Sandu Florea (; born 28 June 1946) is a

Romanian-American Romanian Americans are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 478,278 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which are most ...

comic book 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 ...

and

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

creator, also known as an

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

and

book illustrator The illustration of manuscript books was well established in ancient times, and the tradition of the illuminated manuscript thrived in the West until the invention of printing. Other parts of the world had comparable traditions, such as the Pers ...

. A trained architect and a presence on the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

scene during the 1970s, he became a professional in the

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

genre with albums such as ''Galbar'', and was allegedly the only artist to have obtained a steady income in this way during the communist period. A prolific contributor to Romanian children's magazines, Florea had his activity curbed by communist censorship when he first publicized his intention of emigrating to the United States. He eventually left the country shortly after the 1989 Revolution, and soon after began collaborating with

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

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 ...

and other leading enterprises in the field of comic book publishing. He became especially noted for his activities as an inker, with contributions on series such as ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'', '' The Executioner'', '' X-Men: The End'', '' Batman R.I.P.'' and '' Batman: Battle for the Cowl''. Florea has maintained enduring contacts with his native country, and has taken an initiative in popularizing the

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

style in Romania. He has been described as one of the most successful among his colleagues, and claimed to be one of the most recognizable Romanians in his field.

Biography

Early life and career in Romania

Born in

Ghelari Ghelari ( hu, Gyalár) is a commune in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Ghelari, Govăjdia (''Govasdia''), Plop and Ruda.Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county ('' județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian, it is known as , in German as , and in Slovak as ...

, Sandu Florea first became interested in comics while in fifth grade, his first contact with the medium being through a copy of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

youth magazine '' Pif Vaillant''. Petrina Calabalic
"Cartoon Man"
, in '' Bănăţeanul'', 6 December 2004 This encounter, he recalled in a 2004 interview, left him with "an impression that cannot be erased", and "the wish that I myself could draw such appealing and interesting characters." Sandu Florea published his first comic strip in 1968, with ''Luminiţa'' children's magazine. It was a series centered on the anecdotal hero classic ''

Păcală Păcală (Romanian, from ''a păcăli'', "to dupe"; sometimes rendered Pâcală or Pîcală) is a fictional character in Romanian folklore, literature and humor. An irreverent young man, seemingly a peasant, he reserves contempt and irony for th ...

''.''Artistul Sandu Florea la Salonul European de Bandă Desenată''

Romanian Cultural Institute The Romanian Cultural Institute ( ro, Institutul Cultural Român, ICR), headquartered in Bucharest, was established in 2004 on the older institutional framework provided by the Romanian Cultural Foundation and before 1989 by the Institute for ...

release; retrieved 23 November 2011 In 1971, Florea graduated from

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

's Architectural College, and subsequently worked for a building design institute in his adoptive city of

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

. Before graduation, he had also published his first work in the comics genre, inspired by the folkloric tale of ''

'', and featured in a 1968 issue of ''Luminiţa'' magazine. After moving to Timișoara, he became a noted presence among the local

fan base, joining the

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Their collaboration produced the 1973 ''Galbar'', reportedly the first Romanian science fiction comic book."Florea, Sandu"
entry in Editura Nemira's ''Dicţionar SF'', 1999 (republished b
''Pro-Scris''

webzine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...

); retrieved 16 August 2009 In 1975, he and Timișoara native Marcel Luca published what is thought to be the first-ever Romanian

coloring book A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media ...

with a science fiction subject, ''Vreau să fiu cosmonaut'' ("I Want to be a

Cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

"), which reputedly sold 45,000 copies. By then, having received offers of collaboration from two publishing houses ( Editura Ion Creangă and Editura Facla), Florea settled back in Bucharest and focused exclusively on his work in comics and illustration. Said to have been the most prolific comic book author active during the communist period, he had his work featured in almost all of the children's periodicals in print at the time. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was creating and publishing comic books dedicated to popular legends, such as a retake on

Ion Creangă Ion Creangă (; also known as Nică al lui Ștefan a Petrei, Ion Torcălău and Ioan Ștefănescu; March 1, 1837 – December 31, 1889) was a Moldavian, later Romanian writer, raconteur and schoolteacher. A main figure in 19th-century Romania ...

