EXTRACTS: British War Comics Illustrators Special © 2018 The Book Palace (144 PAGES in Full edition)

90 Born in 1933 in the Genovese province of Bolzaneto in Italy, Renzo Calegari first took up accountancy before abandoning it for his first love: drawing. By 1954 he began working for Edizione Araldo drawing the first album of the second series of Sergente York II (a series created by Roy Dami, although Calegari’s work was also credited to Dami). Collaborating with Carlo Porciani he drew the series Ritorno dei Tre Bil l , created by Gian Luigi Bonelli for publisher Audace, and also worked on El Kid , another western series created by Bonelli. In 1955, he helped Roy Dami on the series Pattuglia dei Bufali (a Dami creation), and againwithBonelli on the scripts, worked on the series BigDavy (inspired by the American western character, Davy Crockett). Through Creazioni Dami (the studio created by brothers Piero and Rinaldo Roy Dami), Calegari began working for the British market, almost exclusively on war stories. For Fleetway he worked on ‘Battler Britton’, a series originally created by Mike Butterworth and artist Geoff Campion. Until 1966, Calegari worked almost solely for the British market. Renzo Calegari ABOVE: The artist in his latter years feigns camera-shyness. ABOVE TOP: Atmospheric panel from 'Tough as They Come', WPL No. 59. FACING PAGE: No-punches- pulled combat scene from 'Red Devils Don't Die' War Picture Library No. 251. Dynamic andgritty—comic stripart with punch! All war images © IPC Media