Image Comics will publish Death to Pachuco, a five-issue Chicano noir limited series written by Henry Barajas with art by Rachel Merrill that retells the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Zoot Suit Riots, the publisher says.
The project began as a five-issue limited run: Image’s release page lists “Death to Pachuco #1 (of 5)” and the publisher’s press material describes the story as a wartime Los Angeles private-eye tale centered on Ricardo “Ricky” Téllez racing to stop the Sleepy Lagoon Killer before anti‑Mexican violence erupts.
Early coverage and interviews with the creators place the series firmly in historical noir. A ComicBookCouplesCounseling interview with Barajas and Merrill describes their use of the Sleepy Lagoon case and the Zoot Suit Riots as the narrative backdrop, and reviews noted the book’s aim to surface a “forgotten” chapter of Los Angeles history.
Image also issued a press release announcing a trade paperback collection: the publisher’s “DEATH TO PACHUCO TP” page and an Image press release say the miniseries was collected for wider release after its single issues debuted in late 2025 and early 2026.
The comic’s creative team and setting have been echoed across booksellers and aggregator listings: a Simon & Schuster product page and bookstore listings describe Death to Pachuco as a Chicano noir retelling of the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial during wartime Los Angeles and credit Barajas and Merrill as writer and artist.
Readers who want to see the title in the wider comics calendar can check convention listings and weekly roundups; for example, our site recently ran a comics events post that maps upcoming cons and releases for collectors and creators.
Death to Pachuco – The Comics Journal appears in aggregator feeds as part of broader coverage of the series, but the concrete publication details — Image’s five-issue designation, the series’ historical setting, and the trade paperback collection — come from Image’s own pages and interviews with the creators.
Sources
- Image Comics — publisher release pages for “DEATH TO PACHUCO TP” and “Death to Pachuco #1 (of 5)” describing the five-issue series and the trade collection.
- Image Comics (press release) — “Gritty Chicano noir graphic novel Death to Pachuco to hit shelves this October” (press announcement of the collected edition and series framing).
- Simon & Schuster — product page listing the book as a Chicano noir retelling and crediting Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill.
- ComicBookCouplesCounseling — interview with Barajas and Merrill discussing the Sleepy Lagoon Trial and Zoot Suit Riots as the story backdrop.
- ComicsBeat — review and weekly comics roundup noting the series’ historical-noir approach and issue release timing.
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