Sandu Florea

Sandu Florea (; born 28 June 1946) is a Romanian-American comic book and comic strip creator, also known as an inker and book illustrator. A trained architect and a presence on the science fiction scene during the 1970s, he became a professional in the comics genre with albums such as ''Galbar'', and was allegedly the only artist to have obtained a steady income in this way during the communist period. A prolific contributor to Romanian children's magazines, Florea had his activity curbed by communist censorship when he first publicized his intention of emigrating to the United States. He eventually left the country shortly after the 1989 Revolution, and soon after began collaborating with Marvel, DC Comics and other leading enterprises in the field of comic book publishing. He became especially noted for his activities as an inker, with contributions on series such as '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', '' The Executioner'', '' X-Men: The End'', '' Batman R.I.P.'' and '' Batman: Battle for the Cowl''.

Florea has maintained enduring contacts with his native country, and has taken an initiative in popularizing the American comic book style in Romania. He has been described as one of the most successful among his colleagues, and claimed to be one of the most recognizable Romanians in his field.

Biography

Early life and career in Romania

Born in Ghelari, Hunedoara County, Sandu Florea first became interested in comics while in fifth grade, his first contact with the medium being through a copy of the French youth magazine '' Pif Vaillant''. Petrina Calabalic
"Cartoon Man"
, in '' Bănăţeanul'', 6 December 2004 This encounter, he recalled in a 2004 interview, left him with "an impression that cannot be erased", and "the wish that I myself could draw such appealing and interesting characters."

Sandu Florea published his first comic strip in 1968, with ''Luminiţa'' children's magazine. It was a series centered on the anecdotal hero classic '' Păcală''.''Artistul Sandu Florea la Salonul European de Bandă Desenată''
Romanian Cultural Institute release; retrieved 23 November 2011 In 1971, Florea graduated from Bucharest's Architectural College, and subsequently worked for a building design institute in his adoptive city of Timișoara. Before graduation, he had also published his first work in the comics genre, inspired by the folkloric tale of '' Păcală'', and featured in a 1968 issue of ''Luminiţa'' magazine.

After moving to Timișoara, he became a noted presence among the local science fiction fan base, joining the H. G. Wells