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

61 sorts of titles, drawing war stories and adventures as well. Among his best British work was the series John Steel that began as a wartime agent/spy for Military Intelligence in Super Detective Library , but when the series went over to Thriller Picture Library , Steel became a jazz- age private investigator, giving the series a modern edge (the radical change was due to the then popularity of the James Bond films, and the public’s weariness with war stories). Bermejo’s art, though uncredited, was simply stunning. Especially when it came to capture London’s swinging sixties atmosphere and the jazz club ambience of the day, something of a rarity for a Spaniard who, in the main, didn’t know what London looked like (most of the Spanish artists made London look like their home town). His second high-profile UK work was when he took over the artistic duties on Heros the Spartan, after Frank Bellamy, the original artist had abandoned it. These two series upped Bermejo's credibility as an artist of talent and vision. The contrast of light and shadow in his black-and-white drawings FACING PAGE: A Royal Romance , gouache on board, from Once Upon a Time (c. 1971). BELOW: Swans , gouache on board, from Once Upon a Time (c. 1970s). © Look and Learn