Today marked the anniversary of the passing of Donald A. Wollheim. Today also marks—perhaps exactly, perhaps within a few weeks at most—the founding of DAW Books by Wollheim in 1971. Throughout the 1970s and well into the 1980s, DAW Books kept the pulp aesthetic alive, publishing far more sword-and-sorcery and sword-and-planet than its competitors.
Read MoreDonald Wollheim was a titanic mover n’ shaker when it came to the graphic side of the SFF publishing equation. Wollheim’s instincts for spotting promising artistic talent were second to none in the entire history of the field. In fact, I considered just typing, “Frank Frazetta and Michael Whelan. Mic drop.” and then posting some pics, but I decided that might be a bit too terse.
Read MoreToday is the birthday of Michael Whelan, one of the greatest artists to ever work in the fields of fantasy, sci-fi and horror. The occasion prompted me to think back on the Whelan covers that really, really affected me when growing up.
Read MoreThe subject matter of heavy metal lyrics often mirrors that of sword and sorcery fiction. Sometimes the mirror is more than metaphorical, when bands show their dedication to their fantasy concepts by using album artwork identical to images that have appeared on the covers of novels and anthologies.
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