Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta HC (2023 Taschen) New Printing comic books 1980 or later

1st Taschen printing. Frank Frazetta has reigned as the undisputed lord of fantasy art for 50 years, his fame only growing in the 10 years since his death. With his paintings now breaking auction records, he's long overdue for this ultimate monograph. Born in 1928, Frazetta claimed to only make art when there was nothing better to do - he preferred playing baseball - yet began his professional career in comics at age 16. Strip work led him to the infamous EC Comics, then to oils for Tarzan and Conan pulp covers. He redefined fantasy heroes as more massive, more menacing, more testosterone-fueled than anything seen before. As counterbalance he created a new breed of women, as nude as censorship allowed, with pixie faces and multiparous bodies: thick thighed, heavy buttocked, breasts cantilevered out to there, yet still, with their soft bellies and hints of cellulite, believably real. Add in the action, the creatures, the twilit worlds of haunting shadow and Frazetta's art is addictive as potato chips. Hardcover, 472 pages, full color. Cover price $200.00.