Frank Frazetta (1928–2010)

This first collection of Frazetta's earliest work, up to about 1974 is, as to be expected, simply gorgeous. Seeing these images—some sketches, most finished paintings—makes me feel like that twelve year old kid walking around in a bookstore, and seeing both my first Conan book, and my first Frazetta painting. And, telling the absolute truth, I bought that book for the cover.

Turns out, I loved the Robert E. Howard stories inside as well, but that cover still pulls up visceral memories for show more me.

Frazetta was a huge influence on my youth, and remains so today, fifty years later.

Great book. I'm looking forward to the other volumes. show less

Frazetta was an artist from the 50-80s whose paintings inspired many IPs ranging from Conan the Barbarian to W40k and you can see why.
The book contains a myriad of paintings with different emotions being invoked and range in both art style, period, and subject matter. From a Tarzan-like man swinging on trees, a pack of mammoths being fought, a mother trying to protect her child from wolves, a man running from wolves under a blood-moon, pointy hat wizards, to the flying ships and show more inexplicable machines in some others. There's a sense of movement and more importantly, grace present in all of them.

The women are of course beautiful, capturing the beauty standards of the era (based on Monroe) and some personal aesthetic preferences resulting in them being curvy, generally long hair, having fat in some expected places like the bum but also in some areas which appear odd to a modern audience. For example, there's meant to be a lower belly fat pouch on the female body right above the groin because the ovaries require a fat reserve for optimal hormonal function (Monroe had it too, and apparently, it was seen as a sign of fertility in the 50s). They're cool but I didn't really come here for the woman though.
The men are so beautiful. I remember in my youth looking up sculpts of David and Farnese Hercules and being inspired, breath-taken by these figures of muscle oozing so much certainty in themselves and strength. Frazetta's figures have been the only ones to capture that feeling in me again and I'm very grateful to him, and his family for preserving his art. Look up his art pieces like Atlantis or Wolf-moon. Or the fear inspired by DEATH DEALER, the sense of triumph from Indomitable, the adrenaline from Spider-Man, the pure will to Power in The Barbarian.
I like Frazetta's art. I think you will too. show less

This one has a lot of quick doodles and sketches, which I loved. It shows an entirely different side of Frazetta, and this was the one that began showing some linkages between what he was doing, and the wider sandbox where Bernie Wrightson (on the linework side) and Boris Vallejo (on the painting side) would also play.

And while they could at times be remarkably similar in style, no one could ever match Frazetta. This book is evidence of that, as well.

Volume two of Frazetta's stunning work. His stuff is simply magical. There's such dynamic movement in these images. But it's also the colour palette, and the slightly indistinct faces that allow the viewer to read into them, to imagine them in all their fearsome evil, or incredible beauty.

Frazetta's in a category all his own.