13
An elite league of chispas with Mesoamerican roots, the Thirteen discover their abilities on their eighteenth birthdays, which occur one after another during a two-week period. They are recruited by the mysterious Father Tonal with full scholarships to Guadalupe College, where the priest hopes to train them to work as a team against a looming threat.
The Thirteen debuted in October 2023 with Zopilote, the first in a series of one-shot origin stories that is publishing through summer 2025. A mini-series titled Rise of the Five written by Terry Blas will follow, featuring the entire line-up.
MEET SOME OF THE THIRTEEN
When Myra Neblina discovers that she can summon and control storms on her eighteenth birthday, her father wants her to stay home and help on their family farm more than ever. But Myra has dreams of going away to study to bring long-term solutions to the problems brought on by climate change and pollution. On top of it all, every time she brings the rains to Robstown, she falls mysteriously ill. Caught between her father, her dream, and a greedy oil company CEO, Myra must decide what sort of spark she needs to be.
Writers: Leticia Urieta
Cover Art: Charlene Bowles
Pencils/Inks: Verena Rodriguez
Colors: Verena Rodríguez
Letterer: Verena Rodríguez
Editors: Héctor Rodríguez III and David Bowles
Angela Garay has always followed in her mother’s shadow, helping her with costuming and stagecraft at their local playhouse. She tries to stand up for what’s right with the support and backing of her mother, protecting vulnerable members of society. But when Angela suddenly gains the abilities of a lizard in the middle of a protest, she is thrust into the position of having no footsteps to follow in.
Writer: Henry Barajas
Cover Art: Salomée Luce-Antoinette
Pencils/Inks: Salomée Luce-Antoinette
Colors: Salomée Luce-Antoinette
Letterer: Charlene Bowles
Editors: Héctor Rodríguez III and David Bowles
When high school quarterback Pete Lumeras turns eighteen, he discovers he can now transform into a being of molten rock. His first attempts at using his new chispa powers against bullies go awry until his uncle George and his abuelita reveal dark family secrets that may either help him to become a warrior for justice—Pyroclast—or lead him down the same road to self-destruction that his mother once tread.
Writer: Frederick Luis Aldama
Cover Art: Guillermo Villarreal
Pencils/Inks: Guillermo Villarreal
Colors: Guillermo Villarreal
Letterer: Héctor Rodríguez III
Editors: David Bowles and Héctor Rodríguez III
CHISPAVERSE
CHISPAVERSE
Super-powered humans in our publications are known as chispas (Spanish for “sparks”). Aside from the fact that DC and Marvel have a copyrighted monopoly on the term superhero (and Marvel on the word mutant), our world of gifted humans uses the term “chispa” to reflect a Latine perspective on heroism. Chispas arise from inside, not outside the community.
They don’t fight evil just as vigilantes or powerful police, but as defenders of their people against the systems that foment crime, evil, and injustice. Doing so, they inspire others, sparking a fire in the hearts of common people to work together in solidarity to effect real change in the world.
There are four main teams in the Chispaverse: the Thirteen, the Hurricanes, the Affinity, and [forthcoming South American league].