In celebration of what would’ve been Selena Quintanilla’s 51st birthday on Saturday (April 16), TidalWave Comics is releasing an expanded version of its Selena comic book.
When it debuted last year, the comic book was called Female Force: Selena. Now, with new artwork and a new cover, TidalWave has added the comic to its “Tribute” series and rebranded it as Tribute: Selena.
“The Tribute line of comic books tells the stories of the classic entertainers that have passed on,” said TidalWave’s publisher Darren G. Davis in a statement. “It is a way for us to honor these people who have made a difference in the world.”
The expanded comic book, written by Michael Frizell and illustrated by Ramon Salas, will be available in English and Spanish. The cover was designed by artist Joe Paradise.
“I had so much fun with the book,” Frizell told the Houston Chronicle. “I was a fan, yes, but I didn’t realize the depth of her influence until I started researching the comic.”
In some of the artwork for Tribute: Selena, the “Queen of Tejano music” is sitting on the floor of her bedroom and designing a customized bustier to wear during an upcoming performance. As most Selena fans will remember, the 1997 biopic starring Jennifer Lopez also references her bustiers and shows how much Selena’s father, Abraham, didn’t like them.
In the comic book, Selena talks to her father about her clothing. “It’s just a bra!” Selena says. “My style! My signature! Perhaps I’ll…I’ll open up my own shops and sell them!”
Along with a comic book about Selena Quintanilla, TidalWave has published illustrated biographies of other late performers like John Lennon, Bruce Lee, Christopher Reeve, Whitney Houston, Frank Capra, Lucille Ball, and David Bowie.