 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Design Basil Wolverton Exhibit |
The World's ugliest Girl, in the 1049 Li'l Abner strip, never showed Lena's face. Creator Al Capp claimed no reader could stand
it. This led to a contest judged by none other than Salvidor Sali, Boris Karloff and Frank Sinatra (I am not making this up). The winner
was Oregon artist Basil Wolverton. Wolverton would go on to draw collections of disturbing, creative, and exciting caricatures in series
with names like 'Private Peeps at preposterous Punks Who Prowl This Planet'.
He became a staple submitter to Mad Magazine in the early days, where his work changed the look and feel of the comic book to a
somewhat darker and strange form of visual satire, in contrast to the slapstick styles of Jack Davis or Harvey Kurtzman. There was
something...wrong with Basil's stuff, and his incredible detail had us kids staring and dreaming of the images.
it. This led to a contest judged by none other than Salvidor Sali, Boris Karloff and Frank Sinatra (I am not making this up). The winner
was Oregon artist Basil Wolverton. Wolverton would go on to draw collections of disturbing, creative, and exciting caricatures in series
with names like 'Private Peeps at preposterous Punks Who Prowl This Planet'.
He became a staple submitter to Mad Magazine in the early days, where his work changed the look and feel of the comic book to a
somewhat darker and strange form of visual satire, in contrast to the slapstick styles of Jack Davis or Harvey Kurtzman. There was
something...wrong with Basil's stuff, and his incredible detail had us kids staring and dreaming of the images.
Left - Al Capp's celebrity panel
Right - Mad's LIFE spoof featuring a
post-contest version of lovely Lena of Lower
Slobbavia.
Wolverton's influence on Robert Brumb,
Gary Panter, and dozens of modern-day
cartoonists is easily evident.
In fact, I would credit much of the
Garbage-Pail-Kids type of trading cards as
being based on Wolverton's convoluted
sense of visual satire.
Right - Mad's LIFE spoof featuring a
post-contest version of lovely Lena of Lower
Slobbavia.
Wolverton's influence on Robert Brumb,
Gary Panter, and dozens of modern-day
cartoonists is easily evident.
In fact, I would credit much of the
Garbage-Pail-Kids type of trading cards as
being based on Wolverton's convoluted
sense of visual satire.
My daughter and I visited the Barbara Gladstone Gallery in the Chelsea
gallery area of NYC. We spent the morning looking at the Basil Wolverton career
retrospective.
I was able to recognize a lot of the drawings from Mad and other publications.
There were also some strips that Wolverton had tried to sell (only one had been
successful - 'Marco of Mars'.
The Sci-Fi strips looked especially powerful without the work balloons. Basil
loved the water-boiler style spaceships developed by the movie serials like
Flash Gordon. This was charming but odd, since the serials were far more
limited in style creativity than Basil's pen. Note the ship in the first panel at the
top of this page - (and what the heck is happening in the sequence?).
gallery area of NYC. We spent the morning looking at the Basil Wolverton career
retrospective.
I was able to recognize a lot of the drawings from Mad and other publications.
There were also some strips that Wolverton had tried to sell (only one had been
successful - 'Marco of Mars'.
The Sci-Fi strips looked especially powerful without the work balloons. Basil
loved the water-boiler style spaceships developed by the movie serials like
Flash Gordon. This was charming but odd, since the serials were far more
limited in style creativity than Basil's pen. Note the ship in the first panel at the
top of this page - (and what the heck is happening in the sequence?).
Most of the drawings were new to me.
Some, like the small image at the right,
appear to be unpublished pencils.
Basil did some kids-oriented work, as well
as caricatures of the famous. But he was
built to draw the stuff of nightmares.
Deformed Drawings of Demented Denizens,
you might say.
Wolverton did a comic book series,
Powerhouse Pepper, that is delightful and
funny. It uses posted gags in the
background, popularizes by the Smoky Stover
strip and perfected by the great Will Elder.
But it is his organic exaggerations that get
your attention - stuff that his own family
members might have had trouble looking at.
Some, like the small image at the right,
appear to be unpublished pencils.
Basil did some kids-oriented work, as well
as caricatures of the famous. But he was
built to draw the stuff of nightmares.
Deformed Drawings of Demented Denizens,
you might say.
Wolverton did a comic book series,
Powerhouse Pepper, that is delightful and
funny. It uses posted gags in the
background, popularizes by the Smoky Stover
strip and perfected by the great Will Elder.
But it is his organic exaggerations that get
your attention - stuff that his own family
members might have had trouble looking at.
It is probably not a shock to reveal that
Basil Wolverton had always been a devout
church-goer. Constant bible study is a
tremendous source for disturbing images.
In the 90's I subscribed to magazines
published by the Worldwide Church of God.
Wolverton had been ordained an Elder since
the 1940s, and in later years, contributed
work to their publications.
Wolverton was born to draw images of the
Apocalypse - the Earth drowning in tidal
waves and flesh boiling off bodies while the
devout few escape in spaceships. Hot-water
boiler spaceships.
Wolverton reportedly hoped to be
remembered for his religious output. The
stuff is fascinating, but let's face it, Lena The
Hyena is what we're going to remember best.
Basil Wolverton had always been a devout
church-goer. Constant bible study is a
tremendous source for disturbing images.
In the 90's I subscribed to magazines
published by the Worldwide Church of God.
Wolverton had been ordained an Elder since
the 1940s, and in later years, contributed
work to their publications.
Wolverton was born to draw images of the
Apocalypse - the Earth drowning in tidal
waves and flesh boiling off bodies while the
devout few escape in spaceships. Hot-water
boiler spaceships.
Wolverton reportedly hoped to be
remembered for his religious output. The
stuff is fascinating, but let's face it, Lena The
Hyena is what we're going to remember best.
I just signed the guest book, but Sarah decided to draw us. (I
look like a Kurtzman figure, no?).
We flipper through all the earlier signed pages, expecting to
see the signatures of Art Spiegleman and the hundred other
comic artists living in NYC.
We were devastated to recognize no one! How can this be?
One of the most influential cartoonists of all time, and no artist
pays his respects (Basil passed away in 1978).
Maybe they just didn't sign the book. Or perhaps they plan to
visit before the show closes in mid-August.
Or maybe they should read this and get over there!
look like a Kurtzman figure, no?).
We flipper through all the earlier signed pages, expecting to
see the signatures of Art Spiegleman and the hundred other
comic artists living in NYC.
We were devastated to recognize no one! How can this be?
One of the most influential cartoonists of all time, and no artist
pays his respects (Basil passed away in 1978).
Maybe they just didn't sign the book. Or perhaps they plan to
visit before the show closes in mid-August.
Or maybe they should read this and get over there!