Frank Thorne Interview, Wizard of the Comic Arts by Alex Grand & Jim Thompson

Read Alex Grand’s Understanding Superhero Comic Books published by McFarland Books in 2023 with Foreword by Jim Steranko with editorial reviews by comic book professionals, Jim Shooter, Tom Palmer, Tom DeFalco, Danny Fingeroth, Alex Segura, Carl Potts, Guy Dorian Sr. and more.

In the meantime enjoy the show:

Alex Grand and co-host Jim Thompson interview Frank Thorne, born in 1930, he discusses his past and current works, with a career that spans from the late 1940s, utilizing and expanding on inspirations like Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, and Neil O’Keefe, a late 1940s graduate of the Art Career School in Manhattan, working at Dell, Gold Key and DC Comics with an explosion of fan activity in the 1970s and 80s with his comic work centered around strong beautiful female characters like Red Sonya, his famous other femme Fatales like Ghita, Lann for Heavy Metal, Ribit for Comico, Danger Rangerette for National Lampoon, Moonshine McJuggs for Playboy, his working relationship with Hugh Hefner, his interactions with other prominent comic figures like Alex Toth, Gary Groth, Jim Steranko and Neal Adams.

Benjamin Franklin Thorne was an American comic book artist-writer, best known for the Marvel Comics character Red Sonja. Passed away (7 March 2021) at the age of 90.

Transcript published in Comic Book Historians Presents… Frank Thorne the Blue, Wizard of the Comic Arts:

Frank Thorne Interview 2019 by Alex Grand & Jim Thompson
📜 Video chapters
00:00:00 Welcoming The wizard of the comic arts Frank Thorne
00:00:39 Background of Frank Thorne
00:04:02 Perry Mason newspaper strip for King Features
00:05:17 Erle Stanley Gardner, Little Brown company
00:06:21 Frank Thorne’s strip Dr. Guy Bennett…soap opera strip
00:08:15 Your approach on black & white and color drawings
00:09:28 Early 1950s, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
00:10:32 Howard Leroy Davis, Battling Beauties, Red Sonja
00:11:24 1963 National Cartoonist Society award, 1978 Inkpot Award
00:12:32 The Twilight Zone, Mighty Samson for The Gold Key
00:14:02 Dell vs Gold Key, New Jersey illustration
00:15:09 DC | Korak Son of Tarzan & Tomahawk saga
00:16:38 Archie Goodwin, American comic book writer
00:17:04 Joe Kubert
00:18:52 For the DC period, what did you like?
00:19:55 Atlas Comic Period | Martin Goodman & Chip Goodman
00:21:48 Marvel Feature 2 1975
00:23:04 Barry Windsor-Smith & Andrea Bulgarelli
00:25:09 Red Sonya
00:27:54 National Lampoon comics, Danger Rangerette
00:29:20 Did you met Hugh Hefner? | Linda Burrell
00:32:04 Tale of the Wizard Suit | Wendy and Richard Pini
00:34:38 Red Sonja by Frank Thorne
00:36:09 Playboy | Harvey Kurtzman, Will elder
00:38:10 Was Li’l Abner an influence on Moonshine McJuggs?
00:38:41 Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist Cerberus, Hi Eisen
00:41:25 Did you ever meet Jim Warren?
00:42:58 How did you come to Jim Warren at that time? | Red Sonja character
00:44:55 Frank Thorne’s Lann – Hermes Press, Heavy Metal character
00:48:49 How was working with Comic-con, Erotic Worlds of Frank Thorne
00:51:26 The Illustrated History of Union County, Book by Frank Thorne | Gary Groth
00:53:10 Gary Groth, Jim Steranko
00:54:14 The Crystal Ballroom | Barrington Hall Sketchbook
00:55:26 Harry Devlin, Cartoonist | Alex Toth
00:58:49 Neal Adams
01:00:07 Noel Sickles, American illustrator
01:01:57 Stan Lee, American comic book writer
01:03:18 Two Lords and a Lady, Elizabeth “Betty” Lee Frazee
01:05:18 I like Superman 2, 1980
01:06:31 Comic books will always be around
01:07:28 Wrapping up

#FrankThorne #RedSonja #FrankThorneRedSonja #EroticWorlds #HermesPress
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Use of images are not intended to infringe on copyright, but merely used for academic purpose