Master in horror genre is home for Comic-Con
When Baltimore native Bernie Wrightson, Archbishop Curley class of 1966, began illustrating comic books in the late 1960s, horror stories were just beginning to come back into vogue after more than a decade of being banned for the “danger” they posed to impressionable youngsters. It didn’t take long for Wrightson to become known as a master of the genre.
Along with such other artists as Neal Adams, Gray Morrow, Mike Kaluta and Alex Toth (many influenced by the great Frank Frazetta), Wrightson revived the genre, re-introducing comics readers to the delights of being freaked out by stories of vampires, werewolves and other creatures that went bump in the night. In 1971, working with writer Len Wein, he created Swamp Thing, a creature of the Louisiana bayou that, for a brief time, outsold even Superman.
Never exactly prolific, Wrightson pretty much retired from comics after about a decade; his books remain coveted collectors’ items. Since then, he has drawn and painted, produced an illustrated version of Frankenstein that is widely regarded as nothing short of a masterpiece, and has worked as a conceptual artist for the movies, taking ideas from artists and directors, and giving them form.
This weekend, Wrightson, 59, will be returning to his hometown for the 9th annual Baltimore Comic-Con, which ends its two-day run at the Convention Center today. We caught up with the artist at his Los Angeles home.
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