By MARYCLAIRE DALE (AP)
PHILADELPHIA — Pioneering fantasy artist Frank Frazetta died Monday in a Fort Myers, Fla., hospital, a manager said. He was 82.
Frazetta had been out to dinner with his daughters Sunday but suffered a stroke at his Boca Grande home later that night and was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, manager Rob Pistella said. A hospital spokeswoman confirmed the death, as did his daughter Heidi Frazetta Grabin.
“He’s going to be remembered as the most renowned fantasy illustrator of the 20th Century,” Pistella said.
Frazetta created covers and illustrations for more than 150 books and comic books, along with album covers, movie posters and original paintings. His illustrations of Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan, Vampirella and other characters influenced many later artists.
Frazetta had many imitators, but there was only one Frazetta.
The image above was one of my favorites in the 1970s, but my girlfriend wasn’t impressed when I projected it and copied it onto my dorm room wall with magic marker, so I broke up with her. I was like that back then. With that in mind, let’s have an Overnight Open Thread.
[Image from here, news blurb from here.]
Tags: awesome, Frank Frazetta, Graphics, Illustrations, Retro
One of the greats. He will be missed. Makes me want to go watch Fire and Ice.
One of tags is “awesome” LOL
he lived doing what he loved
we should all be so lucky
I’m familiar with his work.
Roger Dean, of Yes fame, is also one I admire, but he was no Frazetta.
Down below was Crumb, who’s Comics were more entertaining for the rawness and contemporary beat.
Well, that looks like Mata Hari, and the Race Detective, but who’s the lion? R.S. McCain?
I hope you realize that the udder place has a Frazetta thread too…
@ song_and_dance_man:
I really hate Crumb. I personally think his art style led to influencing our modern “animators” who think the crappier and more repulsive the animation the funnier.
@ snork:
The other place, like the comic book shop?
Fire and Ice
Directed by Ralph Bakshi
Production, characters, and costume design by Frank Frazetta
Pure camp-&-cheese; nevertheless, superior to James Cameron’s Ava-f*ck.
update from middle tenn
CLEANUP
http://www.wkrn.com/
damage estimate at 1.56 Billion
http://www.wsmv.com/index.html
No One Alerted Dam Was Open During Flooding
5.4B Gallons Of Water Released Into Cumberland River
facebookdel.icio.usbuzzdiggreddit›› Email›› PrintNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Water was so high behind the Old Hickory Dam the weekend of the mid-state flooding that if hadn’t been released, the dam may have collapsed. But the Channel 4 I-Team has learned the staggering amount of water released into an already swollen river on the evening of May 2 and how no one, not even the mayor, knew that the dam had been opened
‘We Are Nashville’ blog unites city
@ snork:
It makes sense for King Comic to pump his collection. The bet will be Foster will come up with a copy from his mom.
Mars wrote:
I haven’t read comics since I was a kid, and as one, the Crumb ones did the trick. Testosterone was new to me, and the comics kinda went with it.
But I see your point. It was classless, over the top and obscene, but was just the kind of thing a young reckless boy would like.
Cleanup Pt2
Crews Called In To Help Remove Flood Debris
there is so much trash and debris that some of the parks around town
have been turned into temporary dumping sites
Benefit Concert Scheduled To Help Flood Victims
song_and_dance_man wrote:
Could that be an aspect of the influence of Osamu Tezuka, the man who pioneered animating “on the 3s” aka at 8-drawings-per-second/3-frames-per-drawing for television animation, a trend which became most strongly-rooted in Japan (even in its animation film industry) but has also influenced Western animation?
Ah, Frank is gone. Beloved of so many goofy young fellers.
Chuck and his minions:
I kept expecting to see Tundro or Gloop in that cartoon. Guess I missed that episode. LOL j/k
a special report
the Nashville flood timeline
@ Philip_Daniel:
Amazing, some of those scenes look just like ones in Avatar.
snork wrote:
I haven’t looked at that place since one of ours cannonballed into his pool. I heard about Frazetta via email.
Mars wrote:
You can’t equate Crumb and Frazetta! Different styles, different eras and different purposes.
Crumb’s unique style was copied from that of the 1930s, but he cranked up the sex, drugs and rocknroll theme of the late 60s. He was a cartoonist, while Frazetta was an illustrator.
@ Philip_Daniel:
It is possible, I never really thought of that. When I think of anime I usually think of grace and style, I forget that there have been some more unappealing aspects. I am more of the CLAMP, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Miyazaki school of anime.
Philip_Daniel wrote:
Er, that isn’t a quote of mine, but nevertheless the best movies to come out in recent years that has great animation is Spirited Away and Animatrix.
