In Memoriam: Comic Artist Mario Capaldi

Comics artist Mario Capaldi, one of the unsung stalwarts of British comics, and Marvel UK’s junior titles for many years, has died.

Mario drew every type of strip and illustration work imaginable from then on, for a wide range of publishers including IPC and successor, Fleetway, Celebrity and others. His credits for Marvel UK range from Care Bears and Rupert the Bear to James Bond Junior and Zorro.

Born in 1935, Mario Capaldi’s career as an artist spanned some 44 years from 1959 to 2003, but he was a reclusive man, whose contribution to British comics has gone largely unrecognised. His official web site, now archived on Wayback, notes he dedicated his whole life to art; drawing, painting, photographing potential subject matter, researching and reading about art, talking about art – great art that really inspired him, (which always included the Victorian great, Fortunino Matania). He settled in Middlesbrough where he lived his adult life, often taking inspiration for scenery from the surrounding, beautiful North Yorkshire countryside.

At Marvel UK, editors such as Stuart Bartlett held him in high regard and his professionalism and dedication to his work much praised. His credits for the company include Captain Planet, Zorro, Thundercats, Transformers, Care Bears and James Bond Junior, while at IPC, he worked on a huge range of titles including Roy of the Rovers, Hurricane, Tiger, Eagle, Battle, Tammy, Jinty and Misty. He also worked for DC Thomson on titles such as Bunty and Judy.

*A dramatic cover for Misty, cover dated 17th February 1979, by Mario Capaldi. Via Great News for all Readers*

He illustrated Charles Dickens (his favourite author) for the New York Saturday Evening Post and a version of Harry Potter for the BBC, and a number of children’s books, including Enid Blyton’s The Little Bear’s Adventure, Ladybird Books and more.

His work also became best-selling Christmas cards for Sharpe’s Classic Collection, and he was responsible for the charging horses painting on the front cover of a popular board game, Risk.

Art for by Mario Capaldi for Egmont's Enid Blyton Mystery and Suspense Magazine — *Art for by Mario Capaldi for Egmont’s Enid Blyton Mystery and Suspense Magazine*

“Mario was one of the first illustrators that I had the pleasure of working with when I entered into children’s publishing,” Managing Editor of Panini Comics Alan O’Keefe told downthetubes. “Right from our very first conversation I knew I’d enjoy working with him enormously. He had a genuinely warm, friendly and engaging disposition. A few days later, after receiving his commissioned artwork I knew he was also a truly gifted and professional artist.

*Just some of Mario Capaldi’s work for Marvel UK, which spanned Care Bears, Rupert the Bear, Thundercats, Captain Planet and more*

“The many years that followed, I worked with Mario on a variety of children’s comics, because he was such a modest and honest professional who could turn his hand to a great variety of illustration styles. Mario was a true gent, a unique and charming man with a fantastic talent — and an absolute joy to work with.”

"Robert The Devil", art by Mario Capaldi — The complete first appearance and origin of the character Robert The Devil. Loosely based on the Medieval French legend, possibly commissioned for a weekly IPC title, art by Mario Capaldi. A Norman knight who discovers he is the son of Satan. His mother, despairing of heaven’s aid in order to obtain a son, had asked for help from the devil. Images: The Book Palace

“Mario was always my first choice on projects,” says comics writer and publisher Tim Quinn. “I got him to do some great work for The Saturday Evening Post Magazine when I returned to the US to work in 1997-98 (including a fab Dickens’ Christmas Carol adaptation).

Mario Capaldi character designs for a series on Brer Rabbit, Fox, Wolf and Bear Tim Quinn was creating with Enid Blyton's elder daughter, Gillian Baverstock. "We got their personalities down pat as not seen since Uncle Remus days," Tim recalls. "Stories all in place, ready to go when the magazine the series was to appear in folded. Great tales for a very underused set of characters." — Mario Capaldi character designs for a series on Brer Rabbit, Fox, Wolf and Bear Tim Quinn was creating with Enid Blyton’s elder daughter, Gillian Baverstock. “We got their personalities down pat as not seen since Uncle Remus days,” Tim recalls. “Stories all in place, ready to go when the magazine the series was to appear in folded. Great tales for a very underused set of characters.”

