Saturday, October 2, 2021

There's No Escape!


Berni Wrightson broke into comics at an opportune time. The first generation of talents, many who had paved the way in the Golden Age and defined what comic books were had reached an age when retirement seemed most appealing. Either they left on their own or in some cases were pushed out when they sought to get more value for their efforts. But it left the doors open for young up and coming talents like Wrightson who were eager to work for less money. 


Wrightson always stood out because almost no one drew comics like he did. His style blended a bunch of EC artist "Ghastly" Graham Ingels with hearty doses of Frank Frazetta and dashes of  Al Dorne among others to create a delightful and tasty synthesis which was ideal for horror stories. And with the lessening of Comic Code restrictions the companies were free to unleash some horror stories on the desiring public. Joe Orlando kicked off the boom with The House of Mystery and its return to its roots with tales of mystery and suspense featuring heavy doses of the supernatural. He followed that up with a revival of The House of Secrets and it's that comic which is the focus today. This is a gallery of all of Wrightson's The House of Secrets covers beginning with his iconic Swamp Thing cover. Coming next week to a blog near you will be other galleries of tasty Wrightson cover art. 











Next time it will be The House of Mystery. 

Rip Off
 

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. He certainly was and the evidence is before our eyes. His art holds up exceptionally well even fifty years after the fact. His gothic esthetic makes his images nearly timeless.

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  2. Perfect artist for such subject matter.

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    Replies
    1. True that. When Berni wandered off into superhero land I think he was less successful, though often still handsome art. He needed those shadows, which meant that Batman was the one hero he could do with some success.

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