Overview
Frank Frazetta, Burne Hogarth, Russ Manning, Russ Heath and Mark Schultz are the modern masters of illustration, here collected in their own words under one gorgeous, wrap-around cover. Together, these artists bridge almost 70 years of comics and fantasy art tied to tradition, craft, and an emphasis on the human form.
Frank Frazetta is unquestionably the preeminent fantasy and science fiction painter and illustrator of the second half of the 20th century. He began his career in comics, and from there he revolutionized the paperback cover aesthetic with his paintings that graced the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and other sword & sorcery and fantasy authors. In his longest and last great discussion recorded for posterity, the painter and cultural touchstone throws down the gauntlet to interviewer Gary Groth and a generation of adventure painter wannabes.
Burne Hogarth is well known as the visionary illustrator of the Sunday Tarzan series from 1939 to 1950, and the innovative educator who founded New York's school of Visual Arts in 1947. His educational booksDynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Light & Shade, etc.have become staples of colleges and universities all over the world. Hogarth gives one of the most charged interviews by any artist in any art form over the last 30 years, passionately and decisively explicating the value of great art and the moral foundations upon which all great art rests.
The Classic Comics Illustrators is also proud to present extensive interviews with three other artists who continued the tradition of men like Hogarth and Frazetta:
Russ Heath was born in New York in 1926, and his best work was on Westerns, especially Arizona Kid and Kid Colt, Outlaw, which stood out for their realistic artwork and details. Other genres Russ Heath drew were love stories, science-fiction and adventure, such as MAD and Frontline Combat for EC Comics. In 1950, he joined National, where he worked on the full range of comic book features, among which were Silent Knight, Sgt. Rock, Sea Devils and Golden Gladiator.
Russ Manning, meanwhile, created the fondly-remembered science fiction comic series Magnus, Robot Fighter, a superhero series that stood out because of Manning's excellent artwork. It was published by Gold Key Comics and started in 1963, and Manning drew it until 1968; Dark Horse Comics is currently reprinting the series.
Last but not least, Mark Schultz (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs) is a man caught at the apex of his work's influence within the field and provides an altogether different perspective on great art's role in great comics, discussing his forays into Hollywood and more.
Synopsis
Edited by former Comics Journal editor Tom Spurgeon, the fifth volume in the acclaimed Comics Journal Library series celebrates five of the great all-time comic book artists.
Library Journal
The Comics Journal has been publishing comics criticism and journalism for adult readers since 1976. This fifth volume in an oversized (12"x12") series of collections drawn from the magazine reprints five interviews with widely admired artists, originally published between 1980 and 1994. The two most extensive, both conducted by Journal editor Gary Groth, are with Burne Hogarth (1930s and 1940s artist for the Tarzan newspaper strip and co-founder of the School of Visual Arts) and Frank Frazetta (the celebrated fantasy painter and one-time comics artist well-known for his book covers featuring Robert E. Howard's Conan). Also featured are Russ Manning (1960s and 1970s Tarzan artist also known for Magnus, Robot Fighter), Russ Heath (remembered for his war and western comics), and relative newcomer Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales). The interviews discuss the artists' careers and their artistic influences, approaches, and philosophies, sometimes delving quite deeply. Each is also profusely illustrated in color and black-and-white, with not only work by the subjects, but also examples from artists who inspired them, all presented with excellent graphic design. With some nudity, this is recommended for adult collections mid-sized and up. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.