Conan Saga #31: "Red Sonja"

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A line on a piece of paper. Anyone can do it, but only a select few can conjure whole worlds with a few strokes of a pen. Alex Toth, certainly. Joe Kubert, for sure. The list of true illustrative geniuses however is a short one, and only those born with a silver pen in their hand are destined to rise above the rest. For over four decades now, there has been one who can be called an illustrator's illustrator. The gentleman's name is Esteban Maroto.

Born in Madrid, Spain in 1942, Esteban's career began in earnest as he apprenticed in the early 1960s under Manuel López Blanco. There, the "Adventures of the F.B.I." served as a springboard, enabling the young Maroto to create his own studio, and get involved in the burgeoning British comic market. Within a few short years, Esteban was both writing and illustrating stories that took full advantage of his outstanding abilities. Like the similar revolution that was taking place at Marvel Comics in the late sixties, the artist was becoming a bigger star than the character he was illustrating, and Maroto was on the fast track to stardom.

This story picks up where Conan Saga #8 left off in the previous post, which can be read by clicking here. With Esteban Maroto on pencils and Neal Adams on inks, it doesn't get any better than this!



Credits

Cover painting: Earl Norem
Script: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Esteban Maroto
Inks: Neal Adams & Ernie Chan (as Ernie Chua)

Reprinted:

• from Savage Sword of Conan, The (Marvel, 1974 series) #1 (August 1974).

• in Marvel Feature (Marvel 1975 series) #1 (November 1975).
• in Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel, 1974 series) #83 (December 1982).
• in Adventures of Red Sonja, The (Dynamite Entertainment, 2005 series) #1.
• in Conan Saga (Marvel, 1987 series) #31 (November 1989).
  

Zero Patrol #2: (Esteban Maroto art)

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Download Legionarios Del Espacio #2







Zero Patrol is an adaptation of Esteban Maroto's 30-year old action/adventure series originally published in Spanish under the title "Cinco Por Infinito" ("Five For Infinity"). Neal Adams reworked some of the panels and story elements and re-dialogued the series to come up with a somewhat new story.

The Zero Patrol consists of five people whose lives are altered when they are endowed with extra-normal powers and abilities; they become intergalactic guardians who travel among the stars, saving damsels in distress and planets from destruction. The five characters include an ex-CIA agent, a Reed Richards "brainy" type, a psychic, and a pop star. The Grand Comics Database says the following about this series: reprinted from "Legionarios del Espacio" (alternate title "Cinco por el Infinito"). The original work was by Esteban Maroto with some changes made by Neal Adams.



Credits

Script: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)
Pencils: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)
Inks: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)

Reprinted:

• in Zero Patrol (Continuity, 1987 series) #1.

Zero Patrol #1: (Esteban Maroto art)

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Download Legionarios Del Espacio #1







When Neal Adams was living in New York, he spent a certain amount of his time in Harlem and in Spanish Harlem. His reason for travelling from Brooklyn to Harlem was simple curiosity. Two of the things he discovered there were a comic magazine called Delta 99, and a comic magazine called Legionarios Del Espacio, or Legionnaires of Space. Sometimes, the second magazine was also called Cinco Por El Infinito (Five For Infinity). Although Adams liked Delta 99, he loved Legionarios. Unfortunately, Legionarios has always appeared in Spanish, never in English.


As years went by, the artist of the feature, Esteban Maroto, went on to other features and other projects, and some of them... many of them... have appeared in American magazines. Esteban Maroto has become known to an American audience, but never have Americans seen his early work.

This, then, is Legionarios Del Espacio, updated a little because much time has gone by.


Credits

Script: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)
Pencils: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)
Inks: Esteban Maroto; (additional touches by Neal Adams)

Reprinted:

• in Zero Patrol (Continuity, 1987 series) #1.