Alex Niño

Alex Niño (born May 1, 1940) is a Filipino comics artist best known for his work for the American publishers DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Warren Publishing, and in Heavy Metal magazine.

Biography

Early life and career Alex Niño was born May 1, 1940, Central Luzon, the Philippines, the son of a professional photographer. Niño studied medicine briefly at the University of Manila before leaving in 1959 to pursue his childhood goal of becoming a comics artist. In 1965, after studying under artist Jess Jodloman, Niño collaborated with Clodualdo del Mundo Sr. to create the feature "Kilabot Ng Persia" ("The Terror of Persia") for Pilipino Komiks. Niño and Marcelo B. Isidro later created the feature "Dinoceras" for Redondo Komiks. Other Valry Philippine work includes the series Gruaga - The Fifth Corner of the World for Pioneer Komiks; the feature "Mga Matang Nagliliyab" ("The Eyes that Glow in the Dark") with Isidro for Alcala Komiks; and for PSG Publications, stories of Bruhilda Witch, which were adapted into movies. Niño's earliest U.S. comics credit is penciling and inking the nine-page story "To Die for Magda" in DC Comics' House of Mystery #204 (July 1972) written by Carl Wessler. Niño was soon contributing regularly to such other DC supernatural anthologies as companion title House of Secrets and Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, Secrets of Sinister House, Weird War Tales, Weird Mystery Tales, and The Witching Hour. He also drew the jungle-adventure feature "Korak" in some issues of DC's Tarzan. Except for one story for Gold Key Comics' Mystery Comics Digest #17 (May 1974), Niño, who moved to the U.S. in 1974, drew comics exclusively for DC through the beginning of 1975.

With writer-editor Robert Kanigher, Niño created DC's 19th-century Caribbean-pirate protagonist Captain Fear in Adventure Comics #425 (Dec. 1972). Niño and writer Jack Oleck created the science-fiction feature "Space Voyagers" in Rima, the Jungle Girl #1 (May 1974). This led to a 30-page Conan the Barbarian tale, "People of the Dark" in The Savage Sword of Conan #6 (June 1975), also with Thomas, and a 23-page adaptation of the Michael Moorcock novel Behold the Man, with writer Doug Moench in Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #6 (Nov. 1975).

Niño did little else for Marvel's color comics, inking two issues of the Luke Cage series Power Man and a "Weirdworld" story in Marvel Premiere #38 (Sept. 1977). Niño's mid-1980s work for DC included a rare foray into superhero titles including Action Comics, Batman Annual, Fury of Firestorm, Justice League of America, and The Omega Men. He and writer Arthur Byron Cover created the "Space Clusters" for DC Graphic Novel #7 (1986). Later 1980s work includes issues of New Comics Group's Asylum, World of Young Master Special, and Demon Blade, and Fantagor Press' Den. Niño both wrote and drew a single-issue occult adventure, Alex Niño Nightmare #1 (Dec. 1989), for Innovation Comics. Niño returned to draw Bliss on Tap Publishing's four-issue series God the Dyslexic Dog (July 2004). In 2008, Niño drew the three-issue miniseries Dead Ahead, by writers Mel Smith and Clark Castillo for Image Comics.

Though now officially retired, Niño continues to produce artwork for commissions, attend fan conventions, and teaches art classes every year back in the Philippines. In 2015, he self-published a collection of artwork, Art Quest of Alex Niño available from his website.

Awards Niño received an Inkpot Award in 1976.

Legacy Comics artist Whilce Portacio was influenced by Niño, saying, "I was exposed to Alex Niño's super-stylized artwork and that had a major influence on me. The design sense and the limitless imagination of Alex Niño really got me inspired to let my creative side imagine new worlds and characters.