The 2nd annual Phillipsburg Comic Con will be held Saturday, May 14, at Phillipsburg High School, featuring 'Rags' Morales.
As one of DC Comics' go-to artists of the last 15 years and a fan favorite, Ralph "Rags" Morales had become accustomed to working the traditional comic book convention circuit.
So when the Slate Belt resident was asked to be a part of a new convention, one held in a high school gymnasium, Morales admits he was not sure what to expect.
To Morales' delight, the event exceeded his expectations. So much so that on Saturday, Morales will return as a spotlight artist for the second annual Phillipsburg Comic Con at Phillipsburg High School.
"I was very happy and proud they asked me to come back," Morales said this week. "I thought it was really cool that there is an outlet like this for high school kids. When I was a high school kid, you had your drama club, your (marching) band and the school paper and typical stuff, but nothing so specific to a genre," Morales said.
Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from this year's Comic Con will benefit Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), which provides help to victims of rape and sexual abuse. The other 25 percent will go toward purchasing books for the school's comic electives and educational programming, according to the convention's website.
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Attendees will receive two free comic books and, while supplies last, a free copy of the 2015 Phillipsburg Comic Con exclusive print penciled by Morales.
Other scheduled Comic Con guests include artist Lee Weeks ("Daredevil"), writer Joe Kelly, author-artist Laura Lee Gulledge, illustrator Will Rosado and fashion designer Pamela Ptak, among others. Ptak, who runs the Riegelsville-based Arts & Fashion Institute with her husband, comic book inker Scott Hanna, was a contestant on the show "Project Runway."
Morales is best known as the penciler on the critically-acclaimed 2004 DC Comics miniseries "Identity Crisis." (The series was written by novelist Brad Meltzer.) His other credits include "JSA," "Superman Batman" and "Nightwing." In 2011, Morales teamed with superstar writer Grant Morrison to give Superman a 21st century makeover in DC's "Action Comics" reboot.
"How often do you get to say you go to do 'Action' number one?" Morales said. "I loved working previously, not because of the success of the series, but I think Brad Meltzer and I have an understanding. When Brad writes, it sinks in easily for me; it's like two musicians jamming together and something magical happens."
Comic books have long been a reflection of what is happening in society and in our culture, Morales said. He is glad to see how the medium has evolved since its pulpy beginnings in the late 1930s.
As audiences' tastes have matured beyond tights and flight, so, too, has the depth and scope of the storytelling and the art.
"There is such a varied audience, thank god; (comic books) have been kicking around for 75 years," he said. "I'm glad to see it explored in a way that is more enlightening than the typical colloquial way of looking at things."
IF YOU GO
What: Phillipsburg Comic Con
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Phillipsburg High School, 200 Hillcrest Blvd., Phillipsburg
Cost: $5; free admission for children 10 and under if accompanied by an adult
Information: phillipsburgcomiccon.com
Dustin Schoof is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.