Self taught artist Rafael Aura León (who signed as Auraleón) started demonstrating confidence in his drawing skills in 1957, during his military service. He began working at the Selecciones Ilustradas agency in 1959. His entire professional career would unfold through this agency.

  His early work was aimed at the British market, with war, romance, suspense and western comics. In the 1960s, his

name appeared in Fleetway publications such as Space Ace, Commando and Romance in Pictures. Some of this material was republished in Spain. During this decade, his style became more established, moving from the classicism and conventionalism of an inexperienced artist to a remarkable mastery of composition and ink wash.

  In 1971, he began creating horror comics and illustrations for the American publisher Warren Publishing. This collaboration continued until the company closed in the mid-1980s. He was one of its most prolific authors. His ongoing work on the Pantha and Cassandra St. Knight series, published in Vampirella, was particularly noteworthy. In his horror comics, we can see a progressive evolution until he reached maturity as an artist, receiving influences from established authors such as Alberto Breccia, Dino Battaglia, and Sergio Toppi, and even from his own colleagues at the agency, such as Luis García, José Ortiz, Luis Bermejo, and Josep Maria Beà. He also created featured comics created directly for the Spanish market, such as the series Viaje al infierno (Journey to Hell), published in Creepy, with a script by Carlos Echevarría.

  Prone to depression, Auraleón left the world of comics in 1984, after Warren closed down and he left SI, and ended up taking his own life in 1993.