The Ones That Got Away - The War Paintings of Pino De Lorca

David Roach is one of the unsung heroes of comic archivism. Without David we wouldn't have had one of the most comprehensive listings of the truly gargantuan output of the Spanish and Italian studios of the 1950's, 60's and 70's. David is a comics historian who other higher profile comicologists turn to when seeking out material for their projects. Along with being a highly talented comics artist, David is truly passionate about the work of other artists and there is nothing more pleasurable than being in David's company when he is being presented with artwork that needs ID'ing. His enthusiasm is truly infectious and he has made me look at a lot of artists whose work I thought I knew, with a much more educated eye.

It was David who amongst all his other credits (including being joint author along with Jon B. Cooke of the essential "Warren Companion") was instrumental in uncovering all the hitherto regarded as long lost cover artworks to Fleetway's pocket libraries. Not only that but David was also as a result of his encyclopedic knowledge, able to put names to the myriad artists whose work spanned some twenty plus years of these publications.

A couple of books were published by Prion on the back of these discoveries. "Aarrgghh! It's War" and "The Art of War" collected many of these artworks together and with editorial notes by David are an essential addition to the bookshelves of anyone remotely interested in this subject.

Here are some samples of one of David's favorite painters; Pino De Lorca, whose at times semi abstract approach to his subject matter injected an avant guard dynamic into his cover artworks. The majority of which were commissioned for Air Ace Picture Library throughout the 1960's.

These little gems are some of the ones that slipped through the net as regards the Prion books - hope you enjoy them!