Tag Archives | Omar Morales

Signing: Cruzader’s Omar Morales at Dr. Comics & Mr. Games on June 28

What’s better than a successful comic book Kickstarter campaign? A successful Kickstarter campaign that goes above and beyond the requested total.

cruzaderLast November, Omar Morales beat his goal to raise $10,000 so he could fulfill his dream of publishing his graphic novel CruZader: Agent of the Vatican. The local creator had already completed the 140-pages of story, but faced a funding challenge when it came time to publish and distribute his book. Kickstarter and nearly 100 backers helped him fulfill his dream and to celebrate he’ll be hosting a “Launch Signing” at Dr. Comics and Mr. Games, 4014 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland on June 28. At the signing you can pick up a copy of the hardcover edition of CruZader and have it signed by Morales.

What’s the book about? From the Kickstarter page:

A reluctant priest is re-trained as a holy warrior for the Pope; he must embrace his destiny in order to defend the Vatican from an invading army of radical terrorists … who are much more than what they appear.The story of CruZader is about one man’s journey to find a higher calling and a higher meaning in life. Our hero, Antonio De La Cruz, is a humble man with out any super powers. He wields ancient and supernatural relics in battle, and those artifacts give him the edge he needs to defeat his enemies. Some of his weapons and tools include: the legendary Spear of Christ, the Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turin, holy water, rosary beads, and a thorny cilice. Like most people, he has a hot and cold working relationship with his boss – none other than the Pope himself. De La Cruz tires of traveling the world hunting vampires, killing werewolves, and performing exorcisms. He seeks to retire from his duties as the Pope’s super soldier … until the day comes for him to fulfill his role in a mysterious prophecy.

You can see a video of Morales receiving his book here:

Listen to his interview with “I Sell Comics” below:

Local creator seeking to kickstart the Vatican’s holy warrior

TheCruZaderFive years and 140-pages after first putting ink to paper Omar Morales is hoping to see his Vatican City superhero, The CruZader, make it to print. The Bay Area-based Morales is currently seeking assistance through Kickstarter to help cover the printing costs of publishing the full color graphic novel. As of this writing Morales is a little more than half way toward his $10,000 goal with more than a month to go.

He recently announced that Paul Gulacy, considered one of the pioneers of the graphic novel medium, will be illustrating the cover for CruZader. In 1978, Gulacy worked with Don McGregor to release the first direct market graphic novel Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species. He’s since worked with most major comic publishers and his style has been seen illustrating big name characters from Batman to Star Wars.
Morales has also tapped illustrator Ray Dillon, who’s work has been seen under the banners of Marvel, IDW, and Image, to produce a kickstarter exclusive sketch featuring The CruZader battling a vampire.

Who is The CruZader? According to a press release announcing the Kickstarter:

The story, from creator and publisher Omar Morales, revolves around the monk-like title character, Antonio De La Cruz, a reluctant priest who is re-trained as a holy warrior for the Pope. De La Cruz must embrace his destiny in order to defend the Vatican from an invading army of radicalized terrorists—who are much more than what they appear.

“The story is your classic action-adventure comic book, and what drives it is the inner conflict that Antonio suffers as a result of the often violent duties he carries out on behalf of the Vatican,” said Morales. “There is some strain and tension in his relationship to the Pope, and he keeps a very big secret from the Pontiff, adding to the intrigue.”

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