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 maga ...
); 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
Editura Ion Creangă () was a publishing house based in Bucharest, Romania. Founded as a state-run company under communist rule and named after the 19th-century writer Ion Creangă, it ranked high among Romanian publishers of children's literatu ...
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 Ro ...
's
fantasy story ''
Harap Alb'', 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 ''Peș ...
(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 ...
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 loc ...
and
Decebalus
Decebalus (), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last 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 Roman invas ...
,
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 presid ...
,
[ Cosmin Popan]
"Batman, omorât în complicitate cu un român"
in ''Cotidianul
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 published on 10 May 1 ...
'', 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 s ...
n
Prince
A prince is a Monarch, 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 title, hereditary, in s ...
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 ...
author
Radu Theodoru
Radu may refer to:
People
* Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name
* Radu (surname), Romanian surname
* Rulers of Wallachia, see
* Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne
Other uses
* Radu ( ...
, forming part of the series ''Strămoşii'' ("The Ancestors").
["Sandu Florea (Romania)"](_blank)
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, fought b ...
; 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]
"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
Michael Hăulică 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 Romanian literature, whose main works are known on se ...
,
Ion Hobana and
Gheorghe Săsărman Gheorghe is a Romanian given name and surname. It is a variant of George, also a name in Romanian but with soft Gs. It may refer to:
Given name
* Gheorghe Adamescu
* Gheorghe Albu
* Gheorghe Alexandrescu
* Gheorghe Andriev
* Gheorghe Apostol
* ...
).
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 ...
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
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...
, 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and afterward settling in
Long Island.
[ 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 (alphabet), letter and the second vowel#Written vowels, vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worl ...
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 publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney C ...
'', ''
Elektra
Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology.
Electra or Elektra may also refer to:
Greek mythology
*Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades
* Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo
* Electra (Oc ...
'', ''
Mighty Thor'', ''
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 appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...
'', ''
Doctor Strange'', ''
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 ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to ...
''.
He also worked with
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 their f ...
(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 the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...
'',
''
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 Boo ...
'', ''
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.
Althoug ...
'')
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 ...
, 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 Res ...
'', ''
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 ...
'').
Among the significant miniseries to which he contributed as an inker are ''
X-Men: The End'' (2004–2006),
''
Batman R.I.P.
Batman R.I.P. is an American comic book story arc published in ''Batman'' #676–681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against the Black Glove organ ...
'' (2008),
and ''
Batman: Battle for the Cowl'' (2009).
His work with Dark Horse included ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer''
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 inc ...
''.
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, in th ...
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 longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This mean ...
, 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 ...
''.
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."
[ Michael Hăulică]
"Fantasy & Science Fiction. Ah, BD!"
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. 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 i ...
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 extrat ...
'', 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).
[ Michael Hăulică]
"Fantasy & Science Fiction. BD"
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. 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 20 ...
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
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 maga ...
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, and ...
'', Florea shares the distinction of "best known Romanian comic book artist" with
Mircea Arapu, 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
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 ...
(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'' (" ...
.
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''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 maga ...
{{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