Rags to riches: a Rags Morales Interview
by Simone Satta

 

     First of all, Hi Rags! Not much of your work has been published in Italy. Do you want to introduce yourself to your Italian readers?

     Hello Italy! It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have been in this industry now for 16 years and have worked for many publishing houses.

     Let's start from the beginning. Many people consider you a rookie, but actually you began your career back in the 1989, on the pages of Forgotten Realms (TSR). Later on you worked primarily for Valiant, apart from a little interlude on the pages of DC's Black Condor. Can you tell us anything about your career's first years, and particularly about your Valiant experience?

     I broke into the industry in February of 1989. Barbara Kesel was the editor of the TSR/DC line of fantasy books, and she gave me my first break drawing Forgotten Realms with Jeff Grubb as the writer. Jeff was a novelist for TSR as well as working in development for the games that company produced. I remember being full of ideas and theories about how to make my craft work and the fantasy books were the perfect place for me to experiment without the pressure of having to draw an iconic hero or character. It was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, although the whole time I was wishing to get a chance at a major character, like Batman, because you not only build your craft but also your fanbase. With a fanbase you can live beyond your career. After the TSR/DC partnership dissolved, I found myself looking for work and Mike Gold offered me Black Condor with Brian Augustyn writing. Black Condor, much like Starman, The Ray, and Sandman, was 1940's characters that DC was trying to reinvent for the 90's. I thought Black Condor had a lot of potential as a character, but it only lasted 12 issues. At the same time I was also working on DC's relaunch of the old Archie Comics superhero line in the form of Impact comics. I drew 4 issues of The Mighty Crusaders. By then some of the people started taking notice that I can handle superheroes, but my contract with DC was expiring and Valiant Comics had me on a list of people they wanted to hire.

     I believe it was December of 1992 that I made the switch to Valiant and the energy there was infectious. The speculation boom was just starting to unfold and small companies like Valiant were making a lot of noise. Valiant was licensing the old Gold Key characters like Solar and Magnus, but they also were developing some characters of their own like, Shadowman, Archer and Armstrong, The Eternal Warriors, X-O Man of War, Harbinger, etc. They offered me an old Gold Key character called Turok Dinosaur Hunter. I was following Bart Sears who at the time was a major talent. Following the likes of Bart was tough and a lot of comparisons were being made of which I couldn't compete. He was on top of his game and I was still developing, but I gave it my all and after some time I made that character mine. I really go into it. I read a few books on Native Americans and along the way I discovered I had Indian bloodlines from my mother's side. Comanche, Apache, and Aztec mixed with my already familiar Boricua (Puerto Rican) heritage. Also Jurassic Park and Dances with Wolves were big movies at the time and it all came together for me in the pages of Turok. Soon my style evolved to what was closer to Alberto Giolitti was doing with the character back in the 1960's. I was going more toward using heavy blacks and less hatch work and half tones. It was good and bad times at Valiant which soon became Acclaim Comics after the speculation boom was showing signs of imploding and the higher ups at Valiant sold their interests. I did make some friends there and one in particular, Tony Bedard, was to become instrumental to my comeback after my contract with Acclaim was finished and I couldn't find work.

     After a while, you was even without a job. How could happen that one of the top artists of the moment was neglected by the several publishing houses?

     When the speculation boom died, the small companies folded, many direct sales shops closed down, and the major companies were cutting back on some of the extra books that were selling well before. There were a lot of people who found other ways of making a living because we had no choice. Everywhere you called, it was the same thing,"sorry we don't have anything now but we'll keep you in mind." I got a little work from Acclaim but not much, so I called my old friend Jeff Grubb. Jeff told me of some opportunities that helped me out. I did some magazine work for Dragon magazine and for Dungeon magazine. Big Entertainment who Jeff was affiliated was doing some novella work for Margaret Weiss' Testament of the Dragon and for Isaac Asimov's I-botics. I did some pen and ink and washes for both books. But none of this was steady and I found myself teaching anatomy classes for a local Vocational school.

     I eventually gave my old buddy Tony Bedard a call to see how he and his family were doing and to talk shop. Some days later Tony called me back and told me he was an associate editor with Dan Raspler. I asked Tony if he would sniff around for me and see if there was any work available. Tony was so good to take my work around and try to get editors excited about me, but nothing came of it. Finally Tony told me about a new book they wanted to do called Hourman. I told Tony that I would be perfect for it (really, all of us think we can do anything in this field) and I pestered Tony and Dan until they gave me a try out in a Secret Files story JLA in Crisis (who knew at the time that the word "crisis" and I were to become synonymous?). They gave me a shot and I went from being the dark horse of the book to its shining light. I took that book and busted my tail trying to make if work and eclipsed my old issue run on a title from 19 issues (Forgotten Realms) to 20 for Hourman.

     The first turning point of your career was, without any doubt, your work on Hawkman, with Geoff Johns. It was the first chance to introduce yourself to the big audience. What can you tell us about this experience? How was your approach to the character? How was working with Geoff and which kind of feedback did you have with him?

    I really liked the archaic nature of Geoff's Hawkman. It was as if everything I did before had come full circle for me. Winged character, historic and fantasy oriented and super heroic all collided in Hawkman. My one big contribution was make his costume ever changing and that made the most sense for a character that has lived for thousands of years. I also wanted to display a character that had a lot of armour since to me, that's what makes a character a warrior as much as a weapon.

