Spanish artist Ivan Gil Fernandez, one of the artists working on new Conan the Barbarian comics for Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics, better known as Ivan Gil, has also created comics for the French publishers Dupuis, Glenat and Delcourt, and is also highly regarded illustrator and concept artist.
He’s the artist on the Titan Comics mini-series Conan The Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent (#2 on sale in Local Comic Shops now), written by Jim Zub.
In “Scourge of the Serpent”, Conan of Cimmeria has encountered Stygian sorcery and snakesent creatures many times in his grand adventures, but he has never faced the true unspeakable power of Set… until now. The serpent god’s influence coils around the Hyborian Age and every other age linked to it. Three stunning supernatural stories will weave together to answer a chilling question of past and present. What is Set’s grand plan for humanity and, now that it’s begun, can it be stopped?
Born in Getafe, an industrial city on the outskirts of Madrid, Ivan Gil began studying biology before choosing to devote himself to his true passion: illustration and comics. This led him, in 2002, to the world of toys, where he pursued a model-making profession for several years, designing figurines and artwork for various companies, mainly Spanish.
In 2007 he had his first contact with the French publisher Dupuis at the Angoulême Festival, who, interested in his eye for detail, chose him to participate in their upcoming adaptation of the three-volume series La Bataille (The Battle, published in English by Cinebooks), written by Frédéric Richaud and Patrick Rambaud. It won the Prix Goncourt in 1997.
Alongside these activities, he’s a comics and illustration teacher at the “C10 Academy” in Madrid, a professional academy of drawing and illustration.
• Follow Ivan Gil on Instagram
• A stunning page of his art from La Bataille is currently up for auction on Catawiki
The Battle
“The Battle does not tell a story; it unfolds like a mural that surveys all the troops’ strategic movements, notes the details of the terrain that made such a difference to the battle’s outcome, and sketches the portraits of the great figure of the Napoleonic era, Lannes, Bessières, Masséna. But this comprehensive view doesn’t come at the expense of detail.
“Not a single cartridge belt, not a single garter button is missing from this immense army. The combination of precise detail and epic sweep that brings these pages to life makes this novel a unique achievement.”
– Gérard Meudal
• The Battle Volume One by Frédéric Richaud, Patrick Rambaud and Ivan Gil (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Louis-François Lejeune, young colonel attached to the emperor’s staff, meets his old friend Henri Beyne in occupied Vienna. He also meets the beautiful Anna Krauss, with whom he is madly in love with. Nearby, though, Napoleon is attempting to crush the Austrian army, and organising the crossing of the Danube for his troops on a single pontoon bridge hurriedly erected near Essling. Louis-François is forced to abandon his love and return to the front – and the coming firestorm…
• The Battle Volume Two by Frédéric Richaud, Patrick Rambaud and Ivan Gil (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
The battle has been joined. On this first day, Massena desperately holds onto Aspern, the French cavalry charges again and again, but the Emperor cannot seem to break the Austrians. Louis-Francois, stuck on the wrong side of the only available bridge, impatiently waits for repairs to conclude. Not only are his official messages delayed, but he’s also dying to send news to Miss Krauss in Vienna. However, his friend Stendhal, who’s remained with the beautiful Austrian lady, makes some upsetting discoveries…
• The Battle Volume Three by Frédéric Richaud, Patrick Rambaud and Ivan Gil (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Napoleon is furious. It appears the battle can no longer be won. The French cavalry is so exhausted it can’t even gallop when charging. Ammunition is running out, while losses mount horrifically – both in men and in irreplaceable officers … But the Austrians have paid an equally steep price, and a complete defeat may yet be avoided. Louis-François, Paradis, Fayolle … Who will survive the terrible bloodbath – the better to serve again in the next one?
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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