Mothman Illustrator Frazetta Dies
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 10th, 2010
Photo credit: Frazetta Properties. LLC
Frank Frazetta, 82, suffered a stroke on Sunday, and died on Monday afternoon, May 10, 2010, in Ft. Myers, Florida, reported The New York Times and other media.
The Times noted that “Frazetta was a versatile and prolific comic book artist who, in the 1940s and ’50s, drew for comic strips like Al Capp’s ‘Lil’ Abner’ and comic books like ‘Famous Funnies,’ for which he contributed a series of covers depicting the futuristic adventurer Buck Rogers.”
Frazetta perhaps was best known in cryptozoology and Fortean circles for the art that would be used in a later edition of John A. Keel’s book, The Mothman Prophecies, published by Ron Bonds. Bonds died mysterious (see here, #55) on April 8, 2001.
Former well-known New York City literary agent Sandra Martin told me: “John [Keel] attributed the success of that book to the cover.”
It was the “discovery” of Bond’s IllumiNet Press edited that resulted in the movie of the same name. Screenwriter Richard Hatem recounted that he “discovered” the book in an old book store, when it literally fell into his hands from a shelf.
Comic book and science fantasy/fiction book cover art was the source of most of Frazetta’s fame. His covers of “strikingly fierce, hard-bodied heroes and bosomy, callipygian damsels in distress” were legendary. Some of his well-known art was found on such books as Conan the Adventurer, John Carter and the Savage Apes of Mars, and Tarzan and the Antmen.
Frank Frazetta’s creativity inspired many within cryptozoology, science fiction, and beyond. His Mothman art is well-known.
Frazetta imagined Mothman differently than how the creature was described initially (which was as a giant bird, more avian that moth-like). He seems to have been overly influenced by the name, which was an Ohio copyeditor’s invention that had little to do with the actual appearance of the Mothman seen in 1966-1967. But there is no doubt that once drawn, Frazetta’s impact was great.
Indeed, Frazetta’s Mothman cover art would then go on to influence the sculpture built in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in honor of the Mothman lore (seen below), near the present-day Mothman museum there.
Earlier than his Mothman art for John Keel, was Frazetta’s Strange Creatures cover.
The cover of John A. Keel’s paperback book, Strange Creatures from Time and Space (NY: Fawcett, 1970) has informed and influenced many, from the 1970s to present.
For example, Secret Lab Studios, in association with Thrill House Comics, and the Weta Workshop Design Team of New Zealand announced in 2006 that they were collaborating on designs for Cryptid, a new and original intellectual property then in development as a feature film, video game, graphic novel and toy line. One of their cornerstone artists was Frank Frazetta.
Others have seen Frazetta do his magic too, on the covers of their Fortean books. Brad Steiger told me this evening, the following: “When my editor at Dell asked if I had any ideas for a cover, I answered that I didn’t care as long as Frank Frazetta did it.”
Atlantis Rising by Brad Steiger used Frank Frazetta for his cover.
Some say that Frazetta’s most influential and impressive painting is the above one from a modern edition of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. “John Carter” on Mars will be explored in forthcoming movies.
But for cryptozoologists, however, the most famous Frazettas will always be the covers for the 1970 paperback Strange Creatures From Time and Space and the 1991 edition of The Mothman Prophecies.
For Frazetta, needless to say, no one piece of art was as important as the following, the unfinished image of his deceased wife, Ellie, who passed away on July 17th, 2009, and whom he reportedly missed dearly.
Ellie Frazetta by Frank Frazetta.
For more information about obtaining Frank Frazetta’s art and prints, in the past one could go to the official Frazetta site (but it is closed for a time due to personal estate matters). It may be open again, but the alternative formerly was to visit the unofficial Frazetta site.
Frazetta’s recreation of the killing of the Mokele-Mbembe by Pygmies near Lake Tele’ in the Congo, circa 1960. (Thanks to a reminder from Paul Dini.)
Also, Boing Boing has an awesome painting of the master himself at their Frank Frazetta R.I.P. notice.
Frank Frazetta art remains; he will be missed.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
As a comic artist I have long been a fan of Frazetta and am greatly saddened to hear of his passing. The man was a rare genius and illustrator of the highest caliber. My prayers go out to family and friends.
I first ran across Mr. Frazetta’s art when I was in junior high school. The power, detail, and raw ability in his paintings redefined what fantasy art is supposed to be. The scantily dressed females didn’t hurt in establishing his legend with the fantasy crowd either. Just like Leroy Neiman created a style of his own for sport subjects, Mr. Frazetta carved out his own niche in the art world. That is not an easy thing to do. In the 70’s one could look at an illustration and know it was a Frazetta instantly.
The difference between the two men is that there are now scores of artists trying unabashedly duplicate Mr. Frazetta’s style. He has become the standard by which all fantasy art is measured. Frazetta will live on for generations through his magnificent work. To this day I stop and study his work whenever I run across it somewhere. I am thankful he left such a wealth of work as his legacy.
That’s a crying shame, he was an excellent artist, but as an artist his legacy will live on far beyond his mortal passing.
Frank Frazetta was and will always remain my all-time favorite artist. He was also a hero of mine as I was growing up. I’m very deeply saddened, and I wish the best for the Frazetta family. I know Mr. Frazetta has been in ill health for quite some time and he lost his wife Ellie last year. At least his suffering is over and he’s with Ellie, and I’m sure that’s some comfort to his children. God bless, Frank. Wish I had met you.
I discovered Frazetta in the book store of my college, when I bought my first Heavy Metal magazine. Apart from the obvious sensual escapade I was looking for at that age, I managed to take the time to appreciate the art of this true master.
He pulled me into another world when this one was looking rather uninteresting to say the least.
From those first covers I had seen of Eerie magazine back in the 60s, I could wait till the next issue came in the mail and a whopping 35 cents an issue. Today the some back issues are selling for hundreds because of his art, now of course they will very likely go for thousands.
His estate is about to go corporate.
Thanks for sharing that imagination Frank, see you soon.
His Mothman art was wonderful – evocative, alien, and – alone among Mothman works – his put wings and body in somethin like believable proportion.
It’s a shame the Cryptid project did not pan out. Hope someone picks it up again in the future.
Frazetta has been my favorite artist for the past 45+ years and I expect he will continue to be. His work has an imagination, a vitality, an immediacy that none of his imitators have been able to match, and he will be missed.
For what it’s worth, the TARZAN AND THE ANT MEN illustration above is by J. Allen St. John; Frazetta’s take on the image can be seen at http://www.frankfrazetta.org/viewimage.php?loc=frank_frazetta_tarzanandtheantmen.jpg.
Surprised you forgot his illustrations of Robert E Howard’s Conan stories—this illustration for the story “Rogues in the House” is justly famous: