One thing that's really cool about original cover art is you can see the artist's work without all the titles covering it. Here is a batch of covers from CREEPY, some of which are over 50 years old! These were auctioned off in the spring of 2004. Descriptions of the lots have been added for context.
Vic Prezio - CREEPY #28 (August 1969)
Original cover art painting to Creepy #28, by Vic Prezio, published in August 1969. Prezio's distinctive style defines early Warren cover art for many collectors. This is an extremely early original Creepy cover painting from the glory days of the magazine. Prezio specialized in creating terrifying monsters of all types, which inevitably posed a great danger to innocent humans. He was particularly fond of skulls and worked them into numerous covers. For some reason, Warren chose to add word balloons to many Prezio covers, giving them a particularly memorable "campy" feel. This is a classic Prezio cover with all of these trademark elements. Note the change in the background color between the original painting and the published magazine version. Jim Warren decided that a hotter pink sky would work better on the magazine cover, but the original painting reveals that it was originally created by Prezio as an orange sky. This is a tremendous painting which captures the spirit of the early days of the magazine in the late 1960s, an era in which Creepy magazine played a tremendous role in the increasing popularity of the science fiction and horror literary genres. Measuring 17 x 23 inches on board, the painting is beautifully matted and framed, in flawless condition, and is accompanied by a file copy of the issued magazine. Reserve $1,000. Estimate $2,000/$3,000.
Sold for: $5,220.00
Vic Prezio - CREEPY #29 (September 1969)
Please Note: In the printed catalog, the images of Lot 804 and Lot 805 were accidentally switched. This has been corrected in the online catalog. We apologize for any confusion this has caused.
Original cover art to Creepy #29, by Vic Prezio, published in September of 1969. This is a very unusual Creepy cover in that it features a bikini-clad beauty…excuse us, it is actually a monster. But this false initial impression is precisely what makes this cover art so successful and creates such a strong reaction in viewers. At first glance the painting actually appears to be of the pinup or glamour genre. Closer inspection, of course, reveals the hideous truth, making this an ideal cover painting for an early Creepy issue subtitled “What Unspeakable Evil Is Found In The Summer House?” The image was “flipped” left to right when published (a common practice in the magazine industry) to accommodate for the added cover text. Measuring 12 x 16 inches on board, the painting is beautifully matted and framed, in flawless condition, and is accompanied by a file copy of the issued magazine. Reserve $1,000. Estimate $2,000/$3,000.
Sold for: $1,380.00
Bill Hughes - CREEPY #30 (November 1969)
Original Bill Hughes cover painting on board for Creepy #30, published November 1969. Absurdly campy, and very finely detailed, cover painting features a mad scientist in his laboratory, bringing his monster creation to life. The scene has obviously been inspired by the legend of Dr. Frankenstein, with modern, updated equipment. A very memorable, if not particularly frightening, cover from the early days of Creepy. Measures 18 x 24 inches on artist’s masonite board. The cover painting is accompanied by a copy of the published magazine. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$2,000.
Sold for: $1,265.00
Sanjulian - CREEPY #53 (May 1973)
Original Sanjulian cover painting for Creepy #53, published May 1973. Entitled "One Eye Monster," this is a classic Warren cover art painting featuring a particularly ghoulish "bog monster," a perpetual inhabitant of the frightening Warren netherworld, traipsing through the darkness of the night under the glare of the full moon. A teddy bear on the ground reminds us that this image of the imagination is part of the real world. Manuel Sanjulian is universally recognized as one of Warren Publishing's true masters. Few artists were able to capture the horror of the Warren universe so effectively, and have such a lasting impact on the entire genre. Sanjulian is credited with giving the Creepy and Eerie titles their character during their most successful, early years. His work is rare, and also held in the highest esteem among collectors. This is an outstanding example of Sanjullian's work which has never before been offered. Oil on canvas. 16 x 19 inches. In virtually flawless Near Mint condition. Included with the cover painting is a copy of the published magazine. Reserve $2,000. Estimate $4,000/$6,000.
