Hidden Frazetta Treasure #1

What I plan to do in this series is display and comment on some of the lesser jewels in the Frazetta body of work that I think are significant.

This sketch is the frontispiece from the ACE paperback for SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR. These little frontis drawings are uniformly excellent, beautifully designed, and intricately rendered. The nicer ones seldom appear in the original art marketplace. This one is unique because it is in this drawing that we first see the beginnings of the Canaveral rendering style. The linework is wild and exuberant. This drawing is the bridge to the later mature Canaveral style.

Dr. Dave Winiewicz
(c)2008

Hidden Frazetta Treasure #2

Here are two versions of the frontis drawing for THE SON OF TARZAN from ACE paperbacks. The one on the left is the published version. The original on the right is the first version. The difference is clear. The original version has more dramatic lighting. Frank uses the shadows to define the foreground and background. The published version eliminates this and relies on a very elegant and delicate line to render the scene, both foreground and background. Both versions are simply stunning.
Why did Frank not just publish the first version? Why draw another version? I strongly suspect that Donald Wollheim, then the editor of ACE books, concluded that the first version would be too muddy in print. The early ACE paperbacks were cheaply produced on the poorest quality paper. The linework would be compromised and the drawing would lose its elegance and become visually bottom heavy. Wollheim wanted something with cleaner lines that had some separation. Either way, both drawings are little masterpieces and it is quite nice that both versions exist.

Dr. Dave Winiewicz ©2008

Frazetta Inscriptions

Al Williamson Inscriptions

San Diego Con Photos

Frazetta's LION QUEEN Story

Here's the background story on the LION QUEEN: Many years ago a collector named Jack Gilbert wandered into ILLUSTRATION HOUSE GALLERY in NYC to see what was coming up for sale in the next auction. He called me and said there was a Frazetta piece in the next auction. He said it was a crappy sketch of an old lady and a panther. I thought Jack was having a little fun with me. I asked him again to describe it. Well, it wasn't an old lady. It was the famous picture of the queen and the lion that was famously pictured on the cover of the FRAZETTA #1 fanzine in 1969. It was published in black and white at the time and never subsequently published in color.

For many years I had asked Frank about the whereabouts of that original. After scores of visits to the house and much looking at art hidden away in drawers, closets, under beds, and in books, this original was no where to be seen. I asked him about it constantly. I asked Ellie what she knew. Frank said he didn't sell it. He said that he'd NEVER sell anything of that quality. He said I was nuts to even ask such a question. He said it was "around" and that Ellie probably hid it in some book. It would turn up. He wasn't too concerned about it. As for me, I just wanted to see the damn thing!

Well, the piece finally emerges in the hands of Roger Reed from ILLUSTRATION HOUSE who is putting it up for auction. I called Roger immediately to ask him about the background story. He said that he had bought it for a substantial price in 1995 from a friend of Frank who was also a good friend of Walt Reed, Roger's father. THey had done a lot of business over the years. It was sold to Roger right after Frank had his first major stroke. Word was out that Frank was near death and completely incoherent. People assumed that this was the end for Frank. I guess the seller assumed this as well. Roger had planned to keep it as "his Frazetta", but now he needed to raise money. I wanted to buy it. Roger said that it had to go in auction. I told him that there might be a potential problem because Frank and Ellie would consider it stolen property. I told Roger what Frank had said about the piece. I told Roger that if I had it, I could get clear title to it from Frank himself.

Ellie soon became aware that the piece was up for auction. Ellie had spies everywhere; people would call her up with info in hopes of getting on her good side. Ellie enjoyed the power. She cobbled together a letter and sent it to the FBI claiming, inaccurately, that the piece was stolen and that she had filed a stolen art claim years before. Of course, she had not filed anything. She was trying to put pressure on Roger to get it back. The FBI stolen art squad in NYC contacted Roger and told him not to sell the piece. Research was done. Cathy Begley of the FBI art squad contacted me for more background information. Frank was then told about the facts and who bought it and when it was sold. When he found out that one of his old friends had taken it, he hit the roof. He was pissed-off beyond belief. He called his ex-friend up and reemed him out. Frank told me that he wished that he had taped the call.

The FBI told Frank that he needed to get a lawyer and pursue the matter. Frank told Ellie to do just that. "Spend any amount of money, do what it takes, I want my art back!"

