Tagged: Frank Frazetta

Frank Frazetta: An Appreciation

Frank Frazetta: An Appreciation

Frank Frazetta ushered in a new era of cover painting with heavily muscled heroes and lush, voluptuous women, evolving the pulp magazine style for more contemporary audiences. His work proved influential to writers, artists, and musicians for decades.

Best known for his series of covers featuring Conan the Barbarian on the Lancer paperbacks of the 1960s, he went on to create moody and evocative paintings for the Warren Magazines.

A child of Brooklyn, his artistic talents were evident early and by age eight, he was sent to the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts. He was mentored by Italian painter Michael Falanga who died before he could send young Frazetta to perfect his craft in Europe.

As the school closed in 1944, Frazetta sought ways to earn a living and drifted into illustrating comic books with several memorable Buck Rogers covers for Famous Funnies. He also drew several Shining Knight stories for DC Comics and displayed range with numerous funny animal stories as well.

By the 1950s, Frazetta was lending his talents to EC Comics, where he, Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel formed a powerful triumvirate, capable of masterful science fiction or fantasy stories.

Frazetta was hired by Al Capp to assist him on the popular Li’l Abner comic strip and he went on to also work with Dan Barry on Flash Gordon. The artist harbored his desire for a feature of his own and sold the short-lived Johnny Comet to the syndicates.

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Frank Frazetta, 1928 – 2010

Frank Frazetta, 1928 – 2010

According to biographer / publisher Russ Cochran, legendary illustrator and comics artist Frank Frazetta passed away this morning.

Perhaps best known for his illustrations on the covers of the 1970s Conan paperbacks for Lancer Books and the 1960s Warren Magazines (Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, Blazing Combat), Frazetta worked closely with EC artists Al Williamson and Angelo Torres as well as on various solo efforts for that and other publishers. He worked on The Shining Knight for DC Comics and the oft-reprinted jungle feature Thun’da created by Gardner Fox.

Frazetta spent years as Al Capp’s assistant – often, ghost – on the newspaper strip Lil Abner at the height of its popularity, where he first visualized the astonishingly sexy character Moonbeam McSwine. He went on to draw his own short-lived newspaper comic strip, Johnny Comet, and served as an assistant to Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder on Playboy’s Little Annie Fanny. Kurtzman once referred to Frank as “drawing sexy muscles in places where women don’t ordinarily have muscles.”

Generally regarded as one of the premiere illustrators of the latter half of the 20th Century, Frank Frazetta’s work has been gathered in numerous collections and calendars. His work continues to be licensed for poster reproduction and for adaptation into comic books.

Eleanor Frazetta, 1935-2009

Eleanor Frazetta, 1935-2009

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Frazetta, the wife of celebrated artist Frank Frazetta, passed away today after a courageous one-year battle with cancer.

Eleanor Kelly was born in Massachusetts and moved to New York where she married Frank in November, 1956. She acted as his business partner as well as his lifelong companion. Known for her feisty personality as well as her intuitive business acumen, she was instrumental in successfully establishing record prices for Frank’s work throughout her life.

She is survived by her husband Frank, her four children, Frank Jr., Billy, Holly and Heidi, numerous grandchildren, and many friends.

A public memorial is planned and details will be announced shortly. In the meantime, the family requests privacy.

Our condolences go out to the Frazetta family.

UPDATE: We originally listed Mrs. Frazetta’s birth date as 1956. We regret the error.

ComicMix Quick Picks – March 8, 2009

ComicMix Quick Picks – March 8, 2009

The weekend’s list of quick items:

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.

On This Day: Simon Bisley and Milt Gross

On This Day: Simon Bisley and Milt Gross

Simon Bisley, British comic book artist, was born in 1962. Bisley is best known for his work on the British series ABC Warriors, Sláine, and Heavy Metal Dredd, and the DC comic Lobo. His style uses paints and airbrushing as well as inks, and shows strong influences from both Frank Frazetta and Bill Sienkiewicz. Bisley also combined design elements from rock album covers and graffiti.

Milt Gross, an American comic book writer, illustrator, animator, was born in 1895. He wrote his comics in a Yiddish-inflected English. Gross is best known for his comic Gross Exaggerations and the woodcut novel He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It.

 

Conan The Historian

Conan The Historian

This September (the 26th, if you’ve got a "Week At A Glance"), our friends at Dark Horse will be releasing the difinitive story behind one of their leading franchises. Paul Sammon’s CONAN THE PHENOMENON promises to offer a complete look at the mostly naked barbarian, covering Robert E. Howard’s original stories, the subsequent prose authors, and all the comics incarnations – including those produced by such masters as Roy Thomas, Barry Smith, John Buscema, and Timothy Truman.

The Schwartzenegger movies will not be ignored. At least, not by Sammon or, for that matter, by the voters of California.

One cannot produce such a tome without offering tons of illustrations, and this book promises to be up to the task. Of course, it will sport a Frank Frazetta cover (above). The introduction is being provided by Elric’s daddy, the eternal champion himself, Michael Moorcock.