You have to admit, it's pretty impossible not to stare at this vintage pulp cover by Lawrence Sterne Stevens for Famous Fantastic Mysteries showcasing the immortal mug of Robert E. Howard's "Yellow Peril" nightmare Skull-Face. For on Howard's yeasty yarn see this. For more lush Stevens artwork look here. But the focus today is the variation cobbled together below.
The original artwork blended with the immediately recognizable Classics Illustrated logos and trade dress to mock up a vintage comic book which never was. For more of these "Classics Not Illustrated" check this out.
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Wow the Steven's artwork page is great.
ReplyDeleteLuckily the fake classic illustrateds dont look real or you might have gotten fooled :)
There are so many of those great pulp artists I know little about. Stevens was just one of them.
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Years ago there was a lively discussion in Bill Spicer's classic fanzine Graphic Story World about what were called "Phantom Classics Illustrated" comics. The subtext was how unsatisfying the actual series was. and who the readers might pick for their ideal versions of new Classics. I remember some of the suggestions were Jack Davis for Catch 22, Wally Wood for MacBeth and Jim Steranko for Triplanetary.
ReplyDeleteSo who would you pick to illustrate the Skull-Face comic? Mike Kaluta? Richard Corben? Esteban Maroto? Gary Gianni?
Great question. My pick would be Jerry Grandenetti, who would blend the right mix of pulp action and atmosphere this story requires. Gianni is a good choice too for a modern pick.
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