Tony DeZuniga was the first Filipino comic book artist whose work was accepted by American publishers, paving the way for many other Filipino artists to do break into the international comic book industry (Wikipedia).
I really was intending to write an article about Tony the moment I learned about his stroke. I really admired his work on Conan and Arak comics not knowing that De Zuniga is a Filipino. For me his style reflects the old-school Filipino Komiks and cartoon which I really missed in today's generation. Sincere and dramatic his photo realistic style is very rare nowadays among Filipino artist since Filipino Komics nowadays are heavily influenced by anime.
According to wikipedia, DeZuniga went on to become a regular contributor at DC. With writer John Albano, he co-created the long-running western character Jonah Hex, and with Sheldon Mayer the first Black Orchid. DeZuniga also served as an introduction to what would be a 1970s influx of Filipino artists to American comics, prompting Orlando and DC publisher Carmine Infantino to visit the Philippines in 1971 to scout talent. Among the artists found there who would soon become mainstays of both DC and Marvel Comics were Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño, Nestor Redondo, and Gerry Talaoc.
DeZuniga relocated back to New York from the Philippines in 1977. He worked for industry leaders Marvel and DC for 18 years, drawing such prominent Marvel characters as the X-Men and Spider-Man.
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