We’ve all looked to the stars and wondered, “What if? What if we could explore the stars?” This includes Omar Morales, writer of the upcoming graphic novel Major Thomás, on sale next week from Comixology Originals. Morales—along with artists Serg Acuña and Mau Mora, colorists Raúl Angulo and Fabi Marques, letterer Taylor Esposito, and graphic designer Gab Contreras—tells the tale of Thomás Mùnoz, a young man with a dream of exploring the stars, with a heart still anchored to Earth. When fate embroils him in intergalactic war and puts the robots he befriends at risk, Thomás will find that his love of Earth and those closest to him might very well be the key to his survival.
I spoke with Omar Morales recently about the idea behind Major Thomás, how his fascination with space impacted the creation of the comic, his collaboration with the rest of the creative team, and what creating the story meant to him.
Major Thomás is such a gorgeously told story, filled with fully-formed characters and hope and wonder permeating from every page. It’s part love story, a helping of adventure, a healthy dash of derring-do, and, maybe most importantly, a story of perseverance and fortitude. Although this is a YA comic, readers of all ages will find a tale radiating optimism and an ode to the human spirit.
Major Thomás cover
FreakSugar: Before we get into the book itself, have you always had a fascination with space and NASA?
Omar Morales: I’ve always had a fascination with science fiction, science fact, and the potential for alien life outside of Earth. Nowadays, I’m in hog heaven as all three of those concepts seem to be blending together in real life, right now. As Steven Spielberg once said, Close Encounters of the Third Kind “isn’t science fiction, it’s science fact.” Some of the characters in Close Encounters are based on real people–people that are very much active in the search for proof of alien life and full disclosure. All of this in my DNA as a human and as a creator. Major Thomás is imbued with the blending of the spirit, the unknown, and with science.
FS: For folks reading this, what is the conceit of Major Thomás?
OM: Imagine the fictional, legendary astronaut Major Tom from musical pop fame (Peter Schilling, David Bowie) but instead of 1960s GoGo London, or 1980s Germany, it’s the United States in the near future with an immigrant trying to live the American Dream. The songs paint a picture of an astronaut that’s lost in space, and I wanted to fill in the gaps to show his back story. Who is he? How did he become an astronaut? How does he get lost in space? Does he ever make it back home? I love the character and wanted to pay homage from my perspective as a first-generation American born of immigrant parents.
FS: What can you tell us about the titular hero? How long has this story and character been percolating?
OM: Great question. In 2009 I went to a rock concert in San Francisco and one of the warm up acts was a band called Shiny Toy Guns. They did a cover of the song Major Tom and blew the roof off of the venue. That rendition of the song fused with my soul and I was divinely inspired to immediately begin workshopping a story about a Latino version of Major Tom. Over a ten-year period, I was marinating and working the story in my head. When COVID hit, I took an outline and some concept art I had developed and dedicated my life to writing a script, hiring artists and birthing this story into the world.
FS: The various aliens featured are so varied and visually striking. What can you tell us about the thought process in their creation?
OM: I took basic archetypes such as the greys, reptoids, and AI robots and put my twists on them. The main alien, Davis, is very much comic relief and inspired by the 80s TV Show ALF. The reptoids I imagined as a very sloppy outfit of cigar-smoking, alcohol swigging, low-level criminals led by a dodgy boss character that could be like something out of Donnie Brasco. The motor-cycle gang of robots is very much inspired by my beloved Raiders, a rough-and-tumble NFL team that represents the renegade spirit of Oakland. I had a ton of fun with these characters and archetypes and I hope it shows.
Following up on that, all of the designs in the comic are just phenomenal. What can you tell us about FS: your collaboration with the rest of the creative team?
OM: First off, I have to go way back to that period of time when I was marinating and hired concept artists and cover artists to help me nail the designs before I wrote a single page. Those concept artists are Joel Cotejar, Butch Mapa, and cover artist Renae De Liz. They really created the templates, so that by the time I had a script to shop to the interior artists, I already had a defined look and feel. When I hired Serg and Mau to do the interior art, and Raúl and Fabi to do colors, they had a rich library of reference art. I’d also like to tip the cap to pin-up artists Alex Monik, Joe Romero, Matt Harding, and Terry Blas.
FS: Although the book is fictional, what kind of research did you have to do for your story?
OM: Tons! I went deep into the lore of real places, like the mystical Giant Rock and The Integratron in the Mojave Desert in California. I also studied real places in space, like the Ophiuchus Constellation, The Giant Annihilator black hole and the planet Wolf 1061c. Wolf 1061c is positively fascinating, as it is stuck in position and can’t rotate, so one side is frozen dark, the other side is bright hot, with these little slivers of goldi-locks zones that are in a permanent state of twilight. I did do some research on NASA and space travel itself, but because it’s a YA book, I wanted to keep it grounded and “science fiction light.”
FS: The book has the feel of a breakneck science fiction story. What are your influences for the comic?
OM: Generally speaking, I’m a big fan of the 1980s style of movie run-times: 90 minutes–get in, get out, tell the story by economizing words and scenes to the most essential beats. The original script was between 90 and 100 pages, knowing I’d have to go back and add. I did end up adding about another 20 pages, but even as I did that, I wanted to keep a fast pace. As a kid, I was heavily influenced by Star Wars, Stan Lee and Marvel, and cartoons like Voltron and Robotech. I loved serialized, fast-paced story telling that leaves you wanting more. If people want more Major Thomás, then I have accomplished my mission.
FS: The comic is YA, but I enjoyed it and was immediately pulled in. Was it always envisioned as a YA book?
