Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...

, his adaptation of the novel ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'' illustration work, and for his other horror comics and illustrations, which feature his trademark intricate pen and brushwork.

Early life

Wrightson was born October 27, 1948, in

Dundalk, Maryland Dundalk ( or ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest uni ...

. He received training in art from watching

Jon Gnagy Jon Gnagy (January 13, 1907 – March 7, 1981) was a self-taught artist most remembered for being America's original television art instructor, hosting ''You Are an Artist'', which began on the NBC network and included analysis of paintings from ...

on television, reading comics, particularly those of EC, as well as through a

correspondence course Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

from the

Famous Artists School Famous Artists School is an art correspondence course institution, in operation since 1948. The school was founded by members of the New York Society of Illustrators, principally Albert Dorne and Norman Rockwell. History The Famous Artists S ...

. His artistic influences were

Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He i ...

Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...

, Al Dorne,

Graham Ingels Graham J. Ingels (; June 7, 1915April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in EC Comics during the 1950s, notably on ''The Haunt of Fear'' and ''Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by Al ...

, Jack Davis and

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

. He published a piece of

fan art Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. They are usually done by amateur artists, semi-professionals or professionals. As fan labor, fan art refers t ...

, containing a headstone bearing the inscription "Berni Wrightson, Dec. 15, 1965", on page 33 of

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include '' After Hours'', '' Creepy'', '' Eerie'', '' F ...

's ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being wikt:creepy, creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or wikt:unease, unease. A person who exhibits creepy behaviour is called a creep. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others. The ...

'' #9 (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...

d June 1966).

Career

In 1966, Wrightson began working for ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' newspaper as an illustrator. The following year, after meeting artist

at a

comic-book convention A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

in New York City, he was inspired to produce his own stories. In 1968, he showed copies of his

sequential art In comics studies, sequential art is a term proposed by comics artist Will EisnerWill Eisner, '' Comics and Sequential Art'', Poorhouse Press, 1990 (1st ed.: 1985), p. 5. to describe art forms that use images deployed in a specific order for the pur ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

editor

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 ...

and was given a freelance assignment. Wrightson began spelling his name "Berni" in his professional work to distinguish himself from an Olympic diver named

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

, 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 ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First se ...

'' #179 ( cover-dated March–April 1969). 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 Marvel Comics is an American comic book 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 Comics'' in ...

. It was for Marvel's ''

Chamber of Darkness ''Chamber of Darkness'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics. Under this and a subsequent name, it ran from 1969 to 1974. It featured work by creators such as writer-editor Stan Lee, writers Gerr ...

'' and ''

Tower of Shadows ''Tower of Shadows'' is a horror/fantasy anthology comic book published by the American company Marvel Comics under this and a subsequent name from 1969 to 1975. It featured work by writer-artists Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Johnny Craig, and Wal ...

'' 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. Like many artists in the 1970s and 1980s, Wrightson moved to New York in hopes of finding work with comics publishers such as

. At one point Wrightson lived in the same Queens apartment building as artists Allen Milgrom,

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...

and

Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' '' Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

. Simonson recalls, "We'd get together at 3 a.m. They'd come up and we'd have popcorn and sit around and talk about whatever a 26, 27 and 20-year-old guys talk about. Our art, TV, you name it. I pretty much knew at the time, 'These are the good ole days.'"

Swamp Thing

With writer

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ...

, Wrightson co-created the muck creature

in '' House of Secrets'' #92 (July 1971) in a standalone horror story set in the Victorian era. 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.'" In summer 1972 he published ''Badtime Stories'', 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 Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

co-created

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

in ''

Weird Mystery Tales ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was a mystery horror comics anthology published by DC Comics from July–August 1972 to November 1975. Publication history 100 Page Super Spectacular The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for '' DC 100 Page S ...

'' #1 (July–Aug. 1972), a character which would later be used in the work of

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...

