| Richard Corben | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Vance Corben October 1, 1940 Anderson, Missouri, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Artist, Inker, Editor, Publisher, Letterer, Colorist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Gore, Corb, Harvey Sea |
| Notable works | Den, Bloodstar, Rip in Time, Bat out of Hell (album cover). |
| Awards | CINE Golden Eagle |
| Official website | |
Richard Corben (born October 1, 1940) is an American comic book artist best known for his illustrated fantasy stories in Heavy Metal (HM) magazine.
Contents |
Biography
Richard Corben was born on a farm [1] in Anderson, Missouri, and went on to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, in 1965. [2]
After working as a professional animator, Corben started doing underground comics, including Grim Wit, Slow Death, Skull, Rowlf, Fever Dreams and his own anthology Fantagor [3]. In 1970 he began illustrating horror and science-fiction stories for Warren Publishing. [4] His stories appeared in Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella, 1984 and Comix International. He also colored several episodes of Will Eisner's Spirit.
In 1975, when Moebius, Druillet, and Jean-Pierre Dionnet started publishing the magazine Métal Hurlant in France, Corben submitted some of his stories to them. [5] He continued his work for the franchise in America, where the magazine was called Heavy Metal. In 1976 he adapted a short Robert E. Howard story in what is possibly the first graphic novel, Bloodstar. [6]
Among the stories drawn for Heavy Metal he continued the saga of his most famous creation, Den which had begun in the short film Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman used the same title, Neverwhere later, but the two have nothing common) and a short story in the underground publication Grim Wit #2. The saga of Den is a fantasy series about the adventures of a young underweight nerd who travels to Neverwhere, a universe taking inspirational nods from Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age, Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom and H. P. Lovecraft's horror dimensions. There, the boy becomes an enormously endowed nude muscleman who has erotic adventures in a world of outrageous dangers, hideous monsters and buxom nude women who lustfully throw themselves at him. This story was adapted in a highly abridged form in the animated film, Heavy Metal, where Den was voiced by John Candy.
Due to the sexual nature of Corben's art, it has been accused of being pornographic, a description he himself disagrees with. One notorious example was the interview he gave Heavy Metal editor Brad Balfour in 1981 [1][7][8]. Corben was very dissatisfied with the interview. He felt it portrayed him as a "petty, childish, borderline psychotic oaf". He wrote a letter in retort, which was published in September 1981 (vol V, issue 6).
His work in comics have won him some recognition, including the Shazam Award for Outstanding New Talent in 1971, and a Shazam Award for Superior Achievement by an Individual in 1973. He also received a CINE Golden Eagle and President of Japan Cultural Society trophy in 1968 for his short film Neverwhere. [9]
Corben did the cover of Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell, Jim Steinman's, Bad for Good and a movie poster (based on a drawing by Neal Adams [10]) for the Brian De Palma film Phantom of the Paradise. In addition, he provided cover art for the VHS release of the low-budget horror film Spookies.
Corben's collaborations are varied ranging from Rip in Time with Bruce Jones, to Harlan Ellison for Vic and Blood, to the Den Saga, Mutant World, Son of Mutant World, Jeremy Brood and The Arabian Nights with Jan Strnad.
In 2000, Corben collaborated with Brian Azzarello on five issues of Azzarello's run on Hellblazer (146-150) which was collected in a trade called Hellblazer: Hard Time.[11] He also adapted the classic horror story The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson for DC's Vertigo imprint.
In 2001, Azzarello and Corben teamed up to create Marvel's Startling Stories - Banner (a four issue mini-series exploring Doc Samson's relationship with Bruce Banner) and Marvel Max's Cage (a five issue mini-series starring Luke Cage).
Ever the independent, Corben would work with rocker, Rob Zombie, and Steve Niles in 2005 on a project for IDW Publishing called Bigfoot. The graphic series ran for five issues and demonstrates the artist's evolution. The story chronicles a young boy who witnesses the brutal slaughter of his parents by the enigmatic title character and his return to the forest for revenge when he becomes older.
In 2007, Corben did a two issue run on Marvel Comics' surreal demon biker, Ghost Rider. At Marvel's MAX imprint he has produced Haunt of Horror, mini-series adapting classic works of horror to comics. The first mini-series, published in 2006, was based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe[12] followed by a second series in 2008 adapting works by H. P. Lovecraft.[13] Between 2008 and 2009 he illustrated the flashback sequences in Conan of Cimmeria #1-7, collected as Conan (Dark Horse Comics) Volume 7: Cimmeria. In 2009 he illustrated Starr the Slayer for Marvel's MAX comics imprint.
Quotes about Corben
Corben's work is admired and respected by many artists, illustrators, filmmakers and authors.
Corben's work is singular in its humanity. He works with towering technical skill... ...the wondrous thing of it all is that underneath all that technical tour-de-force is the sound of a beating heart. [14]
Corben's stuff was great. He put stuff into his comix that the overground press wouldn't print. [15]
I feel like I was particularly impressed by Richard Corben's work. But in general I would not say the underground made that big of an impression except for Corben... His science-fiction stories, those almost primitive black and white comics he did back then. I was very struck by the visceral punch they had, by the unusual artistic point of view. And also by the unabashed exaggeration. It's as if you wanted a woman to have big breasts, you drew it. There was something just so joyously excessive and erotic about his stuff, that I just ate it up. [16]
The artist I most want to aspire to is Richard Corben. His style is visual and it tells the story just as you see it... ...my favorite is Corben. I love everything he does, I love his stuff ...he’s an amazing artist.[17]
Richard Corben, stands among us like an extraterrestrial peak. He has sat in his throne for a long time, above the moving and multi-coloured field of world comics, like an effigy of the leader, a strange monolith, a sublime visitor, a solitary enigma. [18]
Mr. Richard Corben... a genuine giant of his chosen medium. [19]
People like the American Richard Corben... are, in my view, maestros. [20]
Corben's technique introduced the airbrush to comics. His sophisticated knowledge of how color is printed allowed him to get fantastic results. His work has maintained a sense of humor and spectacle in tales of barbarians, time travelers and Arabian nights. [21]
.
