The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta

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 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.

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 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 show more 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

Frazetta did a lot of the cover art for fantasy & SF books. His covers for the Lancer editions of the Conan books were what got me interested in him. Later, I recognized his style & bought a book just for the cover art - my first Kane book, by Karl Wagner. He's done a wide range including a lot of the Barsoom series for the Martian books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also some Tarzan. He also illustrated for Playboy or Penthouse - I think he did the 'Little Annie Fanny' cartoons for a while.

I'm not a real art critic. His paintings seem extraordinary to me. In closeups of some subjects in the book, you can see where a single stroke of his brush creates muscle line. It's really fantastic. The washed out horrors in the backgrounds of some just show more become more & more eerie as you study them. His women are voluptuous, generous curves & scanty clothing. His humor is fantastic too. show less

Frank Frazetta is probably my favorite fantasy artist, and this book of lovely color prints contains some of my favorites. Plates 10, 20, 22, and 38 are special standouts for me. Nobody else conveys the power and violence of a battle scene or the lush gorgeousness of a primitive maiden as Frazetta does.

Frazetta did a lot of the cover art for fantasy & SF books. His covers for the Lancer editions of the Conan books were what got me interested in him. Later, I recognized his style & bought a book just for the cover art - my first Kane book, by Karl Wagner. He's done a wide range including a lot of the Barsoom series for the Martian books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also some Tarzan. He also illustrated for Playboy or Penthouse - I think he did the 'Little Annie Fanny' cartoons for a while.

I'm not a real art critic. His paintings seem extraordinary to me. In closeups of some subjects in the book, you can see where a single stroke of his brush creates muscle line. It's really fantastic. The washed out horrors in the backgrounds of some just show more become more & more eerie as you study them. His women are voluptuous, generous curves & scanty clothing. His humor is fantastic too. show less

Frazetta was one of the hottest fantasy/science fiction illustrators of the 70's. The plates in this book are just beautiful. Molly Hatchet used his art work on at least one of their album covers. Definitely a must have if you are a Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, and overall sword and scorcery buff!