Prepare to blast into space with Omar Morales, Serg Acuña, and Mau Mora in their new original graphic novel, Major Thomás, exclusively on Comixology Originals.
Major Thomás is filled with science fact and fiction in a tale for all ages featuring aliens and robots, as well as real planets, black holes, and constellations found in our galaxy.
We spoke to Morales all about his new graphic novel in this exclusive interview.
Where did the idea for Major Thomás originate?
Omar Morales: The character originated in October of 2009 when I went to a rock concert in San Francisco and the band Shiny Toy Guns did a cover of the 80s pop song, “Major Tom.” The lead singer belted out a song about an astronaut that was lost in space and it reverberated in my soul! I wondered about this fictional character: who was he, how did he become an astronaut, how did he get lost in space, who did he leave behind on Earth, does he ever make it back home – why should anyone care? I sought out to answer those questions by writing a story that fills in all of those blanks from my point of view. He is my Major Tom.
Why was it important to you that your main character was both an astronaut and farm worker?
Morales: NASA has a handful of Latinx Cinderella stories about immigrant farm workers, house keepers, and fast food workers that became engineers, flight directors, and space travelers. In writing Major Thomás, I could’ve explored any of these types of jobs that are often overlooked by society. My dad worked the factory lines in a commercial bakery for decades; my mom worked in a cannery when I was little. Ultimately, I chose farm worker because of how communal the experience is, both in the fields and the often-cramped housing conditions. I needed a reason for the main characters to be really tight and all up in each other’s lives.
How much of your story is inspired by science fact and how much by science fiction? Is it difficult to strike a balance?
Morales: As the great Steven Spielberg once said, “Close Encounters is science fact.” I strongly believe that most of what people consider to be science fiction ultimately becomes science fact, sometimes it takes decades or centuries, but it happens. There is a universal consciousness that humans can tap into, even if only subconsciously, where we know deep down that things are possible and achievable. It is our job as humans to push forward to make things like hyperspace travel and co-existence with alien races a reality. If you ask a Native American about aliens and space crafts, it’s old hat to them, they accept it as fact because of the oral traditions in their culture. I explore these themes in Major Thomás.
You have mentioned before that you learned to read English through your exposure to comics. What do you remember about those early comic experiences?
Morales: Those early comics experiences were amazing! I thank the people at Marvel for not writing down to the level that kids were at, but instead they forced kids to expand their knowledge and vocabulary in order to keep up after a weekly visit to the spinner rack. It was not uncommon to have a dictionary by my side as I read comics in order to contextualize words like opaque, or fatigues. In this way, toy packaging was also a major impact to me. I had to know what it meant that my Luke Skywalker action figure was wearing “Bespin fatigues,” and I made it a mission to understand all of these amazing words. It made learning fun.
What can you tell us about the art provided by Serg Acuña and Mau Mora in the graphic novel? Did any of their designs surprise you in terms of what was in your head and what the artists saw in theirs?
Morales: Serg and Mau had the benefit of a library of covers, pin-ups and concept art that I had in-hand before they took on the project… however, they both blew me away with their own twists on things. For example, the t-shirt designs that young Thomás, Lisa and Rob wear were created out of whole cloth by Serg—and they resonate so well! Serg knows what I like and he spoiled me a bit by dropping at least one pop culture Easter Egg into Thomas’ wardrobe during his teenage years. Mau did amazing work with the expressiveness of the characters, AL-3 the robot monkey in particular. As one of my mentors and advisors told me, “AL-3 is adorable,” and I give all of the credit to Mau for bringing that to life.
The graphic novel includes a foreword by real life astronaut José M. Hernández, a former migrant farmworker who went to space in 2009. Do you know what Hernández thinks of the comic that was inspired by him?
Morales: The comic was inspired by many things, including Astronaut Hernández’ incredible and awesome real-life journey. He applied to NASA over 11 times before he was accepted. I don’t know if it was quite 11 for me, but I emailed him a bunch of times over a period of many years. In the beginning it was more of an idea, but as time went on, I made progress and then had a completed project for him to review. My jaw hit the floor when he came back with three words: “this is great!” As a side note, I feel it was destined for our paths to cross, as he is from the same hometown as my Dad—La Piedad, Michoacán, México and we both share a deep love of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. I guess you could say our collaboration was written in the stars.
Major Thomás is now available on Comixology Originals. Major Thomás also includes an educator’s guide written by Creators Assemble!, a nonprofit made up of teachers and librarians.
Connect with Omar Moraleswww.theforcemedia.com and follow @omorales81 on any social media platform.
