Vampirella #44, August 1975
Our ode to Halloween and the creatures that inhabit the comic book pages continues…
I could prattle on and on about the astonishing art of Jose Gonzalez, but…
I think it’ better if we hear from another amazing art talent, Joe Jusko, on this one. He knows a thing or two about Vampirella.
And he expressed his admiration for Jose’s art, in the intro for the terrific Gonzalez art book (Dynamite Publishing), more eloquently than I possibly could.
Excerpt from Joe’s intro:
“Gonzalez brought such life to Vampirella and made such an indelible mark on the character that it’s become impossible for longtime fans to think of one without the other. He possessed an illustrative line that elevated the strip from mere comics to high art and often experimented with mixing techniques within the same story.
“He went from crisp line art to subtle washes, to wondrously soft and delicate pencil renderings with the intent of conveying the mood or emotion of a certain scene…
“Gonzalez took the character seriously, and despite the obvious unconventionality of her attire, never played her as a joke…. Gonzalez had a true respect for her, and even when the later stories began to border on the absurd, he never lowered himself or his approach to the same level.
“There were other wonderful artists who took over the strip for various lengths of time (Esteban Maroto, Gonzalo Mayo and the always amazing Jose Ortiz) but fans always eagerly awaited the return of Gonzalez and rejoiced when his art eventually reappeared.”
Vampi in 5 panels (with some terrific close-ups), the undead, great wash-tone — a cool page, all around.
