RAMONA FRADON (1926-2024)

 WE'VE LOST ANOTHER OF THE COMIC BOOK GREATS. 

Making most of her mark at DC Comics in the Silver Age, Ramona Fradon was always a favourite of mine as well as being one of the few female comic book artists at the time working on 'superhero' comix such as her storied run on AQUAMAN (on which she co-created Aqualad),

the whimsical PLASTIC MAN comic in the mid-1970s,

the Saturday Morning staple comic book version of the SUPER-FRIENDS

and as co-creator of METAMORPHO THE ELEMENT MAN. 

Fradon's pencils were delightfully whimsical and were a perfect fit for lighter titles like SUPER FRIENDS and PLASTIC MAN but were also splendidly quirky which made interesting art on AQUAMAN, FREEDOM FIGHTERS and METAMORPHO. 

On hearing of her death a few days ago at the age of 97, I went and watched the documentary SHE MAKES COMICS (2014) about female comix creators through the years and Fradon gets a good chunk of screen time. 

As she says in the documentary, her first job at DC Comics was the SHINING KNIGHT (continuing after the departure of legendary artist Frank Frazetta!!!) but she also drew the Sunday funnies staple BRENDA STARR, REPORTER -- another bastion of the independent female.  She also happens to be the artist who first drew a Batman team-up story in the pages of THE BRAVE & THE BOLD:  the 59th issue featuring Batman & Green Lantern. 

Ramona Fradon was a trailblazer merely because she was a phenomenally good artist who just happened to be a woman and she made it in the male-dominated world of super-hero comix on her own terms. 

 

VAMPI BIDS YOU VELCOME!

 FROM THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE 1975 ISSUE NO. 41 OF VAMPIRELLA.

  Hmmm, 1975 again.  I'm sensing some sort of pattern here.  Art by he wonderful Jose Gonzalez!

HANGING IN THE GALLERY

 HERE ARE A FEW OF THOSE AFOREMENTIONED CLASSIC PAINTINGS THAT ARE HANGING (BY THE NECK UNTIL DEAD) IN HORROR MOVIES:

Before and after portraits of our hero in the 1945 classic THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.  (The "pretty" portrait of actor Hurd Hatfield is by Henrique Medina while the "sinful" monster portrait is by Ivan Albright).

That painting you can walk right into in horror anthology film THREE CASES OF MURDER  {1955}

Those pesky Ushers and their demonic house in Roger Corman's masterpiece HOUSE OF USHER {1960} all done by the maestro Burt Shonberg!

That painting that keeps changing showing the corpses getting nearer and nearer in the 1969 pilot film of NIGHT GALLERY.  I'm not sure but this could be the work of artist Jaroslav "Jerry" Gebr.

One of my favourites is the Lovecraftian painting from the awesome Amicus THE CREEPING FLESH  {1973}.  I wish I knew who did this magnificent painting.  Anyone know?

And what other fantastic paintings from horror films did I forget???

THE WITCH IN THE WOODS [1953]

 Written by Stan Lee.  Art by Joe Sinnott.  From MENACE #7 (Sept. 1953).

RICHARD CORBEN {1940 - 2020}

WE LOST ONE OF THE GREATS THIS PAST YEAR WITH THE PASSING OF RICHARD CORBEN. 

Richard Corben with death masks of Peter Lorre & Bela Lugosi

Always one of my favourite illustrators and comic book artists, I think he's probably best remembered for his string of horror stories for the Warren titles like CREEPY and COMIX INTERNATIONAL, his creation of Den (seen in the movie HEAVY METAL) and, especially, for his Poe adaptations.  As a belated tribute to this great artist, here is a small gallery of his work.

Possibly Corben's final cover for The Creeps # 28 Feb. 2021

 

WHAT'S THAT CREEPING UP BEHIND YOU?

 IT'S THE COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN 2021, OF COURSE.

Beginning right here on October 1st.

NIGHTMARE IN BLACK LIGHT

 A little while ago I was sashayin' through the interwebs and stumbled across a blast from my past:  a poster called NIGHTMARE which was designed to be used with a black light. 

I bought this in the early 1970s when I was a kid in the Spencer's Gifts store in the Cherry Hill Mall.  The reason I know I bought it in the Spencer's in the Cherry Hill Mall is because I was there a lot when my mother worked at Regal Slacks (and who remembers THAT store?!?!?!) in the self-same Mall.  Does anyone know what a black light is?  Does anyone know what Spencer's is (or was . . . do they still exist?). 

In fact, the Spencer's Gifts in the Cherry Hill Mall apparently was the first ever store that opened in 1963 so it was probably 10 years old when I was running around in there.  For that matter, does anyone still know what a Mall is?  Anyway, Spencer's always had an alcove waaaaaaaay in the back of the store that was lit only with black lights and all the freaky stuff was back there; and if you had a white shirt on it would glow with the black light.  Back there they also had all the black light posters and I bought this poster because I was a kid and it had monsters and it was cool!  I wonder if I still have that poster in a box somewhere??? 

 

MONSTER, SHE WROTE

THE WOMEN WHO PIONEERED HORROR & SPECULATIVE FICTION.  This handsomely-designed hardcover by Lisa Kroger and Melanie R. Anderson examines the history and works of female authors who helped create and shape horror fiction from it's very beginnings to the present day.  From founding mothers Ann Radcliffe, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley & Margaret "Mad Madge" Cavendish through Edith Wharton, Margaret Oliphant & Elizabeth Gaskell to Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, Anne Rice & Angela Carter.  The authors' lives are delved into as well as their works including a reading list for each author as to what is "not to be missed".  The book also features lovely illustrations by Natalya Balnova.  I just love the dedication:  "To all the girls who still sleep with the lights on, but read the scary stories anyway."  The authors also co-host the KNOW FEAR podcast which focuses on horror in popular culture.

THE HALLOWEEN ORACLE

LIFTING THE VEIL BETWEEN THE WORLDS EVERY NIGHT.  For my birthday (in August), my parents got me this wonderful and beautiful set of oracle cards.  THE HALLOWEEN ORACLE comes with a guidebook by Stacey DeMarco and 36 oracle cards with magnificent illustrations by Jimmy Manton.  These are not tarot cards, kiddies, they're oracle cards.  

And the artwork on them is so nice and evocative of the Halloween season that I thought I'd share a few of them for your hungry eyeballs.