Bernie Wrightson

Bernie Wrightson
Wrightson at the 2006 Dallas Comic Con.
Born	(1948-10-27) October 27, 1948 Dundalk, Maryland, United States
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Penciller, Artist, Inker
Pseudonym(s)	Berni Wrightson
Notable works	Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Swamp Thing
Awards	Shazam Award 1972, 1973, 1974; Inkpot Award 1987; H.P. Lovecraft Award 2007; National Cartoonists Society Award 2012; Inkwell Awards Special Recognition Award 2015

Bernard Albert "Berni(e)" Wrightson (born October 27, 1948)^[1] is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.

Biography

Early career

Wrightson was born in Dundalk, Maryland.

He received training in art from watching Jon Gnagy on television, reading comics, particularly those of EC, as well as through a correspondence course from the Famous Artists School.^[2] His early (and lasting) artistic influences were Frank Frazetta and Graham Ingels. He published a piece of fan art, containing a headstone bearing the inscription "Berni Wrightson, Dec. 15, 1965", on page 33 of Warren Publishing's Creepy #9 (cover-dated June 1966).

In 1966, Wrightson began working for The Baltimore Sun newspaper as an illustrator. The following year, after meeting artist Frank Frazetta at a comic-book convention in New York City, he was inspired to produce his own stories. In 1968, he showed copies of his sequential art to DC Comics editor Dick Giordano and was given a freelance assignment.^[3] Wrightson began spelling his name "Berni" in his professional work to distinguish himself from an Olympic diver named Bernie Wrightson,^[4] but later restored the final "e" to his name.

In 1968 he drew his first professional comic book story, "The Man Who Murdered Himself", which appeared in House of Mystery No. 179 (March–April 1969).^[4] He continued to work on a variety of mystery and anthology titles for both DC and, a few years later, its principal rival, Marvel Comics. It was for Marvel's Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows titles where he was first encouraged to slightly simplify his intricate pen-and-ink drawing, and where his lush brushwork, a hallmark of his comics inking in the 1970s, was first evidenced.

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing No. 1 panel, original ink art by Wrightson.

With writer Len Wein, Wrightson co-created the muck creature Swamp Thing in House of Secrets No. 92 (July 1971) in a standalone horror story set in the Victorian era.^[5] Wein later recounted how Wrightson became involved with the story: "Bernie Wrightson had just broken up with a girlfriend, and we were sitting in my car just talking about life – all the important things to do when you're 19 and 20 years old. [Laughs] And I said, 'You know, I just wrote a story that actually kind of feels like the way you feel now.' I told him about Swamp Thing, and he said, 'I gotta draw that.'"^[6]

In summer 1972 he published Badtime Stories,^[7] a horror/science fiction comics anthology featuring his own scripts and artwork (from the period 1970–1971), each story being drawn in a different medium (ink wash, tonal pencil drawings, duoshade paper, screen tones, e.g., along with traditional pen-and-ink and brushwork).

He and writer Marv Wolfman co-created Destiny in Weird Mystery Tales No. 1 (July–Aug. 1972), a character which would later be used in the work of Neil Gaiman.^[8]

In the fall of 1972 the Swamp Thing returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in the general DC continuity.^[9] Wrightson drew the first ten issues of the series.^[6][7] Abigail Arcane, a major supporting character in the Swamp Thing mythos was introduced in issue No. 3 (Feb.-March 1973).^[10]

Wrightson had originally been asked by DC to handle the art for its revival of The Shadow, but he left the project early on when he realized he could not produce the necessary minimum number of pages on time, along with his work on Swamp Thing. Michael Kaluta illustrated the series, but Wrightson did contribute much to the third issue in both pencils and inks, as well as inking the splash page of issue four.

Warren and The Studio

In January 1974, he left DC to work at Warren Publishing,^[7] for whose black-and-white horror-comics magazines he produced a series of original work as well as short story adaptations. As with BadTime Stories, Wrightson experimented with different media in these black-and-white tales: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" featured intricate pen-and-ink work which stood in direct contrast with his brush-dominated Swamp Thing panels. "Jenifer", scripted by Bruce Jones, was atmospherically rendered with gray markers. "The Pepper Lake Monster" was a synthesis of brush and pen-and-ink, whereas H.P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air" was a foray into duotone paper. "Nightfall" was an exercise in ink wash and a subtle "Little Nemo in Slumberland" satire, and "The Muck Monster" a sequential art precursor to Wrightson's Frankenstein, with the Franklin Booth-inspired pen-and-ink style in evidence. "Clarice" was also drawn in pen, brush, and ink, and with ink wash.

In 1975, Wrightson joined with fellow artists Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, and Barry Windsor-Smith to form The Studio, a shared loft in Manhattan where the group would pursue creative products outside the constraints of comic book commercialism. Though he continued to produce sequential art, Wrightson at this time began producing artwork for numerous posters, prints, calendars, and even a highly detailed coloring book. He also drew sporadic comics stories and single illustrations for National Lampoon magazine from 1973 to 1983.^[7]

Wrightson spent seven years drawing approximately 50 detailed pen-and-ink illustrations to accompany an edition of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.

Later career

The "Captain Sternn" segment of the animated film Heavy Metal is based on a character created by Wrightson (first appearing in the June 1980 issue of Heavy Metal magazine). The Freakshow graphic novel, written by Bruce Jones and illustrated (via pen, brush, and ink with watercolors) by Wrightson, was published in Spain in 1982 and serialized in Heavy Metal magazine in the early 1980s.