's fantasy story ''

Harap Alb "Harap Alb" or "Harap-Alb" () is the protagonist as well as the title of a Romanian-language fairy tale by Ion Creangă, known in full as ''Povestea lui Harap Alb'' ("The Story of Harap Alb"). He is the youngest of three princes. "Harap Alb" r ...

'', or recounting episodes in

Romanian history This article covers the history and bibliography of Romania and links to specialized articles. Prehistory 34,950-year-old remains of modern humans with a possible Neanderthalian trait were discovered in present-day Romania when the '' Pe� ...

(involving

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus r ...

n rulers

Burebista Burebista ( grc, Βυρεβίστας, Βοιρεβίστας) was the king of the Getae and Dacian tribes from 82/61BC to 45/44BC. He was the first king who successfully unified the tribes of the Dacian kingdom, which comprised the area locat ...

and

Decebalus Decebalus (), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacians, Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a Rom ...

, Roman Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

, Cosmin Popan
"Batman, omorât în complicitate cu un român"
in ''

Cotidianul image:Cotidianul.png, The logo used between 2003 and 2007 ''Cotidianul'' (meaning ''The Daily'' in English) is a Romanian language newspaper published in Bucharest, Romania. History and profile Founded by Ion Raţiu, ''Cotidianul'' was first ...

'', 26 November 2008 and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...

). Several single-issue albums in this category were based on texts by

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

author Radu Theodoru, forming part of the series ''Strămoşii'' ("The Ancestors")."Sandu Florea (Romania)"
entry in

Lambiek Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

'
''Comiclopedia''
retrieved 16 August 2009 The full list includes: ''Cavalerul alb'' ("The White Knight"; Editura Facla, 1976), ''Călugăreni'' (referencing the

Battle of Călugăreni The Battle of Călugăreni was a battle in the history of early modern Romania. It took place on between the Wallachian army led by Michael the Brave and the Ottoman army led by Koca Sinan Pasha. It was part of the Long Turkish War, fough ...

; Editura Ion Creangă, 1977), ''Misiune de sacrificiu'' ("Suicidal Mission"; Editura Ion Creangă, 1979), ''În lumea lui Harap Alb'' ("Inside Harap Alb's World"; Editura Sport-Turism, 1979), ''Burebista, regele dacilor'' ("Burebista, King of the Dacians"; Editura Sport-Turism, 1980), ' ("Decebalus and Trajan"; Editura Sport-Turism, 1981), ' ("Carousel"; Editura Sport-Turism, 1982), ''Sarmizegetusa eroică'' ("Heroic Sarmizegetusa"; Editura Sport-Turism, 1983). Florea was also involved in creating Romania's own

Western comics Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books ...

, adapted from stories by Nicolae Frînculescu. These works received critical attention, both in Romania and abroad. ''În lumea lui Harap Alb'' earned him the a

Eurocon Eurocon is an annual science fiction convention held in Europe. The organising committee of each Eurocon is selected by vote of the participants of the previous event. The procedure is coordinated by the European Science Fiction Society. The first ...

award (1980).

Michael Hăulică Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

"Fantasy & Science Fiction. Premiile care au fost"
in ''

Observator Cultural ''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania. The magazine was started in 2000. The weekly publishes articles on Romania's cultural and arts scene as well as politica ...

'', Nr. 290, October 2005 This, literary critic

notes, made Florea one in a final wave of Romanian Eurocon laureates to have emerged under communism (also including writers

Vladimir Colin Vladimir Colin (; pen name of Jean Colin; May 1, 1921 – December 6, 1991) was a Romanian short story writer and novelist. One of the most important fantasy and science fiction authors in Literature of Romania, Romanian literature, whose mai ...

Ion Hobana Ion Hobana (25 January 1931, Sânnicolau Mare – 22 February 2011, Bucharest) was a Romanian science fiction writer, literary critic and ufologist Ufology ( ) is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe ...

and Gheorghe Săsărman). Florea also received attention from celebrated poet

Nichita Stănescu Nichita Stănescu (; born Nichita Hristea Stănescu; 31 March 1933 – 13 December 1983) was a Romanian poet and essayist. Biography Stănescu's father was Nicolae Hristea Stănescu (1908–1982). His mother, Tatiana Cereaciuchin, was Russian ...