. In the fall of 1972 the Swamp Thing returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in the general DC continuity. Wrightson drew the first ten issues of the series. Abigail Arcane, a major supporting character in the Swamp Thing mythos was introduced in issue #3 (Feb.-March 1973). Wrightson had originally been asked by DC to handle the art for its revival of

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

, 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 Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer De ...

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 #4.

Warren and The Studio

In January 1974, he left DC to work at

, and 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 Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

'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. "Clarice" was also drawn in pen, brush, and ink, and with ink wash. In 1975, Wrightson joined with fellow artists

Jeffrey Catherine Jones Jeffrey Catherine Jones (January 10, 1944 – May 19, 2011) was an American artist whose work is best known from the late 1960s through the 2000s. Jones created the cover art for more than 150 books through 1976, as well as venturing into ...

, and

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 ...

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, ''The Monsters''. He also drew sporadic comics stories and single illustrations for '' National Lampoon'' magazine from 1973 to 1983. Wrightson spent seven years drawing approximately 50 detailed pen-and-ink illustrations to accompany an edition of

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...

's novel ''

''.

Later career

The "

Captain Sternn Captain Lincoln F. Sternn is a comic book character created by Bernie Wrightson. Personality and appearance Captain Sternn is considered "part Han Solo, part James Garner from '' The Great Escape''". The character, as written by Wrightson, is an ...

" 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 ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver ...

''. This led to several other collaborations with King, including illustrations for the novella "

Cycle of the Werewolf ''Cycle of the Werewolf'' is a short horror novel by American writer Stephen King, featuring illustrations by comic-book artist Bernie Wrightson. Each chapter is a short story unto itself. It tells the story of a werewolf haunting a small town as ...

", the restored edition of King's apocalyptic horror epic, ''

The Stand ''The Stand'' is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which the few survivin ...

'', and '' Wolves of the Calla'', the fifth installment of King's '' Dark Tower'' series. He would later illustrate the cover for ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' magazine's April 26 – May 2, 1997 issue, illustrating the TV miniseries of King's '' The Shining''. During production on the 1984 film ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'', Wrightson was among the artists hired by associate producer

Michael C. Gross Michael C. Gross (October 3, 1945 – November 16, 2015) was an American artist, designer, and film producer. From 1970 to 1974 he art-directed '' National Lampoon'' magazine, and subsequently co-ran a design company. In 1980 he started wo ...

to provide

concept art Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire th ...

envisioning the ghosts and other psychic phenomena encountered by that film's characters. The artwork he contributed included images of the "escapees" from the Ghostbusters' electrically-powered ghost storage facility, which run amok after the facility's electricity is turned off. Bernie Wrightson 2012

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...

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 " comic 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 Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, George R. R. Martin,

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

, and

Edward Bryant Edward Winslow Bryant Jr. (August 27, 1945 – February 10, 2017) was an American science fiction and horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered The New Wave. At the time of his death, ...

. In 1986, Wrightson and writer Susan K. Putney collaborated on the ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

: Hooky'' graphic novel. That same year saw Wrightson and Starlin produce a second benefit comic, '' Heroes Against Hunger'' featuring

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

and

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

which was published by DC and like the earlier Marvel project featured many top comics creators. Starlin and Wrightson collaborated on two

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

in 1988, ''

The Weird ''The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories'' is an anthology of weird fiction edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Published on 30 Oct 2011, it contains 110 short stories, novellas and short novels. At 1,152 pages in the hardcover editi ...

'' and '' Batman: The Cult'', as well as '' Marvel Graphic Novel'' #29 featuring the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

and the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuse ...

for Marvel. He has illustrated cards for

Last Unicorn Games Last Unicorn Games (LUG) was a game publisher owned by Christian Moore that was eventually purchased by Wizards of the Coast. Last Unicorn developed the collectible card games ''Dune'' (1997) and '' Heresy: Kingdom Come'' (1995) as well as the 19 ...

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

'' Heresy: Kingdom Come'', and has contributed album covers for a number of bands, including Meat Loaf. Wrightson did concept art for film and television, working on productions including ''

The Faculty ''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, B ...

