Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, born in

Talisay, Negros Occidental Talisay, officially the City of Talisay ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Talisay; ceb, Dakbayan sa Talisay; fil, Lungsod ng Talisay), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...

in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 creation '' Voltar'' introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United States. Alcala garnered awards in science fiction during the early part of the 1970s.

Biography

Alfredo Alcala's lifelong interest in

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

began in childhood. He dropped out of school in his early teens to pursue a career in art, initially as a sign painter and commercial artist. Subsequently he took employment in an ironworker's shop, designing lamps and household furniture, as well as a church pulpit. During the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Japones sa Filipinas''; ja, 日本のフィリピン占領, Nihon no Firipin Senryō) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the ...

in World War II he drew revealing pictures of their gear and position for the American forces. Inspired by the work of

Lou Fine Louis Kenneth Fine (November 26, 1914 – July 24, 1971)Louis Fine
at the United States

Ukala'' (1950) was one of his first major comics. Though his career rapidly expanded, Alcala never used assistants to complete his work. He said, "I somehow felt that the minute you let someone else have a hand in your work no matter what, it's not you anymore. It's like riding a bicycle built for two." He eventually became a star of the Filipino comics scene, so famed that a periodical bore his name, the ''Alcala Komiks Magasin''. In 1963 he created the comic book ''Voltar'' whose titular character predated Frazetta's interpretation of

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

which bore a more than passing resemblance. ''Voltar'' became an award-winning success at home and abroad. Alcala's mature artistic style reflected his interest in the woodcuts and etchings of Renaissance master

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

and the drawings of Australian illustrator Walter Jardine and U.S. illustrator

Franklin Booth Franklin Booth (July 8, 1874 – August 25, 1948) was an American artist known for his detailed pen-and-ink illustrations. He had a unique illustration style based upon his early recreation of wood engraving illustrations with pen and ink. His skil ...

which bore the look of engravings. He has also cited the work of British artist

Frank Brangwyn Sir Frank William Brangwyn (12 May 1867 – 11 June 1956) was a Welsh artist, painter, watercolourist, printmaker, illustrator, and designer. Brangwyn was an artistic jack-of-all-trades. As well as paintings and drawings, he produced des ...

as a major influence. Fellow cartoonist

Tony DeZuniga Antony de Zuñiga (November 8, 1932 – May 11, 2012) who worked primarily under the name Tony DeZuniga, was a Filipino comics artist and illustrator best known for his works for DC Comics. He co-created the fictional characters Jonah Hex and ...

was the first Filipino artist to relocate to the United States to work for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

in 1970, followed by

Nestor Redondo Nestor P. Redondo (May 4, 1928 – December 30, 1995)Nestor P. Redondo
at the

Gerry Talaoc Gerry Talaoc is a Filipino comics artist best known for his 1970s work for DC Comics' war and horror anthology titles. Biography Gerry Talaoc was among the vanguard of Filipino comics artists — including Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, St ...

. In 1971 Alcala began a decade of work for both DC and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

on horror and fantasy titles, eventually moving to New York City in 1976. He was one of the artists on the

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

movie tie-in series ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' and also helped recruit up-and-coming Filipino artists such as Alex Niño to U.S. publishers. In 1975, Alcala and writer

Jack Oleck Jack Oleck (March 1, 1914 – March 10, 1981)Social Security Death Index, SS# 115-01-6988. was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre. The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck' ...

created ''

Kong the Untamed ''Kong the Untamed'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for five issues. It was created in 1975 in comics, 1975 by writer Jack Oleck and artist Alfredo Alcala. The title character, Kong, is an intelligent caveman who is a direc ...

'' for DC Comics. Later that year, Alcala drew '' Marvel Treasury of Oz'', a comics adaptation of ''

The Marvelous Land of Oz ''The Marvelous Land of Oz: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman'', commonly shortened to ''The Land of Oz'', published in July 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and th ...

