Description

The Chillingly Weird Art of Matt Fox by Roger Hill

Hardcover – TwoMorrows – Sep 2023 – 128 pages

Matt Fox (1906–1988) first gained notoriety for his jarring cover paintings on the pulp magazine Weird Tales from 1943 to 1951. His almost primitive artistry encompassed ghouls, demons, and grotesqueries of all types, evoking a disquieting horror vibe that no one since has ever matched. Fox suffered with chronic pain throughout his life, and that anguish permeated his classic 1950s cover illustrations and his lone story for Chilling Tales, putting them at the top of all pre-code horror comic enthusiasts’ want lists. He brought his evocative storytelling skills (and an almost Basil Wolverton-esque ink line over other artists) to Atlas/Marvel horror comics of the 1950s and ’60s, but since Fox never gave an interview, this unique creator remained largely unheralded—until now! Comic art historian Roger Hill finally tells Fox’s life story, through an informative biographical essay, augmented with an insightful introduction by From the Tomb editor Peter Normanton. This full-color hardcover also showcases all of the artist’s Weird Tales covers and interior illustrations, and a special Atlas Comics gallery with examples of his inking over Gil Kane, Larry Lieber, and others. Plus, there’s a wealth of other delightfully disturbing images by this grand master of horror—many previously unpublished and reproduced from his original paintings and art—sure to make an indelible imprint on a new legion of fans!