Frank was furious. He loved the piece. The fact that a friend had taken it just added to his supreme aggravation. This friend, by the way, kept the piece very private while he owned it. It was never shown to anyone. He owned other Frazetta pieces, which he displayed proudly. This one was kept from view. Draw your own conclusions.

Well, a couple of years passed and nothing was done. Frank settled down and Ellie would not spend the money for a lawyer. One day I called Ellie and asked her blessing for me to acquire the piece from Roger. I told her that I would make her a nice 8x10 transparency and she could make a lot of money selling it as a poster or limited lithograph. I said this would be better than having it vanish into some Asian or European collection, never to be seen again. This all seemed reasonable to me. Well, not to Ellie…She exploded and starting swearing me out from every angle. "You have devils in your head. How dare you want to own stolen art. It's mine!! It's STOLEN!! No one should own stolen art. Read the Bible. You can't have it. I'll never talk to you again. It's evil." She went on and on. I calmly listened until she slammed down the phone. Nice try, Dave!

A couple of more years passed…Cathy Begly from the FBI squad contacted Roger to see if Ellie had pursued the piece. Roger told her that nothing was done. Ms. Begly then called Ellie to let her know that she was giving Roger permission to sell the piece to me. Cathy called me last and told me the time period was over and the Frazettas had forfeited their claim rights by inaction. Roger and I worked out a deal. I paid a king's ransom for the piece, but it was a collector's triumph. I called Ellie to confirm the discussions I had with the FBI and Roger. I told her I had purchased the piece. She simply said: "let's talk about something else." She NEVER brought up this topic again. I did give her a nice transparency of the original for her use. I've written about the significance of this original before. There's no need to repeat myself. It is a truly majestic piece and contains all the great Frazetta themes. A masterpiece in every sense of the word held captive for so many years…now released.

©2010 DocDave Winiewicz

The Frazetta 1977 Exhibit

(The following essay was contributed by longtime collector Charlie Roberts. All the text and photos are (c)2008 by Charlie Roberts. We owe Charlie a debt of gratitude for taking the time to record his reminicences about those early golden days of fandom.)

