Love and Rockets Reading Order, by the Hernandez brothers

Love and Rockets is a long-running comic book series by brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, launched in 1981 with a self-published issue co-edited by their brother Mario. After the first issue gained attention, it was picked up by Fantagraphics Books in 1982, which has published the series in various formats ever since. The series blends science fiction, magical realism, and slice-of-life storytelling in an anthology format. Each brother works independently, developing separate but occasionally intersecting narratives that follow a large cast of characters across decades.

Jaime’s stories are grouped under the title Locas, an ongoing story centered on Margarita “Maggie” Chascarrillo and Esperanza “Hopey” Glass, two queer women navigating friendship, love, and adulthood in the fictional Southern California town of Hoppers (also known as Huerta). His characters age in real time, and the series traces their evolving relationships and personal growth over the years.

Gilbert’s contributions are more varied in structure, combining serialized stories and stand-alone shorts, often with elements of magical realism. His central narrative, Palomar, is set in a fictional Central American village and focuses on characters such as Luba, a strong-willed bathhouse owner; Chelo, a midwife who becomes the town’s sheriff; and Fritz, a voluptuous actress known for appearing in sexploitation films. These stories branch out into later volumes centered on Luba and her extended family.

Gilbert and Jaime’s stories are self-contained and can be read independently of one another. Together, they helped define the alternative comics movement of the 1980s, pushing beyond the superhero genre with grounded, character-driven stories. Love and Rockets has been praised for its nuanced depictions of Latinx, queer, and working-class lives, as well as its complex female characters. The series has influenced generations of cartoonists and remains one of the most critically acclaimed independent comics of all time.

Love and Rockets Reading Order:

The Locas Stories by Jaime Hernandez
The Palomar & Luba Stories by Gilbert Hernandez
The Love & Rockets Short Stories by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez
Love and Rockets: New Stories by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez
The Love and Rockets Comics Volume 4 by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez
Standalone Stories and B-Movie Graphic Novels

Love and Rockets: The First Fifty (the 40th anniversary collection)

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Fantagraphics’ flagship series, this box set collects facsimile editions of the original Love and Rockets comic magazines. The set reproduces all fifty issues as they were originally published between 1981 and 1996, preserving the original covers, layouts, and editorial material. This period marks the first volume of the series, where Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez developed the foundational stories of Palomar and Locas, introducing many of the characters and themes that would define their work for decades. The set stands as both a historical archive and a comprehensive snapshot of the early years of one of the most influential titles in alternative comics.

Love and Rockets: The First Fifty: The Classic 40th Anniversary Collection

Reading the Love and Rockets comics: The Locas, Luba & Palomar Stories

The easiest way to read the Love and Rockets comics today is through Fantagraphics’ ongoing Love and Rockets Library editions, which collect the stories in a chronological and character-focused format across a series of trade paperbacks.

The Locas Stories by Jaime Hernandez

Locas begins as a punk-infused sci-fi story about Maggie, a young pro-solar mechanic, her brash best friend and sometime lover Hopey, and their circle of friends. Over time, it shifts into a grounded slice-of-life narrative following the lives of young people in the fictional Southern California town of Hoppers.

Maggie the Mechanic (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol.1)
The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S. (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol. 2)
Perla La Loca (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol. 3)
Penny Century (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol. 4)
Esperanza (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol. 5)
Angels and Magpies (The Love & Rockets Library – Locas Vol. 6)
Collects “God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls” and “The Love Bunglers” from New Stories (1-4).

The following books continue the story but are not included in the Love and Rockets Library editions for now.

Is This How You See Me?
Previously serialized in Love and Rockets: New Stories 7 & 8, as well as Love and Rockets Vol. IV 1-5.
Tonta
Previously serialized in Love and Rockets: New Stories 5 & 6.
Life Drawing: A Love and Rockets Collection new
Previously serialized in Love and Rockets: New Stories 7 & 8, and Love and Rockets Vol. IV #1-2, 6-15.

The story continues in the ongoing Love and Rockets Vol. IV.

The Palomar & Luba Stories by Gilbert Hernandez

Palomar is a multi-generational saga set in the fictional Mexican town of Palomar, blending soap-opera drama with elements of magical realism.

Heartbreak Soup(The Love & Rockets Library – Palomar Book 1)
Human Diastrophism(The Love & Rockets Library – Palomar Book 2)
Beyond Palomar(The Love & Rockets Library – Palomar Book 3)
Luba and Her Family(The Love & Rockets Library – Luba Book 1)
Ofelia(The Love & Rockets Library – Luba Book 2)
Three Sisters(The Love & Rockets Library – Luba Book 3)
Children Of Palomar And Other Tales (The Love & Rockets Library – Palomar Book 4)

The following books continue the story but are not included in the Love and Rockets Library editions for now.

High Soft Lisp
Collects stories from Love and Rockets vol. 2 #3-9, 11, 13-15, 17-18, and Luba’s Comics and Stories #7.
Lovers and Haters: A Love and Rockets Book coming soon
Previously serialized in Love and Rockets: New Stories, Love and Rockets Vol. IV, and Psychodrama Illustrated―More information TBA.

The story continues in the ongoing Love and Rockets Vol. IV.

The Love & Rockets Short stories by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez

Amor Y Cohetes
Collects all of the non-“Locas,” non-“Palomar” stories from Love and Rockets Volume 1, including Gilbert’s “BEM,” “Frida,” and “My Love Book,” Jaime’s “Rocky and Fumble,” and more.
Comics Dementia
Collects a collection of short stories by Gilbert Hernandez unrelated to the ”Palomar” continuity, including many that haven’t been reprinted since they were first available in the 1990s.

Love and Rockets: New Stories (Volume 3, 2008-2016)

Since 2008, Love and Rockets: New Stories has been published annually, with each volume collecting new material from Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez that continues to expand their respective worlds.

Some of those stories are now partially collected in paperbacks as part of The Locas Stories (in Angels and Magpies, Is This How You See Me?, Tonta, and Life Drawing), The Palomar & Luba Stories (in Lovers and Haters), and the Fritz Stories (in Hypnotwist/Scarlet by Starlight).

The Love And Rockets Comics Volume 4 (2017-present)

In 2017, Love and Rockets returned as a new ongoing series. On Jaime’s side, the story explores what happens when none of your old punk friends want to be punk anymore. On Gilbert’s side, family drama takes center stage as Fritz discovers she has a grandchild she never knew about.

Bonus: Standalone Stories and B-Movie Graphic Novels

These standalone graphic novels were never serialized in Love and Rockets, but each is presented as a fictional, hard-boiled “B-movie” starring Fritz, Gilbert’s actress character, and Luba’s sister.

Chance in Hell
The Troublemakers
Love From the Shadows
Garden of Flesh
Maria M. Book 1 & 2
Hypnotwist/Scarlet by Starlight
Collects the graphic novellas “Hypnotwist” and “Scarlet by Starlight” from Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Proof That the Devil Loves You
Collects three Fritz B-movies, including the new one “Proof That the Devil Loves You.”
Psychodrama Illustrated

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