José González

José (Pepe) Gonzáles also has an important career as a comics artist, although he prefers to regard himself as an illustrator. He was introduced into the comics business by Josep Toutain, the manager of Selecciones Ilustradas, in 1956. Toutain asked him to join this agency after seeing two portraits by González which were decorating the showcase of a tailor's shop. His first professional comic was 'Doc Holliday', a western that appeared in France.

Since westerns didn't suit him well, Gonzáles specialized in romantic comics showing beautiful girls and elegant ambiances. First he did romances like 'Rosas Blancas' in Spain. Then he stood out in British publications on the same subject (Valentine, Marylin, Roxi). He also did an adaptation of the 1960s Britain TV series 'The Avengers'.

José González' natural talent for drawing girls made erotism pervade many of the comics he did. This could be noticed in his long-time contribution to the US horror series 'Vampirella' (1969), which he took over soon after its beginning. José González is still, in many people's minds, the definitive artist of 'Vampirella'. González provided many full-page for the inside cover and contents pages. They are all masterpieces of graphic art. A good dose of erotism could be also appreciated in the series he did for the Spanish publisher Norma during the 1980s: 'Chantal' (with writer I. Molina) and 'Mamba' (with writer A. Segura).