Media Credit: Stuart Sevier Hector Cantu, UT alumnus and creator of the popular Universal Press Syndicate comic strip "Baldo," discusses how he uses his comic strip as social commentary in a public lecture held at the Union.

Comic strips are more than cheap gags, as they can provide valuable commentary on social issues, a comic strip writer said during a presentation Monday.

Hector Cantu, a graduate of UT's School of Journalism and co-creator of the nationally syndicated strip Baldo, addressed his work in a talk at the Texas Union.

"I think comics are all about social commentary," Cantu said. "Good comics are very truthful, whether people agree with them or not."

Cantu's comic centers around a Hispanic teenager, Baldo, and his family.

The first strip put out by Universal Press Syndicate to feature Latino characters, Cantu said Baldo depicts an aspect of American society that would not otherwise be represented. He said that creates a certain level of responsibility.

"I'm pretty much the only Latino family in the newspapers, so I have a responsibility to how I portray my characters," Cantu said. "We need to tell our stories just like anybody else."

Cantu said that because his comic addresses racial and cultural issues, he often receives e-mail from readers offended by the strip.

"Most of the e-mail I get is from non-minorities claiming they're being stereotyped," he said.

Cantu said he feels it is important to be receptive to this type of criticism.

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, professor of journalism, organized Cantu's presentation. She said a soon-to-be-published series of Baldo comics addressing the Latino participation in World War II was part of the reason Cantu was chosen to speak.

"We have Latino Americans walking among us whose stories don't always get told," Rivas-Rodriguez said. "In 10 short strips he really has gotten to the heart of why this issue is important to Latinos around the country."

Rivas-Rodriguez said the strips provide a less controversial avenue for discussing issues such as these.

"He has kind of a velvet glove," Rivas-Rodriguez said. "In a non-combative way he makes some very strong points."

She said because of the simple and humorous nature of strips like Cantu's, the message in comics are able to reach a broader range of ages.

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