Welcome back. Please log in.

ow pgs
Kane cvr; reprinted Wolverton art



Artists Information

Gil Kane was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and co-created Iron Fist with Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics. He was involved in such major storylines as that of The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98, which, at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, bucked the then-prevalent Comics Code Authority to depict drug abuse, and ultimately spurred an update of the Code. Kane additionally pioneered an early graphic novel prototype, His Name Is... Savage, in 1968, and a seminal graphic novel, Blackmark, in 1971. In 1997, he was inducted into both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

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.