     Geoff is one of those writers who people will study for years to come. He gets what it's all about. He respects the history and continuity of these characters, develops great supporting casts, never forgets that it is a comic book and a visual medium, and makes the best cliff-hangers I've ever seen on a continual basis. Not only this he has such a small ego that he not only is willing to listen to a pencillers suggestions, but will also implement them. Geoff is golden, and has become a good friend over the years.

     Hawkman was indeed my coming out party, some 13 years after my career started.

     The most important turning point of your career, however, was Identity Crisis. How did your involvement originate? What did you think when you was chosen for this project, on of the most ambitious project of DC Comics in the last years, in spite of other artists, not more clever than you, but maybe more titled?

     Brad Meltzer, the writer, had a choice of people with whom he would work on Identity Crisis. He saw how I handled Shadow Thief in Hawkman issue 17 and said,"That's the guy". He appreciated my approach and thought process behind that character, so I got the job. I was looking for something else after 21 issues of Hawkman, and Identity Crisis was available. In this business luck plays a big part.

     After some phone conversations with Brad we came away knowing that this project was going to come together perfectly, it was just a matter of both of us doing our jobs. I knew that after reading the second issue-DC made such a big deal of keeping the identity of the murderer secret, that they sent the books to me piece meal (one at a time)-that Identity Crisis was going to be the first big defining moment for my career. I was tremendously excited.

     How was drawing a great many of DC characters, with icons like Superman, Batman, Flash, etc. among them? What did it means drawing so many characters trying to make each one "unique"? is there any character, among them, that you liked particularly and with which would you like to work again?

     Finally, I was going to have a say in what I thought of theses characters since my childhood. And I couldn't have been happier. Some came easily like Green Arrow, but some for whatever reason were difficult, like Superman. I wasn't really trying to make them unique, more I was trying to get to the essence of each character. I succeeded and failed in varying degrees.

     How much important are, for you, the inks of Michael Bair for your style? I think that you are one of the finest artistic couple of US comicdom.

     Very important. Mike Bair and I work well because we have the same point of view and much of the same interests artistically. He knows what I ask intuitively and responds in a way that exudes his brilliance. He is a tremendous artist, who found himself inking because he wasn't satisfied with the way he was being inked by others. In time he and I will be synonymous like Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnot, if we haven't already. A valuable partner and a good friend.

     Rags is a nickname, isn't it? Why this nick?

     In art school we had to develop a daily syndicated comic strip. It was an exercise in writing and since you're supposed to 'write what you know' I wrote what it was like for a young artist trying to become published. What else would a 19 or 20 year old know? I called it "Rags To Riches" and the main character was called Rags. I decided that it might be fun to have a pen name..

     Now you are working on Wonder Woman. What can you tell us about this new experience? Which are, if there are, the Wonder Woman artists of the past you are inspired to?

     Again, I try to get to the essence of the character and so I looked to Harry G. Peter the original artist. Then I took who I thought did the most justice to her in modern times and that is Adam Hughes. Couple those with a little of George Perez and Phil Jimenez and my ex wife as a body and face "type" and that is my Wonder Woman.

     What kind of feedback do you have with the writer of Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka? What kind of involvement you have in the conception of the plots?

     Greg Rucka writes some tremendous character driven stories and interesting plots, but he relies on the artist to interpret his stories for him. He thinks that the artist is the most visual of the creative team, so I guess it's our job for him. I'm enjoying my time with Greg, is always willing to entertain my points of view and for the most part he's liked my changes and suggestions. The trick is to keep the spirit of the story alive. I fully believe that the artist is like a director to a movie. It's our job to display the story to the audience in its most brilliant light.

     What are your projects for the next future? Could you give us any advance information?

     I'm not sure since they haven't told me.

     What are your influences?

     There are too many to list. My first favorite comics artist was Neal Adams followed by John Buscema, Jim Aparo, Michael Golden, and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.Then for awhile I was only into illustrators like Frank Frazetta, Norman Rockwell, Windsor McKay, Charles Dana Gibson, Joseph Clement Coll, Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth.

     I guess my style, for all intents and purposes, is a combination of Michael Golden, Frank Frazetta and Norman Rockwell.

     Could you describe us your typical working day?

     I wake up from my slumber and my many lovers as I brush off the flower petals from my satin sheets. My man servant greets me with a latte cappuccino as I'm whisked off to my bath where I'm met by 4 virgins who bathe me. Once bathed I'm given a glorious massage by my voluptuous, Swedish masseuse Ingrid. Then I'm clothed and taken by gondola along the Delaware River to my studio in the foothills of Pennsylvania. There myself and 20 female, scantily clad, assistants make the comics for all to see.

     Could you describe us your approach to an issue of a series and to a single page?

     Basically I read how many panels are involved per page and figure out which ones need the most space for dialogue or atmosphere. Then I try to zoom in and out throughout the page and use panel shape to convey what I'm trying to say. Wide horizontal panels for movement and atmosphere, narrow panels for intimacy and introspection, and square panels for impact. Usually I'll establish a page by the third panel and I try to establish a scene 2 or 3 times through out.

     Do you still read comics? What do you read?

     I don't read a whole lot of comics, but I really do enjoy Kyle Baker's Plastic Man, and I thought Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier was brilliant. I basically read what I'm most affiliated with given the work I'm producing, and from time to time I'll read the occassional story that may seem interesting.

     This is the Comics Code trademark question. What are for you the three comics that should be on the shelf of a true comic fan?

     Anything by Alan Moore, Identity Crisis, and Kingdom Come.