Basil Wolverton

There's a great article in today's (7/23) New York Times about the wonderful artist Basil Wolverton, whose inspired, lunatic illustrations certainly impacted a young "me" back in the day. There is a gallery show in NYC of Wolverton's drawings and if I had the time I would consider a trip just to take them in.

In a side note, I was lucky enough "as a youth" to actually chat with Mr. Wolverton. He lived in Vancouver Washington, just across the Columbia River from my hometown of Portland, and a relative had met him and mentioned my fascination with all things comics. Imagine my delight when I got a call from Wolverton one evening (this must have been around 1970), where we discussed his art and, as I recall, the details of various wrestlers working the Portland circuit back in the day.

There are several elegant collections of Wolverton's work available, including his truly frightening and apocalyptic Bible series, and they're all worth checking out. Fantagraphics.com is a great place to start. Me, I'm hoping that Marvel eventually gives the deluxe hardcover treatment to Powerhouse Pepper, Wolverton's short-lived (five issues) comic book series from the 1940's.