Jose Luis Garcia Lopez Original and Limited Edition Art

Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Carmine Infantino, Alex Toth, Curt Swan, Neal Adams, and George Pérez: any list describing some of the master artists to have worked within comics would undoubtedly include these names. However, an individual often overlooked yet deserving of this company is José Luis García-López. Born in Pontevedra of Galicia in Spain in 1948, García-López emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina with his family when he was five years-old where he discovered comics becoming a fan of Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Prince Valiant, and Terry and the Pirates as well as became enamored with the art of José Luis Salinas, Alberto Breccia, and Joe Kubert. Going to an art school at age ten, learning a cartoonish-style, García-López would work professionally at around age fourteen for small publishers using a self-taught style before refining his skill at age sixteen with a more professional art school (where Alberto Breccia was an instructor) while continuing to work for local publishers. By his late teens, he was working for Charlton Comics through an art agent on titles like Career Girl Romances, For Lovers Only, Ghostly Tales, Hollywood Romances, I Love You, Just Married, Love Diary, Romantic Story, Sweethearts, Teen Confessions, Teen-Age Love, and Time for Love. Around the same time, he also worked for local publisher Columba, most notably for the magazine Fantasía where he drew the series Roland, el Corsario for author Ray Collins (and later Héctor Germán Oesterheld, alternatively known as H.G.O.). García-López was assisted by friend and fellow artist David Jonathan Mangiarotti during his stint with Charlton and Columba and who took over art duties for Roland, el Corsario after García-López’ departure. In 1974, José Luis García-López moved to New York where he began work at Gold Key and DC Comics. For the former, he worked on titles like Grimm’s Ghost Stories, Twilight Zone, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. The artist’s Charlton work drew the attention of Dick Giordano, a legendary artist who got his start at Charlton where he later became executive editor heralding the creation of the Action Hero line with help from Steve Ditko and through Ditko became an editor at DC Comics before partnering with Neal Adams to establish Continuity Associates. Giordano discovered Garcia-Lopez’ work and contacted his agent to solicit art from him and fellow artist Garcia Seijas, later leading to a move to America (particularly New York) simply because that was where the work was coming from (though, García-López chose to move without any prior arrangements with any publisher). Getting his start as an inker for DC Comics under editor Joe Orlando, the artist received his first job as penciller for Weird War Tales #41 (September 1975). Within a few years, Orlando came to regard García-López as his “secret weapon,” so far to try and keep his contact information close to the vest and keep his artist happy to avoid him getting snatched up by the competition. In short order, García-López’ plate was filled working on issues of Weird War Tales, Detective Comics, Adventure Comics, Hercules Unbound, Joker, Superman, Weird Western Tales, Batman Family, Tarzan, Jonah Hex, World’s Finest Comics, DC Special Series, Superman vs. Wonder Woman All-New Collectors’ Edition, DC Comics Presents, House of Secrets, The Brave and the Bold, House of Mystery, Batman, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Omega Men. In addition to these books, García-López was also highly sought after as an inker working in such a capacity on significantly even more titles. However, its the projects he next worked on that became what he is most fondly remembered.