Latinx fantasy comic Helm Greycastle mixes Lord of the Rings with "rich, bloody history of Mexico"

The 'sword & sorcery' subgenre of comics is growing, with a new Latinx fantasy series imagining the Aztecs and Mayans as magic and sword-wielding warriors fighting back the Spanish invasion of Mexico. In the upcoming series Helm Greycastle, writer Henry Barajas and artist Rahmat M. Handoko imagine people like themselves represented - and empowered - in the fantasy world.

"I love playing Dungeons and Dragons with my best friends and I grew up loving Peter Jackson's take on JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings," says Barajas in the announcement. "But I never see people like myself in the fantasy world. I want to show the rich, bloody history of Mexico while bringing Latinx characters into the fantasy realm." 

Scheduled to debut this February, the Helm Greycastle one-shot follows a titular mercenary who is hired to overthrow Montezuma III, who took over Mexico after successfully turning back the Spanish conquistadors thanks to their magical abilities.

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Here's a preview:

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Helm Greycastle preview

"I'm excited to reclaim another narrative we're used to seeing about Mesoamerica that is often told by white scholars and storytellers - and simultaneously introduces Latinx characters in the fantasy realm," Barajas tells Newsarama.

Barajas is currently using Kickstarter to raise $10,000 for the project, which includes a role-playing game, dice, and even instructional guides on running your own Kickstarter by Barajas, who has managed 10 successful crowdfunding campaigns before this.

Here's a preview of Barajas' instructional material on being successful with Kickstarter:

The Helm Greycastle one-shot goes on sale February 2021.

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