Cover illustrations for Atlan comic books, 1995/96
Atlan is one of the main characters in the science fiction pulp series Perry Rhodan and the title hero of the Atlan series, which has been published intermittently and in various form since 1969. These three hardcover albums, reprints of three volumes of the comic series Perry – Unser Mann im All were published by Hans Joachim Bernt Verlag in a limited edition of 800 copies in 1996/97. The paintings (the only case in which a publisher bought not only the publishing rights, but also the original artwork) may show that I am more familiar with ancient Egyptian gods than with spaceships …
Cover: © HJB Verlag
Cover Illustrations for the Pulp Series Vampira, 1992–98
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- Bd. 7
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- Bd. 9
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- Bd. 20
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- Bd. 27
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- Bd. 38
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- Bd. 38
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- Bd. 39
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- TH Bd. 9
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- TH Bd. 17
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- TH Bd. 1
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- TH Bd. 18
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- TH Bd. 37
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- TH Bd. 39
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- TH Bd. 47
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- TH Bd. 54
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- Skizze für Bd. 38
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- Skizze für TH Bd. 17
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- Skizze für TH Bd. 39
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- Skizze für nicht realisiertes Titelbild
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- dito
Gefangen in der Zeit (Trapped in Time)
Vampira is a horror pulp fiction series which was published by Bastei between 1994 and 1999. It reached 110 volumes, 50 in the typical German “Heftroman” format and 60 in in the more paperback-like “Taschenheft” format and with new numbering. Vampira was created by the author Manfred Weinland and the Bastei editor Manfred Schönenbröcher. A new edition started on May 3, 2011.
During the 90s I contributed 18 cover illustrations, all of them oil paintings on cardboard, approx. 40 x 50 cm. Almost all of them (except the covers for vol. 9 and 27 which dated prior to the series) were created after brief descriptions by the editor. As the series subtitle “Dangerous – Mysterious – Erotic” suggests, the motto “sex sells” was part of the basic idea, and the covers reflect that idea (not always, though, sometimes they were allowed to be more mysterious than erotic). The most important accessory of the heroine is a shape-shifting dress, whose literal “life of its own” justifies even the most absurd outfit …
Kind des Grals (Child of the Grail
The series’ title, “Vampira”, is not the heroine’s name but just a catchy word that summs up what this is all about (and maybe it’s a little hommage to Maila Nurmi). The title doesn’t even appear in the novels. The protagonist’s name is Lilith Eden, a not-too-subtle hint at the series’ mythological, actually biblical, background story that uses Old Testament motives as the fall of men and Noah’s ark as well as bits and pieces from other mythologies quite inventively.
The others authors of the pictured novels (besides Manfred Weinland) are Uwe Voehl (vol. 38), Carter Jackson (Taschenheft vol. 9) and Timothy Stahl (Taschenheft Vol 17, 18, 37, 54).
Overview of the whole Vampira series at gruselromane.de
Cover: © Bastei Lübbe
Landrus Sohn
Cover Illustrations for the Pulp Series Professor Zamorra, Part 2, 1994–2002
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- Bd. 620
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- Bd. 681
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- Bd. 700
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- Bd. 703
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- Bd. 720
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- Bd. 749
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- Bd. 759
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- Bd. 798
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- Bd. 799
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- Bd. 863
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- Bd. 688
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- Bd. 789
Teri Rheken
Almost half of my pulp novel cover illustrations (26 paintings) were used for the Horror/Fantasy/SciFi series Professor Zamorra, published by Bastei. You can see the first 12 examples in part 1.
The covers for vol. 620 and 759 were painted without an explicit commission, but with regard to certain characters from the series; the subsequent novels were inspired by the images. Vol. 703 and 720 (and two others I leave out) were cover illustrations I originally created for Zaubermond, they were used by Bastei for the second time. The illustrations for vol. 688, 681, 700, 749, 759, 789, 798 und 799 were based on descriptions by the main author, Werner Kurt Giesa. These descriptions could be detailed or vague, for example “something with wolves, please” (vol. 749) or “The novel is called Weresnail on a Rampage – you can do what you like, but the weresnail should resemble Jabba the Hut.” (vol. 789) (Weresnail, yes. The novel was meant as a horror parody.) Sometimes I omitted details I considered dispensible on my own authority, in the case of vol. 668, for example, a car in front of the colosseum.
Brooklyn Bridge
Some of the novels were written by other auhors than Werner Kurt Giesa: Claudia Kern (vol. 720; with WKG: vol. 703), Timothy Stahl (vol. 749), Martin Kay (with WKG: vol. 789), Andreas Balzer (vol. 798, 799) and Christian Schwarz (vol. 863).
My last Professor Zamorra cover, Schwingen des Todes (Wings of Death), painted in 2002 after I had come back from a New York vacation, was published in 2007. Since I had started to work as an assistent curator for the Stately Museums Kassel in 2002, i was lacking time. Or maybe I just got lazy.
Werner Kurt Giesa died in 2008. This picture gallery is dedicated to him. I owe him a lot.
Übersicht über alle Professor-Zamorra-Romane bei gruselromane.de
Cover: © Bastei Lübbe
Cover Illustrations for Zaubermond, 1994/95
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- DK Buch 27
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- DK Buch 28
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- DK Buch 29
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- DK Buch 31
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- DK Edition Classics, Buch 32
Cover illustration for The Killer Wasps of Dr. X (detail)
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. Some of the pictures were used again by Bastei.
In some cases (image 1, 2, 4 and 5) the original paintings are lost.
Cover: © Zaubermond
Cover Illustrations for John Sinclair and Other Pulp Series, 1993–95
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- Gruselschocker Bd. 67
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- John Sinclair Special Bd. 37
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- Mitternachtsroman Bd. 749
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- Raven Bd. 4
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- Raven Bd. 7
John Sinclair vol. 960
The cover illustration for John Sinclair, the most popular German horror pulp series, was originally created for a paperback, Andrew Neiderman’s thriller The Solomon Organization, but finally not used for the book. It’s my only regular John Sinclair cover. In addition, six original Professor Zamorra and Dämonenland cover images were used for the John Sinclair Special Edition, six more pictures were re-used for the horror series Grusel-Schocker.
The two cover illustrations for the miniseries Raven by Wolfgang Hohlbein were originally painted for Professor Zamorra and Zaubermond’s Dan Shocker Edition.
The ghostly piper, my only cover in the so called “Frauen-Grusel” section, was a commissioned work painted according to a description.
Black and white illustrations for John Sinclair paperbacks here (part 1 of 4).
All the above series can be found at gruselromane.de.
Cover: © Bastei Lübbe
Three Lost Oil Paintings, 1993
Oil on cardboard, approx. 50 x 60 cm each.
The first and the second painting were accepted as pulp cover illustrations by Bastei, but sent back for some minor alterations. Together with the third painting they got lost in the mail. I only have these xerox copies left.
Cover Illustrations for the Horror Pulp Series Dämonenland, 1992–94
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- Bd. 116
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- Bd. 136
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- Bd. 153
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- Bd. 176
And again, just because of the bat.
These four paintings were uncommissioned illustrations that were bought by Bastei and used for already existing pulp novels with fitting titels.
More about the horror series Dämonenland here and here.
Overview of all Dämonenland novels at gruselromane.de.