''. Alcala joined

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include '' After Hours'', '' Creepy'', '' Eerie'', '' F ...

in 1977 and drew 39 stories for that publisher from 1977–1981. His series ''Voltar'' was reprinted in issues #2–9 of '' The Rook''. Alcala executed 12 five panel comic strips for the men's magazine ''Adam''. The strip, ''Terra O'Hara'', was written by Donald (Don) F. Glut and it appeared in 12 successive issues of ''Adam'' from December 1979, through November 1980. In the early 1980s he penciled the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' newspaper strip. In 1983 he teamed with the penciller

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

on '' Destroyer Duck'' from

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

. and around that same time he also inked comic books such as ''

'' over John Buscema's pencils and inked

Don Newton Don Newton (November 12, 1934 – August 19, 1984) was an American comics artist. During his career, he worked for a number of comic book publishers including Charlton Comics, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on The Phan ...

's pencil artwork in ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

''. With the failure of DC's and Warren's horror titles in the 1980s, many of the Filipino contributors turned to the field of

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

in California, and in the 1990s Alcala followed suit. He also illustrated the novel '' Daddy Cool'' written by

Donald Goines Donald Goines (pseudonym: Al C. Clark; December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974) was an African-American writer of urban fiction. His novels were deeply influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim. Early life and family Goines was born in Detroit, Mic ...

. His last work in comics was for

Paradox Press Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like '' ...

' '' The Big Book of Thugs'' in 1996. On April 4, 2000, Alcala died from cancer in Southern California. He is survived by his wife Lita and two sons, Christian Voltar and Alfred Jr.

Awards

Alcala received an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...

in 1977. In 2021, he was awarded the

Inkwell Awards The Inkwell Award, sometimes shortened to the Inkwells, is a trophy given in the field of inking in American comic books. The awards were partially named after the Yahoo group whose members include many in the inking community, and after the pe ...

Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) (2021).

Selected bibliography

Comics work (interior pencil art, except where noted) includes:

DC Comics

*''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...

'' (inks over other artists pencils) #52, 54, 57 (1985–86) *'' America vs. the Justice Society'' (inks) #1–4 (1985) *''

Arak, Son of Thunder Arak is a fictional comic book character and a superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert in '' The Warlord'' #48 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas and Ernie Colón. Arak (Bright-Sky-After-Storm) is depict ...

'' (full art): #13–15; (inks): #10–12, 16–25, ''Annual'' #1 (1981–84) *''

'' (inks) #349, 354–355, 357, 362–381, 383, 383, ''Annual'' #10 (1982–1986) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring back ...

'' (inks) #48 (1982) *''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' (inks) #520, 526, 531, 534, 543–544, 576–577 (1982–87) *'' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion'' #10–11, 13 (1973) *'' Ghosts'' #9, 15, 17–19, 21, 24–25, 28, 33–34, 52 (1972–77) *''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...

'' (inks) #8–9, 18–22 (1988–89) *''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' #209, 217, 219–220, 222, 224–228, 251–252, 254, 256 (1972–78) *'' House of Secrets'' #100, 104–107, 109, 115, 117, 119–120, 122, 125 (1972–74) *'' Infinity, Inc.'' (inks) #10, 43, ''Annual'' #1 (1985–87) *''

Kamandi Kamandi () is a fictional comic book character created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series ''Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth'', which ran from 1972 to 1978. Kamandi is a ...

'' (inks) #47, 49–50 (1976–77) *''

'' #1–3 (1975) *''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince Ada ...

'' (inks) #1–2 (1982–83) *''

Our Army at War ''Our Army at War'' was an American comic book anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed stories and featured the first appearances of Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series was published from August 1952 to February 1977, then ...

'' #251 (1972) *''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976. Bac ...

'' #1–3 (1973–74) *''

Secrets of Sinister House ''Secrets of Sinister House'' was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972–1974, a companion to '' Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion''. Both series were originally inspired by the successful ABC soap oper ...

'' #6, 10, 12–14 (1972–73) *''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

Annual'' (inks) #1 (inks) (1987) *''Shadow War of Hawkman'' (inks) #1–4 (miniseries, 1985) *''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

'' vol. 2 (inks) #30, 41, 45, 49, 51–52, 54–59, 61–85, 90–93, 95–101 (1984–90) *'' The Unexpected'' #138, 140, 144, 150, 151–153, 156–157, 168–169, 177, 191 (1972–79) *''

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

'' (inks) #24–25 (1985–86) *''

Weird Mystery Tales ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975. Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for '' DC 100 Page S ...

