Wilfred Santiago’s graphic novel, 21, about the life of Roberto Clemente came out in 2008, unbeknownst to me. I was somewhat surprised that Santiago is an avid baseball fan, with the impression I gathered from him after reading In my Darkest Hour. He mentions in the interview that 21 reveals his influences and passions before getting into comics, and that he began collecting baseball cards at the same time he started collecting comic books. Santiago’s other books are erotic graphic novels; Pink and The Thorn Garden, clearly he’s an eclectic writer. The common thread between his stories seem to be the biographical (or auto-biographical) material. At the end of the interview he shares a response in line with my assumptions about his personality:
“I do have some issues with the institution of organized baseball, professional sports in general. Too many things turn me off. So I don’t enjoy watching baseball as much as I liked playing it as a child.”
Santiago; not a fan of institution.