30 middle tennessee co. declared disaster areas
@ Bunk X:
Very true. It was S&D who brought up Crumb. I’ve always loved Frazetta, had a illustrated scroll of the Death Dealer hanging in my room when I was younger.
@ rain of lead:
Thanks for all the updates about the flooding.
It’s such a tough situation.
The people of Tennessee have a lot of heart!
pbird wrote:
Most kids be goofy at one point in our lives.
Mars wrote:
Well, Hayao Miyazaki and his colleague Isao Takahata at Studio Ghibli are notable exceptions to the “anime is crap rule”, since their aesthetic tends towards polish and refinement and their senses of narrative are incredible and unimpeachable. Nevertheless, even they hold fast to the 8 fps rule, though they’ve discovered ways to make it attractive and appealing and artful.
The fact that Miyazaki and Takahata are died-in-the-wool leftists does not perturb me in the least, as I am tolerant of divergent opinions and, furthermore, these two directors would absolutely shun the collectivism and idiocy of American Progressives.
@ song_and_dance_man:
If you liked the Animatrix you should look up the Highlander anime. Outstanding animation and decent story. There were a couple other recently made American comics/films made into anime that were also really well done but they slip my mind at the moment.
Mars wrote:
But I did say down below Frazetta was Crumb. They are in no way equal as artists.
song_and_dance_man wrote:
You really must see Miyazaki’s latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.
It’s out on dvd here in the US, thanks to Disney.
The English dub isn’t to bad, by the way…
@ Philip_Daniel:
Nicely put. I fall into the anime fan category, though I tend to enjoy stuff from the 80′s and 90′s, and adaptions of american concepts.
ie: Guyver, Ranma, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Highlander Search for Vengeance, Marvels Tomb of Dracula, Lady Death, etc.
Actually Frazetta kind of got me started into anime, I was looking for animation that was as stylized as his art, and followed logically from Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings, to Flight of Dragons, to Fire and Ice, that led to Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll.
@ song_and_dance_man:
Oh, sorry about the quote misattribution. Should’ve gone to Mars.
Mea culpa.
@ song_and_dance_man:
Oh I understand, just trying to clear up who mentioned who, lol.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Ha. I didn’t understand one bit of the language, but it reminded me of Nemo, and looks interesting.
Philip_Daniel wrote:
In the early years of TeeWee there was a demand for cheap animation. The Warner Bros., the Fleischer Bros., Disney and Walter Lantz were producing animation shorts for the movie theaters, and just like the earlier comics were done to increase newspaper sales, the animated cartoons drew people to the movies.
Hanna-Barbara wrecked the 16 frames per second standard. The only group that did it right on 8 frames was Jay Ward Productions of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame. Ward’s group made up for poor animation quality with excellent writing.
@ snork:
It must be time for Canon to develop wide screen copiers.
@ Bunk X:
I actually enjoyed Hanna Barbara’s Star Trek I thought there were stories in there that deserved to be canon. (At least they were better than the script for the new movie). Though admittedly seeing the same animation frames over and over in every episode got old. There was actually a couple fans redoing the animated series in cgi using the original audio tracks, doubt they got far though.
Bunk X wrote:
Just a quick nitpick, sorry — the standard for film and television animation alike before UPA and Hanna-Barbera introducted “limited animation” to the United States was 12 drawings-per-second i.e. shooting on the 2s (though shooting on the 1s — a full 24 drawings per second — was used for fast scenes to maintain fluidity of motion).
@ Bunk X:
But then South Park took cheap production to the next level.
@ Bunk X:
And for me the worst offenders are Parker and Stone. Not only is the animation bad, the content is highly offensive. But, if I were a kid again, I might enjoy the irreverence.
@ song_and_dance_man:
Hell, add anything on Cartoon Network that’s not Star Wars, Batman, or Ben 10.
I’m looking at crap like Chowder, Adventure Time, Flapjack.
Though the new Scooby Doo is pretty sweet, I love all the in-jokes.
@ Philip_Daniel:
16 stuck in my head. That might have been Disney’s standard. Same idea though, fluidity.
snork wrote:
Well, you clearly have never seen Clutch Cargo (1959). The lowest point of animation…
@ snork:
@ song_and_dance_man:
Sorry guys, but the award for cheapest production goes to Clutch Cargo.
@ Mars:
As Bunk mentioned above…
the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show had great writers. It was like watching Johnny Carson. I didn’t get all the innuendo back then, but somehow, I knew it was relevant, clever and funny.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Missed it by thaaaat much!
song_and_dance_man wrote:
I grew up with Clutch Cargo, which wasn’t even animation, just cardboard cutouts with someone’s mouth superimposed. George of the Jungle and Tom Slick were my favorites (more Jay Ward).