'' #5, 10, 13–14 (1973–74) *''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'' #9, 11, 15–16, 20, 23, 25–29, 35, 42–44, 72, 74 (1972–79) *''

Weird Western Tales ''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to hi ...

'' ( El Diablo) #16–17 (1973) *''

Witching Hour In folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night that is associated with supernatural events, whereby witches, demons and ghosts are thought to appear and be at their most powerful. Definitions vary, and include the hour imm ...

'' #24, 27, 33, 41, 43 (1972–74) *''World of Smallville'' (inks) #1–4 (miniseries, 1988) *''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' (inks) #309, 312–314, 318–321, 323 (1984–86) *''

Young All-Stars The Young All-Stars are a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes. They were created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Michael Bair, and introduced in ''Young All-Stars'' #1, dated June 1987. The team members Tsunami, Neptune Perkins, and Dan the Dy ...

'' (inks) #5 (1987)

Eclipse Comics

* '' Destroyer Duck'' (inks) #1–7 (1982–1984)

Marvel Comics

*''

'' (full art): #137, 225; (inks over other artists pencils): #209–219, 223 (1982–89) *'' Captain Marvel'' #35 (1974) *''

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

'' vol. 2 #19 (1976) *''

Dracula Lives ''Dracula Lives!'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 13 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, and starred the Marvel version o ...

'' (inks) #9 (1974) *''

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenka ...

'' (inks) #1–2 (1989) *''Giant-Size Chillers'' #1 (1975) *''

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...

'' vol. 2 (inks) #7 (1980) *'' The Incredible Hulk Annual'' (inks) #8 (1979); vol.1 #221, 222 (1978 ) *''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

'' (inks) #112 (1978) *'' Ka-Zar'' (inks) #6, 8 (1974–75) *''

Kull the Destroyer Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a fictional character created by writer Robert E. Howard. The character was more introspective than Howard's subsequent creation, Conan the Barbarian, whose first appearance was in a re-write of a rejec ...

'' #17 (1976) *''

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...

'' #14, ''Giant-Size'' #3 (1975) *'' Marvel Comics Presents'' (inks) #16, 53 (1989–90) *''

Marvel Comics Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issu ...

'' (inks) #2 (1977) *''

Marvel Preview ''Marvel Preview'' is a black-and-white comics magazine published by Magazine Management for fourteen issues and the affiliated Marvel Comics Group for ten issues. The final issue additionally carried the imprint Marvel Magazines Group. Publica ...

'' #14 (1978) *'' Marvel Two-in-One'' (inks) #42 (1978) *''

'' #7–11, 17–21, 24 (1975–76) *'' The Rampaging Hulk'' (then ''The Hulk!'') (inks) #1–3, 5, 8, 15, 17–20, 22–26 (1977–81) *'' Savage Sword of Conan'' (full art): #55, 75, 80, 83, 89, 216, 223; (inks over John Buscema pencils): #2, 4, 7, 12, 15–20, 23–24, 28, 67, 76; (inks over other artists pencils): #34, 59, 69, 180, 184, 189 (1974–94) *''

Tales of the Zombie ''Tales of the Zombie'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 10 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, many featuring stories of t ...

'' #7–9 (1974–75) *''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' (inks) #9–10 (1977–78) *''

Vampire Tales ''Vampire Tales'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both ...

'' (full art): #6, 8; (inks): #9–10 (1974–75)

Warren Publishing

*''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'' #94, 99, 101–102, 104, 108, 125, 130 (1978–81) *''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's volunta ...

'' #96, 99–101, 104–105, 113 (1978–80) *'' Rook Magazine'' (full art): #2–9; (inks): #1 (1979–81) *''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Cre ...

'' #90 (1980)

References

External links

*
Alfredo Alcala
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Alfredo Alcala
at Wizards Keep Ltd. *