Benjamin Franklin Thorne (June 16, 1930 – March 7, 2021
at the Lambiek Comiclopedia) was an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

artist-writer, best known for the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

character

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics p ...

Comics

Thorne began his comics career in 1948, penciling romance comics for

Standard Comics Standard Comics was a comic book imprint of American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and paperback books (under the Popular Library name). Standard in t ...

. After graduation, he drew the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

newspaper strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

for

King Features King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial ...

, which was followed by more comic book work for

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

. He turned out a multitude of stories for '' Flash Gordon'', ''

Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle J ...

'', ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of med ...

'', '' Tom Corbett Space Cadet'', ''

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

'', '' Mighty Samson'', '' Enemy Ace'' and numerous others. Thorne drew the syndicated comic strip ''Dr. Guy Bennett'' / ''Dr. Duncan'' from 1956 to 1963 for LaFave Newspaper Features. Originally drawn by

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian'' from 1970 to 197 ...

for ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'', Red Sonja was transposed from a minor Robert E. Howard 16th-century gunslinger character ("Red Sonya") to a mainstay of the sword and sorcery Conan canon by Roy Thomas. After the character was spun off into a solo feature, Thorne succeeded penciler

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

in drawing her for ''

Marvel Feature ''Marvel Feature'' was a comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. It was a tryout book, intended to test the popularity of characters and concepts being considered for their own series. The first volume led to the launc ...

'' #2 (Jan. 1976), continuing through most of her 1977-79 solo series, ''Red Sonja''. Thorne subsequently created a number of

erotic fantasy A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered auto ...

comics and characters, alongside other works. His works include creating, writing and drawing the features "Moonshine McJugs" for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'', "Lann" in '' Heavy Metal'', and " Danger Rangerette" in '' National Lampoon'', and the 1989 miniseries '' Ribit!'' for ( Comico), as well as the Fantagraphics Books

graphic novels A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

''Ghita of Alizarr'', '' The Iron Devil'', '' The Devil’s Angel'', and '' The Illustrated History of Union County''. Publishing company

Hermes Press Hermes Press is an American publisher of art books, comic books, and comic book reprints. The company was founded in 2000 and is best known for their archival reprints of classic comic book and strip series and art books. History Hermes Press was ...

has reprinted ''Lann'', ''Ribit!'' and ''Ghita of Alizarr''; the latter being reprinted as an archival, nearly full-sized reproduction of the original art.

Controversy

Prosecutors in the Planet Comics and Science Fiction Store obscenity case in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma, in 1995–1996 confiscated Thorne's ''The Devil's Angel'', among other creators' works, as alleged

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

Other media

Thorne wrote and produced the documentary '' Two Lords and a Lady'', about Elizabeth Lee “Aunt Betty” Frazee and The Battle of the Short Hills. He wrote the books ''The Barrington Hall Sketchbook'', ''Drawing Sexy Women'', ''The Crystal Ballroom'', and ''The Alizarrian Trilogy: Nymph'', all published by Fantagraphics Books., also ''Frank Thorne's Battling Beauties'' (with Howard Leroy Davis as co-writer and which includes ''Sylph'' from ''The Alizarrian Trilogy''), ''Frank Thorne's Ribit'', ''Frank Thornre's Lann'', all published by Hermes Press. His work as a writer-illustrator has appeared in ''

'', ''

Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

'', '' Golden Magazine'', ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

'', and '' Vanity Fair''.

Awards

Thorne's awards include a 1963 National Cartoonists Society award in the Comic Book Division, the 1978

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...

, the

editorial award for best comic for Moonshine McJugs, Warren Magazine's Best Comic for Ghita of Alizarr, NJ Art Director’s Club.

Personal life

Thorne was known during the 1970s for attending comic book conventions in his persona as The Wizard judging Red Sonja Lookalike Contests. He was born in

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, and as of 2010 lived in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Thorne wanted to be known as a master in all aspects of cartooning and illustration. This lifetime pursuit was completed with his humorous ''Moonshine McJuggs'' cartoons published in ''Playboy''. He acknowledged that he could not have done all that he had done without the support of Marilyn, his wife of sixty-nine years. Despite the controversial nature of some of his material her support was unwavering. This enabled Thorne to work in every area of cartooning and illustration from Sunday School pamphlets to pornography. 1 He and Marilyn died on the same day: March 7, 2021.

References

11 ^ Part of Howard Leroy Davis interviews for '' Frank Thorne's Battling Beauties''. Hermes Press.

External links

* Accessed March 20, 2008. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Frank 1930 births 2021 deaths American comics artists American comics writers Silver Age comics creators People from Rahway, New Jersey People from Scotch Plains, New Jersey