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Monday, October 9, 2023

Page Turners: The "Creepy" art of Bernie Wrightson

Bernie Wrightson was one of the true giants of the comic book genre that sprung from the well of talent that emerged in the late 1960’s - 1970's period. Although he may not have been as active in the world of superheroes, he was undoubtedly the master of horror and mystery comics books at this time producing an amazing output of high quality art and stories for DC's mystery titles where in 1969, he produced his first professional work “ The man who murdered himself” for "House of Mystery" #169. It would only be a couple of years later the Bernie would co-create with Len Wein, arguably comics greatest muck monster "Swamp Thing” in the pages of "House of Secrets" # 92. Although his short run on “Swamp Thing” (#1-10) is rightly considered the pinnacle of his comic book output, his work for Warrens Creepy and Eerie magazines was always extra special. Below (and above from Creepy #62) is a selection of Bernie’s front pieces for "Creepy" magazine that combine horror with a twinge of humour as only a true master of the genre could do.
Although I have a few of the original issues of “Creepy” where these front pieces originally appeared, all these are taken from the excellent "Creepy Archive – Bernie Wrightson” edition from Dark Horse comics.
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6 comments:

  1. Rip JaggerOctober 10, 2023 at 4:22 AM

    I cherish this volume featuring some of Wrightson's most evolved artwork. His images of Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie are robust and absurd, wonderfully comic yet lurid too. Wrightson was inspired by Graham Ingalls and brought that style forward with a greater muscularity for the Bronze Age. Great Stuff!

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    1. McSCOTTYOctober 10, 2023 at 10:45 AM

      Those Creepy archives are excellent. "Comic and lurid" is a great description. Any horror comics that I have picked up in recent years for the most part, miss that "comic and lurid" style he mastered so well, going instead for brutal \gore shock value.

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  2. KidOctober 10, 2023 at 4:45 AM

    I also have this volume. Tell you what - that Wrightson fella sure can draw a bit, can't he?! His version of Batman in ST #7 was also good.

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    1. McSCOTTYOctober 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM

      Yeah he was indeed pretty good Kid. I Picked up his Batman "Cult" series a few years ago and liked his version of Batman a lot. I would have loved to have seen him draw the Spectre, Dr Fate etc (unless I missed this, I seem to recall he did a Dr Strange issue which I did miss). Swamp Thing 7 was a big fan favoirite, sadly I missed it at the time but managed to pick up a reading copy a few years ago. The Ditko Creepy collected archive is another classic,genuinely in that series. I Picked up that and The Bernie books up during the Forbidden Planet (Glasgow) closing down sales when their Buchanan Street shop closed for £5 each .

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    2. KidOctober 10, 2023 at 4:19 PM

      Did you manage to buy the Alex Toth volume in the series?

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  3. McSCOTTYOctober 10, 2023 at 7:41 PM

    Yes, I have that one as well Kid. I picked that up in the last days of the FP sale although the cover was ripped on that one but still well worth £5 (I forgot I had that lol). I was hoping they would do a John Severin edition but I'm not sure of he drew enough strips for that. They did a special Severin of the monthly Creepy magazime though which I have.

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