José Delbo 1933 - 2024

 

 Photo montage by CBR.

José Delbo, a comic book artist best known for his work on Wonder Woman and The Transformers series, passed away at the age of 90. 

 

"The Monkees" #8 (January 1968)

Via CBR:

 

"Born in Argentina, Delbo began his career as a professional comic book artist when he was just 16 years old, drawing the Argentine Western comic book, Pancho Negro. In 1963, due to political instability in Argentina, Delbo moved to Brazil, and then two years later, he moved to the United States. His work as a Western comic book artist in Argentina led to him working in Westerns for Charlton Comics in the United States, most notably a long run on Billy the Kid.

"It was his Western work that got him his first gig working for Dell Comics, as well, as he was hired to draw Dell's comic book adaptation of the TV series, The Big Valley, in 1967. His work on that series led to work on a number of Dell's other TV adaptation comics, with Delbo drawing comic books based on Hogan's Heroes, The Monkees, Gentle Ben, The Mod Squad, The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, The Young Rebels and The Young Lawyers.

"In the early 1970s, with his Billy the Kid run coming to a close, Delbo began to work for DC, including a few issues of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, following Jack Kirby's iconic run on that series. Delbo then became the regular artist on Wonder Woman at the end of 1975, continuing to draw the book until the early 1980s.

"During that timeframe, Delbo also drew a number of other features for DC in anthologies, like Superman Family, Batman Family and World's Finest Comics. Briefly, Delbo became the regular artist on the main Superman/Batman feature in World's Finest Comics before he left DC after 1985.

"Delbo moved to Marvel, where he began to work on Marvel's licensed comic books. First, he drew the Thundercats series, but then he moved over to an acclaimed run on Transformers in the late 1980s..."

"Transformers" #41 (Marvel, June 1988)

 

 MakersPlace:

 

"In the 90s, Delbo continued creating comics many of which, such as Captain Planet and the Planeteers, reflected the new attitude of environmentalism that overtook the world at this time. He continued to work on beloved cartoon classics like Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, Little Mermaid and the Mighty Ducks. He also drew the NFL Superpro hero who teamed up with Spider-man to fight crime in the big city.

"It was during these years that Delbo ventured into the profession of teaching at The Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey. He later went on to found 'Cartoon Camp' for young cartoonists which was originally housed at the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Florida. Delbo’s attention to detail and high expectations made a lasting impression on many of his students. One former student Jim Keefe fondly recalls his classes with Delbo stating:

'José Delbo was a great teacher because he wouldn’t let an inferior drawing slide. When you got a compliment or a good grade from him you knew it was well deserved.'

"Today, Delbo’s work hangs in museums and private collections around the world. He’s been the recipient of a number of awards, including Comic-Con’s coveted Ink Pot Award for a lifetime of service to the comics industry. Artworks in his traditional comic style are highly coveted by collectors, with Wonder Woman #256 Cover Original Art auctioning for $3884 and Wonder Woman #246 Page 1 Original Art auctioning for $2886. José Delbo continues to create, but has taken to a new medium (and greater heights). Instead of illustrating handheld comic books, Delbo’s artwork is now magnified on six foot tall painted murals."

 

 Many good links over at The Daily Cartoonist, including this announcement from his family:

"Today we lost a legend of a father, grandfather, husband, and artist. [Jose Delbo] was as kind and as noble a man as there could be. He left a legacy that we can only hope we are blessed with leaving behind ourselves.

"I know that being able to continue to produce art until the very end brought him such an immense amount of joy through all the difficult times. Even in his recent sickness, he worked on completing and minting a new collection that he wanted to share with the world."