alfredo alcala . the comicbook artist .
Renowl
PHILIPPINE NEWS
Alfredo Alcala: an artist’s artist
Oliver Mendoza, Jan 21, 2004
Detail from an illustration of Voltar
©Christian voltar alcala, 2004
By the early ‘60’s, Alfredo Alcala had made an impressive name for himself
in the Philippines. His legendary speed coupled with his artistic eye exploded
on the comics scene, so much so that some companies had a backlog In fact, a
number of artists seem to have come into prominence at this time.
Enough of them, at least, to draw the attention of Western shores.
In the early seventies, various comics companies turned their eyes to the
Philippines, hoping to make use of the talents of Alfredo Alcala and his peers,
artists such as Alex Nino, Rudy Nebres, and Nestor Redondo.
Mark Evanier, a comics and television writer and virtual fountainhead of
information, wrote, in a tribute to Alcala in his online column, POV
(www.povonline.com) a story of Alfredo’s meeting with then Joe Orlando, an
editor for DC Comics.
It was written so well, that I actually asked permission to simply reprint it
here:Orlando was naturally impressed with the quality of the work he was shown.
He told Alfredo that DC would hire him and asked how many pages per week he
could produce.
“Forty,” said Alfredo.
The editor was startled. The least exhaustible DC artist would be hard-pressed
to pencil and ink ten pages in a week. Then he realized that Alfredo probably
assumed he would only pencil or only ink. “No, no,” Orlando said. “We
want you to do all the art...pencil, ink, even lettering.”
“I see,” Alfredo muttered. “I pencil, I ink, I letter?”
“Yes,” Orlando nodded. “Now, how many pages per week do you think you can
do?”
“Forty,” said Alfredo.
Again, the editor was startled. Obviously, there was some sort of
misunderstanding here. He figured that the artist before him was thinking in
terms of very simple pages with only two or three panels on each and no detail.
Fortunately, Orlando had brought along with him, several dozen pages of
original art from past DC books. He showed Alfredo pages by Neal Adams, Joe
Kubert, Curt Swan and others.
“We want work like this...these many panels per page, and this detailed,”
Orlando explained.
“Oh,” Alfredo nodded. “You want me to pencil, ink and letter pages like
this?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” Alfredo explained. “That changes things.”
“I would think so,” Orlando sniffed. “Now then...how many pages a week do
you think you can do?”
“Eighty,” said Alfredo.
Despite Orlando’s initial disbelief, Alcala was true to his word.
This immense speed is generally attributed to a steady diet of coffee and
cigarettes that he stuck to, but Evanier knew that there was much more to it.
“He was fast but his amazing output of work was also a function of being
willing to sit at the drawing table for days at a time, “ Mark says,” You
don’t do that unless you really love what you do, and the love was evident in
everything he drew.”
Alcala’s work eventually began gracing the pages of DC’s horror/ mystery
titles, where his talent for moody, atmospheric environments and textures
seemed to come alive, as opposed to the vibrant colors of the superhero set.
Despite his obvious skill, Alfredo was never able to attain the successes he
enjoyed in the Philippines.
He often complained that the comics editors didn’t know how to make use of
him, or worse, denied him work based on his race. It did seem that the general
thinking at the time was that his work was best suited to the moody horror or
the swashbuckling fantasy tales of times long past.
He complained that he was often relegated to the role of a Mr. Fixit, often
using his talents to ‘save’ the work of lesser artists, but rarely allowed
to fully illustrate his own works. Coming from a career in which he handled all
of the artistic duties, this obviously chafed at him.
Unable to obtain the work that he needed to support himself and his family,
Alfredo, as he did in his youth, applied himself to any gainful employment that
allowed him to draw. In the late seventies and early eighties, his touch could
be seen from newspaper comics strips to films.