'', ''

Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the f ...

'', ''

'', ''The Mist'', ''

Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the L ...

'', and '' Serenity''. In 2012, Wrightson collaborated with

Steve Niles Steve Niles (born June 21, 1965) is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as ''30 Days of Night'', '' Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery'', ''Simon Dark'', ''Mystery Society'', and '' Batman: Gotham County Line''. ...

on '' Frankenstein Alive, Alive!'' published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly re ...

, for which he won a National Cartoonists Society's award.

Personal life

Wrightson's first wife Michele Wrightson was involved in

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority ...

, contributing stories to such publications as ''

It Ain't Me, Babe "It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the albu ...

'', ''

Wimmen's Comix ''Wimmen's Comix'', later titled ''Wimmin's Comix'', is an influential all-female underground comics anthology published from 1972 to 1992. Though it covered a wide range of genres and subject matters, ''Wimmen's Comix'' focused more than other an ...

'', and ''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

''. She died in 2015. Wrightson and Michelle had two sons together, John and Jeffrey. Wrightson lived with his second wife Liz Wrightson and his stepson Thomas Adamson in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Wrightson announced in January 2017 that he was retiring because of his battle with cancer. He died on March 18, 2017, at the age of 68. The next day, Liz Wrightson confirmed that his death followed a long battle with

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...

. " The First Day of the Rest of Your Life", the April 2, 2017 season 7 finale of the TV series '' The Walking Dead'', was dedicated to Wrightson's memory.

Creative legacy

Wrightson's death met with a series of testimonials and tributes by colleagues and professional admirers that included

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television serie ...

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and '' The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for ...

Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...

and he dedication to John Carpenter's "The Thing Artbook" (2017) Whedon called Wrightson "a star by which other pencillers chart their course", while Gaiman stated that Wrightson was the first comics artist whose work he loved. Horror connoisseur del Toro took a 24-hour pledge of silence in honor of Wrightson, writing, "As it comes to all of us, the end came for the greatest that ever lived: Bernie Wrightson. My North dark star of youth. A master."

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossover ...

creator

said of Wrightson, "He was a genius, and not just a monster guy. Everything Bernie did had soul." Wrightson's former neighbor Walter Simonson, who lived in the same building as Wrightson in the 1980s, recalled, "Even at an early age, we were all really in awe of his work, it was so good." Analyzing Wrightson's skill in depth, Simonson explained that in addition to his ability to draw anything, Wrightson was a master of value, able to effect a precise command over the depth and tones of the colors and shades of grey in his work, stating, "In drawing or in painting, one of the things that you control is the value, which is the light and dark. If you were to take your color TV set and somehow turn off the color and just have a black and white and gray picture, you're looking at the values of those color pictures. 'Frankenstein' is a complete masterpiece of value, using incredibly complex pictures, and yet you always see exactly what you are supposed to see. He drives the eye right where it needs." Regarding the famously reproduced two-page spread from that work depicting Frankenstein's laboratory, Simonson said of that image, "It's so complicated and yet he's able to show you what he wants you to see. In some ways he lab scene isthe core of the story. It's where Frankenstein breaks the laws of God. I think people were just drawn to it cause it's so completely over the top and yet it's so completely controlled at the same time." Comics analyst and historian

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

called that image a "riot of detail", saying, "It might take a moment before you even notice the corpse laying at the bottom of the composition on the left. That makes it a bit more of a treasure map. Bit more of a 'Where Is Waldo?'" During a 2016 tour of his extensive library of art and pop culture memorabilia, Del Toro named Wrightson's ''Frankenstein'' as the work whose original artwork was the hardest to find, saying, "They are very rare. The people that have them don't let them go. It's taken me years to get that. I have nine out of the 13 favorite plates of the Frankenstein book that Bernie Wrightson ever did. The other four: one of them, no one knows where it is, and the other three are, I would say, very hard to pry away from the people that have them."

