Robert Garcia, San Diego Comic Con 2023.Photo:Dylan James
Dylan James
Democratic Congressman and longtime comic book loverRobert Garciaused Comic-Con — the annual comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego — to launch a bipartisan arts caucus over the weekend.
On Sunday, Rep. Garcia hosted a panel at the convention to serve as a debut for the bipartisan Congressional Popular Arts Caucus, the first-ever caucus dedicated to championing and honoring the role of popular arts in American culture.
The launch event featured a conversation between Garcia and Megan Halsband of the Library of Congress comics collection, writer and creator Josh Trujillo, and Jeff Trexler of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Robert Garcia, San Diego Comic Con 2023.Dylan James
Garcia said that the caucus will focus on everything from “conversations about piracy to AI,” adding, “we need to be discussing what we can do at the federal level to champion the rights of creators and workers who are the backbone of this multi-billion-dollar American industry.”
Prior to the launch, on Friday, Garcia joined a picket line in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA members on strike, tellingPolitico’s California Playbook, “I stand 100% with those who are striking” and “I would never and will never cross a picket line.”
Garcia made headlines when he took his oath of office alongside a first-edition Superman comic, courtesy of the Library of Congress.
While he swore the oath on the U.S. Constitution, as is customary, he also had three items beneath the document that were near and dear to his heart: a photo of his parents who he lost to COVID-19, his citizenship certificate, and the original Superman comic.
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of his swearing-in, Garcia said the comics played an integral role in his young life. “I came to America at the age of 5 as a Spanish-speaker,” the lawmaker told PEOPLE. “As a kid, I would pick up comics at old thrift shops and pharmacies and that’s how I learned to read and write in English.”
source: people.com
