Baldo is an American comic strip written by Hector Cantú and illustrated by Carlos Castellanos. It was launched on April 17, 2000. Characters Primary Baldomero "Baldo" Bermudez is the titular character. A Latino teenager, his primary interests are cars and girls. He is also obsessed with being cool, and is in the middle of an ongoing process to build his own lowrider out of a 1964 Chevrolet Impala. He has a job at Auto Y Rod, an auto supply shop (whose logo resembles that of Mercedes-Benz), and according to comic strips in January 2007 and August 2011, he is 15 years old. Graciela "Gracie" Bermudez is Baldo's annoying younger sister. She is an ardent admirer of Frida Kahlo and frequently attempts to be an activist. She is remarkably intelligent and enjoys reading, although she is a constant annoyance to her older brother. In a May 2009 strip that quotes from the Wikipedia article, Gracie declared that she wrote that article for Wikipedia in Cinco de Mayo. Sergio "Papi" Bermudez, a widower, is the patriarch of the family, the father of Baldo and Gracie, and the owner of a small business. He is often seen by his children as being dorky, although they love him all the same. Tia Carmen is Baldo and Gracie's ditzy great-aunt. An older woman and very devout in her religious beliefs (she has over 200 religious figurines), Carmen has a vast knowledge and love of ancient world customs, foods, and herbal remedies. An April Fools' Day gag strip in 2007 depicted her as being detained by the Department of Homeland Security, and a two-week series around the same time drawn in a photo-realistic style told of her as coming to live with the Bermudezes after Sergio's wife Rosa was killed in a drunk driving accident (see below). Cruz is Baldo's best friend. In 2017, it was explained that Cruz is a "dreamer," an immigrant brought to the United States as a child. Arguably similar to Hector from Zits, Cruz is often seen accompanying Baldo in the quest for coolness. Secondary Nora is Gracie's Afro-Cuban best friend and confidant. She is as bright and intelligent as Gracie. Beatriz is a young woman, formerly a co-worker at Auto Y Rod. She made a first appearance on the March 5th, 2007. Baldo liked her on a first sight, but later in the strip she told him that she has