I first saw Frank Frazetta's art in "Heroic Comics" as a kid in the early 1950's, then in the late 1960's on the newstands which carried Warren magazines with those incredible Frazetta covers which seemed to appear magically almost every month. The photos here are from the 1969 "New York Comic Art Convention" which were put on annually at the Statler Hilton by New York school teacher Phil Seuling on July 4th week-ends for several years. Those were the glory days of comic conventions. Lifelong friendships began there, and everything was relatively inexpensive : Golden Age comics, original art, etc.. There were no "slabbed" comics or Mylar sleeves; if comics were protected at all they went in large plastic "baggies" bought at the grocery store. Original art dealers like Jim Ivey and Joe Parente smoked cigars in the dealers room and piled their original art in high loose stacks on table tops.
Frank was at the convention for the first Warren Magazine Awards ceremony, and couldn't have been nicer. His Dad watched proudly as Frank signed autographs after the awards ( Frank won Top honors and a trophy !). Ellie was excited, and the kids had fun as this special world unfolded before them.
I was living in Northern Virginia, and Gary Groth and Mike Catron began putting on "Metrocon" comic conventions in the Washington, D.C. area. Frank was scheduled as a guest at one in Washington in 1970 and didn't show up on Saturday, disappointing Gary and many fans. John Fantucchio, known for his "Buyer's Guide" and "Rocket's Blast" fanzine covers called Frank at home. Frank and Ellie drove down Sunday morning in their 1949 black Mercury ( cool guy, cool car !). Ellie sat on a chair in the hall with a stack of "Johnny Comet" original dailies for sale at $ 25 each, not selling too many, and Frank gave a talk for an hour or so to 30 or 40 of us in a side room. When they left that evening, Ellie invited all of us up to their house in East Stroudsburg. Wow ! We're friends of the Frazetta's (!) I vowed to follow up on that offer.
In 1973 I moved to Orlando, Florida and became a co-founder of "OrlandoCon" with Jim Ivey, Richard Kravitz, Rob Word, and Neil Austin. Guests at our first convention in September 1974 included Hal Foster, Roy Crane, C.C. Beck, and many other Florida cartoonists.
I moved to Pennsylvania in November 1974, and began putting on the "Lancaster Comic Art Convention" with collector friend Chuck Miller in 1975 in Lancaster, Pa. We did four shows with guests including : Harvey Kurtzman, Burne Hogarth, Jim Steranko, B.B. Sams, Robert Lewis, George Evans, and Kelly Freas.
I finally got up the nerve and called the Frazetta's (after all, they were friends and I had a personal invitation !) , and set up my first visit in February 1976. Needless to say, it was quite the interesting afternoon. I remember actually getting tears in my eyes when Frank showed me the cover art to "Famous Funnies" #211 with Buck Rogers protecting the girl from aliens. I'd been a meatcutter for several years, and wasn't prone to getting choked up at anything ( especially art !) but the brushwork on that cover was incredible. Then he pulled out "Golden Girl", which really got my attention. Frank told me how he listened to Frank Sinatra 78's on the record player as he worked, and we even drove golf balls on the property ( I managed to hit trees and everything else but the fairway). Ellie and the kids were incredible gracious, and it was quite a visit. The 150 mile trip home was filled with elation and a deep respect for these truly n ice people.
Collector friends Mark Feldman and John Taylor had begun putting on the "Maryland Funnybook Festival" just outside of D.C. in the mid 1970's, and had Ellie come down with Frank Jr. and a few paintings for a small exhibit in a hotel room where the convention was held. I went, and when I got home I talked to Chuck about possibly getting Frank as a guest at our convention in Pa.
We set up a visit to the Frazetta's, and went to see them in late 1976 about an all Frank Frazetta exhibit . Ellie said they didn't want to drive to Lancaster, but if we would put on the show in Stroudsburg that would be fine. Frank said he didn't want to attend from the beginning, but Ellie told us she'd try to talk him into it( the ever hopeful "plan B" !). We agreed to hold it at the Penn Stroud Hilton Inn on September 10 and 11 1977 and reserved the banquet room and a larger side room for the "Frazetta 77" exhibit. Chuck would be in charge of the dealer's room, and I was in charge of inviting guests and admission. Chuck made a solo trip to the Frazetta's and picked up some unpublished art and family photos for the shows souvenir booklet. As we laid out the book at Chuck's house I was amazed at Frank's photography skills, and really wish somebody would do a book of his photographs. He's as great a photographer as he is an artist. We tried to combine art and photographs from front to back so they flowed, with minimal text except the title "Memory Book". Intended as a modest black and white showcase of Frank's family and art, Chuck had some 1358 copies printed with a matching cover envelope.
As for the guest list, I began by offering free admission to all students at the "Kubert School" and actually had to go see Joe Kubert at the school in New Jersey for his approval. We wound up with two busloads of eager art students. Guests included : Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Jerry Robinson, Burne Hogarth, Bernie Wrightson, Steve Hickman, Mike Kaluta, Charles Vess, Ian and Betty Ballantine, and Ken Kelley.
Advance admissions from the public included Dave Winiewicz (# 2 !) Wally Harrington, Bill Turner, John and Mary Fantuchhio, and fanzine publisher Bill Wilson.
The exhibit included 40 paintings, the "Famous Funnies" covers, "Weird Science-Fantasy" # 29, and numerous pen & inks. Ellie had us hire a 24 guard, and valued the whole exhibit at One Million Dollars. As a point of reference, the Frazetta's were offering just the cover to "Weird Science-Fantasy" #29 for One Million Dollars at the opening of "Geppi's Entertainment Museum" in Baltimore in 2006.
Frank lived up to his word and didn't attend the exhibit; in fact, he fertilized the lawn at the house the Saturday of the show ! We had a panel with Will Eisner, Jerry Robinson, and Burne Hogarth, but Hogarth dominated the lecture when he found out there were art students in the audience. Later that day the three of them visited Frank to discuss collector Richard Pryor's " Collector's Press" art print portfolio. Ellie, Harvey Kurtzman, Bernie Wrightson and Steve Hickman were on another panel.
It's hard to beleive that 31 years have passed since the exhibit. I continue to be in awe of Frank's art and photographs, and grateful to Dave for presenting this showcase of his work. Frank Frazetta continues to be an amazing presence in the art world, and it was quite an honor to be involved with "Frazetta 77".

PHOTO COLLAGE description: Shown left to right, top to bottom : Frank with Warren Magazine's Artist of the Year trophy and Bernie Wrightson ; Frank's Dad ; Frank and Jim Warren at trophy presentation ceremony ; Ellie with Frank Junior, Billy, and Holly ; Frank signing autographs as Jim Warren watches ; and Frank talking to Al Williamson.

