Ferdinando Tacconi (27 December 1922 - 11 May 2006; Milan, Italy)
Of all the European artists to contribute to British comics in the 1950s and '60s, two stand out as being the most popular: Jesus Blasco and Ferdinando Tacconi. Although Tacconi became known as a really first-rate War strip artist, it was for his superb rendition of the famous Charles Chilton radio serial, Journey Into Space in Express Weekly (in which all the main characters were based on actual likeness of the radio actors) which first brought him to prominence here.

Born in Milan, Tacconi has had two great interests in life, both of which he has been able to indulge throughout his career: drawing and aeroplanes.

His first comic strip, published in 1947, was not typical of the work he was to pursue later, being a story of Morgan il Pirata. In the mid 1950s, Tacconi began working for British comics. Besides his work for Express Weekly, he drew the war strips, War Eagle and Commando One for Comet and Battler Britton for Sun as well as scores of War libraries. His work was wide-ranging and included a great amount of full colour work, both strips and covers, for Look and Learn.

His most famous European strip is Gli Aristocratici ("The Gentlemen") written by Alfredo Castelli and published in Corriere dei Ragazzi which features a group of bowler-hatted English crime fighters in London's "Swinging Sixties".

Between 1986-1988, he wrote and drew, together with Gino D'Antonio, an eight volume series of books on the Second World War, Uomini senza gloria (Men without Glory).

He often worked for Il Giornalino where he co-created with Gino D'Antonio the series Susanna (from 1975).

Tacconi continues to produce high quality artwork for the adult comics market in Italy.

Tacconi died in Milan after a long period of poor health. He was 83.
Source: David Ashford and Norman Wright; Illustration Art Gallery