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Death is just the beginning for private investigator Juan Calavera, whose spirit is summoned on Dia de los Muertos to help the barrios of 1930s Los Angeles in the comic book series Calavera, P.I. from writer/illustrator/colorist Marco Finnegan and letterer Jeff Eckleberry. Following the series’ well-received debut last year, all four issues of Calavera, P.I. are being collected in a trade paperback that’s now available from Oni Press, and we caught up with Marco in a new Q&A feature to discuss the extra goodies readers can look forward to in the trade paperback, the joys of collaborating with the talented team at Oni Press, the potential future adventures of Juan Calavera, and how he balances being a public school teacher and cartoonist!
You can read our full Q&A with Marco below, and we also have a look at preview pages and the gorgeous cover art for Calavera, P.I. To learn more about this series and other exciting releases from Oni Press, be sure to visit:
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, Marco, and congratulations on the trade paperback release of Calavera, P.I.! What has it been like to see such a positive response to your comic book series over the past four issues and now see it coming out in a collected paperback?
Marco Finnegan: Thanks so much for having me. It’s pretty amazing that I was able to make this book with Oni Press. Calavera, P.I. is such a personal story for me, so for the fine folks at Oni to believe in it is still a dream come true. The fact that people dig the series is icing on the cake. The trade looks so good and really completes the dream of this being a pulp that you could put on your shelf next to Hammet’s OP and Cooke’s Parker.
I love how your vivid artwork and distinct storytelling makes Dia de los Muertos a central fixture in this story. How important was it for you to authentically portray and celebrate that holiday front and center in Calavera, P.I.?
Marco Finnegan: Thanks! I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that our dead can return to visit and that in Chicano culture, death is not the end, just another journey that you can return from. I think having this belief ingrained into my characters and showcasing the strong Chicano/Mexican roots that are tied to Los Angeles’ history was just part of trying to be as authentic to the world these folks inhabit as possible. Growing up, supernatural ideas and religious beliefs always went hand in and hand, and it was just part of the culture.
Jeff Eckleberry’s lettering really pairs well with your prose, artwork, and coloring. What made Jeff the perfect letterer to help tell this story?
Marco Finnegan: Jeff is AMAZING! He really understands comics and knows how to enhance whatever I am drawing and writing with his letters. He’s my hero.
I understand that in addition to being a cartoonist, you work as a public school teacher. How do you juggle both jobs in your daily schedule, and do you find that your work as a teacher inspires your creative approach?
Marco Finnegan: I am very tired… lol. I think teaching just opens me up to what kids are interested in. I can see what the cultural zeitgeist is and what the kids feel is lacking. My schedule is pretty straightforward: teach all day, come home, spend time with my family then back to comics, repeat. Pretty lucky to be able to do both.
The trade paperback includes some extra treats for readers, including an introduction by Luis Alberto Urrea and a gorgeous cover art gallery. How cool was it to team up with Oni Press to make sure that loyal readers of the first four issues had some additional goodies to look forward to?
Marco Finnegan: The trade is GORGEOUS! The design team at Oni outdid themselves. Everything from the title pages, backmatter, textures—it all just pops. Having Luis agree to do the intro is mind-blowing, he is a wonderful human and a huge influence to me, so I’m just floored by that.
Without being too hyperbolic, the covers that were done for this run—Ramón K. Pérez, J. Gonzo, Estaban Sánchez, Zeke Peña, and Juan Gedeon—are some of the best that came out last year and having them all in one place is so special. I think folks will really be impressed by the book.
While still telling a complete story, this first volume of Calavera, P.I. ends on an intriguing cliffhanger for readers. Can you tease where this story will go next if given the opportunity?
Marco Finnegan: I really hope that I will be able to revisit Calavera soon. I have a bunch of places and stories I want to take him, so fingers and toes crossed that we will be back for more! The only thing I can tease is that in theory he can show up in L.A. anytime between 1930 and the present, so story options are limitless.
With the Halloween season fast approaching, do you have any favorite horror comics, movies, or books that you would recommend for our readers?
Marco Finnegan: Oooh… I just watched Weapons and it is now living in my head rent free. Comics wise, Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell is as perfect as comics get, and anything by Mignola. I have been on a Stephen King run, that dude is pretty good at the horror too.
With the Calavera, P.I. trade paperback now available, do you have any other projects coming up that you can tease?
Marco Finnegan: I am working on a five-issue Die!namite series with Fred Van Lente that comes out in October—super fun and pulpy!
Thank you very much for your time, Marco!
Marco Finnegan: Thank you!!
Calavera, P.I.
By Marco Finnegan
Publisher: Oni Press (September 9, 2025)
Length: 128 pagesSometimes it takes a dead man to crack the case!
In 1925, Juan Calavera died a hero. After a career spent outside the law defending the Chicano barrios where the police refused to operate, he earned a reputation for fearlessness . . . and a gunshot in the stomach. Now, five years later, on Día de los Muertos, his restless spirit has been summoned from the grave to help a desperate former colleague unravel a kidnapping all too close to home. With only days to solve the case before he is called back to the underworld, can Calavera reveal the identity of the masked human trafficker known as La Fantasma before tragedy strikes again . . . and solve the mystery of his own murder in the process?
From the desk of rising star Marco Finnegan (Morning Star, Night People), walk the shadow-shrouded alleys of Hollywoodland to solve the mystery of Calavera—a newly resurrected private investigator whose first case is about to straddle the blood-soaked boundaries between the living and the dead!
Marco Finnegan is a cartoonist who lives in California with his family. Finnegan’s previous books include Morning Star (Mad Cave), Night People #3 (Oni), 007 (Dynamite, The Keeper (Abrams), Lizard in a Zoot Suit (Lerner), and a bunch more.
Calavera, P.I. Preview Pages:
Calavera, P.I. Trade Paperback Cover:
Calavera, P.I. Covers:
