Rafael Nieves

Rafael Nieves (born January 24, 1960) is an American comic book writer and designer whose career spans more than three decades. He entered the industry in the late 1980s with *Tales from the Heart*, a series co-written with Cindy Goff and based on her real-life experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Central Africa. The book, illustrated by William "Seitu" Hayden, originally appeared through Entropy Enterprises before moving to Slave Labor Graphics. Its success led to two full-color one-shots from Epic Comics, Marvel's creator-owned imprint; the second, *Bloodlines*, earned two Eisner Award nominations in 1993.

Nieves has since worked across a wide range of publishers and genres. At Marvel, he wrote *Hellstorm: Prince of Lies*; for Caliber Comics, he contributed *Orlak* and *Edgar Allan Poe's The Bells*; and at Moonstone Books, he tackled *The Phantom*, *Welcome Back, Mr. Moto*, and *Vampire: The Masquerade*. He also self-published several titles, including *Bob Howard: Plumber of the Unknown* with Dan Dougherty, the annual horror anthology *10/31*, and *Grace Before The Fall* with Antonio Maldonado and Ken Wolak.

Active from 1987 to 2010, Nieves is credited as writer and letterer on 28 issues, with his best-known work remaining *Tales from the Heart* and *Hellstorm: Prince of Lies*. His contributions to independent and mainstream comics alike reflect a steady, thoughtful presence in the field.