Rafael López Espi began his career in 1953, drawing war stories for the publishing house Simbolo. His work also appeared in the press, varying from comics ('La Atlántida', 'Los Tambores del Bruc' in Solidaridad Nacional) to illustrations (in La Prensa). Soon afterwards, he went to work for Josep Toutain's agency, where he started out doing comics for the color supplement of La Prensa. Later on, he drew romance comics for the British magazine Glamour, followed by western strips. During the 1960s, his foreign work increased, when he started drawing for Bardon Art and Luis Ferraz, with whom he made the series 'Don Starr'. López Espi illustrated western titles like 'Rex Raven', 'Billy McGregor' and 'Riffle', as well as several war and romance stories for the British Fleetway (Roxy, Marilyn, Valentine).