Sold for: $4,350.00
Ken Kelly - CREEPY #123 (November 1980)
Original Ken Kelly cover painting for Creepy #123, published in November of 1980. One of Ken Kelly’s most highly acclaimed works and one of the great masterpieces of fantasy and horror cover art. Ken Kelly is noted both for his ability to capture the beauty of women, and the horrors which populate the netherworld of fantasy art. This extraordinary masterpiece among Warren cover art presents both talents to their full advantage, with a majesty and appeal unrivalled by any other painting ever produced by Kelly, and arguably which ever graced the cover of Warren’s titles. The original cover painting is accompanied by a copy of the published magazine, which is subtitled “The Slave! She was a Seductress! She was evil! She encountered men and transformed them into Monsters!” As much a masterpiece of the pinup genre as the horror genre, this is one of those cover paintings collectors understandably assume will forever remain on a permanent wish list, uncertain if the original exists at all, or is permanently housed in an advanced collection of modern masterpieces, never to surface. Sometimes the great ones do surface, and that is most certainly the case here, with the presentation of this most extraordinary original oil on canvas by Ken Kelly, which was first unveiled to the world on the cover of Creepy #123. The original painting on canvas stretched on board measures 18 x 24 inches, is signed in the lower left, and is in flawless condition. Reserve $4,000. Estimate $8,000/$12,000.
Sold for: $4,8888.00
BONUS!
Barry Rockwell - EERIE #16 (July 1968)
Offered is the original Barry Rockwell cover painting for Eerie #16, published in July of 1968. The cover painting features a mad scientist working on his Frankenstein-inspired monster creation, with a head encased in glass awaiting the experiment. No one will ever mistake the work of Barry Rockwell for that of Norman Rockwell. A classic, campy Warren original cover art, with brilliant detail and terrific colors. The artist has signed the painting “B. Rockwell” in the lower right. The painting on board measures 16 x 21.5 inches, and appears to be executed in oils. Included with the cover painting is a copy of the magazine on which this painting appeared. In Excellent condition. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$2,000.
Sold for: $1,265.00
Sanjulian - VAMPIRELLA #44 (August 1975)
Original cover art painting to Vampirella #44 by Manuel Sanjulian, published in August 1975. Extraordinarily detailed oil on canvas cover painting captures a mad scientist in his laboratory, working on his Frankenstein-inspired monster creation. This painting has been created with an uncompromising investment of intricate and exacting detail, unparalleled and unmatched by any other Warren cover painting. It has been suggested to us by a former Warren employee that Sanjulian may have been paid extra to produce this particular painting, as the amount of time and work involved in its creation is so far greater than that of other Warren cover paintings. This painting is one of the great masterpieces by one of Warren's greatest artists. This is the first time this painting has ever been available at auction. Manuel Sanjulian is universally recognized as one of Warren Publishing's true masters. Few artists were able to capture the horror of the Warren universe so effectively, and have such a lasting impact on the entire genre. Sanjulian is credited with giving the Creepy and Eerie titles their character during their most successful, early years. His work is rare, and also held in the highest esteem among collectors. This is an outstanding example of Sanjulian's work which has never before been offered. The image was “flipped” left to right when published (a common practice in the magazine industry) to accommodate for the added cover text. Dimensions: 13 x 17.25 inches. Beautifully matted and framed to 20.5 x 24.5 inches. In virtually flawless Near Mint condition. The original cover painting is accompanied by a copy of the published magazine. Reserve $4,000. Estimate $8,000/$12,000.
Sold for: $10,440.00
Noly Panaligan - VAMPIRELLA #101 (December 1981)
Original cover art painting to Vampirella #101 by Noly Panaligan, published in December 1981. Exceptionally detailed watercolor on board captures Vampirella battling a deadly sea monster, with a vignette scene in lower right. Tremendous detail to this memorable Vampirella cover, with a particularly striking contrast between the full Vampirella figure and the murky undersea background. Dimensions: 17.5 x 24 inches. Flawless Mint condition. Reserve $1,000. Estimate $2,000/$3,000.
Sold for: $3,190.00
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