, who discovered in ' an unclassifiable and imaginative work. The writer argued: " loreaintroduces mystery where we usually had happy-endings, imagination where there was lyricism and an indecisive epic where there was nothing. The book he calls ' ..is without precedent, in Romania and everywhere else." D. S.
"Poezie BD: un proiect Nichita Stănescu – Sandu Florea prinde viaţă la Muzeul Benzii Desenate"

Hotnews.ro HotNews is one of the oldest and biggest Romanian news sites focused mainly on general topics, finance, politics, and current affairs. The website constantly publishes news, interviews, video documentaries, and opinion pieces. As of February 20 ...

, 26 August 2011; retrieved 23 November 2011 In 1982, Stănescu began working with him on the album ''Semne şi desemne'' ("Signs and Designs"). Florea printed the

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

to go with the poems, but the project was cut short when Stănescu died (December 1983).

In the United States

The 1984-1989 interval was described by Florea as "one of the most difficult periods in my life." Having unsuccessfully demanded from communist authorities the right of leaving for the United States, where two of his siblings had already settled, Florea was exposed to political persecution, and the censorship apparatus lifted his right to publish, prompting him to contribute several comic strips under various pseudonyms. He returned to public attention after the 1989 Revolution, when he was briefly editor in chief of the new children's magazine '. With Frînculescu, he also founded another such publication, called ''Proteus''. Sandu Florea, his wife and two children eventually left for the United States in 1991, moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and afterward settling in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Dodo Niţă
"''Batman R.I.P.''"
, in Editura Nemira's ''Nautilus'', March 2009 Although initially discouraged by the competition among comic book artists, Florea recounts, he decided to contact Marvel recruiters within three months of his arrival, submitting a sample of his take on ''

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'') ...

''. According to his own statement, Conan proved compatible with his talents: "

e was E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plura ...

the only Marvel character who did not fly, did not breathe fire and did not use psychic waves to defeat his enemies, being instead armed with a giant sword and axe. Since I had been drawing many historical tales back in the old country, Conan was a character whom I could depict in drawing with relative ease." He was accepted by Marvel soon after this, specialized as an inker, and began working on several of its main releases, including, alongside ''Conan'', ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'' and the various spin-offs of ''

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

'', ''

Blackwulf Blackwulf (Lucian) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Wa ...

'', '' Elektra'', ''

Mighty Thor Thor Odinson is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Thor, Norse mythological god of the same name, the Asgard (comics), Asgardian List of thunder god ...

'', ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...

'' and ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

''. He also worked with

(on '' Superman Second Series'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

'', ''

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

'') and

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

, signing additional collaborations with

Innovation Publishing Innovation Publishing (also known as Innovation Books and the Innovative Corporation) was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US ...

, Vivid Comics (on '' The Executioner'') and

Chaos! Comics Chaos! Comics was a comic book publisher that operated from 1993 until 2002, mostly focusing on horror comics. Their titles included ''Lady Death'', ''Purgatori'', ''Evil Ernie'', ''Chastity'', ''Jade'', '' Bad Kitty'', and ''Lady Demon''. Chaos! ...

(''

Lady Death Lady Death is a fictional goddess appearing in American comic books published by Coffin Comics. Created by Brian Pulido, Lady Death first appeared in ''Evil Ernie'' #1 in December 1991. Lady Death then reappeared in the ''Evil Ernie: The Resur ...

'', ''

Undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as w ...

''). Among the significant miniseries to which he contributed as an inker are '' X-Men: The End'' (2004–2006), '' Batman R.I.P.'' (2008), and '' Batman: Battle for the Cowl'' (2009). His work with Dark Horse included ''

'' and ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

''. His artistic production also touched other media: Florea created

storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...

s and other graphics for the motion picture producers

Full Moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...

, as well as book illustrations for ''

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

''.

2000s initiatives

Florea was selected honorary president of the Romanian Association of Comic Book Fans in 2001. Speaking in 2004, he expressed interest in relaunching the native comic book genre in his native country, and in publishing a new children's periodical with original content. In 2006, he participated in the relaunch of ', in a version argued by Hăulică to have been "professional under any definition."

