The co-creator of Swamp Thing, expert horror illustrator, and one of the most legendary artists in comic book history, Bernie Wrightson, has passed away. He was 68 years old.
According to a Facebook post from his wife Liz, "Bernie Wrightson has lost his long battle with brain cancer. He is survived by his wife Liz, sons John and Jeffrey, stepson Thomas, and countless friends and fans. We will have a celebration of life for him later this year."
After years of creating profound and inspiring art, Bernie’s declining health had forced him to officially retire from comics earlier this year. His distinct voice for horror continues to influence countless artists and fans today, giving birth to a monumental style that could never be perfectly imitated, because nobody exposed beauty in the macabre quite like Bernie Wrightson did.
When Wrightson retired, our Ryan Perry wrote this summary of his life and work:
Bernie Wrightson was given his first freelance assignment from DC Comics editor Dick Giordano after showing him copies of the sequential art he’d produced. His first professional work was a story called ‘The Man Who Murdered Himself in “House of Mystery” #179.
In 1971, Wrightson and Len Wein co-created Swamp Thing in “House of Secrets” #92, and launched the first “Swamp Thing” ongoing series the next year. In 1974, Wrightson left DC to produce a series of short story adaptations in Warren Publishing’s black-and-white horror-comics magazine, including Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cool Air.”
Wrightston joined artists Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, and Barry Windsor-Smith to form The Studio in 1975. The Studio was a shared loft where the group would pursue creative products outside of comics. Wrightson spent seven years creating fifty illustrations for an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
He would continue to delve into horror oriented work in 1983 when he illustrated the comic book adaptation of Stephen King’s Creepshow film. Wrightson would go on to collaborate with King many times such as illustrating King’s Novella Cycle of the Werewolf (a limited edition portfolio of Wrightson’s art for this project has just recently reached its goal on Kickstarter), the restored edition of King’s The Stand, and the fifth installment of King’s ‘Dark Tower’ series, Wolves of the Calla.
Wrightson would take one last jaunt into the mainstream of the comics medium with his many collaborations with Jim Starlin. The two worked together on things such as “Heroes for Hope” and “Heroes Against Hunger,” benefit comics to aid in famine relief, “The Weird,” “Batman: The Cult,” and “Marvel Graphic Novel No. 29.” Wrightson’s last work was a piece in “Eerie” for Dark Horse.
In July of 2014 Wrightson was admitted to a hospital after a series of small strokes. That December he he underwent surgery for the removal of a brain tumor. This was followed up by radiotherapy and chemotherapy in June of 2015. In 2016 symptoms of the tumor began to resurface and Wrightson required another surgery.
Our deepest sympathies extend to his family and friends. Please enjoy some of our favorite Wrightson work below.