See also
Bibliography
- Corben, Richard; Alan Moore (Introduction) (2000). The House on the Borderland. DC Comics. ISBN 1-56389-545-5.
- Corben, Richard (1977). The Odd World of Richard Corben. A Warren Adult Fantasy Publication.. Warren Publishing Co.. ISBN 2913999018.
- Corben, Richard; Moebius (preface) (2001). Den La Quete, tome 2. Toth. ISBN 84-85138-21-X.
- Balfour, Brad (June 1981). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 1". Heavy Metal #51: 6-11.
- Balfour, Brad (July 1981). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 2". Heavy Metal #52: 8-14.
- Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- Bissette, Stephen R.; Wiater, Stanley (1993). Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of New Comics. Donald I. Fine, Inc.. ISBN 1-55611-354-4.
- Garriock, P. R. (1978). Masters of Comic Book Art. Morpheus International. ISBN 0962344761.
- Giger, H. R. (1993). Necronomicon II. Aurum Press, Ltd.. ISBN 0-905664-05-1.
- Horn, Maurice (1985). Sex in the Comics. Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 0-87754-850-1.
- Kurtzman, Harvey (1991). From Aargh to Zap!Harvey Kurtzman's Visual History of the Comics. Prentice Hall Press. ISBN 0-13-363680-1.
- Richardson, John Adkins (1977). The Complete Book of Cartooning. Prentice-Hall, Inc.. ISBN 0-813-157594-5.
- Sackmann, Eckart (1987). Great Masters of Fantasy Art. Parkwest Pubns. ISBN 3892680086.
- Oliver, Agustín (2004). Richard Corben (Un rebelde tranquilo). Sinsentido. ISBN 84-95634-51-1.
- Van Hise, James (1989). How to Draw Art for Comic Books: Lessons from the Masters. Pioneer Books, Inc.. ISBN 1-55698-254-2.
Notes
- ^ a b Balfour, Brad (June 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 1". Heavy Metal #51: 6-11.
- ^ Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy, page 26. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- ^ Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy, page 52-56. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- ^ Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy, page 92. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- ^ Balfour, Brad (July 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 2". Heavy Metal #52: page 11.
- ^ Seuling, Phil (1975). "The Fantasy Epic: Creating the Graphic Novel". Mediascene #16: 8–9.
- ^ Balfour, Brad (July 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 2". Heavy Metal #52: 8-14.
- ^ Balfour, Brad (August 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 3". Heavy Metal #53: 8-13.
- ^ Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy. Page 44. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- ^ Adams, Neal (1976). The Neal Adams Treasury. Pure Imagination. Page 36,
- ^ Irvine, Alex (2008), "John Constantine Hellblazer", in Dougall, Alastair, The Vertigo Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 102-111, ISBN 0-7566-4122-5, OCLC 213309015
- ^ Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe at the Comic Book DB
- ^ Corben and Lovecraft at Marvel in June, Newsarama, March 20, 2008
- ^ Corben, Richard (1977). The Odd World of Richard Corben. A Warren Adult Fantasy Publication.. Warren Publishing Co.. Page 4. ISBN 84-85138-21-X.
- ^ Holm, E. K. (2004). R. Crumb: Conversations. Page 101. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578066370.
- ^ Brayshaw, Christopher (December 1998). "Interview Frank Miller". The Comics Journal #209: 69.
- ^ http://www.dvdempire.com/Content/interviews/guillermo.asp?userid=-1. Gillermo del Toro
- ^ Corben, Richard; Moebius (preface) (2001). Den La Quete, tome 2. Toth. ISBN 84-85138-21-X.
- ^ Corben, Richard; Alan Moore (Introduction) (2000). The House on the Borderland. DC Comics. ISBN 1-56389-545-5.
- ^ Giger, H. R. (1993). Necronomicon II. Aurum Press, Ltd.. ISBN 0-905664-05-1. Page 56
- ^ Kurtzman, Harvey (1991). From Aargh to Zap!Harvey Kurtzman's Visual History of the Comics. Prentice Hall Press. ISBN 0-13-363680-1. Page 88
References
 |
This section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (April 2009) |
- Adams, Neal (1976). The Neal Adams Treasury. Pure Imagination.
- Balfour, Brad (June 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 1". Heavy Metal #51: 6-11.
- Balfour, Brad (July 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 2". Heavy Metal #52: 8-14.
- Balfour, Brad (August 2001). "The Richard Corben Interview, Part 3". Heavy Metal #53: 8-13.
- Bharucha, Feshid (1981). Richard Corben: Flights Into Fantasy. Thumb Tack Books. ISBN 84-499-1949-5.
- Brayshaw, Christopher (December 1998). "Interview Frank Miller". The Comics Journal #209: 69.
- Giger, H. R. (1993). H. R. Giger Necronomicon II. Morpheus International. ISBN 0962344761.
- Holm, E. K. (2004). R. Crumb: Conversations. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578066370.
- Seuling, Phil (1975). "The Fantasy Epic: Creating the Graphic Novel". Mediascene #16: 8–9.
- Richard Corben at the Grand Comic-Book Database
- Richard Corben at the Comic Book DB
- Richard Corben on the Lambiek Comiclopedia
External links
Interviews
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