How Bernie Wrightson learned to love monsters

During a career that has spanned 40 years, monster lover and artist Bernie Wrightson has scared comic-book and movie fans around the world with his wild, macabre sense of design.

He co-created the DC Comics’ character Swamp Thing, adapted classic horror stories for Creepy and Eerie magazines, developed zombies for “Land of the Dead” and brought to visual life a full novelization of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” with black-and-white inked drawings.

His official return to comics is a bimonthly series, City of Others, that he and Steve Niles are doing for Dark Horse Comics, and it incorporates what he likes best — yes, more monsters.

The seasoned illustrator recently gave Zadzooks a piece of his mind in the 53rd chapter of an open-ended series that profiles the elite of the comic-book industry.

Why I am an artist: I think it is just compulsive behavior. All little kids draw, and it is a very magical thing, but most everybody grows out of it when they begin to read and go to school. I am one of those unfortunate kids who never grew out of it.

What I read growing up: I read all kinds of comics, but my favorites were EC Comics — Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear.

What I love: Some people love poetry, some people love cars. I just love monsters. I like to draw all monsters. I cannot pick a favorite. It would be like trying to pick a favorite of my children.

Why I dropped out of comics: Money. Comics are notorious for not paying well. Everybody thinks about Todd McFarlane and how he made a million dollars drawing Spider-Man, but that is like winning the sweepstakes. Everybody I know who does comic books for a living does it because they love it. I could not pay my bills doing comics, so I dropped out.

My creature-design work for movies: It was every bit as fulfilling as comics. If I had an art or production director who left me alone, that was fine. Occasionally I would run into someone who had to have his hands in it all the time, and that was a little stifling.

Artist inspiration: Frank Frazetta, almost exclusively, and, of course, all of the artists from EC Comics.

What does the comics industry need? It needs a good horror comic. To be completely honest, I do not follow comics. My days are completely full, and I do not have the time for it.

The fans: They have always been great, and most of my fans are as old as I am, and they keep coming back. I now meet their children and even their great-grandchildren.

My co-creation of Swamp Thing: It was a whole lot less about making money back in those days. It was a whole lot more about doing something I could be proud of. When I was doing Swamp Thing, I thought, “Man, this is great. I am drawing exactly the kind of comic book I would like to read.” I feel exactly the same way about City of Others.

How I pick a project: It is about the story I want to tell and the characters I want a reader to follow. However, It is not about the reader. I am doing this for myself first. It has to captivate and engage me to even want to do it. Maybe it sounds egotistical, but I am reader number one. It has got to be as good for me as I can possible make it.

Current project: City of Others has monsters and horror and blood and gore and plenty of fun stuff.

Story Continues →