Kelly Freas

When Frank Kelly Freas died at the beginning of 2005, he was justly eulogized as one of the great fantasy and science fiction illustrators of the twentieth century, having spent decades doing covers and interior illos for the sci-fi magazines and paperbacks. He was also recalled for his many early MAD magazine covers (both of these genres were given homage in the pictured COMICS JOURNAL cover from a few years back). I don't recall, however, the slightest mention of THIS book, LIVES OF THE SAINTS, published in 1975 and featuring a cover and more than twenty full page black and white line drawings by the master of fantastic color! As you can see by the examples here, Freas' illustrations in the book seem to be inspired by artists as diverse as Gustave Dore and Vincent Van Gogh but retain a certain comic book style as well.

This book is long out of print but you might find it at your local library. For more info on the artist himself, check out Kelly Freas Biography.