Frank Frazetta
"It was the whiff of something classical, a merging of the visceral with the timeless, pure comic sensation with the compositional command of a master."—Geoff Pevere on Frazetta.
"Frazetta's vision of Conan, as seen on the covers of the Lancer paperback collections of the 60s and 70s, became the definitive picture of the character."
One of the most famous Fantasy Artists. Started in comics in the 1950s and worked his way into movie posters and pinups. His most famous works include illustrations of Conan the Barbarian and John Carter of Mars. He passed away on May 10, 2010 at the age of 82.
Notable not just for his artwork, but also for his savvy business sense: He was able to successfully negotiate to license the artworks he created rather than selling them outright to his clients as was customary at the time. By the time of his death, the artwork he'd collected in his personal museum was worth several million dollars.
Inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999.
Similiar artists include Boris Vallejo and Brom.
Trope Namer for Frazetta Man.
Associated Works:
- Fire and Ice
- Conan the Barbarian
- Mad Magazine
- Death Dealer (not to be confused with the trope)
Associated Tropes:
- Atop a Mountain of Corpses
- Author Appeal: He loved cameras, and he loved Disney films--he was even offered to work for Disney at one point, but turned it down for the sole reason that he didn't want to leave New York.
- Covers Always Lie - Frazetta was open about not bothering to read the books he drew covers for.
- Early Installment Weirdness: Before he became known for his bread-and-butter work on realistic humans, he was a prominent Funny Animal comic artist.
- Frazetta Man
- Heroic Spirit: After suffering a stroke that cost him fine motor control in his right hand, Frank taught himself how to draw with his left.
- It's Not Porn, It's Art
- Kitsch Collection of cameras. Frank Frazetta loves photography.
- Leg Cling
- Naughty Tentacles Mwahaha!
- Rated "M" for Manly: We dare you to find a Frazetta painting that doesn't depict muscular shirtless men, scantily-clad women, giant monsters, or any combination of the above.
- Ridiculous Procrastinator: Painted almost all of his works start to finish within a day of their deadlines. This would leave him so exhausted he'd be bedridden for the next few days.
- Scenery Porn: The revival of Conan the Barbarian in the 1960s is largely attributed to his cover art.