FRAZETTA, Frank

(1928-)

   US illustrator, born Frank Frazzetta. A New Yorker, he studied at the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts and was then active almost exclusively in COMICS 1944-63, working on both BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY and FLASH GORDON and spending 9 years on Li'l Abner. By the timehe came to prominence as a comics illustrator, working on Creepy for Warren Publications (from 1965) and later Vampirella, he had already beenintroduced (in 1964) to paperback-book-cover ILLUSTRATION by his friend Roy G. KRENKEL, first for ACE BOOKS and then for Lancer Books. He quicklybecame known (like Krenkel) for HEROIC-FANTASY illustrations, especially (from 1966) for his covers for Lancer's reissue of Robert E. HOWARD'sConan books. Some of his work was sf. He won his only HUGO for Best Professional Artist in 1966, but the lack of further Hugos did not imply a diminution in popularity - on the contrary, although his following was largely, presumably, among FANTASY rather than sf fans. Around this time FF set up, with his wife, a company to sell posters he had designed; laterhe also painted for a number of calendars. Portfolios produced at this time included the two volumes entitled Burroughs Artist Frank Frazetta (portfolio 1968 and 1973). A further breakthrough was the publication ofThe Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta (1975), which was followed by Frank Frazetta Book Two (1977) and then Three (1978), Four (1980) and Five (1985). Later volumes include Small Wonders: the Funny Animal Art of Frank Frazetta (1992) and Illustrations Arcanum (1994). By the 1980s, however, FF's fame extended well beyond narrow genres: his work was spread over many commercial areas, and his output of specifically fantasy/sf illustration became very small - although it did include the Death Dealer novels by James R. Silke with FF, from 1988, based on an idea (and covers) by FF, as well as covers for the L. RON HUBBARD PRESENTS WRITERS OF THE FUTURE series of original anthologies. Film work by FF includes Fire andIce (1982), an animated SWORD-AND-SORCERY feature film, produced by Ralph Bakshi and FF, partly designed by FF.FF's vigorous paintings of heavily muscled heroes, often fighting, are notable for their dynamic sense of movement (in contrast, perhaps, to work by Boris VALLEJO and other later, smoother illustrators who are often referred to as having inherited FF's mantle); he is famous, too, for his lush wide-hipped women, often chained or menaced but equally often shown as threatening Amazon Queens. His work has been accused of sexism and criticized as cheaply melodramatic, but at its best it is undeniably spirited and powerful. In the heroic-fantasy mode, FF has been one of the most influential illustrators of the century.

   PN

   See also: SEX.