Contents.Early life Wrightson was born October 27, 1948, in. He received training in art from watching on television, reading comics, particularly those of, as well as through a from the. His artistic influences were,. He published a piece of, containing a headstone bearing the inscription 'Berni Wrightson, Dec.
15, 1965', on page 33 of 's #9 ( June 1966).Career In 1966, Wrightson began working for newspaper as an illustrator. The following year, after meeting artist at a in New York City, he was inspired to produce his own stories. In 1968, he showed copies of his to editor and was given a freelance assignment. Wrightson began spelling his name 'Berni' in his professional work to distinguish himself from an Olympic named, 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 No. 179 (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,. It was for Marvel's and 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,.
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. Swamp Thing #1 panel, original ink art by WrightsonWith writer, Wrightson co-created the muck creature in No.
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 co-created in No. 1972), a character which would later be used in the work of.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., a major supporting character in the Swamp Thing mythos was introduced in issue No. 3 (Feb.-March 1973).Wrightson had originally been asked by DC to handle the art for its revival of, 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. 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, for whose black-and-white -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: '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, was atmospherically rendered with gray markers. 'The Pepper Lake Monster' was a synthesis of brush and pen-and-ink, whereas '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, and to form, 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.
He also drew sporadic comics stories and single illustrations for magazine from 1973 to 1983.Wrightson spent seven years drawing approximately 50 detailed pen-and-ink illustrations to of 's novel. Later career The ' segment of the animated film 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 and illustrated (via pen, brush, and ink with watercolors) by Wrightson, was published in Spain in 1982 and serialized in magazine in the early 1980s.In 1983 Bernie Wrightson illustrated the comic book adaptation of the Stephen King-penned horror film.
This led to several other collaborations with King, including illustrations for the novella ', the restored edition of King's apocalyptic horror epic, and, the fifth installment of King's series. He would later illustrate the cover for magazine's April 26 – May 2, 1997 issue, illustrating the TV miniseries of King's.During production on the 1984 film, Wrightson was among the artists hired by associate producer to provide 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. Wrightson in 2012and Wrightson produced, a 1985 one-shot designed to raise money for African famine relief and recovery.
Published in the form of a ', 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,. In 1986, Wrightson and writer Susan K.
Putney collaborated on the: Hooky graphic novel. That same year saw Wrightson and Starlin produce a second benefit comic, featuring and which was published by DC and like the earlier Marvel project featured many top comics creators. Starlin and Wrightson collaborated on two in 1988, and, as well as No.
29 featuring the and the for Marvel.He has illustrated cards for ', and has contributed album covers for a number of bands, including.Wrightson did production design for the characters the in the 2005 film.In 2012, Wrightson collaborated with on published by, for which he won a.Personal life Wrightson's first wife was involved in, contributing stories to such publications as,. 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.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. ', the April 2, 2017 season 7 finale of the TV series, 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,. Whedon called Wrightson 'a star by which other pencillers chart their course', while Gaiman stated that Wrightson was the first comics artist whose work I 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. 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 the lab scene is the 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 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 for Best Penciller (Dramatic Division) in 1972 and 1973 for, the Shazam Award for Best Individual Story (Dramatic) in 1972 for No. 1 (with Len Wein). He received additional nominations, including for the 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 No. 6 (with Len Wein).Wrightson was a recipient of the 1974 for Favorite Pro Artist.
He was a nominee for the same award, then known as the ',' in 1973.Wrightson was co-recipient of the for 1986, along with, for his work on. The following year, Wrightson received an.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 in the for 2012 for.He was awarded the Special Recognition Award in 2015 for his 45-plus years of work, including co-creating 's and.Bibliography Comics. Bongo Comics. #11 segment 'Squish Thing', a parody of (2005)Chanting Monks Studios. Night Terrors #1 (2000)Chaos!
As You Like It Publications. Comic Book Profiles #2 (1998)Gemstone Publishing.
Comic Book Marketplace #105 (2003)Metal Mammoth, Inc. 10, #1 (1996)NL Communications, Inc.
(1973)Skywald Publications. Nightmare #9–10 (1972)TwoMorrows Publishing. vol. 3, #41 (2004). #6 (2004).
#4 (1999)Warren Publishing. #62–63, 77, 87, 91, 95 (1974–1978). #58, 60, 62, 68, 72 (1974–1976). (backup stories) #33 (with ), 63 (1974–1977)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., 1983, Dodd, Mead & Company,. Berni Wrightson: A Look Back, 1991, Underwood Books,. Berni Wrightson: Back for More, 1978, Archival Press, Inc.,., by, 1972, Mirage Press., by L. From the original on October 23, 2014. ^.