He provided visual development for films such as Star Wars and Saturday morning
adventure cartoons, such as the much loved Dungeons and Dragons. Never straying
far from his barbarian character Voltar, Alfredo is credited as a character
designer for the wildly popuar toy line and cartoon series, He Man and the
Masters of the Universe (the cartoon, incidentally, is generally credited as
the first to so closely bind the animation industry with the merchandising
industry, becoming a half hour commercial, if you will).
His work in this period directly and indirectly influenced and inspired many
animators and illustrators in the field today. But he never strayed too far
from the comics page.
Depending on the viewpoint, it was often felt that the greatest benefit, or the
greatest drawback, to collaborating with Alfredo Alcala was his distinctive
style. No matter what artist created the foundation, Alcala’s finishes and
brush strokes were unmistakeable.
Ideally, what was needed was an artist who’s abilities matched Alcala’s,
who’s work stood out just as boldly, just as recognizably. This was the case
on rare occasions, where the work of the two artists blended seamlessly,
crafting a finished product better than anything they could have done alone. In
Alcala’s case, that pairing was never better than with John Buscema.
Explaining who John Buscema is would require at least as detailed an article as
this one. In the comic world, there are few greater, more influential, or more
copied than John Buscema.
Almost every comic book fan has at least one memorable John Buscema panel
ingrained in their memory. Today, in illustration and animation classes
everywhere, his and Stan Lee’s book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is
referenced as an invaluable tool. Like Alcala, he was equally adept at drawing
whatever was put before him. And, like Alcala, his favored subjects leaned
towards the Robert E. Howard variety.
In the pages of Marvel Comics Savage Sword of Conan, the two produced
illustrations that are a benchmark of illustration. Buscemas’s masterful
draftsmanship combined with Alcala’s textures to produce, in a word, magic.
It is for this work, this collaboration, that Alcala is most often remembered.
Pages in which the personalities of two true artists combined and evolved to
become, pardon the cliche, something greater than the sum of its parts.
Anyone who knew Alfredo can attest to his character.
Or, at least, that he was a character. Interviewing his son, Christian, a wry
smile beams as he relates stories of his father’s opinions and attitudes.
According to all accounts, Alfredo was a man not afraid to voice his opinions,
and he had many opinions. While assigned to illustrate a comic commemorating
the Apollo XII flight, was convinced that the moon landings were faked, and
could not be swayed otherwise.
“One time, he was banned from Batman,” says Christian, referring to an
inking stint of his fathers in the mid-80’s.
“He complained about superheroes wearing their underwear and tights.”
He was just as well known for his generosity, and his willingness to share his
knowledge. Despite mounting deadlines, Alcala would think nothing of stopping
to answer questions from a young artist.
Gerry Alanguilan, creator of the comic book Wasted, met Alfredo in the summer
of 1997 during the San Diego Comic Con, the mecca for comic book and pop
culture aficionados.
“Upon hearing that I was from back home, he immediately set me aside, talking
to me in Tagalog, and started to talk about how a lot of these new artists
don’t know how to draw.
He took a piece of paper and did some sketches while doing a quick lecture
about how to draw the human body properly, “ said Alanguilan. “It was such
an honor that he was giving so much of his time to me, being so generous with
his advice and art lessons.”
He may have been one of the most influential artists that no one’s ever heard
of. Certainly his body of work, and the variety of subjects to which it was
applied has left a lasting mark on comic book artists today.
It is to his credit that, although the world at large may have been unaware of
him, students of the medium and the industry hold him in such high regard.
He leaves behind a legacy that would make any man jealous–a family that loves
him, the respect and admiration of those who knew him, even in the most casual
of ways, and a body of work that will immortalize him.
Dalubwika
> PHILIPPINE NEWS
>Alfredo Alcala: an artist’s artist
Here's another, Leinil Yu. He used to draw Wolverine, X-Men, and other Marvel
books. He also will do Superman:
http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/3362/yu.htm
He also drew the below CD cover for my uncle's company:
http://www.knowitallrecords.com/kiarproducts/tastetestmerchandise.htm
--Chris