Awards

Wrightson won the Shazam Award for Best Penciller (Dramatic Division) in 1972 and 1973 for

, the Shazam Award for Best Individual Story (Dramatic) in 1972 for ''

'' #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'' #6 (with Len Wein). 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

, for his work on '' Heroes for Hope''. The following year, Wrightson received an

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 ...

. Wrightson received the H.P. Lovecraft Award (also known as the "Howie") at the 2007 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon. He received the National Cartoonists Society's award in the category Comic Books for 2012 for '' Frankenstein Alive, Alive!''. He was awarded the Inkwell Award Special Recognition Award in 2015 for his 45-plus years of work, including co-creating

DC Comic DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

and

. In 2021, Wrightson was induced into the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

Comics

Bongo Comics

*''

Treehouse of Horror ''Treehouse of Horror'' is an annual series of special Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', with 33 anthology episodes between 1990 and 2022. Also known as ''The Simpsons Halloween Specials'', each episode typica ...

'' #11 segment "Squish Thing", a parody of ''

'' (2005)

Chanting Monks Studios

*''Night Terrors'' #1 (2000)

Chaos! Comics

*''Nightmare Theater'' #1–4 (1997)

Cry for Dawn Productions

*''So Dark the Rose'' #1 (1995)

Dark Horse Comics

*''City of Others'' #1–4 (2007) *''Tarzan Le Monstre'' #11–12 (1998)

DC Comics

*''

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...

Annual'' #4 (cover) (1998) *''

'' #265, 400 (interiors); #241, 320, ''Annual'' #22 (covers) (1972–1998) *''Batman: Hidden Treasures'' #1 (2010) *''Batman: Nevermore'' (covers) #1–5 (2003) *'' Batman: The Cult'' #1–4 (1988) *''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' #425 (cover) (1972) *'' Flinch'' #14 (2000) *''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

Annual'' #7 (cover) (1998) *''Heroes Against Hunger'' (two pages only) (1986) *''

'' #179–181, 183, 186, 188, 191, 195, 204; (covers): #193–194, 207, 209, 211, 213–214, 217, 221, 229, 231, 236, 255–256 (1969–1978) *''House of Mystery'' vol. 2 #9; (cover): #1 (2009) *'' House of Secrets'' #92; (covers): #93–94, 96, 100, 103, 106–107, 135, 139 (1971–1976) *'' JLA Annual'' #2 (cover) (1998) *''

Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...

'' #9 (cover) (1978) *'' Kong the Untamed'' #1–2 (covers) (1975) *''

Plop! ''Plop!'', "The New Magazine of Weird Humor!", was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics in the mid-1970s. It falls into the horror / humor genre. It lasted 24 issues and the series ran from Sept./Oct. 1973 to Nov./Dec. 1976. Backg ...

'' #1, 5 (1973–1974) *'' Secrets of Haunted House'' #5, 44 (covers) (1975–1982) *''

'' Vol. 2 #3, (1974) *''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' (

Nightmaster The Nightmaster is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Showcase'' #82 (May 1969), and was created by Denny O'Neil and Jerry Grandenetti. Publication history Following his introduction ...

) #83–84 (1969) *''

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...

'' #9 (1969) *''Spectre'' vol. 3 #58 (cover) (1997) *''

Superman/Batman ''Superman/Batman'' is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. ''Superman/Batman'' premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, ''World's ...

Annual'' #3 (cover) (2009) *''

'' #1–10 (1972–1974) *'' Tales of the Unexpected'' #4 (cover) (2007) *'' The Unexpected'' #116, 119, 128 (1970–1971) *'' Toe Tags Featuring George Romero'' (cover) #1–6 (2004–2005) *''Welcome Back to the House of Mystery'' #1 (cover) (1998) *''

'' #1–4 (1988) *''

'' #1 (interiors); #21 (cover) (1972–1975) *''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

Annual'' #7 (cover) (1998) *''

Witching Hour In folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night that is associated with supernatural events, whereby witches, demons and ghosts are thought to appear and be at their most powerful. Definitions vary, and include the hour imme ...

