226 FRAZETTA, FRANK
become inured to such mysteries in the world and tend to concentrate on trifl es instead:
“We live with this incredible mystery and we focus our attentions on these trivialities,
like comics” (Groth 2002, 86). By provoking a sense of wonder, Th e Frank Book helps to
restore the balance between the marvelous and the mundane.
Selected Bibliography: Groth, Gary. “Jim Woodring: No Off ense Taken.” Th e Comics
Journal Special Edition 2 (Summer 2002): 77–98; Groth, Gary. “When the Lobster
Whistles on the Hill: Th e Life and Visions of Jim Woodring.” Th e Comics Journal 164
(Dec. 1993): 55–86; “Jim Woodring’s FraAOOOOOOOOOIIIIink: Detourning the
Dream Factory.” Mindless Ones (May 9, 2008) http://mindlessones.com/2008/05/09/
fraaoooooooooiiiiink-detourning-the-dream-factory/; Woodring, Jim. Th e Frank Book.
3rd Ed. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2006.
Michael W. Hancock
FRAZETTA, FRANK (1928–). Renowned comic book and fantasy artist Frank Frazetta
was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts,
studying under Michele [Michael] Falanga. He began his artistic career assisting
science-fi ction artist John Giunta at Bernard Bailey’s studio where he had his fi rst
comic book work published in Tally Ho #1 in 1944. He turned down the opportunity
to play professional baseball as well as working for Walt Disney and instead worked
during the late 1940s at Standard on 15 diff erent titles including Barnyard , Coo Coo ,
Happy , and Supermouse.
Th e late 1940s and early 1950s saw Frazetta working for a number of diff erent
publishers including Magazine Enterprises and National (now DC Comics ), drawing
humor, adventure and We s t e r n titles. In 1951 he created Th un’Da, a Tarzan-like
character for Magazine Enterprises. It was the only complete comic he would draw.
He tried to sell a few newspaper strips such as Ambi Dexter and Sweet Adeline with
little success, with the exception of the short lived Johnny Comet. Other publishers
Frazetta would work for during the 1950s included EC , Toby Press, and Prize
Publications. His Buck Rogers covers for Famous Funnies are especially notable. His
work in Th rilling Comics would catch the attention of Al Capp, and in 1953 Frazetta
became his assistant on the Li’l Abner newspaper strip. Regrettably, the eight-year
experience would aff ect Frazetta’s ability to quickly return to his own style. Still, he
found work with Harvey Kurtzman and worked on Li’l Annie Fanny for Playboy
magazine. In 1963 Frazetta began painting paperback covers starting with Ta r z a n for
Ace Paperback.
In 1964 Frazetta started doing his famous covers for the Warren Publishing’s horror
magazines Creepy and Eerie. In 1967 Frazetta re-defi ned the visual look of Conan for
Lancer paperbacks and in doing so defi ned the look of the entire fantasy hero genre.
His work has infl uenced not only others in his fi eld but also fi lm directors. In response
to critics who charged that Frazetta’s peak had come and gone, he painted two of his
best works “Death Dealer” and “Silver Warrior.”