Bernie Wrightson official site. March 19, 2017. From the original on March 21, 2017.
Retrieved March 26, 2017. Hartford, Connecticut:. Archived from on September 27, 2007. (n.d.). Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999.
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(Summer 1999). Comic Book Artist. Raleigh, North Carolina: (5). From the original on February 18, 2010.
^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:. 'The Man Who Murdered Himself' in House of Mystery was.the first DC story illustrated by Berni Wrightson (who left the 'e' off his first name to distinguish himself from a famous diver.
CS1 maint: extra text: authors list. ^ Warner, Meredith (March 25, 2017). From the original on March 26, 2017.
McAvennie '1970s' in Dolan, p. 146: 'Swamp Thing' was the name of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's turn-of-the-century tale, and its popularity with readers led a modernized version of the character into his own series a year later.' . ^ Ho, Richard (November 2004). 'Who's Your Daddy??'
(140): 68–74. ^ at the and at the. McAvennie '1970s' in Dolan, p.152 'The host that was first presented in a framing sequence by scribe Marv Wolfman and artist Bernie Wrightson received further, imaginative development in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series decades later.' . McAvennie '1970s' in Dolan, p.
153: 'Following his debut in House of Secrets No. 92 in 1971, the Swamp Thing grew into his own series, albeit with a reimagining of his origins by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson.' . McAvennie '1970s' in Dolan, p. 154: 'Scribe Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson left Swamp Thing some company.the woman who would become Swamp Thing's soul mate, Abigail Arcane.' . (May 8, 2012).
From the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017. Carey, Edward (June 16, 2008). From the original on October 14, 2017.
Wallace, Daniel (October 27, 2015). Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History, Insight Editions. 21 and 86. at the.; Gilbert, Laura, ed.
Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom:. Horrified by the plight of starving children in Africa, writer/artist Jim Starlin and illustrator Bernie Wrightson convinced Marvel to publish Heroes For Hope. It was a 'jam' book.and all of Marvel's profits were donated to famine relief in Africa.
CS1 maint: extra text: authors list. Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom:. Writer Susan K.
Putney and artist Bernie Wrightson delivered a memorable graphic novel that removed Spider-Man from his usual urban setting and placed him in a fantasy world of magic and mysticism. CS1 maint: extra text: authors list. at the Grand Comics Database.
Bernie Wrightson Checklist
Manning, Matthew K. '1980s' in Dolan, p. 219: 'Plotted by Jim Starlin, with dramatic designs by Bernie Wrightson.
Heroes Against Hunger featured nearly every popular DC creator of the time.' . Manning '1980s' in Dolan, p. 234: 'Writer Jim Starlin took the Dark Knight into the depths of Gotham for the four-issue prestige format Batman: The Cult.with horror artist Bernie Wrightson.' The Sendai Bubble'. Archived from on December 10, 2003.
Retrieved August 17, 2011. Epstein, Daniel Robert (September 30, 2005). From the original on January 22, 2016. Comic Book Resources. March 5, 2012. Archived from on June 13, 2012.
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From the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017. Wrightson, Liz (January 30, 2017). Bernie Wrightson page. From the original on January 31, 2017.
Retrieved January 30, 2017. Stolworthy, Jacob (April 3, 2017). From the original on May 21, 2017. Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. From the original on December 12, 2013.
^. Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. From the original on December 12, 2013. From the original on February 13, 2014.
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From the original on December 21, 2013. Mahadeo, Kevin (August 12, 2010). Comic Book Resources. From the original on October 13, 2012. Writer Ron Marz's Legend of the Dark Knight tale with artist Bernie Wrightson became a legend in its own right among the comic book professional community—a long-lost story the writer himself believed would never see print.External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to. at.
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics.
This thick, large format coffee table book is a retrospective on artist Berni Wrightson.It was originally printed in 1978.I remember back then my father would receive this one book catalog where a cloth bound version of this book sold for $60. It was a book I always wanted and around 1995 I was finally able to purchase a soft-bound edition. Good luck finding a copy for cheap.Highly recommended for fans of Berni Wrightson and premiere illustrators. This guy was so much more than a mere comic This thick, large format coffee table book is a retrospective on artist Berni Wrightson.It was originally printed in 1978.I remember back then my father would receive this one book catalog where a cloth bound version of this book sold for $60. It was a book I always wanted and around 1995 I was finally able to purchase a soft-bound edition. Good luck finding a copy for cheap.Highly recommended for fans of Berni Wrightson and premiere illustrators.
This guy was so much more than a mere comic book artist.