In 1983 Bernie Wrightson illustrated the comic book adaptation of the Stephen King-penned horror film Creepshow. This led to several other collaborations with King, including illustrations for the novella "Cycle of the Werewolf", the restored edition of King's apocalyptic horror epic, The Stand, and Wolves of the Calla, the fifth installment of King's Dark Tower series.

Wrightson in 2012

Jim Starlin and Wrightson produced Heroes for Hope, a 1985 one-shot designed to raise money for African famine relief and recovery. Published in the form of a comics "jam", the book featured an all-star lineup of comics creators as well as a few notable authors from outside the comic book industry, such as Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, Harlan Ellison, and Edward Bryant.^[11][12] In 1986, Wrightson and writer Susan K. Putney collaborated on the Spider-Man: Hooky graphic novel.^[13] That same year saw Wrightson and Starlin produce a second benefit comic, Heroes Against Hunger featuring Superman and Batman which was published by DC and like the earlier Marvel project featured many top comics creators.^[14][15] Starlin and Wrightson collaborated on two miniseries in 1988, The Weird^[7] and Batman: The Cult,^[16] as well as Marvel Graphic Novel No. 29 featuring the Hulk and the Thing for Marvel.

He has illustrated cards for Last Unicorn Games' collectible card game Heresy: Kingdom Come,^[17] and has contributed album covers for a number of bands, including Meat Loaf.

Wrightson did production design for the characters the Reavers in the 2005 film Serenity.^[18]

In 2012, Wrightson collaborated with Steve Niles on Frankenstein Alive, Alive! published by IDW Publishing,^[19] for which he won a National Cartoonists Society's award.

Awards

Wrightson won the Shazam Award for Best Penciller (Dramatic Division) in 1972^[20] and 1973^[21] for Swamp Thing, the Shazam Award for Best Individual Story (Dramatic) in 1972 for Swamp Thing No. 1 (with Len Wein). He received additional nominations, including for the Shazam Award for Best Inker in 1973 for Swamp Thing, as well as that year's Shazam for Best Individual Story, for "A Clockwork Horror" in Swamp Thing No. 6 (with Len Wein).^[21]

Wrightson was a recipient of the 1974 Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Pro Artist. He was a nominee for the same award, then known as the "Goethe Award," in 1973.

Wrightson was co-recipient of the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for 1986, along with Jim Starlin, for his work on Heroes for Hope.^[22] The following year, Wrightson received an Inkpot Award.^[23]

Wrightson received the H.P. Lovecraft Award (also known as the "Howie") at the 2007 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.^[24]

He received the National Cartoonists Society's award in the category Comic Books for 2012 for Frankenstein Alive, Alive!.^[25]

He was awarded the Inkwell Award Special Recognition Award in 2015 for his 45-plus years of work, including co-creating DC Comic's Swamp Thing and Frankenstein.

Bibliography

Comics

Magazines

As You Like It Publications

• Comic Book Profiles No. 2 (1998)

Gemstone Publishing

• Comic Book Marketplace No. 105 (2003)

Metal Mammoth, Inc.

• Heavy Metal Special Editions #v10#1 (1996)

NL Communications, Inc.

• The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor (1973)

Skywald Publications

• Nightmare No. 9-10 (1972)

TwoMorrows Publishing

• Alter Ego vol. 3 No. 41 (2004)
• Back Issue! No. 6 (2004)
• Comic Book Artist No. 4 (1999)

Warren Publishing

• Creepy No. 62–63, 77, 87, 91, 95 (1974–1978)
• Eerie No. 58, 60, 62, 68, 72 (1974–1976)
• Vampirella (backup stories) No. 33 (with Jeff Jones), 63 (1974–1977)

Book illustrations

• The Art of Wrightson : A Pop-Up Portfolio, 1996, Sideshow, Incorporated, ISBN 1889164003
• Badtime Stories, 1972, Graphic Masters
• The Berni Wrightson Treasury, 1975, Omnibus Publishing
• Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, 1983, Dodd, Mead & Company, ISBN 0396082777
• Berni Wrightson: A Look Back, 1991, Underwood Books, ISBN 0887331300
• Berni Wrightson: Back for More, 1978, Archival Press, Inc., ISBN 091582230X
• The Conan Grimoire, by L. Sprague de Camp, 1972, Mirage Press
• The Conan Reader, by L. Sprague de Camp, 1968, Mirage Press
• Creepshow by Stephen King, 1982, NAL
• Cycle of the Werewolf, by Stephen King, 1985, NAL, ISBN 0451822196
• The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, by Stephen King, 2006, Pocket Books, ISBN 141651693X
• The House of Mystery by Jack Oleck, 1973, Warner Books
• The Lost Frankenstein Pages, 1993, Apple Pr Inc., ISBN 0927203081
• The Monsters Color the Creature Book, 1974, Phil Seuling
• The Mutants, 1980, Mother of Pearl, ISBN 093784800X
• The Reaper of Love and Other Stories, 1988, Fantagraphics Books, ISBN 093019361X
• The Stand-Complete and Uncut by Stephen King, 1990, Dbldy; BOMC edition
• The Studio (includes work by other artists), 1979, Dragons Dream, ISBN 9063325819
• Stuff Out'a My Head, by Joseph M. Monks, 2002, Chanting Monks Press, ISBN 0972660402
• Zombie Jam, by David J. Schow, 2005, Subterranean Press, ISBN 1931081778

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bernie Wrightson.

• Bernie Wrightson official site
• Bernie Wrightson at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
• Bernie Wrightson at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• Spotlight on Bernie Wrightson, Comic Book Resources, June 16, 2008