It wasn’t until my kids started watching “Animaniacs” that I realized there was still hope.
@ song_and_dance_man:
It was brilliant writing. Even more irreverent than Looney Tunes a lot of the time.
Anyway, night all.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Beat me to it!
Bordm wrote:
Sorry, couldn’t help myself
.
You know, I’m only 19, so I missed it by 31 years…
@ Philip_Daniel:
@ Bordm:
Jinx. Someone is owed a coke for that.
Actually since Animaniacs was mentioned, that should have been “Good night Everybody”
Not being a big TV watcher, I haven’t seen a lot of South Park. But it seems to me to be pretty good satire, even if the animation is crude, and the characters cruder. That might even be a virtue, as really good animation might take away from the writing. In this case, the animation is a vehicle for the script.
I don’t recall ever seeing an animated version of Robert Crumb’s characters, but the 1930′s flavor of his drawing is very easy to see.
One of the things that really bugs me about some modern-day animation is where the frames have that overly hand-sketched look, and backgrounds, etc. jitter between two or more frames to give the illusion of motion. Makes me want to puke.
Alberta Oil Peon wrote:
You haven’t ever seen Ralph Bakshi’s adaptation of Fritz the Cat?
song_and_dance_man wrote:
Haven’t heard that since TAB was an option.
Philip_Daniel wrote:
Golly, now that you mention it, I have. It was not, as I recollect, a very good movie. Third-rate, as I recall.
Alberta Oil Peon wrote:
That was inked and painted entirely by computer, but animated by hand…
Here’s some cheesy animation, but…
@ Bunk X:
Here, or rather back in LA, when I was a kid there was a local program called Winky Dink and You. It has to top the Ten Worst List of bad animation. What the program had going for it was to draw on the TV screen, via a clear screen cover(purchased from the station), and move the animation along with the drawing. I just used a crayon and scrubbed it off.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Don’t apologize, ya did good. I’m 54 and they’re all reruns to me, still love to watch the good ones though.
Philip_Daniel wrote:
I should’ve said “on computer”, as it still depended solely on human inkers-and-painters…
song_and_dance_man wrote:
Will a Singapore Sling do instead? It’s what I’m drinking.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Not too bad. Didn’t have that quivering appearance that makes me want to hurl.
Alberta Oil Peon wrote:
My Neighbors the Yamadas.
We have a Fritz that comments here.
The appeal of that movie was the rating. It was the first x-rated cartoon. But it is tame if one compares it to current cartoon erotica.
song_and_dance_man wrote:
Particularly when compared with the last of the Animerama flicks, 1973′s Belladonna of Sadness (directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, produced at Tezuka’s Mushi Pro studio)…
@ Philip_Daniel:
Warning — the music in that clip is Pink Floyd, not music from the film itself…
[Damn anime music videos made by fanboys!]
song_and_dance_man wrote:
I remember hearing about that one… draw the stairs and Winky would walk up them.
Captain Kangaroo had “Fred” who lived on Channel 1. His theme song was the instrumental break from Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
@ Philip_Daniel:
Darn that was just
tedious, don’t you know?
@ Philip_Daniel:
Careful With That Axe, Eugene!
@ Philip_Daniel:
Now that was something I’ve never seen. The closest to it might be for overall psychedelicia Frank Zappa’s claymation vid City of Tiny Lights.
You remind me of pookleblinky from 1.0. He was also 19 and had a wealth of knowledge well beyond his years.
@ Bunk X:
Which one had the tagline “and now
I’m going to comemy song is done”…Animaniacs or Tiny Toons?These guys make me chuckle with an occasional guffaw.
Good evening all. I see we have dived into nerddom tonight. I’m all ears. LOL. Oh and why are we bashing South Park? Some of their stuff is really good. Not the animation mind you, but the satire.
song_and_dance_man wrote:
What happened to him?
Macker wrote:
I dunno, Babs, but I do know this. The Animaniacs had a song that named all the U.S. Presidents in order.
@ Bunk X:
The best cartoons on TV, when I was a kid, were Bugs & Co., and all of Avery’s stuff.
linoleumknife wrote:
Welcome to Open Thread City, and we can take the next exit. Your call.
@ Philip_Daniel:
Don’t know what happened to him, but he became fast friend, at least online, with Atlas.
I did hear from him, via babba, when I was invited to join gmail when it was new, but since then, nada. It was years ago.
