Eulogy

It was my first sleepover at Chloe's house. One of my best high school friends, Chloe and I bonded over sword and sorcery. We were fans of Meredith Pierce and Robin McKinley, Monica Furlong and Anne McCaffrey. Brooks, Tolkien, Moorcock, Weis & Hickman, Le Guin -- these were the superstars of our world, the creators and keepers of our lore.

Chloe was the storyteller, the dreamer. I was the illustrator, the one who brought her tales to life. After spending several hours filling notebook pages with words and drawings (yes, this is how kids amused themselves before the internet), Chloe suddenly said "Wait, I have to show you something!"

I followed her downstairs, through a dark living room, into the family library. Chloe thumbed through rows of books and pulled out a handful of thin softcovers.

They were from the 1970's. They belonged to her dad. I was utterly smitten.

Three of the books were simply titled Frank Frazetta with numbered volumes.

Frank Frazetta: The Living Legend.

The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta.

Artbooks filled with amazing, vibrant, captivating paintings and sketches: pale skinned princesses, warriors with bloody blades, furred and fanged monsters, wild sorcery, heaving muscles, the excitement of battle, the blush of exoticism, all with an undercurrent of raw sexuality.

I spent the next few hours examining and absorbing those sacred tomes, finding new delights at the turn of each page. Like millions of others, I drank from the Frazetta wellspring of inspiration and my approach to art changed forever.

I never became a professional artist. But Frazetta still holds a special place in my heart. His style is instantly recognizable, always imitated but never duplicated. Nearly every comic book and fantasy artist has paid him homage. The Moon Princess, the Death Dealer, the Egyptian Queen, Conan the Adventurer -- these are fixtures in the world of sword and sorcery I love so much, the standard for fantastic and mythical imagery.

Humanity has lost a great talent, a genre defining master, a legendary influence. Rest in Peace, Frank Frazetta.