Alfonso Azpiri Mejía (17 January 1947 − August 18, 2017) was a Spanish
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 panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
artist, whose work was mainly of the adult variety.
Biography
Azpiri was born in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...
. His early work was published in the 1970s and was mainly aimed at the Italian market which then welcomed stories containing a mixture of horror, sex and nudity. Azpiri's work, drawn in a comical style, featured amply breasted women getting involved with
werewolves
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
,
mummies
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fur ...
,
vampires
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
and the Frankenstein monster.
His work has been translated and published in a number of magazines, including '' Heavy Metal'' and '' Penthouse Comix''. His style is easily recognisable, especially his lavishly elegant and sensual, pouting females.
He has been mainly involved in the
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
genre, often with a decidedly erotic slant. His fantasy stories range from
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ...
to the 1001 Arabian Nights type. He also raises the issue of conflict between peoples, such as in science fiction stories where the inhabitants of soon-to-be colonised planets are massacred so that humans from Earth can move in.
One of his most recurring characters is Lorna, a Barbarella-like space adventurer who travels the galaxy accompanied by two droids, the
R2-D2
R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
-like ADL and the
C-3PO
C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to a ...
-like Arnold.De icono erótico de cómic a heroína de videojuego in elmundo.es Arnold's main function is to satisfy the ever-passionate Lorna whenever there are no human males, females or suitably endowed aliens available. Lorna`s principal enemy, the crime lord Mouse, bears some resemblance to
Jabba the Hutt
Jabba Desilijic Tiure, more commonly known as Jabba the Hutt, is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Created by George Lucas, Jabba is voiced by Larry Ward with several puppeteers inside a one-ton puppet po ...
.
Less adult-oriented, and suitable for younger readers, was '' Mot'', the adventures of a boy called Leo who finds himself plagued by a large, friendly but cumbersome and destructive monster. This was turned into a cartoon series and broadcast on France's
Canal Plus
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several k ...
.
Azpiri's other productions include '' Chang'', telling the adventures of a
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
and detective.
Both Lorna and Mot were featured in video games, ''Lorna'' by Topo Soft and ''Mot'' by Opera Soft.
In 2012 he collaborated with the comic book Hero Seeds, drawing two covers of the comics and several drawings in the same comics.
English bibliography
* ''Black Hawk'' (in ''
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...
'', 1979–80)
* ''Reflections'' (1993)
* ''Sensations'' (2000, art book)
* ''Wet Dreams'' (2001)
* ''Wet Dreams II: The Players'' (2006)
Lorna
* ''Lorna and Her Robot'' (1981)
* ''The New Adventures of Lorna and Her Robot'' (1984)
* ''Mouse Club'' (1996)
* ''Leviathan'' (1998)
* ''The Ark'' (1999)
* ''The Eye of Dart an Gor'' (2006)
* ''The Black Castle'' (2008)
Bethlehem Steele (in ''Penthouse Comix'', 1994–1995)
* ''Pirate Hearts'' (by
Garry Leach
Garry Leach (19 September 1954 – 26 March 2022) was a British comics artist and publisher.
Biography
Garry Leach's early work for ''2000 AD'' included mainly one-off stories featuring ''Dan Dare'' and ''M.A.C.H. 1''.Web site