This is pretty awesome. 360 degree interactive video, with sound, from the inside of Texas Stadium in Dallas during demolition.
@ Bunk X:
Hey Bunk, hope you are well. I like the end of your story up top about how you dumped your gf because she didn’t like the picture. For some reason it made me laugh.
@ linoleumknife:
One would think bashing South Park is an oxymoron.
We were commenting on the level of animation and how the program is on the lowest rung, as animation goes. But, I did say ‘the content is highly offensive. But, if I were a kid again, I might enjoy the irreverence.
So that does constitute bashing.
/meet me out back!
My old feller just loved him when we were young. No disrespect intended.
song_and_dance_man wrote:
I think those three are pretty clever really.
Mars wrote:
Indeed~!
Philip_Daniel wrote:
Bunk X wrote:
Now that was freaking amazing.
If any of you watch it, pan and be amused.
linoleumknife wrote:
She was an art history major and completely nuts. Her apartment was filled with large brown and green lumps of macrame, and she’d named them all. It was fun while it lasted.
@ song_and_dance_man:
It’s cool. I just enjoy their satire quite a bit. Sometimes I don’t agree with some of the stuff they say, but then it would be boring if I agreed all the time. I like that they don’t pull any punches, they call ‘em like they see ‘em.
@ Bunk X:
Damn, she sounds nuts, but I’m not one to judge really. I am kind of crazy too. I seem to enjoy dating disturbed women. LOL
@ linoleumknife:
The criticism by me was slanted since I’m not a watcher of the show, and was based on the evaluation of others who have seen it and found offense.
I have heard, or rather read, the show demeans, or satirizes Jesus in a bad way. But I did watch that one episode, in recent news, where Mohammed was dressed in a bear suit. So… it must mean they are equal opportunity offenders.
And I’m down with that for the same reason.
Frazetta – was – IS – one of my all time favorites.
linoleumknife wrote:
Prior to marrying the lovely and gracious Mrs. X, I dated a string of disturbed wormen. As long as you know what you’re getting into they can be a lot of fun, what with the clothespins, body paint and gymnastics and all. ;D
@ song_and_dance_man:
Well they actually portray Jesus in several episodes. In most they use Jesus in a positive way. Granted not in a traditional way, but fairly positive non the less. The Mohammed episode was one of the only ones that they showed Jesus doing something unsavory, and I think that it was to prove a point about muzzies.
Rose wrote:
Hey Rose! Guess I’m overdue for a visit to Table 9. Won’t be tonight, my yawns have been starting earlier lately. Blame the circadians.
@ Bunk X:
Haha. The craziest one I ever dated was Polish. We would go out and get drunk and do all sorts of immoral things. I had soooo much fun with her it should have been illegal, and it probably was at times. Then I learned her crazy was from taking Zanex (sp?) all the time. I had to break that off.
@ linoleumknife:
I got some stories, but I’m yawning. Remind me on another thread.
G’nite y’all.
@ Bunk X:
Later Bunk. Take it easy.
[...] from here, news blurb from here. Crossposted here and [...]
After giving Kumar a job, Obama couldn’t hire another celebrity openly.
I’m pretty sure Elena Kagan is actually Kevin James (Paul Blart Mall Cop)
@ spidly:
Hey Spidly. Dude it has been at least half a year since I have seen you. How have you been?
LOL, we are so inclusive here that we even let the Spambot have his say.
Hello, helllllooo, heeeellllooo…… lol
Good morning, y’all!
{linoleumknife}
Good morning Goddess, it’s good to see you. I hope you are doing well.
@ linoleumknife:
Why, thank you! I’m doing well despite my (sniffle) cold. It’s so chilly–it KILLS me to have to put on the heat in May!
@ goddessoftheclassroom:
Aww, I hope you get well soon. The spring here in Texas has been the coolest I remember in all my 26 years. It has been wonderful. By this time we are normally at highs in the mid 90′s. Lately we have been hitting mid 80′s. We have only had a couple of days break 90. I love gorebull warming.
@ linoleumknife:
I can’t stand hot/humid, but warm is nice!
@ goddessoftheclassroom:
LOL, I know what you mean. I’m in the Houston area. I grew up in West Texas where it is dry but hot as hell. If there isn’t much humidity I barely sweat. I moved to the Houston area when I was 13. I never knew I could sweat so much. I poor rivers in Houston, even when it’s in the high 80′s. I do love the heat though. It seems the hotter it gets the better I feel.
My Visigoths await–have a great day!
@ goddessoftheclassroom:
You too Goddess. I must run as well. Y’all have a great day.
Good morning everyone!
On topic, this is a real shame, I am a fan of Frank’s art.