Basil Wolverton

Basil Wolverton
Basil Wolverton at his drawing board, c. 1950
Born(1909-07-09)July 9, 1909
Central Point, Oregon, U.S.
DiedDecember 31, 1978(1978-12-31) (aged 69)
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Area(s)Cartoonist, Writer, Penciller, Inker, Letterer
Notable works
Powerhouse Pepper, Spacehawk
AwardsJack Kirby Hall of Fame
RelativesMonte Wolverton (son)

Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 – December 31, 1978)[1] was an American cartoonist and illustrator known for his intricately detailed grotesques of bizarre or misshapen people. Wolverton was described as "Producer of Preposterous Pictures of Peculiar People who Prowl this Perplexing Planet." His many publishers included Marvel Comics and Mad magazine.

His drawings have elicited a wide range of reactions. Cartoonist Will Elder said he found Wolverton's technique "outrageously inventive, defying every conventional standard yet upholding a very unusual sense of humor. He was a refreshing original." But Jules Feiffer stated, "I don't like his work. I think it's ugly."[2]

He was posthumously inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1991.

  1. ^ Basil Wolverton at the Lambiek Comiclopedia. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Both quotes from Wolvertoons: The Art of Basil Wolverton, edited by Dick Voll. (Fantagraphics Books, 1990) ISBN 1-56097-022-7, ISBN 978-1-56097-022-4