Marvel UK's abandoned "A Christmas Carol" - at by Mario Capaldi, adapted by Tim Quinn — Despite Marvel US having already adapted A Christmas Carol back in 1976, in 1993 editor Tim Quinn was given the go ahead in 1993 to create a new version with master illustrator Mario Capaldi. “We had a lengthy meeting in the Cheshire Cheese and even wandered round London choosing certain buildings to feature in the story,” Tim recalled in 2020. “These five pages were as far as we got before intimations of a downward swing to Marvel UK’s American titles caused a drastic rethinking of all new books in the works.”

“I also used him as the artist on Enid Blyton’s Famous Five in the Blyton centenary mag I edited for Fleetway. The fairy tale sequel comic/mag I published featured Mario’s magic on the on-going adventures of Jack of the Beanstalks. He also drew great history pages for that publication.

“I Loved his work,” says Tim, “and he was a really nice and funny guy with a great fashion style… a cross between Al Pacino and Bela Lugosi. You can’t beat that!”

"Snow White" for an unpublished Marvel UK magazine, Happily Ever After, a project victim to the company's implosion in the mid 1990s. Art by Mario Capaldi — *“Snow White” for an unpublished Marvel UK magazine, Happily Ever After, a project victim to the company’s implosion in the mid 1990s. Art by Mario Capaldi*

Many years ago, while Group Editor at Marvel UK, I was nominally in charge of a project to clear the company’s Arundel House basement of old artwork and Mario Capaldi was one of the artists whose returned art pretty much filled a small transit van, given his prestigious output for the company on all manner of titles. Years later, I phoned Mario for some reason, perhaps to ask him about attending an event. When I introduced myself, he declared, amiably: “You’re the bugger who sent all that artwork back. It’s clogging up my garage!”

Well, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who clogged up his garage, because IPC also returned at least some of the art created by this talented artist, which eventually got an airing at the Dorman Museum thanks to his daughter, Vanda, in his home town of Middlesbrough in 2015, including 20 pages from “Robo Machines”, the only comics outing for Bandai’s Transformers rival line, aka the Gobots.

He is much missed.

John Freeman

A version of this tribute was first published as a news item on downthetubes on 6th July 2004. It has been updated in this location with additional imagery since

WEB LINKS

Mario - A Biography in Poetry (Mario Capaldi)

• Mario – A Biography in Poetry (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)

A unique book, written by Mario’s daughter Vanda Capaldi, the custodian of his art, Mario – A Biography in Poetry is a collection of individual poems that recounts the coming of age story of the artist, as he struggles to pursue his career and be with the woman he loves against the wishes of his family. The book is set in Glasgow and Middlesbrough from 1935 to 1960. The poetry is mainly in organic verse but uses a range of tone and style to convey dramatic incidents associated with Mario Capaldi’s early life.

Vanda hoped the story of her father’s early life and his struggle to be an artist, might inspire others in achieving their dream

• Mario Capaldi’s official web site is archived on Wayback, originally www.mariocapaldiartist.co.uk (Wayback Link)

• Boys Adventure Comics: Blue Moon

Mario was a frequent contributor to this anthology comic edited by Tim Quinn

• Boys Adventure Comics – Celebrity’s Wisdom of Gnomes

• Boys Adventure Comics – Robert the Devil – but where the devil was it published?

ROBO MACHINES

• The Starlogged blog documents the history of Robo Machines versus Transformers here

MARIO CAPLADI’S MARVEL UK WORK

• Boys Adventure Comics: Marvel UK – Captain Planet & The Planeteers

• Boys Adventure Comics: Marvel UK’s Biker Mice from Mars

• Boys Adventure Comics – Marvel UK’s James Bond Jr Cover Gallery