'' #3, 5 (1969)

DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics

*''

Batman/Aliens ''Batman/Aliens'' is a crossover between the Batman and Aliens comic book franchises. It was published in 1997. A sequel was released in 2003. ''Batman/Aliens'' Batman parachutes into the jungle near the Guatemala and Mexico borderline, in ...

'' miniseries #1–2 (1997)

Eclipse Comics

*''Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre'' #5 (1984)

Fantagraphics Books/Eros Comix

*''Collected Purple Pictography'' #1 (1991) *''The Reaper of Love and Other Stories'' #1 (1988)

FPG

Bernie Wrightson: MASTER OF THE MACABRE (1993, Trading Card Series), MORE MACABRE (1994, Second Trading Card Series)

IDW Publishing

*''Dead, She Said'' #1–3 (with

) (2008) *'' Frankenstein Alive, Alive!'' #1–3 (2012–2014)

Image Comics

*''Frankenstein Mobster'' #7 (2004) *''The Walking Dead''

Kitchen Sink Press

*''Captain Sternn: Running Out of Time '' #1–5 (1993)

Major Publications

*''Web of Horror'' #1–3 (1969–1970)

Marvel Comics

*''

Astonishing Tales ''Astonishing Tales'' is an American anthology comic book series originally published by Marvel Comics from 1970 to 1976. Its sister publication was '' Amazing Adventures'' (vol. 2). In 2008 and 2009, Marvel produced 11 webcomics starring diffe ...

'' #31 (cover inks) (1975) *'' Captain Marvel'' #41–42 (interiors); #43 (cover) (1975–1976) *''

'' #7 (interior); #8 (cover) (1970) *''

Clive Barker's Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is an English/American horror media franchise that consists of eleven films, as well as various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella by English author Clive Barker titled ''The Hellbound Heart'', ...

'' #1 (1989) *''

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''), ...

'' #12 (1971) *'' Creatures on the Loose'' ( King Kull) #10 (1971) *''

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

Special Edition'' #1 (cover) (1983) *''

Dreadstar ''Dreadstar'' was the first comic-book series published by American publisher Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics, in 1982. It was centered on Vanth Dreadstar, sole survivor of the entire Milky Way galaxy, and an ensemble cast of crewmates, i ...

'' #6–7 (1983) *''

Epic Illustrated ''Epic Illustrated'' was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine '' Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional A ...

'' #8, 10, 22, 25, 30, 34 (interiors); #30 (cover) (1981–1986) *''

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wa ...

'' #1 (cover) (1985) *''Giant-Size Chillers'' #3 (cover) (1975) *'' Heroes for Hope starring the X-Men'' #1 (three pages only) (1985) *''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' #197 (cover) (1976) *'' Marvel Graphic Novel'' #22 (

: "Hooky"); #29 (The

and the

: "The Big Change") (1986–1987) *'' Punisher P.O.V.'' #1–4 (1991) *'' Punisher: Purgatory'' #1–4 (1998–1999) *''

Savage Tales ''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment. Publication history Ma ...

'' (King Kull) #2 (1973) *''Shadows & Light'' #1 (1998) *'' Sub-Mariner'' #36 (inker) (1971) *'' The Tomb of Dracula'' #43 (cover) (1976) *''

'' #8–9 (covers) (1971) *''

Werewolf by Night The Werewolf by Night (usually referred to by other characters simply as the Werewolf) is the name applied to two fictional characters who are werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of We ...

'' #35 (cover) (1976)

New American Library

*''

'' trade paperback (1982)

Pacific Comics

*''Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre'' #1–4 (1983–1984) *''

Twisted Tales ''Twisted Tales'' was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell. Publication history ''Twisted Tales'' was published on a bi-mon ...

