Thursday, July 10, 2014

Cap'n Sternn and Friends by Berni Wrightson




Been told BW is doing good, which is great news!  This is my feeble attempt to illustrate the great comment from Russ on the night of Wrightson's hospitalization (if you haven't, please open his comment under Think'n Bout Berni Wrightson post).  In 1980, I not only loved the Captain Sternn story in Heavy Metal for it's amaz'n art, but also because for the longest time I felt that story gave me a "complete run."  I hardly ever collect a complete run in anything.  Don't know if this Frankenstein is the "wraparound cover" Russ was speaking of, but it certainly has an array of awesome beakers and flasks.  And I really don't know if this is the Superman VS Hulk commission Russ saw (for one thing, he mentioned torso studies, and this has no torsos in it).  I really would dig seeing the Batman concept Berni told him about (best ears ever), so here's wishing Mr. Wrightson a speedy recovery and a whirlwind run doing da dark knight

2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for these, Cap. I'll try to clarify.

    The Superman/Hulk piece I saw was still being pencilled, but that sure as heck looks like it. I may have misremembered the details (This was quite a few years back), or it may have gone through different versions. I distinctly remember the Bridgeman book being referenced, because it was fascinating to see Wrightson's anatomy so clearly decoded.

    And that is indeed the Frankenstein piece I was lucky enough to see in progress.

    As for Batman, Berni's "concept" was not about a drawing, but about a frightening approach to the character, portraying him, for instance, as arms reaching out of the darkness and pulling criminals in, something that Frank Miller sorta did years later in The Dark Knight returns.

    It's good to hear Berni's doing well.

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  2. Sounds like a better version of Grips, or maybe even a concept similar to the Shadow, where part of the "hero",s power is really the fear he instills in the bad guys. Digg'n it more and more

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