Gilbert Hernandez

Of the two Oxnard-born brothers who created "Love and Rockets," the punk-era comic series that's arguably the genre's most influential work of its day, Gilbert Hernandez is widely considered the John Lennon figure -- the driven, "serious artist," allergic to superficiality and attracted by ugliness as well as beauty. But digging into dinner and joking about his childhood on a recent evening at a Valley bistro, he comes across as a well-adjusted, down-to-earth guy.

Mainstream comic books remain filled with the adventures of superheroes, the graphic violence of "Spawn" and the never-ending pursuit of Archie Andrews by Betty and Veronica. But the "alternative comics" at the fringes of the market allow artists to explore serious questions about culture, religion and life in the contemporary United States.