José Antonio Muñoz or simply Muñoz (born July 10, 1942) is an Argentine

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 comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

. He is most notable for his influential black-and-white artwork. His hardboiled

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s series ''Alack Sinner'' (with writer Carlos Sampayo) is a noted source for

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'', for which he created the character Elektra, and ...

's ''

Sin City ''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir Comic book, comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Prese ...

'' and the artwork in '' 100 Bullets'' by

Eduardo Risso Eduardo Risso (born 23 November 1959) is an Argentines, Argentine comics artist. In the United States he is best known for his work with writer Brian Azzarello on the Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo title ''100 Bullets'', while in Argentina and Eur ...

Biography

Muñoz was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He studied at the Escuela Panamericana de Arte under

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), better known as Hugo Pratt, was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as '' Corto Maltese''. He was indu ...

and

Alberto Breccia Alberto Breccia (April 15, 1919 – November 10, 1993) was a Uruguayan-born Argentine artist and cartoonist. His son Enrique Breccia and daughter Patricia Breccia are also comic book artists. Comic book author Frank Miller considers Breccia a ...

, and worked as an assistant to

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

. In 1972 he moved to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and then to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and began a collaboration with Argentine writer Carlos Sampayo which produced, among others, the detective series ''Alack Sinner'' (sometimes misspelled "Allack Sinner") and its spin-offs ''Joe's Bar'' and ''Sophie'', as well as a comics biography of

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

. His style is characterised by a sharp line, heavy

chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

, and exaggerated, sometimes grotesque, faces and figures. His work has had a strong influence on Argentine

, his teacher. Also British artists

Dave McKean David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an England, English artist. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpture. McKean has illustrated works by authors such as S. F. Said, S.F. Said, ...

and

Warren Pleece Warren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and the 2012–16 Irish novel series '' Zom-B''. Biography Warren, with his brother Gary Pleece, wrote and drew three issues of a self-pub ...

, and US artists

(for part of his ''

'' style) and

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

. The cartoonist and critic

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. His non-fiction books about comics, ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (2006), are made in comic ...

, in ''

Understanding Comics ''Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art'' is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in ...

'' (1993), wrote that "in José Muñoz's work, dense puddles of ink and fraying linework combine to evoke a world of depravity and morbid decay".

Awards

* 1978: Best Foreign Realistic Work at the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

* 1983: Best Comic Book at the Angoulême International Comics Festival * 1994:

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for Best American Edition of Foreign Material * 2002: Special Prize for outstanding life’s work at the

Max & Moritz Prizes The Max und Moritz Award ( German:Max und Moritz-Preis), also known as the Max & Moritz Prize , is a prize for comic books, comic strips, and other similar materials. It has been awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows of Erla ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* 2007: Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, France * 2010:

U Giancu's Prize The International Cartoonists Exhibition, known familiarly as Rapalloonia, is an annual comics festival held in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy. Founded in 1972, Rapalloonia is one of the oldest Italian exhibitions devoted to comics. Conceived in orde ...

International Cartoonists Exhibition The International Cartoonists Exhibition, known familiarly as Rapalloonia, is an annual comics festival held in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy. Founded in 1972, Rapalloonia is one of the oldest Italian exhibitions devoted to comics. Conceived in orde ...

, Rappollo, Italy * 2022: Platinum

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The p ...

for his work in the last decade, Konex Foundation, Argentina.

References

External links

José Muñoz official website

on Lambiek Comiclopedia

(French and English editions)
Large Muñoz illustrated bibliography
(but sorted by last-reprint dates instead of original years) *

José Muñoz 2008 on OC-TV.net Career-wide selected art samples (French editions) (Years from artist's signature or original publication, not later reprints)
1983 page from ''Sudor Sudaca''

1987 page from ''Joe's Bar: Friendly Stories''

1988 page from ''Alack Sinner: Nicaragua''

1988 page from ''Play of Lights''

1991 page from ''Billie Holiday''

1999 page from ''Panna Maria''

2003 page from ''Backfires''

2004 page from ''The Book''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Jose Antonio 1942 births Living people Artists from Buenos Aires Argentine comics artists Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême winners