Alex Niño

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Alex Niño

Born	May 1, 1940 (1940-05-01) (age 68) The Philippines

Alex Niño (born May 1, 1940) is a Filipino comic book artist best known for his work for the American publishers DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Warren Publishing, and in Heavy Metal magazine.

1 Biography
2 Quotes
3 Bibliography
4 References
5 Footnotes
6 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and career

Niño panels from "The Invisible Man" in Graphic Classics: H.G. Wells (1974)

Born in Tarlac^[1] or Luzon,^[2] The Philippines, the son of a professional photographer, Alex Niño studied medicine briefly at the University of Manila before leaving in 1959^[3] to pursue his childhood goal of becoming a comics artist. In 1965, after studying under artist Jess Jodloman, Niño collaborated with Clodualdo del Mundo to create the feature "Kilabot Ng Persia" ("The Terror of Persia") for Pilipino Komiks. Niño and Marcelo B. Isidro later created the feature "Dinoceras" for Redondo Komiks. Other Valry Philippine work includes the series Gruaga - The Fifth Corner of the World for Pioneer Komiks; the feature "Mga Matang Nagliliyab" ("The Eyes that Glow in the Dark") with Isidro for Alcala Komiks; and for PSG Publications, stories of Bruhilda Witch, which were adapted into movies.^[1]

Niño was among the vanguard of Philippine comics artists — including Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, and Gerry Talaoc — recruited for American comic books by DC Comics editor Joe Orlando and editor-in-chief Carmine Infantino in 1971, following the success of the pioneering Tony DeZuniga. Niño's earliest U.S. comics credit is penciling and inking the nine-page story "To Die for Magda" in DC Comics' House of Mystery #204 (July 1972) written by Carl Wessler. Niño was soon contributing regularly to such other DC supernatural anthologies as companion title House of Secrets and Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, Secrets of Sinister House, Weird War Tales, Weird Mystery Tales, and Witching Hour. He also drew the jungle-adventure feature "Korak" in some issues of DC's Tarzan. Except for one story for Gold Key Comics' Mystery Comics Digest #17 (May 1974), Niño, who moved to the U.S. in 1974, drew comics exclusively for DC through the beginning of 1975.

With writer-editor Robert Kanigher, Niño created DC's 19th-century Caribbean-pirate protagonist Captain Fear in Adventure Comics #425 (Dec. 1972). Niño and writer Jack Oleck created the science-fiction feature "Space Voyagers" in Rima, the Jungle Girl #1 (May 1974).

[edit] Marvel Comics

After drawing some house ads and a frontispiece for two of Marvel Comics' black-and-white comics magazines, Niño teamed with writer-editor Roy Thomas on a 17-page adaptation of the Harlan Ellison short story "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" in the black-and-white Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #3 (May 1975). This led to a high-profile, 30-page Conan the Barbarian tale, "People of the Dark" in The Savage Sword of Conan #6 (June 1975), also with Thomas, and a 23-page adaptation of the Michael Moorcock novel Behold the Man, with writer Doug Moench in Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #6 (Nov. 1975).

Niño made his color-comics debut with the company with Marvel Classics Comics #2 (1976), adapting with writer Otto Binder the H. G. Wells novel The Time Machine. Niño would draw adaptations of Moby-Dick and The Three Musketeers as well, but did little else for Marvel's color comics, inking two issues of the Luke Cage series Power Man and a "Weirdworld" story in Marvel Premiere #38 (Sept. 1977).

Heavy Metal vol. 1, #11 (Feb. 1978). Cover art by Niño

[edit] Warren and Heavy Metal

Niño instead found his niche in the mature-audience horror and science-fiction/fantasy fare of Warren Publishing's black-and-white comics magazines Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella, and HM Communications' pioneering Heavy Metal, a color comics magazine that blended imported European art-comics with new American work. From 1977 through 1984, Niño drew numerous stories, covers, and incidental art for those publishers, mixed with very occasional stories for DC Comics' supernatural-anthology titles, and some minor work for the short-lived Archie Comics superhero titles The Comet and Shield - Steel Sterling

Later 1980s work includes issues of DC's Thriller and The Omega Men, New Comics Group's Asylum, World of Young Master Special, and Demon Blade, and Fantagor Press' Den. Niño both wrote and drew a single-issue occult adventure, Alex Niño Nightmare #1 (Dec. 1989), for Innovation Comics.

[edit] Later life and career

Essentially leaving comics for four years after this, Niño returned to do minor work for Dark Horse Comics' Dark Horse Presents, Continuity Comics' Shaman and Big Entertainment's John Jakes' Mullkon Empire #4, and to re-team with writer Roy Thomas for the 37-page Conan the Barbarian story "Lions of Corinthia" in The Savage Sword of Conan #228 (Dec. 1994). Leaving comics again the following year, Niño returned in 1999 to write and draw a story each in Quantum Cat Entertainment's Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated #7-8 (July & Sept. 1999).

Closing credits, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

Niño last original comics work is drawing Bliss On Tap Publishing's single-issue God the Dyslexic Dog #1 (July 2004) — while his last published work as of 2007 is, ironically, his first American comic-book story, 1972's "To Die for Magda" (see above), reprinted in DC Comics' 556-page, black-and-white trade paperback collection Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery, Volume 2.

He also provided artwork for the 1987 animated television series Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light.

[edit] Quotes

Artist Whilce Portacio: "I was exposed to Alex Niño's super-stylized artwork and that had a major influence on me. The design sense and the limitless imagination of Alex Niño really got me inspired to let my creative side imagine new worlds and characters.^[4]

[edit] Bibliography

Book-cover / interior illustrations for:

Satan's Tears: The Art of Alex Nino (The Land of Enchantment, 1977)
Alex Niño Drawings (Stuart Ng Books, 2005)

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Weird Heroes: Vol. 1 (Berkley Publishing Group, 1975)
Weird Heroes: Vol. 3: Quest of the Gypsy (Pyramid Books, 1976)
Moby Dick (Pendulum Press / Now Age Illustrated, 1973) ISBN-10 0883010992, ISBN-13 978-0883010990
- Reissued (Educational Insights, 1998) ISBN-10 1567672353, ISBN-13 978-1567672350
Graphic Classics Volume 3: H. G. Wells (Pendulum Press / Now Age Illustrated, 1974)
- Reissued (Eureka Productions, 2002) ISBN-10 0971246432, ISBN-13 978-0971246430
Rebel Spy (Be an Interplanetary Spy) (Bantam Books, 1984) ISBN-10 0553241982, ISBN-13 978-0553241983
The Vulgmaster (Tales of the One-Eyed Crow) (Roc, 1991) ISBN-10 0451450884, ISBN-13 978-0451450883
The Orc's Treasure (I Books, 2006) ISBN-10 0743479432, ISBN-13 978-0743479431