Manuel “Spain” Rodriguez was born in Buffalo, New York on March 2, 1940. He grew up on Buffalo’s East Side, a gang member of outlaw cyclists the Road Vultures. Listening to legendary rock ‘n’ roll DJ George “Hound Dog” Lorenz and enjoying epic bar brawls and street rumbles that he would later illustrate in full-page panels and two-page spreads while employing his signature (and influential) comic-book aesthetic, the work holds its own with iconic graphics of battle.