Vicente Alcazar

Vicente Alcazar a.k.a. Vicente Alcazar-Serrano (born 1944) [ [http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/arri/alc.htm Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections Division, Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection: "Alca" to "Alcyon"] ] [http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:P1Ub-FNqcPQJ:www.arteinformado.com/servlet/GestionPresentaPub%3Foperacion%3DdetRecurso%26codIdentificacion%3D00061832+%22Vicente+Alcazar%22+madrid&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us Arteinformado: Vicente Alcázar] (cached page)] is a Spanish comics artist best known for his work for the American comic-book publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics, including a 1970s run on the DC Western character Jonah Hex.

His name is sometimes miscredited as "Vincente" Alcazar.

Biography

Early career

Born in Madrid, Spain, Vicente Alcazar began his career in the 1960s. He collaborated with fellow artist Carlos Pino under the dual pseudonym Carvic, drawing war stories for the magazine "Chío" (1967) and for UK publications and companies, including War Picture Library. The team additionally drew stories based on the U.S. television series "Star Trek" for issues #74-105 of Polystyle Publications' 1969-1971 weekly British magazine "TV21". [ [http://homepage.mac.com/mmtz/stcomix/uktosstrips.html "Star Trek" Comics Checklist] ]

At the recommendation of artist Gray Morrow, then editing then Archie Comics' imprint Red Circle Comics, American publishers began using Alcazar's work in the mid-1970s. Alcazar's first credited U.S. work appears in four publications cover-dated December 1973: penciling and inking the six-page stories "Suicide ...Maybe" and "A Thousand Pounds of Clay" in the Archie/Red Circle comic book "Chilling Adventures in Sorcery" #4; penciling the two-page story "The Old School" in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazine "Creepy" #58; and inking penciler Rich Buckler's cover of Marvel Comics' black-and-white horror-comics magazine "Vault of Evil" #8. He had been recommended to Marvel by artist Neal Adams. [Bullpen Bulletins: "A Few Surprises — A Smattering of Surmises — and a Hint about Prizes", in Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974, including "Ka-Zar" #3]

Alcazar quickly became a regular freelancer for Archie, Marvel, Warren, and soon DC and Charlton Comics, primarily drawing horror stories but also sword-and-sorcery (drawing the cover and inking penciler Val Mayerik's "Thongor! Warrior of Lost Lemuria" feature in Marvel's "Creatures on the Loose" #27, Jan. 1974); war (DC's "Star-Spangled War Stories" #178 (Feb. 1974); and science fiction (the Larry Niven short story adaptation "...Not Long Before The End" in Marvel's black-and-white comics magazine "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction" #3, May 1975; and stories in Charlton's similar "" #6-8, Aug.-Oct. 1976).

After inking penciler Ernie Chan on DC's "Jonah Hex" #8 (Jan. 1978), he became that Western series' regular penciler and inker beginning with #12 (May 1978), working with writer Michael Fleisher. He continued through #22 (March 1979) and additionally drew #27 (Aug. 1979).

Later career

Alcazar's comics work tapered off in the early 1980s. He wrote and drew the eight-page story "Paradise" in the comics-anthology magazine "Heavy Metal" vol. 5, #4 (July 1981), and penciled the Marvel superhero comic "Moon Knight" #21 (July 1982), his last known comics work until 1993, when he penciled an issue each of Continuity Comics' "Megalith" #2 (June 1993) and "Earth 4" #3 (Aug. 1993).

As of mid-2007, he is married to documentarian Amanda Lucena. [ [http://www.inconcientecolectivo.cl/agenda/1478/ Cancino, Javier. "Vincent Alcazar in the U. de Talca"] Inconciente Colectivo (Inconciente Collective); n.d., circa August 2007. In Spanish. Translated version [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.inconcientecolectivo.cl/agenda/1478/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Vicente%2BAlcazar%2522%2B%2522Amanda%2BLucena%2522%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG here] ]

Quotes

Shaqui Le Vesconte on Alcazar's "" comics-magazine work: "His style was very gothic and experimental, using a variety of techniques that could be described as 'monochrome psychedelic', and matching the nightmarish feel of episodes like 'Missing Link', 'End Of Eternity' and 'Dragon's Domain'". [ [http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Upload02/Space1999US01.htm Le Vesconte, Shaqui, "Space: 1999": Charlton (US) - 1975-76", at The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History] ]

Footnotes

References

* [http://lambiek.net/artists/a/alcazar_vicente.htm Lambiek Comiclopedia: Vicente Alcazar]
* [http://www.comics.org/ Grand Comics Database]
* [http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/ The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators]