Creator Spotlight: Ray Lago
Welcome to Our Newest Edition of Creator Spotlight!
Our recurring feature that shines a light on comic creators selling original art on the Raremarq marketplace, offering fans an inside look at their journeys and contributions to the industry.
Today, we’re excited to spotlight Ray Lago, a celebrated trading card/gaming card artist, comic book artist and cover painter best known for his striking card and cover illustrations for such popular characters as Vampirella, Spider-Man, The Avengers, The X-Men, Superman, Shi, Predator, Robocop, Star Wars, Magic the Gathering, the Garbage Pail Kids and Little Annie Fanny. With a remarkable career spanning decades, Ray has brought his talents to a wide range of publishers including Tsuburaya Productions, Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Harris, Crusade, Aftershock, Upper Deck, Wizards of the Coast, Topps, Craniacs World, Playboy and more.
Ray’s comic book story credits include Harris Comics’ Vampirella 25th Anniversary Special, Shi: Masquerade for Crusade, Marvel’s Hellraiser, Ivanhoe for Classics Illustrated, Little Annie Fanny for Playboy Magazine and Marwe: Into the Land of the Dead for Lerner Books. Recently, Ray has painted Ultraman gaming cards for Tsuburaya Productions and Snappy Cracks product parody cards for Craniacs World. There have been two monographs on his work: Ray Lago: Heroes & Angels and Ray Lago Sketchbook I: Drawn to Beauty. His masterful style and exceptional skill have solidified him as a true fan-favorite in the industry.
Who were some of your early inspirations?
My earliest inspirations were cartoons of some sort, from Charles Schulz’s Peanuts to the early 60s anime Tobor the Eight Man, and comic books, from Marvel to DC and every thing in between. Afterwards, paperback books and magazine cover illustrations brought me new inspiration, especially those that dealt with fantasy, science fiction and horror.
What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?
My recent Ultraman gaming card paintings were very satisfying to paint, having been a fan since I was young. The numerous Marvel trading cards and the Magic the Gathering gaming cards I’ve done have always been a pleasure. Of my comic book work, my Vampirella painted story for Harris Comics’ 25th Anniversary Special and my painted Sci-fi story for NBM’s Skin Tight Orbit by Elaine lee are most reflective of my skills and of my love for the medium.
Favorite character(s) to draw?
Hard to pick but Vampirella, SpIder-Man, Batman and Wonder Woman are pretty much at the top.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently painting a “Snappy Cracks” product parody trading card for the Craniacs 3 card set, coming soon from Craniacs World. In addition I am almost always drawing and painting private commissions and works to sell directly to fans. And I am busy designing a tribute Artbook to honor my good friend Illustrator/Teacher/Artist Tony Kokinos who retired several years ago. I hope to finance the publishing of it via Kickstarter.
Where can fans find you?
My fans can and do find me mostly at local comic book and trading card conventions and online on Facebook and Instagram.
Check out Ray's current listing for his Ultraman Orb Gaming Card Painting—now up for auction!
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own an original painting by the acclaimed artist.
If you'd like to follow Ray on Raremarq, you can visit his profile here.
If you're interested in selling on Raremarq, visit www.raremarq.com/seller