OM: It was envisioned as accessible for a large age range of people. I have kids, and I wanted them to be able to read it, identify with the characters, and enjoy it without getting too bogged down in chunky world building or overly-elaborate back stories. I don’t explain everything, as I’m a big fan of letting readers connect their own dots and fill in their own gaps. To me, the book is young adult, but it’s also “new adult,” for people in their 20s and 30s that are still discovering themselves and finding their place in the world. My sweet spot is PG-13, where different generations of people can all enjoy it.
FS: What are you reading right now?
OM: I’m horrible at finishing books, comics, and video games. I have a pantheon of un-finished media on my shelves and on my devices. In terms of comics, I’m working my way through Saga, Barnstormers (a Comixology Original), and I try to stay as current as I can with Star Wars and Captain America. It’s on my to do list to pick up The Pedestrian too. And for my Metroid fam: I am determined to finish Other M this year–I started playing it years ago and I need to commit to finishing it on my old Wii U.
FS: Besides being entertained, what do you hope readers take away from the book?
OM: My main hope for this book is to inspire people to go for it in life, never give up on their dreams, and to be decisive. If I’m being vulnerable, I have a lot of regrets about my short-lived athletic career going back to my teen years and my first year of college. If I could go back and dedicate myself to maxing out 24/7, I would do it. In some ways, comics are helping me scratch that itch by having a laser focus on creating and knocking down project goals. I hope people connect to Thomás, his anxiety, his self-doubt, and his ultimate transformation as he goes on his journey through space and his path of self-actualization.
FS: Reading the comic, it’s clear that it’s a personal tale. What does its telling mean to you?
OM: This is my dream project. Full stop. When I see people on social media ask “if you could write any comic, what would be your dream-come-true character or IP?” I can say with full conviction, Major Thomás is that project for me! This book is all of me: an immigrant story, a sci-fi story, a love story, a story, a story that is mystical and spiritual, and a story I would’ve loved to read as an impressionable young man trying to find his way in a confusing world. I thank anyone and everyone that gives this book a chance, or a share, or a review, or just a word-of-mouth recommendation. I’m forever grateful to Comixology!
FS: Not a question, just a compliment: I found myself reflecting on my own childhood dreams while reading the book and it made me a bit emotional. Legitimately, thank you for that.
OM: Thank you! This was my goal, so I appreciate you for validating the resonance and emotional connection! If people want to connect with me and my projects, they can visit my website: www.theforcemedia.com or follow me on any social media platform at: @omorales81.
FS: If you had a final pitch for the book, what would it be?
OM: Imagine La Bamba, meets Lost in Space, meets Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s fun, action, adventure, and scifi, all wrapped up in the heart and the imagination of a kid that grew up in the 80s and 90s. One of my mentors and consultants paid me a huge compliment when he told me “I’ve read everything, for decades, and I’ve never seen anything like what you have created with Major Thomás.” I was verklempt when he told me that on a call one day. OK gang, I leave you with this: see you next mission!
Major Thomás will be available to read digitally next Tuesday, March 25, 2025, from Comixology Originals.
From the official press release for the comic:
On February 20, 1962, NASA launched the first American in space to orbit the Earth. This momentous event brought the far away dreams of children everywhere within reach. Now Major Thomás will blast off digitally from Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line on March 25, 2025. A debut graphic novel written by Omar Morales, Major Thomás is a YA space adventure about a Mexican-American farmworker in California’s Central Valley who becomes humanity’s first hyperspace traveler for NASA.
“I created Major Thomás to inspire young brown people from all over the world to reach for their dreams, no matter the obstacles, no matter their circumstances,” says writer Omar Morales. He continued, “The fictional characters in Major Thomás are inspired by real-life Latino heroes, and put into a fun, sci-fi adventure story.”
Thomás Mùnoz was born into poverty with one dream—exploring the cosmos as an astronaut with his best friend, Lisa. While Thomás studies and overcomes many of his circumstances to become Major Thomás, a NASA astronaut, he continues to suffer from anxiety and imposter syndrome.
In the near future, the launch clock to all of Thomás’ dreams counts down, but even after years of elite NASA training, he’s still not ready to let go of Earth. When he ends up lost in space he is stranded far away from our solar system and becomes entangled in a savage intergalactic war. Violent reptoids are hell-bent on destroying Thomás, and the robots he befriends, in their quest to control all of the resources in the star system. Throughout the brutal war, Thomás’ mind remains focused on cultural lessons learned from his mother and now-love interest, Lisa, who is back on Earth, working on a rescue plan with NASA. Will Thomás survive both the intergalactic battle and overcome the war raging inside of him?
Major Thomás includes a foreword by real life astronaut José M. Hernández, a former migrant farmworker who went to space in 2009. Hernández is the subject and inspiration for the Amazon Original film “A Million Miles Away,” now streaming on Amazon.
The book features work by an entirely Latino creative team from all over the world including, writer Omar Morales (Mexican-American), artists Serg Acuña (Costa Rican) and Mau Mora (Costa Rican), colorists Raúl Angulo (Costa Rican) and Fabi Marques (Brazilian), letterer Taylor Esposito (Argentine-American) and graphic designer Gab Contreras (Peruvian).
Not only is Major Thomás a fun sci-fi story with aliens, sentient robots, and real planets, black holes and constellations found in our galaxy, at its heart it’s an inspiring story about digging deep inside to overcome tragic circumstances and reach for the stars.
Major Thomás will be available to read digitally March 25, 2025 from Comixology Originals. As an added bonus, Major Thomás includes an educator’s guide written by Creators Assemble!, a nonprofit made up of teachers and librarians.