Jose Gonzalez
From Hey Kids Comics
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early career[edit | edit source]
José Gonzalez started his career at the age of 17 working on Rosas Blancas and Brigitte for the company Editorial Toray. He joined the agency Selecciones Illustrada in 1960 and drew romance comics for Fleetway. Gonzalez also worked as a pin-up artist during this time for the international market.
Vampirella[edit | edit source]
Due to his connections with S.I., Gonzalez started working for Warren Publishing in 1971. Jim Warren described his reaction to seeing Gonzalez's art in 'The Warren Companion':
The minute I took one look at Pepe Gonzalez's artwork, I knew we had it! We survived 12 issues but there it was. This is what I wanted for the first issue but couldn't put together. Starting with issue 12 in 1971, Gonzalez became the primary artist for the character Vampirella. Comics historian David Roach discusses the reaction to Gonzalez's art on Vampirella in 'The Warren Companion':
His first "Vampirella" strip appeared one year later in Vampirella #12 and caused an immediate sensation. Here was the same glamour and sophistication that had worked so well in Britain applied to a character of enormous potential but hitherto little direction. The cover of #19 featured Gonzalez's memorable full figure painting of Vampirella, a bat balanced on her outstretched hand, which came to symbolize the character on everything from posters to books to stickers and pillows. It was an icon, as a pin-up for adolescents (of all ages) that his vision of her worked best since her strips, particularly in the early day, failed to live up to their potential. Gonzalez received immediate acclaim for his work on Vampirella, and his first story won the Warren Award for best art in a story in 1971. Gonzalez drew the Vampirella story for every issue from issue 12 through issue 34. He won another Warren Award in 1974 for best art on a story for his work in issue 33.
By mid-1974, Gonzalez's output for Vampirella reduced and multiple fill in artists including Jose Ortiz and Leopold Sanchez contributed Vampirella stories. Gonzalez would remain as the primary artist for Vampirella for the next few years, but by 1977 he shared duties with artist Gonzalo Mayo. Warren would also reprint the three part series "Herma", which had been originally drawn in 1974 in issues 8-10 of 1984. After issue 82 of Vampirella in 1979, Gonzalez ceased drawing for Warren, except for one page pin-up contributions (which had started appearing with issue 39 in 1975) which were printed on the Contents page. Gonzalez would return to Warren in 1982 and would draw stories for Vampirella in the final 6 non-reprint issues of the title until Warren's bankruptcy. From 1971 through 1983, Gonzalez drew 58 stories for Warren Publishing, putting him in the top 10 most prolific artists at the company. He drew 53 total strips of Vampirella, making him that title's most prolific artist.
Art Credits[edit | edit source]
3 total covers
59 total stories
33 total frontis
Vampirella[edit | edit source]
- Death's Dark Angel - Vampirella 12 (1971)
- The Origin of Vampirella - Vampirella 1972 Annual (1971)
- The Lurker in the Deep - Vampirella 13 (1971)
- Isle of the Huntress - Vampirella 14 (1971)
- The Resurrection of Papa Voodoo! - Vampirella 15 (1972)
- ...And Be A Bride of Chaos - Vampirella 16 (1972)
- ...Beware, Dreamers! - Vampirella 17 (1972)
- Dracula Still Lives! - Vampirella 18 (1972)
- Shadow of Dracula - Vampirella 19 (1972)
- When Wakes the Dead - Vampirella 20 (1972)
- Slitherers of the Sand! - Vampirella 21 (1972)
- Hell From On High - Vampirella 22 (1973)
- The Blood Queen of Bayou Parish! - Vampirella 23 (1973)
- Into the Inferno! - Vampirella 24 (1973)
- What Price Love? - Vampirella 25 (1973)
- Demons in the Fog - Vampirella 26 (1973)
- Return Trip - Vampirella 27 (1973)
- The Curse of the Macdaemons! - Vampirella 28 (1973)
- The Undead of the Deep! - Vampirella 29 (1973)
- The God of Blood! - Vampirella 30 (1974)
- The Betrothed of the Sun-God! - Vampirella 31 (1974)
- The Running Red - Vampirella 32 (1974)
- Vampirella and the Sultana's Revenge - Vampirella 33 (1974)
- The Carnival of Death - Vampirella 34 (1974)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 36 (1974) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Farewell - Vampirella 36 (1974) (Frontis)
- She Who Waits! - Vampirella 37 (1974)
- The Mummy's Revenge - Vampirella 38 (1974)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 39 (1975) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Farewell - Vampirella 39 (1975) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 40 (1975) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 41 (1975) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 42 (1975) (Frontis)
- The Mountain of Skulls - Vampirella 42 (1975)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 43 (1975) (Frontis)
- Vampirella - Vampirella 43 (1975)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 44 (1975) (Frontis)
- Blood for the Dancing Sorcerer - Vampirella 44 (1975)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 49 (1976) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 50 (1976) (Frontis)
- Call Me Panther! - Vampirella 50 (1976)
- The Human Marketplace - Vampirella 53 (1976)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 54 (1976) (Frontis)
- The Corpse With the Missing Mind - Vampirella 55 (1976)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 56 (1976) (Frontis)
- The Headless Horseman of All-Hallows Eve! - Vampirella 56 (1976)
- City of Ghosts - Vampirella 57 (1977)
- Lenore - Vampirella 58 (1977)
- Pendragon's Last Bow - Vampirella 59 (1977)
- The Return of the Blood Red Queen - Vampirella 60 (1977)
- An Eye for an Eye - Vampirella 61 (1977)
- Starpatch Quark & Mother Blitz - Vampirella 62 (1977)
- The Mad King of Drakulon - Vampirella 65 (1977)
- To Be A Bride in Death - Vampirella 66 (1978)
- The Glorious Return of Sweet Baby Theda - Vampirella 67 (1978)
- Orphee, Poor Orphee - Vampirella 68 (1978)
- The Case of the Connected Clowns and the Collector! - Vampirella 71 (1978)
- The Beauty and the Behemoth - Vampirella 72 (1978)
- Cover - Vampirella 75 (1979)
- The Blob Beast of Blighter's Bog - Vampirella 75 (1979)
- Curse of the Pasha's Princess - Vampirella 76 (1979)
- Cover - Vampirella 82 (1979)
- The Lost Soul of Adam Van Helsing - Vampirella 82 (1979)
- Cover - Vampirella 83 (1979)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 85 (1980) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 86 (1980) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 87 (1980) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 91 (1980) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 94 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 95 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 96 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 97 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 100 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 101 (1981) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 102 (1982) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 103 (1982) (Frontis)
- The Last Prince! - Vampirella 103 (1982)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 104 (1982) (Frontis)
- The Wax House! - Vampirella 104 (1982)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 106 (1982) (Frontis)
- A Love Blessed in Hell - Vampirella 106 (1982)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 107 (1982) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 108 (1982) (Frontis)
- Spawn of the Star Beast - Vampirella 108 (1982)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 109 (1982) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 110 (1982) (Frontis)
- A Feast of Fear - Vampirella 110 (1982)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 111 (1983) (Frontis)
- Vampirella Introduction - Vampirella 112 (1983) (Frontis)
- The Walker of the Worlds - Vampirella 112 (1983)