José González (artist)
José González | |
---|---|
Barcelona, Spain | |
Died | 2009 |
Nationality | Spanish |
Area(s) | artist |
Pseudonym(s) | Pepe |
Notable works | Vampirella |
Awards | Warren Award, Best Art in a Story, 1971 and 1974 |
José "Pepe" González (1939 – 13 March 2009
Career
Early career
José González started his career at the age of 17 working on Rosas Blancas and Brigitte for the company Editorial Toray. He joined the agency Selecciones Ilustradas in 1960 and drew romance comics for Fleetway. González also worked as a pin-up artist during this time for the international market.
Vampirella
Due to his connections with the Selecciones Ilustradas agency, González started working for Warren Publishing in 1971. Jim Warren described his reaction to seeing González's art in The Warren Companion:
The minute I took one look at Pepe González's artwork, I knew we had it! We survived 12 issues but there it was. This is what I wanted for the first issue but couldn't put together.[3]
Starting with issue 12 in 1971, González became the primary artist for the character Vampirella. Comics historian David Roach discusses the reaction to González's art on Vampirella in The Warren Companion:
His first "Vampirella" strip appeared one year later in Vampirella #12 and caused an immediate sensation. Here was the same glamour and sophistication that had worked so well in Britain applied to a character of enormous potential but hitherto little direction. The cover of #19 featured González's memorable full figure painting of Vampirella, a bat balanced on her outstretched hand, which came to symbolize the character on everything from posters to books to stickers and pillows. It was an icon, as a pin-up for adolescents (of all ages) that his vision of her worked best since her strips, particularly in the early day, failed to live up to their potential.[4]
González received immediate acclaim for his work on Vampirella, and his first story won the Warren Award for best art in a story in 1971. González drew the Vampirella story for every issue from issue 12 through issue 34. He won another Warren Award in 1974 for best art on a story for his work in issue 33.
By mid-1974, González's output for Vampirella reduced and multiple fill in artists including
Bibliography
Interior art includes:
Warren
- Vampirella #12-34, 37-38, 42-44, 50, 53, 56-62, 65-68, 71-72, 74-76, 82, 106, 108, Annual 1972
Sources
- ^ Boyd, Jerry. "José 'Pepe' González: 1939-2009", Back Issue #36 (October 2009), p. 27}
- ^ El gran maestro José "Pepe" González ha fallecido.
- ^ The Warren Companion. Two Morrows Publishing. 2001. p. 91.
- ^ The Warren Companion. Two Morrows Publishing. 2001. p. 261.
- ^ The Warren Companion. Two Morrows Publishing. 2001. p. 253.
External links
- Jose González biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia