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Dave Berg subway train cover, Basil Wolverton story & art



Artist Information

Basil Wolverton is primarily recognized for his bizarre and grotesque caricatures that he made his name with in the second half of his career. Starting out as an independent artist, Wolverton worked in a relatively normal, but personal, style throughout the Golden Age, contributing sci-fi and GGA comedy pages to a variety of publishers, including a tenure at Timely. After winning a national contest to draw "Lena the Hyena" which was published in Al Capp's Li'l Abner strip, Basil switched over to his renown "spaghetti and meatballs" style, which consisted of highly detailed and disturbing malformed creatures. Working at Mad Magazine for a spell, Wolverton built up his distinct style and would continue to create shocking and unforgettable images for comics like Plop! through the Bronze Age until his passing in 1978. Since his death, recognition and fanfare for the artist's unique talents have grown in stature, leading his original pages to go for impressive numbers, as well as influencing underground and independent artists who came after him.