Edgar Rice Burroughs – Page 2 – Ragged Claws Network

I don’t have a lot of paperbacks with cover art by Frank Frazetta, but here are a few I do have…

Rogue Roman is an early cover painting by Frazetta that someone out there might enjoy seeing in its original format. The painting sans text appears in the Frazetta art book, Icon (Grass Valley, CA: Underwood Books, 1998), page 126. Looks a lot different there, too: the overall tone is much, much warmer. But I can’t decide if Rogue Roman is one of those pieces that was altered at a later date by Frazetta or not. And since there’s no mention of alterations in the discussion that accompanies the painting in Icon, it might just be a case of inaccurate reproduction on the paperback. Wouldn’t be the first time.

frank-frazetta_rogue-roman_ny-fawcett-nd — **ABOVE:** Lance Horner, *Rogue Roman* (New York: Fawcett, n.d.), with cover art by Frank Frazetta.

frank-frazetta_the-book-of-paradox_ny-dell-1975Clic — **ABOVE:** Louise Cooper, *The Book of Paradox* (New York: Dell, 1975), with cover art by Frank Frazetta.

frank-frazetta_the-moon-maid_ny-ace-1978 — **ABOVE:** Edgar Rice Burroughs, *The Moon Maid* (New York: Ace, 1978), with cover art by Frank Frazetta.

frank-frazetta_the-mucker_ny-ace-1974 — **ABOVE:** Edgar Rice Burroughs, *The Mucker* (New York: Ace, 1974), with cover art by Frank Frazetta.

frank-frazetta_tanar-of-pellucidar_ny-ace-1982 — **ABOVE:** Edgar Rice Burroughs, *Tanar of Pellucidar* (New York: Ace, 1982), with cover art by Frank Frazetta.

Of course, most Frazetta fans know that what makes the artist’s Moon Maid cover more than just a visually arresting illustration is that the original painting was substantially altered (though not, IMHO, improved) by Frazetta when he got it back from the publisher; which is to say, the painting as you see it here no longer exists.

The male model for The Mucker could easily have been Frazetta himself.

And finally, the central figure in Frazetta’s Tanar of Pellucidar was clearly swiped by Arthur Suydam for the painting that appears on the cover of his The Art of the Barbarian (Special Edition): Conan, Tarzan, Death Dealer. Look it up and you’ll see!

Some might call this a swipe; others, an homage. But would anybody in their right mind dare to claim that the following two paintings are similar by mere happenstance? I sure hope not…

**ABOVE:** Frank Frazetta (1928- ), *The Rider* (1960-69), oil on board, 20 x 16 in.

**ABOVE:** Edgar Rice Burroughs, *The Rider* (Ace, 1974), with cover by Frank Frazetta.

**ABOVE:** *Burroughs Bulletin* #22 (April 1995), with cover by Frank Frazetta.

**ABOVE:** Drazen Kovacevic (1974- ), cover of *La roue, T.3 Les 7 combattants de Korrot – II* (Glénat, 2003).

Either way, swipe or homage, Frazetta’s virtuoso draftsmanship, effortless skill at composition, and expressive paint handling make Kovacevic’s anemic cover-version look like the work of a rank amateur. Or, to put it another way, every change Kovacevic makes to Frazetta’s original is for the worse.

Tag: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Look Here: Five random covers, with art by Frank Frazetta

Connections: Frank Frazetta and Drazen Kovacevic