"Fantasy & Science Fiction. Ah, BD!"
in ''

'', Nr. 315, April 2006 The publication, which went out of print after only two issues due to distribution problems, included

Romanian-language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in t ...

reprints of American comics such as ''Conan the Barbarian'' and ''

Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

'', alongside original collaborations between Florea and his Romanian colleagues: ''Două paloşe'' ("Two

Backsword A backsword is a type of sword characterised by having a single-edged blade and a hilt with a single-handed grip. It is so called because the triangular cross section gives a flat back edge opposite the cutting edge. Later examples often have a ...

s", with Florea as artist and György Györfi-Deák as writer), ''Ultima frontieră'' ("The Final Frontier", text by Florea, Marian Mirescu and Eddie Pandele, drawings by Daniel Rizea and Cătălin Gospodin), ''Toxic'' (text by Florea, drawings by Tudor Popa), ''Leviathan'' (written by Cristian Lăzărescu, illustrated by Florea).

"Fantasy & Science Fiction. BD"
in ''

'', Nr. 273, June 2005 The magazine also featured ''Borderland'', a comic series conceived especially for a Romanian public by writer

John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 200 ...

and illustrated by Florea, depicting the confrontation between three worlds: of the Mortals, of Magic and of the Demons. Around the same time, Sandu Florea also began contributing to various Romanian

s, such as ''Pro-Scris'', ''Imagikon'' and ''Paradox''—the latter of which published his strip ''Fortăreaţa'', based on a short story by Ovidiu Bufnilă. Several aspects related to the artist's new Romanian ventures were however criticized by Michael Hăulică. He argued that ''Toxic'' in particular was "weak and obvious", and noted that, in its featured edition, the text of ''Borderland'' evidenced its translator's poor command of the Romanian language. These initiatives helped cement the artist's reputation in Romania. Sandu Florea claims to be "The only Romanian professional graphic artist who has managed to make a living exclusively out of his drawings, in the old country as well as ..in America." Dodo Niţă, a historiographer of Romanian comics and Florea's colleague at ', placed ''În lumea lui Harap Alb'' as fifth among an all-time chart of original Romanian works in the genre. According to a 2008 piece in the Romanian daily ''

Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name means "today's even (news)". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nistorescu and Mihai Cârciog, an ...

'', Florea shares the distinction of "best known Romanian comic book artist" with

Mircea Arapu Mircea is a Romanian language, Romanian masculine given name, a form of the South Slavic name Mirče (Мирче) that derives from the Slavic word ''mir'', meaning 'peace'. It may refer to: People Princes of Wallachia * Mircea I of Wallachi ...

, the latter being known for his contribution in Francophone comics. An annual Romanian comic book

fan convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

in Constanţa awards the Sandu Florea Prize to artists with a long contribution in their field. George Onofrei
"Lucian Amarii a cîştigat Premiul ''Sandu Florea'' pentru BD. JUP caută pentru benzile desenate editori curajoşi şi fără prejudecăţi"
, in

Polirom Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and a ...

's ''Suplimentul de Cultură'', Nr. 203, November 2008 In 2010, Florea was guest of honor at the European Comic Strip Salon, organized by the

(ICR) at the

National Theater Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest ( ro, Teatrul Naţional "Ion Luca Caragiale" București) is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Gra ...

. He exhibited his work, including the never before seen ''Semne şi desemne'' collection, at the Bucharest "Comic Book Museum" exhibit, jointly organized by the ICR and the

Belgian Comic Strip Center The Belgian Comic Strip Center (french: Centre belge de la Bande dessinée; nl, Belgisch Stripcentrum) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to Belgian comics. It is located at 20, /, in an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta, ...

in 2011.

References

External links

* *
Contributions by and about Sandu Florea
i
''Pro-Scris''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Florea, Sandu American comics artists American comics writers American illustrators Romanian architects Romanian illustrators Romanian comics artists Romanian comics writers Romanian lithographers Romanian magazine founders Comics inkers People from Hunedoara County Censorship in Romania Romanian emigrants to the United States Living people Dacia in art 1946 births