Rest In Peace, Basil Gogos

I came home from a long weekend trip to the unfortunate news that iconic horror illustrator Basil Gogos had died. While the news wasn't completely shocking (his health had been declining for some time), it was still saddening.

I had tried to meet Gogos at two previous horror conventions, only to have him cancel both due to his poor health.

Last night, I had set up a quick photo shoot to honor Gogos, only to have my computer crash and delete all of the photos. This was getting worse by the minute!

So, I only have the original scan of my prized Basil Gogos autographed "The Mummy" Topps trading card that I had won in a contest back in 2010...

And had I had the chance to meet Gogos at either of those two cons, I would have had him sign my well-read copy of his book, Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos. This book showcases his iconic, richly illustrated portraits of classic movie monsters, most of which graced the covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine during the 1960s and 70s.

And my personal favorite...

Rest in peace, Basil Gogos.

  

Happy Birthday, Basil Gogos!

From Amazon:

Basil Gogos changed the face of classic horror with his film monster portrait art. Like a bizarro-world Norman Rockwell, he created magazine covers of Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Phantom of the Opera, and countless others in horrifying yet dazzling images throughout the 1960s and '70s. His intense colour and bold, impressionistic brushwork gave a unique sense of drama and sophistication to these iconic characters.

Gogos is most famous for his lush monster portraits that adorned the covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine during the 60s and 70s.

All photos courtesy of wheezersociety.com. Click the link to see more.

And finally, my autographed Topps Universal Monsters card featuring Boris Karloff as The Mummy. I won this in 2010 from Weird Hollow. Still one of my favorite pieces...

Gogos' work has been compiled into a collectible book entitled, Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos. Available now at amazon.com.

To The Victor Goes The Spoils!

So you may remember from an earlier post (although for some reason I can't seem to find it, so maybe I didn't?) that I had won the Monster Head Races contest over at Weird Hollow (never bet against the Abominable Dr. Phibes, fools!). And as they say, to the victor goes the spoils and my spoils just showed up in the mail.

Mayor Todd sent me an envelope full of cool stuff! First, for winning the contest, I received the Universal Monsters Illustrated "The Mummy" trading card, signed by the artist, Basil Gogos. Awesome!

And as an extra bonus, I got a signed photo from none other than Vlad, my new undead pal!! Thanks, Vlad!!

A big thanks to Mayor Todd over at Neato Coolville. Be sure to check out Neato Coolville, Weird Hollow and Vlad and Scary Larry at KRYP-TV!!