Sad news from the world of comic book artists. José Delbo, known to many Transformers fans as the artist who provided the art for over twenty issues of the original Marvel Comics series has passed away at the age of 90. A post on his Official X/Twitter Page confirmed the artist passed away today (February 5, 2024) after an unspecified illness.
According to Wikipedia and his web site, Delbo began his career at 16 in Argentina and would go on to work on titles like Billy the Kid and The Lone Ranger. In time, he would work for DC Comics and illustrate over sixty issues of the Wonder Woman comic book from February 1976 until December 1981.
Delbo began drawing the Marvel Comics series in 1988 and finished his run in 1990, having drawn 25 issues making him the longest running Transformers artist in that era. He was known for his distinct style including the use of pupils in the eyes of the Transformers which added to how expressive they were on the page. On a personal level, I really enjoyed Delbo's art when I was a teenager. To me, it always looked like the Transformers cartoon we never got after the animated series ended in 1987.
Ben's World of Transformers offers its deepest condolences to Mr. Delbo's family in a difficult time.
Sources:
- Official José Delbo Web Site
- Official José Delbo Twitter/X
- José Delbo's Wikipedia entry
- TFWiki (including cover images in social media image).