas Fellow](/source/Thomas_Bezanson#The_Brother_Thomas_Fund) of [The Boston Foundation](/source/The_Boston_Foundation)[5]

## Publications

- *Abuela y los Dead Mexicans* [Grandma and the Dead Mexicans]. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4507-8196-1.
- *Insurrectos* [Insurgents]. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2012. [OCLC 932127037](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/932127037)
- *Hacienda*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2013. [OCLC 932066248](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/932066248)[9]
- *De Narvaez*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2013. [OCLC 937780558](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/937780558)
- *School of the Americas*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2013. [OCLC 937807079](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/937807079)
- *Zacatecas 1914 #1*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2013. [OCLC 1140548735](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1140548735)
- *Zacatecas 1914 #2*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2013. [OCLC 1140548790](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1140548790)
- *Battle of Juarez MCMXI*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2014. [OCLC 937716735](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/937716735)
- *Dichos* [Sayings] (in Spanish). Boston: Dave Ortega. 2014. [OCLC 937817307](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/937817307)
- *De las Casas: Selections from "An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies"*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2015. [OCLC 937695539](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/937695539)
- *Días de Fresnillo I* [Days of Fresnillo I]. Somerville, Massachusetts: The Miracle Five Press. 2015. [OCLC 961484976](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/961484976)
- *Días de Fresnillo II* [Days of Fresnillo II]. Somerville, Massachusetts: The Miracle Five Press. 2016. [OCLC 961484825](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/961484825)
- *Here, Knightly*. Boston: Institute of Contemporary Art. 2016. [OCLC 1091355273](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1091355273)
- *Días de Guerra III* [Days of War III]. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2018. [OCLC 1311415307](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1311415307)
- *River*. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2019. [OCLC 1267718042](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1267718042)[3]
- *Días de Adversidad* [Days of Adversity]. Boston: Dave Ortega. 2020. [OCLC 1311415402](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1311415402)
- *Días de Consuelo* [Days of Consuelo]. Radiator Comics. 2021. ISBN 978-0-9963989-1-6.[3]

## References

1. McQuaid, Cate (February 17, 2016). ["Comics Artist Ortega Helps ICA Visitors Share Their Stories"](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2016/02/17/comics-artist-ortega-helps-ica-visitors-share-their-stories/0AB2M833pLx7pEzYv3ySGI/story.html). *[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Mouly, Françoise; Abel, Jessica; Madden, Matt (eds.) (2012). ["Notable Comics from September 1, 2010, to August 31, 2011"](https://archive.org/details/bestamericancomi0000unse/page/357/). *The Best American Comics 2012*. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-547-69112-1.

1. ["Días de Consuelo"](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780996398916). *Publishers Weekly*. March 1, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Sutherland, Amy (February 7, 2016). ["Dave Ortega: Graphic Novelist Absorbs Books"](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/02/06/bibliophiles-dave-ortega-graphic-novel-artist/auwNdtywow4QpnNIamZBhK/story.html). *The Boston Globe*. p. N.11. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. ["Seventeen Greater Boston Artists Honored as 2025 Brother Thomas Fellows"](https://www.tbf.org/news-and-insights/press-releases/2025/september/2025-brother-thomas-fellows-announcement). *[The Boston Foundation](/source/The_Boston_Foundation)*. September 25, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Shankar, Amulya (August 12, 2016). ["Somerville Artist Dave Ortega Embodies the Comic Con Spirit"](https://www.wgbh.org/2016-08-12/somerville-artist-dave-ortega-embodies-the-comic-con-spirit). *[WGBH](/source/WGBH_(FM))*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Cook, Greg (July 23, 2020). ["In 'Dias de Consuelo,' Dave Ortega Recounts His Grandmother's Immigration Story"](https://gregcookland.com/wonderland/2020/07/23/dave-ortega/). *Wonderland*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. ["Dave Ortega, February 2015 Artist of the Month"](https://somervilleartscouncil.org/aotm/ortega/). *Somerville Arts Council*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Casey, RJ (March 19, 2025). ["Arrivals and Departures – March 2025"](https://www.tcj.com/arrivals-and-departures-march-2025/). *[The Comics Journal](/source/The_Comics_Journal)*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Seven, John (November 28, 2017). ["Review: Dave Ortega Puts Family First in 'Dias de Consuelo'"](https://www.comicsbeat.com/review-dave-ortega-puts-family-first-in-dias-de-consuelo/). *The Comics Beat*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. MacLaughlin, Nina (August 19, 2021). ["A Comics Expo, a New Book on Looking with Black Artists, and Poetry Imagining Robert Burns in Jamaica"](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/19/arts/comics-expo-new-book-looking-with-black-artists-poetry-imagining-robert-burns-jamaica/). *The Boston Globe*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. MacLaughlin, Nina (October 13, 2022). ["A New Collection of Poetry, a Return of the Comics Expo, and a Literary Festival in Maine"](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/13/arts/new-collection-poetry-return-comics-expo-literary-festival-maine/). *The Boston Globe*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Cotter, Holland (October 2, 2009). ["All the Books You'll Never Catch on a Kindle"](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/arts/design/03fair.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Muther, Christopher (January 29, 2009). ["For These Artists, T-Shirts Are Their Canvas"](https://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2009/01/29/for_these_artists_t_shirts_are_their_canvas/). *The Boston Globe*. p. G.21. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090203141836/https://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2009/01/29/for_these_artists_t_shirts_are_their_canvas/) February 3, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. Maxwell, Nisha (January 9, 2009). ["Beyond the Fluff & Fold"](https://www.scribd.com/document/11468433/Dig-1104). *[Weekly Dig](/source/DigBoston)*. p. 19. Retrieved October 10, 2025.

1. Pak, Sen Man (February 23, 2016). ["Comic Artist Dave Ortega Encourages Audience Participation in New ICA Installation"](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/2/23/ortegaica/). *[The Harvard Crimson](/source/The_Harvard_Crimson)*. Retrieved October 21, 2025.

1. ["Comics and Coffee – Dave Ortega"](https://events.unomaha.edu/event/comics_and_coffee-_dave_ortega). *University of Nebraska Omaha Events*. University of Nebraska Omaha. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. ["Collective Futures Fund Announces Inaugural Recipients"](https://warholfoundation.org/2021/09/01/collective-futures-fund-announces-inaugural-recipients/). *The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts*. September 1, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. ["Announcing the Collective Futures Fund 2021 Grantees"](https://bostonartreview.com/reviews/announcement-collective-futures-fund-2021-grantees/). *Boston Art Review*. 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. ["Dave Ortega"](https://www.saic.edu/profiles/faculty/dave-ortega). *[School of the Art Institute of Chicago](/source/School_of_the_Art_Institute_of_Chicago)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240724034410/https://www.saic.edu/profiles/faculty/dave-ortega) July 24, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.daveortegadraws.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dave Ortega](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ortega) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ortega?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.