(c)2008 CHARLIE ROBERTS COLLECTION

Frazetta's Weird Science Fantasy #29

It was in the late 80's when I walked into Frank's studio. I noticed all the FAMOUS FUNNIES covers lying on the carpet. I picked them up and sat down, shaking my head. "What's the matter?" Frank asked. I responded that he can't just leave these things laying on the floor. Someone will step on them, or the bugs will starting eating them. Frank had a problem with ants coming into the studio from the back door. I looked at all the stains and flaws on the covers. Each one had its own set of problems. The WEIRD SCIENCE FANTASY 29 cover was part of the pile. What's this? It was covered with large brown spots. At first I thought it was foxing from all the humidity. Foxing is a bacteria living on the surface of the paper. It eats the sizing that holds the fibers together. I showed the piece to Frank. He seemed completely unconcerned. Later he asked me if something could be done. I told him that I would take it to a professional paper conservator and have it evaluated. I was fortunate in having the Cooperstown School of Art Conservation in my backyard. At the time there were only 4 schools of conservation in the country. Most art conservation is done by "enlightened" amateurs with no real training. A proper and professional conservator must have a chemistry background. A piece is photographed before anything is done to record its state. After treatment a new round of photography is employed to document areas of change. A full treatment report is also given that outlines all the procedures and all the chemicals used. This is usually a document several pages in length. This professional treatment is what I had done.

After leaving Frank's house with the WSF29 I stopped at Al Williamson's home. Once he saw that Frank was getting this major piece done, he decided to give me the famous PRINCE VALIANT "Bridge" page for conservation. Al had mounted the page on cardboard with Elmer's glue and he wanted it removed. Elmer's glue is a nightmare for conservators because of its chemical properties. The conservator took 8 months to finish and delivered the original to Al personally. She enjoyed meeting Al and seeing his massive collection.

I subsequently had a number of other pieces worked on for Al including 4 Foster TARZANS, a Joseph Clement Coll, and a few Raymonds.

One more stop was at Mark Schultz's home. I thought he'd enjoy seeing the WSF29 up close. He was stunned when I brought it into house. I added some pics of Mark and I holding the original. Mark and his wife looked at the surface carefully with a loupe. Mark was stunned by the brownish discolorations.

I had 2 of the most important comic art and comic strip pieces in my home! I was afraid to leave the house!! I spent hours looking at those pieces from the comfort of my sofa.

After a couple of months, the WSF29 was finished. The problem? Those brownish stains were nicotine stains caused by smoke falling on the surface of the paper. Frank was smoking this original into a state of non-existence! Luckily, the treatment regime was relatively benign. The problem was easily remedied. The ink was stable and didn't need any consolidation. I took the page and decided to frame it for Frank. I used 8-ply sheets of rag museum mats both front and back. The hinges were used with archival methyl-celluose. I did a thorough job and a good one. Before doing all this I had a 4x5 inch transparency shot and made some copies. I figured that Frank didn't have a decent repro of this. I made a full size photo repro of the piece and took that with me when I returned the piece. I had Frank inscribe the photo to me. I always had an eye to preserving these little moments in Frazetta history. After all, this was one of the world's greatest art treasures.

That was the first original I had conserved for Frank. Over the next couple of years I also had these drawings worked on for assorted paper illnesses: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE EXECUTIONER, SHEBA, SENORITA O'TOOLE, and a couple other FAMOUS FUNNIES covers (Girl floating in space, and the big planet cover). It was fun being able to spend time with these originals in the comfort of my home. I did my best to educate Frank and Ellie about the importance of art conservation. Ellie thought it was a waste of money. I had to expend a great deal of energy to get Ellie to agree. It was exhausting and exasperating. I was always prepared for a battle of some sort before each visit. Frank quickly saw the light and realized that this would preserve these pieces for future generations.

© 2010 DocDave Winiewicz

Frazetta And The Werewolves

Russ Cochran recently sold 4 pages from the classic Frazetta story "The Werewolf" from CREEPY #1 magazine. He was selling them on behalf of Frank Junior, who decided to break apart the story. I was fortunate enough to obtain page 3 from the story. I always admired that page and never thought I'd be able to own it. It also reminded me of a discussion I had with Frank way back in 1993. Here are my notes:

OCT, 1993/ CREEPY discussion

DW: Where are the originals from that CREEPY story, Frank? Were you happy with the story? I haven't seen those originals in several years. I hope you didn't sell them. Ellie had them in the closet upstairs the last time I saw them.

