EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 34 by Book Palace Books * 96 PAGES IN FULL EDITION

73 Víctor De La Fuente Considered the best Spanish comic book artist by his peers, Víctor de la Fuente never achieved the success his work merited and was obliged to up sticks and seek recognition elsewhere. Born on April 12, 1927 as Pedro Víctor de la Fuente Sánchez in Asturias, Spain, he was the eldest of three brothers (all whom also became comic book artists). As a young boy De La Fuente was fascinated by books and drawing. He wrote stories which he later filled with his own drawings, until a school friend of his found a dozen spelling mistakes—in the first sentence alone! Reasoning that he would make a better artist than a writer he concentrated his energy on developing his art. It was the discovery of a Prince Valiant page during the war years that had inspired him to draw. FACING PAGE: Haggarth, oil on canvas, 1980. Unlike most fantasy artists, De La Fuente didn’t rely on barbarians with bulging muscles. He was also fascinated with fearsome giant reptiles. LEFT: Amargo , pen and ink. This was one of the many Western series De La Fuente drew. This series had a more adult theme, inspired by the then popular Italian westerns. From the late ’60s onwards, De La Fuente began using technical pens for his inking, and a brush with its tip cut off for spotting.