Enrique Alcatena
'Legends' coloured page proof from art by Alcatena
'Legends' was conceived as a graphic-novel spin-off from Starblazer which was written and illustrated but never published.
"Alcatena was an absolute delight to work with, creating his own fantastic worlds and characters from the scripts. You didn't need details galore for Alcatena because he developed the story in directions you had never dreamed of. He was one of the few artists we didn't mind adapting storylines because his interpretation was simply genius." - Bill McLoughlin, Editor
Still working as a comic book artist in his native Argentina, Alcatena sent us the following memories of his time on Starblazer:
"I have very fond memories of the Starblazer days, as every new book I had to illustrate presented the very appealing challenge of fleshing out new worlds, new cultures, new monsters. This magical mystery tour lasted a decade, and then, sadly, it was over: Starblazer was closed (those were trying days for the comic business all over the world). It's a pity that the work was published without credits (a common practice in olden days), as it was only many years later that I learnt who were the writers of those wonderful adventures: among them, Mike Chinn and Martin Gately, with whom I'm still in contact. And I owe Starblazer getting to meet and work with dear Alan Grant (somehow, the identity of that Argie working for DC Thomson got to Alan through the grapevine and he contacted me).
"Later, I worked for other companies, doing my version of famous characters with a lot more exposure, but in my heart of hearts the Starblazer days had a special place, and I would have gladly gone back to work in that title if, miraculously, Thomson ever published it again. I regret not being able to attend this exhibition, but in spirit I'm there".