R.I.P. Frank

Frank Frazetta is dead. As a young artist and hopeful cartoonist/writer, I adored his work and felt a special connection to his style. I first discovered it on the cover of an Edgar Rice Burroughs book I bought in 1964, Savage Pellucidar:
And I was smitten. I began to check out all the other Burroughs books released by Ace in a single-minded search for him, but found a steady supply of eye-crack when the new horror comic Creepy hit the stands the same year:

And even with the stable of incredible illustrators Creepy offered, Frazetta's work stood apart, both as cartoon and illustration. I carried my love for his talent through my art school years like a beacon for my ambition, but even though I eventually went on to a different life, his work never faltered. A light has really gone out.