Modern Artists: Roy G Krenkel

The naturalistic illustrations of Roy Krenkel (1918–1983) graced the covers of early fantasy paperbacks of Edgar Rice Burroughs and many others. He inspired a young Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) and, later, Jeffrey Catherine Jones (born Jeffrey Durwood Jones 1944–2011). The illustrations here, of ERB’s great hero, Tarzan, show the similarity of their powerful styles. Of course they worked in commercial, graphic illustration which lends itself to …

Modern Artists: Barry Windsor Smith

The fine art and graphic illustrations of Barry Windsor Smith (BWS) carry an aching beauty. Every line is lovingly crafted, every colour is imbued with care and elegance. I first encountered his illustrations in the Marvel Conan stories, Tower of the Hierophant I think, to which he brought a splendour and power rarely seen in comics. Briefly he associated with …

Michael Kaluta: Children of the Twilight

I bought this as a poster from London’s Forbidden Planet (a pack of six I think) in the early 1980s. Kaluta is one of my favourite, fantastic, graphic artists. He combines grace, power and imagination with such deftness. Kaluta, the much missed Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Barry Windsor Smith and Bernie Wrightson shared a studio together in the late 1970s and …