A BELATED GOODBYE TO AN ARTIST OF NOTE...



Francisco Solano Lopez. 1928 - 2011

 As announced on various other sites, legendary Argentinian artist FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ (born Oct 26, 1928) died on August 12th. I'll leave further biographical details to others more knowledgeable of the man's life and career than I am; suffice to say that comic-reading children of the '60s & '70s had their lives enriched by exposure to all the many strips that Lopez (and his assistants) illustrated in British publications of the period.

Who can forget GALAXUS, RAVEN ON THE WING, KELLY'S EYE, JANUS STARK, ADAM ETERNO and a whole host of other classics, still fondly remembered by readers of the time? To those who experienced British comics when there was a thriving industry in this country, his demise is a stark reminder that - in the words of LEWIS CARROLL - "We are but older children, dear, who fret to find our bedtime near."

Alas, the sands of time are draining into the bottom half of life's hourglass - which, sadly, can't just be turned over when the final few grains have settled.