Author Robert Morales Passes Away
Writer Robert Morales passed away on Thursday.
Morales is best known to comic book fans for the 2003 Marvel series Truth: Red, White & Black, which received a great deal of publicity and controversy at the time for its storyline, which revealed that the serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America in World War II was first tested on black soldiers; echoing the real-life Tuskegee Experiments.
The seven-issue series, illustrated by Kyle Baker, introduced the character of Isaiah Bradley, who became an important part of the Marvel Universe. Following Truth, Bradley was represented in The Crew by Josiah X, created from the character's DNA; and Patriot — Bradley's grandson, Elijah — from the original incarnation of Young Avengers. Morales later wrote Captain America for an eight-issue stint in 2004, joined by artist Chris Bachalo.
The Beat shared a remembrance of Morales from science-fiction author Samuel Delany on his Facebook page:
"Robert Morales was one of my closest friends–and had been since he was seventeen year old. He died at his home in Brooklyn this morning, leaving his father and mother. He was fifty-four. We spoke on the phone for many years, at least once a week and often more. I am shattered. His many friends will miss him deeply. He had agreed to be my literary executor, and the idea that he would pre-descease me never entered my head. For me and many others he was an indispensable friend. To say he will be deeply missed is an incredible understatement."
Morales was also an entertainment journalist, who worked for publications including Vibe. Comic Book DB lists his date of birth as
Feb. 3, 1958, making him 55 at the time of his death.