FF: Is that the WEREWOLF story that I did?

DW: Yes, that's the one. You did it in ink and wash tones, very moody. The style is somewhat different from the Canaveral press drawings you did at the same time. You used less line work and more wash toning. The originals were quite impressive.

FF: Yes, of course I remember it. We have it upstairs somewhere. We sold the oil for the cover a long time ago. Russ sold it. I wasn't happy with it. Jim wanted me to add a picture of uncle creepy and give it an EC feel. The cover wasn't so hot, but the story was pretty good. Frank yells: ELLIE! WHERE'S THAT WEREWOLF STORY? BRING IT DOWN!

ELLIE: Forget about it, I'm cooking. I'm not going to run upstairs and dig through the closets. Look at something else. You have art all over the place. I'm busy; I have work to do.

[Frank searches and finds an old European hardcover book that has the story reprinted. It's on the shelf in his den. He brings it in for us to look at. He starts thumbing through the story. He looks at each page carefully, with an intense concentration. The reproduction is pretty bad.]

FF: I better not find out that she sold these originals. I know we have the whole story. I want to keep it together. I haven't looked at it in years.

DW: Why didn't you add a girl to this story, Frank? You had one in UNTAMED LOVE.

FF: I'll tell you exactly why. I didn't want any distractions. I wanted this story to be all about the mood and atmosphere. The whole thing was supposed to take place at night under the moonlight. I wanted to capture that magical late twilight period where the light is strange and mysterious. I left some printing notes to make sure the white backgrounds were printed dark. They didn't do it. I was pissed when I first saw it. Can't they pay attention? Bastards.

I wanted all the emphasis to be on the wolf. I forget the story, but I remember trying to get the wolf shots just right. I wanted him dark and mysterious, a silhouette of death moving in the night. I remember drawing that big panel page. All I had in my mind was the howling and snarling and spitting of that wolf. I swear to you that I heard that howling in my ears the whole time I drew the wolf. Strange. I wanted to catch that savage intensity. I remember it now. I played out a little drama in my mind. I had music on, very soft and mysterious. It helped my mood. It was fun. I put a lot of effort into those pages. I probably should have added more background wash tones to the backgrounds. That's how I saw it, but I got a little time pressed. And I still had that damn cover to do. By the time I got to the cover I lost a lot of interest.

DW: Time pressed? You waited until the last minute again? You know what Ellie says.

FF: What? That I'm lazy? HaHa! Yeh, she tells me that every day. I'm sick of hearing it.

DW: Honestly, Frank, that statement is ridiculous. Look at all the work you've done. I have a different theory on your late starts. There's a story about the great Joseph Clement Coll. Before sitting down to actually draw, he would sit in the corner by himself with a hood over his head. He was blocking out all sights and sounds, preparing to create. You are actually doing the same thing... in your own fashion. By waiting you are subconsciously preparing to do the job. When the time is right, you sit down and knock it out. Your imagination's fires are being secretly stoked. What do you think?

FF: Hey, you might be right. When it comes time to draw or paint there is no hesitation. I just do it, no worrying, no second-guessing. Tell that to Ellie, will ya? This story didn't take me long...a few days at most. Once I got started, it went pretty fast.

DW: My favorite page is actually the third page where they are slogging through the swamp. What great animation, great action, great texture in the clothing and vegetation. That page had a wonderful flow to the action from beginning to end. The design is perfect. That opening face of the hunter is simply superb. It contains so much...strength, malice, vanity, confidence, brutality...so much there. I always thought that face was one of the greatest drawn faces in the medium of comics.

FF: Yeh, it is pretty good, isn't it. I had Ernest Borgnine in the back of my mind when I drew him. He doesn't look like him. I didn't want his likeness in the story. I just wanted to capture his way of playing that role. He was very hard and gruff and confident. If I had tossed in some girl, the story would have completely changed. I wanted to do a simple horror story with creepiness in there. Hell, the magazine was called "CREEPY" wasn't it? There's a lot of good stuff in this story. I like that demon transformation on the last page. Look at it. That came out well. I liked drawing the hunter. Look at that big bulk and raised hand on page two.

[Frank is showing me the images from the book as he talks.] That's good inking. It holds up.

DW: And, Frank, if I remember correctly, none of the pages have any coffee stains on them. That proves you were working hard.

FF: Frank laughs.

© Winiewicz/2011