Wolvertoons

by Basil Wolverton, Dick Voll

It doesn't get much stranger than Basil Wolverton, once called the "producer of preposterous pictures of peculiar people." His caricatures have at once fascinated and repulsed people, but once you get past the superficial grossness of his faces, you will see a true master artist. This volume is 144 pages filled with "Wolvertoniana." It includes early artwork from MAD (before it was a magazine!) and rare, unpublished cartoons.

Genres: Comics, Art

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 1990

Reviews

[Mutant Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see how Basil's freakish portraits influenced all the hippie artists that came after him. His characters have a shiny plasticity to their flesh that folds, stretches, and reflects light like silly putty, which I find a little off-putting, especially when accompanied by a demented grin. Of course, they're supposed to be off-putting, but this style can border on body horror. There's usually a written gag with each drawing that hasn't aged as well as the artwork itself, which feels a decade ahead of its time.