Vicente Segrelles

Vicente Segrelles was born on 9 September 1940 in Spain. He is best known as the creator of the painted fantasy series *The Mercenary* (*El Mercenario*), which he began in 1980. Unlike most comic book artists, Segrelles painted every panel of this medieval fantasy epic in oil—a painstaking method that gives the series a distinctive, luminous look. The story follows a lone mercenary battling evil, and the series has run to 14 issues to date. Segrelles also served as the cover artist for the Italian science fiction magazine *Urania* from 1988 to 1991. His work is notable for its rich, painterly style and meticulous detail, setting him apart in the European comics scene. He has worked as artist, colorist, inker, and writer on 58 issues from 1973 to 2025, with *The Mercenary* remaining his signature achievement. Segrelles’s dedication to oil painting in a medium dominated by line art has earned him a devoted following in Europe, though he has not received major international awards. His legacy lies in proving that comics can be a vehicle for fine art, and his series continues to be collected in definitive editions.