- The USS Lexington is the hero of a new comic.
- The Texas-size 32-page Blue Ghost comic is expected to be released by mid-March.
- The Blue Ghost comic is made for entertainment and also educates readers about Texas history.
The USS Lexington is a superhero protecting human existence in a new graphic novel. The USS Lexington Museum is expected to release the Texas-size 32 page Blue Ghost comic by mid-March.
The story revolves around the Blue Ghost Universe. Corpus Christi's historic treasure is a transforming robot guardian created to save the world from an evil group called Virus.
Juan Carlos Ramos, with Ramos Mecha Studios, is the artist, writer, and co-producer of the comic. The lifelong Texan said his childhood love for an iconic media franchise inspired this project.
"All the pages are actually hand drawn in pencil, and then all the coloring is done digital on top of that." he said. "I worked for Hasbro. I've done a comic cover and I've also did some IP work for them. And that was always my dream. Like, one day I'll work for them and mainly because of Transformers. Because as a little kid, that's all I did. Play with Transfomers. You can turn a car into a robot."
Ramos first started working with the USS Lexington Museum about five years ago. His ability as an artist supported the Lexington's efforts to showcase the historic ship in a unique way.
"Juan Carlos Ramos is an amazing artist. And we gave him permission about 5 years ago to do a drawing of the Lexington as basically a transforming robot. And people became fans of his work about the Lexington." Steve Banta, the USS Lexington's Executive Director said.
Ramos' images resulted in the production of merchandise. From posters, hats and stickers, to beer koozies and shirts.
"It kept growing and growing in popularity with this whole other demographic and we realized this is really something we want to get involved in. These are people who want to learn about the ship. They're looking for another avenue to do that." Banta added.
The Lexington museum co-produced the graphic novel. Steve and Nathan Banta are the chief editors. They assisted with features within the story that included documented historical events.
"It was a collaboration on basically progressing the story that was not only entertaining and fun, but respectful of the ship's history, respectful of the crew that worked on board here." Banta said. "Every issue though, will have what we call "edu-tainment" built in on the back cover where you'll actually learn history of the ship."
Some pages will also reference important topics like diversity and veterans support for issues like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the transition to civilian life, and more. This aligns with the Lexington Museums overall mission to educate the public and keep Texas history on the map.
In the graphic novel, Coastal Bend residents are encouraged to look at the details of the art. Some people might recognize other iconic landmarks in Corpus Christi in comic book form.
"I want Corpus to get acknowledged for something that they have, that they've had here for a long time. And it's open to the new generation to let them know this exists, while also honoring the older generation, the veterans that served on the ship and just veterans in general." Ramos said.
Ramos designed five different covers for the graphic novel that people can collect. The USS Lexington will be unveiling the Blue Ghost comic at a press conference on Friday, March 8.
On March 16, the public is invited to the Blue Ghost comic's official launch party. It will be held at the USS Lexington Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To purchase a copy of the Blue Ghost you can visit ramosmecha.comor buy one at the USS Lexington following the launch date.
More about Juan Carlos Ramos
Juan Carlos Ramos is from San Antonio, Texas. He said he's loved art since he was a child. He has been a professional artist for about 20 years.
In the past, he's worked on projects for many notable features like Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He also became an artist for Lucas Films and New Line Entertainment.
Ramos mentioned other popular film projects he worked on includes Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. He has also published a couple of books, including a children's book he published with his daughter.
To put together the Blue Ghost comic, he made several visits to Corpus Christ to get create detailed images of the Coastal Bend's landmarks.
