'Sport Goofy' (Journal de Mickey #2713, 2004). © Disney.
José Antonio González is a Spanish comic artist, who spent more than 35 years working for Studio Comicup in Barcelona on comics with licensed characters. After drawing stories with Rolf Kauka's 'Fix und Foxi' for the German market, he became one of the studio's most productive artists of European Disney comics.
German comics
Born in Barcelona in 1959, José Antonio González grew up an avid comics fan. Inspired by Albert Uderzo's 'Astérix' art, he began to draw himself. A self-taught artist, he was 26 years old when he joined José Canovas and his team at Comicup Studio. Between 1986 and 1993, he was a pencil artist for the studio's story production with Rolf Kauka's 'Fix und Foxi', two popular funny animal characters from Germany. Working in a steady collaboration with inker Tony Fernández, he gradually moved away from his own style to work with the more cartoony rendition of the Fix and Foxi characters initiated by the Italian artist Massimo Fecchi. When the Fix und Foxi title folded in 1993, González continued to participate in Comicup's other German assignments, for instance drawing 'Die Punk-piraten' for Yps, a well as comics for Die Pillen magazine.
'Die Lampe des Sankt Nikolaus' (Fix und Foxi Weihnachten 1990).
Disney comics
However, José Antonio González's main occupation has been drawing Disney comics for the several European licensees, most of the time still paired with inker Tony Fernández. He started out in 1991, drawing a couple of stories with Disney movie characters such as 'Basil from Baker Street' and 'Aladdin' for the Dutch Donald Duck weekly. He then became a prominent artist for the French Disney magazine Le Journal de Mickey, working extensively with the characters Mickey Mouse and Goofy, doing short and semi-long stories as well as one-page gags. Between 1997 and 2010, he was the main illustrator of the weekly 'Goofy' gags written by François Corteggiani. These included regular gags as well as thematic ones with 'Supergoof' (2000-2005) or 'Sport Goofy' (2003-2005). For the Mickey Parade pocket book, he additionally drew gags and short stories starring 'Michel Souris', Mickey Mouse's crazy rat fan/imposter, created by writer Didier Le Bornec. Between 2000 and 2012, González additionally drew about 40 longer stories with Mickey Mouse or the Duck Avenger for the Disney pocket books of the Danish publisher Egmont.
Foul Fellows' Club story starring the Big Bad Wolf (Donald Duck #45, 2013). © Disney.
By 2002, José Antonio González was one of the most productive artists involved in Comicup's Disney story production for the Dutch publisher Sanoma (later DPG Media). Tackling nearly every character during a 20-year tenure, González drew stories, gag pages and comic strips for Donald Duck weekly, its younger companion Donald Duck Junior and several of the other Dutch Disney titles. Besides many stories with Mickey Mouse, Goofy and the entire Duck family, he was regularly assigned to illustrate back-up stories with secondary characters like the Big Bad Wolf, B'rer Rabbit, Bucky Bug, Jose Carioca and Panchito. In 2010 and 2011, González also drew several of the Dutch 'Duck Avenger' stories and gags, written by the local editorial team for Sanoma's Disney XD Magazine.
After spending over 30 years drawing Disney comics - applying a clean and readable drawing style - José Antonio González retired from Comicup activities in July 2022.
Dutch 'Duck Avenger' (Superdonald) gag for Disney XD Magazine #7, 2011. © Disney.