FRANK BRUNNER'S FLESH AND FANTASY PORTFOLIO

Artist and illustrator Frank Brunner has had a varied and successful career. He studied under the master of anatomy, Burne Hogarth at New York City's School of Visual Arts and adds Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Al Williamson and Neil Adams to his list of influences.

His first professional sale was to Major Magazines' WEB OF HORROR, and from there he was scooped up by Marvel where he did a beautiful job with DOCTOR STRANGE and HOWARD THE DUCK'S first appearances. Brunner also managed to fit in some time to draw a handful of stories in Warren's CREEPY, EERIE and VAMPIRELLA. He adapted Robert E. Howard's Conan story, "The Scarlet Citadel" for Marvel's SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #30 in 1978 and collaborated with Michael Moorcock on an Elric feature for HEAVY METAL magazine. More of his horror work can be found earlier, in issues of CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE MONSTER TIMES. 

Not long after that, he bid adieu to the world of comics and began a career in animation, working for Hanna-Barbera, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and Dreamworks studios. 

Like Frazetta, Brunner is no stranger to drawing the female form and his smooth and clean line work is a perfect complement. To prove it, he has published a number of portfolios focusing on fantasy and the female.

Presented here today is "Flesh and Fantasy", published by Middle Earth in 1974. My set, which I purchased when it was first offered, is number 524/1000. The original art was created in graphite and Bristol board. Each print measures 12"x16". It was presented in a sleeve and enclosure with a Certificate of Authenticity. A beautiful collection. Purchase price for these today go for around $150.

FRANK BRUNNER'S 'FEAR'

Frank Brunner has been a long-time artist and illustrator and is well known for his work since the 1960s when he first started submitting fan art to the monster magazines of the times. With influences from Frank Frazetta and Berni Wrightson, Brunner's work is best suited towards fantasy and horror themes.

As an example, presented here is his original art for Marvel's ADVENTURE INTO FEAR #15 (Aug 1973), featuring everybody's favorite muck monster, Man-Thing.

"Frank Brunner Fear #15 Cover Man-Thing Original Art (Marvel, 1973). Frank Brunner's very first Man-Thing work! Here, Man-Thing takes an Adventure Into Fear in the story "From Here To Infinity!" It's a flashback tale to pre-King Kull era Atlantis. This awe-inspiring cover is a flaming masterpiece by Brunner, who signed in the image area on the left, and then again in the lower margin. Created in ink and white paint over graphite on World Color cover stock Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". The header, logo, and corner box are all stat paste-ups, with production tape and glue residue. The main image area is lightly toned and in otherwise Excellent condition."

CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN NO. 15 (PART 2)

CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN NO. 15 (PART 1)

CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN
Vol. 4 No. 3 (Whole #15)
1970
Gothic Castle Publishing Company
Created, Edited and Published by Calvin T. Beck
Associate Publisher: Helen Beck
Publisher Emeritus: Charles F. Kane
Editorial Associate: Philip B. Moshcovitz
Layout Assistant: Frank Brunner
Cover: Frank Brunner
Pages: 68

Calvin "Charles Foster Kane" Beck's magazine entered a new decade with a return from photo to painted covers. As mentioned in last week's post of CoF #5 there was a 10-issue gap between covers that featured photographs and covers that were done by artists. Hence, the decision to jump ahead 10 issues and continue the run with #15. We'll return to earlier issues later.

The always changing staff continued with a lineup of assistant editors that included Jon Davidson, future fear film maker Joe Dante, Jr., Buddy Weiss, and a curious character going by the name of "The Marmoset". The ubiquitous Charles F. Kane was still present, listed now as "Publisher Emeritus".

Now, one would think that seeing the name Helen Beck as Associate Publisher, one would come to the conclusion that this was probably Calvin's spouse. In reality, she was his mother! Without going into details here (that will be a story all of its own), Helen Beck is infamous for not only lording over her son's business dealings, but the rest of his life as well. It is claimed that their relationship was so bizarre and claustrophobic that they were the inspiration for Norman Bates and his mother in the Robert Bloch novel, Psycho. As a result of this close family "arrangement", Bhob Stewart was long gone as art director and layout designer because he just couldn't take the micromanaging of the magazine by Helen, who'd been Associate Publisher since issue #8. Consequently, up and coming comic book artist Frank Brunner assumed the new duties and forthwith seized the opportunity to promote himself (I briefly met Brunner at San Diego ComicCon in the early seventies and, at the time, he was affecting a bit of artistic pretention).

Brunner's cover art on CoF #15 is moody, atmospheric, and portends the theme of the issue, "Witches and Demons". Inside, readers are treated to material that includes the film BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, Hammer's TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, Veronica Carlson: CoF's "Slaymate of the Month", Peter John Dyer's second installment of "All Manner of Fantasies" his overview of the history of the horror film, a LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND comic strip, MAROONED, THE OBLONG BOX, and two Brunner pieces -- his comic strip "Smash Gordon" and an article, "The Men Behind the Comics". Along with other reviews, author and columnist Lin Carter reviews almost two dozen books.

A curious addition is a piece entitled, "Witch's Brew", and is introduced by Beck with the following: "Beginning with this issue, CoF will be running a series of articles concerned with various areas of the nearly lost art of healing." He then launches into a virtual Materia Medica of salves, ointments and other healing balms from Medieval Times. Along with his love of fantasy and horror films, Beck had an underlying interest in the occult, which was enjoying a renaissance in the 1960s counterculture. Consequently, elements of the occult appeared regularly in the pages of CoF, but this proposed series died on the deadly nightshade vine after issue #15.

Beck's social soapbox could be read in his "Headitorial" (a title that couldn't have been more perfect in the current pot-smoking culture). Subtitled, "Psyche it to Me", this is where he unleashed his thoughts and philosophies on a variety of topics and maintained his panoply of personal commentary. In this issue he discussed the current findings by "The Establishment" that marijuana could be used medically for high blood pressure!