Frank Frazetta (1928–2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He is often referred to as the “Godfather of fantasy art”, and one of the most renowned illustrators of the 20th century.

Admittedly, while I am aware of the artist and have come across his art pieces from time to time, I cannot profess that I know his work well at all. When I heard about news of Taschen’s plan to publish a big monograph for him last year, I figured it would be a most excellent opportunity to better discover his work because I’ve purchased quite a few of Taschen’s big monographs for old master painters ( Gustav Klimt, Diego Velazquez ) and the quality has always been spectacular.

And true enough, this book does not disappoint. It is quite difficult for me to convey in words the sheer feeling of seeing Frazetta’s vibrant art work reproduced on large format print, but his illustrations and drawings really hit differently ( at least for me ) when presented in physical print media as opposed to a digital image on screen. As such, my small images in this review does no justice whatsoeverto the high fidelity and impact of the actual book, but I have nonetheless included a few select pieces on a bigger canvas size.

It is also through the browsing of this book that I’ve discovered Frazetta’s strong influence on other notable artists, in particular Hellboy artist Mike Mignola.

Book synopsis –

Frank Frazetta has reigned as the undisputed lord of fantasy art for 50 years, his fame only growing in the 12 years since his death. With his paintings now breaking auction records (Egyptian Queen sold for $ 5.4 million in 2019) he’s long overdue for this ultimate monograph.Born to a Sicilian immigrant family in Brooklyn, 1928, Frazetta was a minor league athlete, petty criminal and serial seducer with movie star looks and phenomenal talent. He claimed to only make art when there was nothing better to do – he preferred playing baseball – yet began his professional career in comics at age 16.

Strip work led him to the infamous EC Comics, then to oils for Tarzan and Conan pulp covers. Both characters were interpreted by many before him, but as he explained in the 1970s, “I’m very physical minded. In Brooklyn, I knew Conan, I knew guys just like him,” and he used this first-hand knowledge of muscle and macho to redefine fantasy heroes as more massive, more menacing, more testosterone-fueled than anything seen before. As counterbalance he created a new breed of women, nude as censorship allowed, with pixie faces and multiparous bodies: thick thighed, heavy buttocked, breasts cantilevered out to there, yet still, with their soft bellies and hints of cellulite, believably real. Add in the action, the creatures, the twilit worlds of haunting shadow and Frazetta’s art is addictive as potato chips.

This monograph is the biggest and most complete ever produced on the artist, done in collaboration with the Frazetta family and with top collectors.

(image below) A bigger image of the drawing shown above. As I’ve come to expect from these big monographs by Taschen, the quality of the reproductions are really high.

While not nearly as fancy as the colored suitcase like boxes that came with other big monographs like Gustav Klimt and Hieronymus Bosch, the book is also housed in a sturdy cardboard box printed with the book’s front and back cover art.

Understandably, for such a big, high quality art book nearing almost 500 pages, the price tag is expectedly costly as well at $190 USD ( at the time of writing this review ). I mulled over spending this large amount for quite a while, but I finally decided it would be worth the price, and I am happy to report that my feelings on the matter remain unchanged. Depending on how many reprints Taschen runs, I would not be surprised if this book goes out of print in the year/s to come, so if you’re a Frazetta fan and are interested in picking up a copy, don’t wait too long. Highly recommended.

The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta ( Taschen ) details :

– Dimensions – 12.68 x 27.56 x 18.58 inches
– hardcover, 468 pages
– Full color, in English

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