'' #2 (1983)

Magazines

As You Like It Publications

*''Comic Book Profiles'' #2 (1998)

Gemstone Publishing

*''Comic Book Marketplace'' #105 (2003)

Metal Mammoth, Inc.

*'' Heavy Metal Special Editions'' vol. 10, #1 (1996)

NL Communications, Inc.

*'' The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor'' (1973) * ''National Lampoon's Very Large Book Of Comical Funnies'' (1975)

Skywald Publications

*''Nightmare'' #9–10 (1972)

TwoMorrows Publishing

*''

Alter Ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

'' vol. 3, #41 (2004) *''

Back Issue! ''Back Issue!'' is an American magazine published by TwoMorrows Publishing, based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 2003 and published eight times yearly, it features articles and art about comic books from the 1970s to the present. Edited ...

'' #6 (2004) *''

Comic Book Artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

'' #4 (1999)

Warren Publishing

*''

'' #62–63, 77, 87, 95 (1974–1978), 83, 86 (inks over Carmine Infantino) *''

Eerie ''Eerie'' was an American magazine of horror comics introduced in 1966 by Warren Publishing. Like '' Mad'', it was a black-and-white magazine intended for newsstand distribution and did not submit its stories to the comic book industry's volunta ...

'' #58, 60, 62, 68, 72 (w/ Chaykin) (1974–1976) *''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Cre ...

'' (backup stories) #33 (with

), 34 (script only)

Book illustrations

*''The Art of Wrightson : A Pop-Up Portfolio'', 1996, Sideshow, Incorporated, *''Badtime Stories'', 1972, Graphic Masters *''The Berni Wrightson Treasury'', 1975, Omnibus Publishing *'' Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein'', 1983, Dodd, Mead & Company, *''Berni Wrightson: A Look Back'', 1991, Underwood Books, *''Berni Wrightson: Back for More'', 1978, Archival Press, Inc., *'' The Conan Grimoire'', by L. Sprague de Camp, 1972, Mirage Press *'' The Conan Reader'', by L. Sprague de Camp, 1968, Mirage Press *''

'' by

, 1982, NAL *''

'', by Stephen King, 1985, NAL, *'' The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla'', by Stephen King, 2006, Pocket Books, *''The House of Mystery'' by Jack Oleck, 1973, Warner Books *''The Lost Frankenstein Pages'', 1993, Apple Pr Inc., *''The Monsters Color the Creature Book'', 1974, Phil Seuling *''The Mutants'', 1980, Mother of Pearl, *''The Reaper of Love and Other Stories'', 1988,

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

, *'' The Stand-Complete and Uncut '' by Stephen King, 1990, Dbldy; BOMC edition *'' The Studio'' (includes work by other artists), 1979, Dragons Dream, *''Stuff Out'a My Head'', by Joseph M. Monks, 2002,

Chanting Monks Press Joseph M. Monks (born February 21, 1968, Queens, New York, U.S.) is an American writer and the world's first visually impaired feature film director, best known for co-creating the cult phenomena horror comic book, '' Cry For Dawn''. Biography ...

, *''Zombie Jam'', by

David J. Schow David J. Schow (born July 13, 1955) is an American author of horror novels, short stories, and screenplays. His credits include films such as '' Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III'', ''The Crow'' and '' The Hills Run Red''. Most of S ...

, 2005, Subterranean Press, *''Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History'' by Daniel Wallace, 2015, Insight Editions.

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish for " St. Raphael", ) is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's popula ...

. pp. 21 and 86.

Album artwork

* Meat Loaf: '' Dead Ringer'', 1981,

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

Obituary An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

: '' Back from the Dead'', 1997,

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in ...

References

External links

* *
Bernie Wrightson
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrightson, Bernie 1948 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American male artists 21st-century American male artists Album-cover and concert-poster artists American comics artists American illustrators Artists from Maryland Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winners Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Horror artists Inkpot Award winners People from Dundalk, Maryland Silver Age comics creators Swamp Thing