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Acclaimed Spainish comic artist Luis García Mozos retrospective exhibition announced

By John Freeman on January 19, 2018

Leonard Cohen – art by Luis Garcia Mozos

Spanish cartoonist, editor, illustrator and painter Luis García Mozos – perhaps best known in the UK for his work for Warren Publishing on titles like Creepy – has just confirmed the wonderful news that he is going to have a career retrospective of both his comics and fine art work at Barcelona’s prestigious MEAM Museum, from 17th May to 10th June 2018.

More widely known in English as just Luis García over a long and prestigious career, he drew western and romance comics published in Britain in the 1960s, commissioned via Spanish agency Selecciones Illustradas.

“Miss From Mersey” for Love Story Picture Library, published in 1964. David A. Roach notes it’s often been mistaken for a Gonzalez art job but was in fact drawn by the 18-year-old Luis Garcia Mozos, with only the occasionally ragged ink line suggesting it was anyone other than the future Vampirella artist

1960s British romance comic art by Luis Garcia Mozos

In 1971 García joined Warren Publishing, where he drew nine stories for Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. García’s first story published for Warren, “The Men Who Called Him Monster” (Creepy #43, January 1972) is notable as having the first interracial kiss in US mainstream comics.

Page One of “The Men Who Called Him Monster”, Luis Garcia Mozos first strip for Warren Publications, published in Creepy #43. The story features US comics first interracial kiss. (Modelled by Sydney Poitier and Carol de Haro)

His work has also appeared in the French magazine Pilote and Heavy Metal and although he has moved away from drawing comics into fine art in recent years his work remains acclaimed.

His strip “The Wolves at War’s End”, was rated as the second best story to ever appear in a Warren magazine by David A. Roach, co-author of The Warren Companion (a title surely deserving reprint). “Love Strip” also appeared on his list in tenth place.

Art for “Ley De Vida” from Pilote 61, based on a story by Jack London

“As some of you will know Luis is my favourite artist,” says artist David, who’s also author of the brilliant Masters of Spanish Comic Book Art, “and a major inspiration in my own work, particularly my pencil nudes, and he’s certainly a worthy subject for a show like this.”

“When I first discovered the work of Luis Garcia Mozos in the pages of Vampirella it was a revelation, the artist wrote back in 2010, offering a detailed guide to Luis’ career and encounters with musical celebrities during his time in the UK in the 1960s. “I had genuinely never come across work that was quite so realistic, yet also so atmospheric and challenging before. Some 30 years later those same strips still sit next to my drawing board as a constant source of inspiration. The covers may have fallen off through constant re-readings long ago, but then surely that’s a sign of a truly great comic.

• MEAM Museum Exhibition details (in Spanish, site under construction) | Carrer de la Barra de Ferro, 5, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

• If you haven’t already got Masters of Spanish Comic Book Art then you really should since it features many examples of Luis astonishing artwork. Here’s a preview we ran back in 2016 pre-release

• David A. Roach’s own 2010 retrospective of Luis Garcia Mozos career is here

• Luis Garcia Mozos profile at Barcelona Academy of Art

• Luis Garcia Mozos at work…

This is a video tutorial of the style of drawing that Luis started using in 1971 to collaborate in the horror magazines of Warren Publishing. The demo is a quick sketch, in which Luis teaches the use of materials and tools: black ink, pen, brush, finger, sponge and razor blade on paper, made for the students of the Ester García Femart comic class, in 2012.

“Those interested who do not have the time to see the full video, I recommend you to see one minute of every 10, and they can watch a video of the process in about six minutes, and if they watch one second for every 10 minutes, they will see a six-second video! “, says Luís García Mozos

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “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.