EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 22 © 2018 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

51 FACING PAGE TOP: La Capitana, second series of the ‘Charro Temerario’ trilogy (Editorial Grafidea, 1955). FACING PAGE BOTTOM: El Amuleto Verde (The Green Amulet) , third series from the Charro Temerario trilogy (Grafidea, 1957). ABOVE: La Saga de los Aznar , sci-fi series from Hazañas de Juventud Audaz (Valenciana, 1959). The series was based on the work of sci-fi author G. H. White. Sanchís Cortés, Juan González Alacreu, among others. In 1961, through Valenciana, he was commissioned to draw El Guerrero del Antifaz ( The Warrior with the Mask ) a popular series about a masked knight created by Manuel Gago. Though keeping up with Gago’s graphic-style, Alonso injected the series with an unprecedented degree of dynamic exotism. In Valencia he formed a close friendship with Luis Bermejo, the artist with who he had a great affinity—to the point that when Bermejo moved to Mallorca, Alonso moved there too. Bermejo was already one of the leading artists in Spain at the time, thanks to the popular series ‘Aventuras del FBI’ which he illustrated. From Mallorca, Alonso worked on various series for Maga (Manuel Gago’s own publishing house), Valenciana's main competitor. He also created illustrations for two trading card albums (very popular back then), ‘Vida y Costumbre de los Vikingos’ ( ‘Life and Customs of the Vikings’ ) and ‘ Africa y sus habitantes’ ( ‘Africa and its Inhabitants’ ). During the mid ' 60s, in common withmany of his peers, he began working for the UK comics market. He finally decided to move there, and remained in Great Britain for thirty-five years. For the UK, working through the Bardon Agency, he drew all sort of stories, from war to westerns, pirates to science-fiction, knights and chivalry to children’s books. His work appeared primarily in Commando but he also illustrated stories in War and Battle