This Exhibition in NYC is Celebrating Puerto Rican Comics
Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla
Puerto Rican comic book fans, this news is for you. ¡Wepa! Puerto Ricans in the World of Comics is a new exhibition celebrating Boricua representation in comics opening at The New York Public Library on October 4, 2025.
The bilingual exhibition will feature the works of over 50 creators who explore aspects of Puerto Rican life and culture in the comic book industry “through the axis of time and space.”
¡Wepa! Puerto Ricans in the World of Comics is a first of its kind for various reasons: it’s the first exhibition in the world that showcases Puerto Rican comics, and it will be the New York Public Library’s first full-scale exhibition that focuses entirely on comics.
This exhibition will draw from the Library’s Manuel Martínez Nazario Collection of Puerto Ricans in the World of Comics, primarily. This collection is one of the largest of its kind, representing as many comics by Puerto Ricans. Martínez Nazario curated the collection for nearly 30 years, since the 90s, and then donated it to The New York Public Library in 2022.
The exhibition will be divided into two “axis:” time and space. For space, ¡Wepa! will feature representations of both the island and New York City, exploring the relationship between the two. For time, it will explore Puerto Rico’s past with Taíno roots, Spanish rule, and its torrid relationship with The United States. It will also present possibilities of what our future could look like, with answers exploring everything from science fiction to fantasy.
“Puerto Rican creators have had a tremendous influence on the comics industry, but for too long, their collective contributions have been overlooked. As the first exhibition to showcase an overview of Puerto Rican comics, ¡Wepa! emphasizes some of the many ways in which Puerto Rican comics creators have shaped the medium in the mainland U.S. and in the island,” said Paloma Celis Carbajal, co-curator of ¡Wepa! and Curator, Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies at The New York Public Library, in a press release.
You’ll have plenty of time to visit the exhibition, it’s open to the public through March 8, 2026.
