Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Frank Frazetta, 1928-2010

LOCUS reports that Frank Frazetta has died. If you're over 40, or if you're a sword-and-sorcery/SF fan, you've seen lots of his stuff. Frank inspired a whole wave of artists.

Artist Frank Frazetta, 82, died May 10, 2009 of a stroke in a hospital near Boca Grande FL. Frazetta is best known for his iconic illustrations for the works of Robert E. Howard — especially Conan the Barbarian — and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and was a towering figure in the SF/fantasy art field.

Born February 9, 1928 in Brooklyn, Frazetta studied at the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts from ages eight to 16, and began working as a professional pulp and comic illustrator as a teenager. His early work included funny animal comics,Flash Gordon, Johnny Comet, Thun’da, Buck Rogers, EC horror comics, and even a long stint ghost-drawing the Li’l Abner comic strip.

io9 has a nice gallery of Frank's oeuvres and a link to more of 'em. Of Frank, they graciously added:

Frazetta's art defiined "larger than life" and "epic" for generations of science fiction and fantasy fans, and it will live on in the genre he gave so much to.

Thank-you, Frank, for all the wonder.

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