Fabian Fröhlich | Fantastische Illustrationen | Fantastic Illustrations

Pulp interior illustrations

Illustration for the Horror Pulp Series Vampira, Traumzeit-Dämonen (Dreamtime Demons), 2011

Vampira Band 13, Traumzeit-Dämonen, Innenillustration, Wondjina

Wondjina

Sydney, Nielsen Park.
Ein Lied war verstummt.
Auch hier auf dem felsigen Plateau, in den eingemeißelten, uralten Symbolen, in denen sich das Dunkel der Nacht spiegelte.
Überall rundum lag Schnee, der am Abend gefallen war. Eine fingerdicke Schicht.
Finger…Jaaa…!
Ein Finger nach dem anderen kroch aus dem harten Stein, formte und blähte die Asche, die hier vor Wochen niedergeregnet war, bis eine schwarze, verbrannte Hand und ein schwarzer, verbrannter Arm sichtbar wurden und eine geballte Faust – ganz Drohung – sich zum Himmel ballte.
Der plötzliche Temperatursturz ließ die sonst auch nachts üblichen Parkbesucher fernbleiben.
SCHADE…!
Das nahe Rauschen des Meeres bildete die einzige Geräuschkulisse.
Eine zweite Hand, ein zweiter Arm wurden sichtbar. Dann Kopf und Schulter. Wie verbrannt oder zerschmolzen auch sie. Kohleschwarz. Hart und doch geschmeidig. STARK.”

Adrian Doyle (Manfred Weinland), Vampira vol. 13, Traumzeit-Dämonen, © Bastei

Der pulp novel will be published on october 18 – with my cover illustration, but unfortunately without this drawing because it was forgotten by the typesetter. The drawing was published two months later in no. 17.

 


Title Page for the Pulp Series 2012 – Das Jahr der Apokalypse, 2011

 

Maya Vignetten

Maya vignettes

2012 – Das Jahr der Apokalypse (The Year of the Apocalypse) is an adventure/mystery pulp mini-series published by Bastei since September 6, 2011. It deals with the apocalypse allegedly predicted by the Mayan calendar.

To create the ink drawing for the interior title page (The so called “Rota-Seite”) I was given a series synopsis, a list of possible subjects and a few compulsory subjects: the Maya plaque and stele, the Easter Island statue and some Central American pyramids (I chose Uxmal and Chichen Itza). The first sketch was improved according to further suggestions by the editor, Michael Schönenbröcher. The vignettes are used as chapter headers.

More information about the series here

More pulp series title pages here .

Rota-Seite: © Bastei-Lübbe


Title Pages and Other Repeatedly Used Illustrations for Pulp Series , 1994–1999

Vampira, Vignette für die Leserseite

Vampira, Illustration for the reader's page

The so called “Rota-Seite” (named after the rotating printing machines) is the third page of a pulp magazine. In some cases it is illustrated with a fitting drawing to frame the teaser. I drew this kind of repeatedly used illustrations for four different pulp series. Maddrax and Vampira are still (or again) running, but have new title pages, Amerika! and Die UFO-Akten (inspired, obviously, by The X-Files) were abandoned after a year.
 
In 2011 I drew the title page for the series 2012.
 


Illustrations for Zaubermond, 1994/5

Vignette

Vignette

The German publisher Zaubermond was founded in 1994, in the beginning mainly to reprint two horror pulp series from the 70s and 80s, Dämonenkiller and Larry Brent. I produced 11 cover illustrations and 14 black-and-white interior illustrations for Zaubermond pulp booklets as well as hardcover editions.

 


Illustrations for the Horror Pulp Series Dämonenland , Part 2, 1994–96


From 1991 till 1996 I drew about 160 illustrations for the horror pulp series Dämonenland, published by Bastei (more here). In the beginning I shared the job with Thorsten Krächan, after he had left I did it exclusively. In addition, four oil paintings were used as cover illustrations.
 
Overview of all Dämonenland booklets at gruselromane.de.

 


Innenillustrationen für die Heftromanserie Professor Zamorra, 1992/93

Bd. 516, "Im Netz der Mörderspinne"

When I started to to illustrate the pulp fiction series Professor Zamorra I drew, besides the color cover images, some black-and-white illustrations (for 28 novels). Usually I created the drawings according short descriptions by the author, like, for example, the two regular characters in the drawing on the left: a black-skinned gnome performing magic and the “Laughing Death” juggling with his heart, surrounded by the battlefield of Verdun:

“Band 516: Wenn Du ihn Dir zutraust, zeichne den schwarzhäutigen, verwachsenen Gnom in seiner bunten Kleidung, mit Schnabelschuhen, beim Zaubern – wenn nicht, Don Cristofero und vom Gnom vielleicht nur eine am Bildrand angeschnittene Hand. Der Gegenspieler, mit welchem der Gnom es zu tun hat, gegen den er antritt, ist der Lachende Tod: ein heiter grinsendes Skelett, von Kleidungsfetzen umgeben und mit seinem Herzen jonglierend. Ringsum ein angedeutetes Schlachtfeld: Verdun, 1. Weltkrieg.”

 


Illustrations for the Pulp Series Dämonenland , Part 1, 1991–93

One of two application illustrations for Dämonenland. In 1991 I was in my "long nose period".

In 1991 I applied as second illustrator, besides Thorsten Krächan, for the horror pulp series Dämonenland (Demon Land), and I got the job, actually my first one. The series was a new edition of the best horror pulp novels originally published by Bastei and others within the last 20 years. The series was compiled and mentored by the editor Michael Schönenbröcher.

In the first year my drawings were really not that good, in 1992 they got better, and in 1993 my manner changed quite suddenly. In retrospective, I can only guess that happened in part because I discovered Virgil Finlay around that time, an illustrator I admired and still admire deeply and whose combination of cross hatching, pointillism  and pure black and white areas served as a role model for my own technique.

Till the end of the series in 1996 I drew round about 160 illustrations. More here.

Overview of all Dämonenland booklets at gruselromane.de.