By Alan Hebden & Carlos Ezquerra (Rebellion Studios)
ISBN: 978-1-78108-657-5 (HB/Digital edition)
Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra was born in Aragon on November 12th 1947. Growing up in Ibdes, in the Province of Zaragoza, he began his career illustrating war stories and westerns for Spain’s large but poorly-paying indigenous comics industry. In 1973 he got a British agent (Barry Coker: a former sub-editor on Super Detective Library who formed Bardon Press Features with Spanish artist Jorge Macabich): joining a growing army of European and South American illustrators providing content for British weeklies, Specials and Annuals.
Like so many superbly talented newcomers, Ezquerra initially worked on Girls’ Periodicals – like Valentine and Mirabelle – and more cowboys for Pocket Western Library as well as assorted adventure strips for DC Thomson’s The Wizard. The work proved so regular that the Ezquerras upped sticks and migrated to Croydon…
In 1974, Pat Mills & John Wagner tapped him to work on IPCs new Battle Picture Weekly, where he drew (Gerry Finley-Day’s) Rat Pack, and later, Major Eazy scripted by Alan Hebden. Three years later he was asked to design a new character called Judge Dredd for a proposed science fiction anthology. Due to creative disputes, Carlos left the project and went back to Battle to draw instead a gritty western entitled El Mestizo…
As we all know, Carlos did return to 2000AD, illustrating Dredd, dozens of spin-offs such as Al’s Baby, Strontium Dog (1978), Fiends of the Eastern Front (1980), adaptations of Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat and key Dredd storylines such as the epic Apocalypse War and Necropolis.
Soon after, Ezquerra was “discovered” by America…
El Mestizo debuted amidst a plethora of British-based war features and didn’t last long – June 4th to September 17th 1977 – with author Alan Hebden giving you his take on why in a concise Introduction before the action begins.
Born in Bristol in 1950, Hebden is a second generation comics scripter, having followed his dad into the profession. The lad began his career writing Commando Picture Library stories for DC Thomson – and he still does – and also contributed to the company’s adventure titles Hornet and Victor.
For Fleetway he co-created Major Eazy, and scripted Rat Pack for Battle; The Angry Planet for Tornado; Comrade Bronski, The Fifth Horseman and The Tower King for Eagle; Holocaust and Mind Wars for Starlord and – for 2000 AD – M.A.C.H. One, Mean Team, Death Planet, Meltdown Man, Future Shocks, amongst many others.
Heavily leaning on Sergio Leone “spaghetti westerns”, the first starkly monochrome Mestizo episode – of 16 – introduces a half-black, half-Mexican bounty-hunting gunfighter who offers his formidable services to both the Union and Confederate sides in the early days of the War between the States.
Proficient with blades, pistols, long guns and a deadly bola, El Mestizo plays both sides while hunting truly evil men, whether they be Southern raiders, rogue Northern marauders, treacherous Indian scouts, army deserters from both sides organised by a crazy, vengeful femme fatale, or even a demented physician seeking to end the war by releasing plague in Washington DC.
Along the way, the mercenary even finds time to pay off a few old scores from his days as a starved and beaten plantation slave…
Sadly, the feature was always a fish out of water and was killed off before it could truly develop, but the artwork is staggeringly powerful and the stories deliver the kind of cathartic punch that never gets old.
This stunning package is another nostalgia-triumph from Battle, collecting a truly seminal experience, and hopefully forging a new, untrodden path for fans of grittily compelling fare and sampling a typically quirky British comics experience.
This gem is one of the most memorable and enjoyable exploits in British comics: acerbic, action-packed and potently rendered: another superb example of what British and European sensibilities do best. Try it and see…
© 1977 & 2018 Rebellion Publishing IP Ltd. All Rights Reserved.