Bernie Wrightson 1948 - March 19, 2017. Bernie was a Baltimorean, like Charles Addams and Edgar Allen Poe; given his predilection for horror, he likely hung out in a lot of the same graveyards as them. 2017 is shaping up to be for great cartoonists what 2016 was for musicians.
Wrightson drew a lot of horror comics, mostly for Warren and DC; Swamp Thing was his co-creation. Old-school inkers of the Frank Giacoia variety rsented him for his laboriously detailed fiishes. His masterpiece was probably an illlustrated Frankenstein book he did for Marvel back in 1983; it took him seven years to draw 50 full-page illustrations for the project.
He shared a studio with three other first-rate comics artists: Jeff Jones, Mike Kaluta and Barry Windsor-Smith. They had a shared appreciation for the Victorian Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and were as influential in their circles (comic book and magazine illustrators of the 1970s and 80s) as the PRB’s Dante Gabriel Rosetti was in his.
His style was heavy and thick … lots of ink per square inch … and remarkably grisly, but also with an element of humor, sometimes hidden and sometimes completely overt. He also wrote pretty well.
Always a shame to lose a creator. (Cue “Lament for the Makers.”)
I consider Wrightson’s work treasures. I have his run on Swamp Thing, as well as as Creepshow, the illustrated version of Stephen King’s movie. I also have some 70’s issues of Heavy Metal with his work. The man could make a tree look scary.
Very sad. Wrightson was one of my all-time favorite artists. I was a huge “Swamp Thing” fan, and loved his work in the Warren magazines.
“Frankenstein” took his work to a whole new level. At last year’s Comic Con, one of the vendors had a few of the originals from that book. They blew me away ! I found myself frozen, just staring at them.
Yes, I know Captain Sternn, and never did there live a kinder, more generous man. He’s an overflowing cup, filled with the very cream of human goodness. In all of the time that I’ve known him, he’s never done anything immoral…
Unless, maybe the pre-schooler’s prostitute ring!
… and he’s never done anything illegal …
Unless you count all the times he sold dope - disguised as a nun!
… he’s always been a good, law-abiding citizen …
AWWW! GIMME A BREAK!
… of the Federation, and …
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!
…a … a community-conscious individual…
STERNN! He’s nothin’ but a low-down, double-dealin’, back-stabbin’, larcenist perverted worm! Hangin’s too good for 'im! Burnin’s too good for 'im! He needs to be torn into little bitsy pieces and buried alive!
