http://www.newsfromme.com.../10/tony-dezuniga-r-i-p/
The co-creator of JONAH HEX and BLACK ORCHID has passed on.
Despite having a ton of his work as a finisher on SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, and inker on a multitude of series (including INFINITY INC.), I'll always best remember Tony for those times he did full art (pencils & inks), including a SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL story in the B&W RAMPAGING HULK magazine. Also, he inked close to a year of SPIDER-WOMAN over Carmine Infantino, which was absolutely gorgeous, and a surprisingly good fit. Never would have imagined that combo working as well as it did, and I wish it had lasted much longer.
The co-creator of JONAH HEX and BLACK ORCHID has passed on.
Despite having a ton of his work as a finisher on SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, and inker on a multitude of series (including INFINITY INC.), I'll always best remember Tony for those times he did full art (pencils & inks), including a SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL story in the B&W RAMPAGING HULK magazine. Also, he inked close to a year of SPIDER-WOMAN over Carmine Infantino, which was absolutely gorgeous, and a surprisingly good fit. Never would have imagined that combo working as well as it did, and I wish it had lasted much longer.
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Rest in peace. Pages on him can be found here and here. More of his art can be found in the cover-gallery for Arak, Son of Thunder at the GCD. He pencilled and inked the covers from ##38-50, and they are classy and striking (he also did most of the stories during that period).
Jonah Hex is legacy enough for any artist. But Tony de Zuñiga left a long body of work in an unmistakable style that's all his own.
I remember an early house ad for the Jonah Hex feature before it debuted in All-Star Western (seen here at Dial B for Blog) that made Hex look more of a hulking brute that the character we know and love -- especially with that gunbelt and holster draped over his shoulder.
I saw Mr. de Zuñiga's work on any number of DC Western stories, as well as some DC horror work and in Marvel's black-and-white line. One of my favorites is a classic Conan the Barbarian tale from Savage Sword of Conan, reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #23.
But, of course, Mr. de Zuñiga got older, and lost a step or two. One of his last works was Jonah Hex: No Way Back, the first original Hex graphic novel. I must confess, I was disappointed in the art; it seemed pencils and inks both were too much for Mr. de Zuñiga to handle. But in any event, I hold him and his work in the highest regard and regret his passing.
Rest in Peace, Tony.
The comics world is far richer for his presence, both for his own considerable artistic contributions (Jonah Hex has one of the most recognizable designs in comics), but also for the doors he opened for other Filipino artists at DC, like Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, Alex Nino, and more.
I only knew him from Black Orchid, which I really liked. Looking it up just now I was surprised how few issues of Adventure Comics she appeared in. I didn't realized she has a much longer (though still pretty short) run in Phantom Stranger. Never got into her 1988 reboot but I liked her as originally conceived. I enjoyed his work on her. As little as it was.
Andy