Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.

Early life

Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class as Larry Hama and Ralph Reese. He studied at the New York University Film School.

Career

Comics

Brunner entered the comics profession as a horror writer-artist for the black-and-white comics magazines Web of Horror, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. His first work for Marvel Comics was inking an 11-page Watcher backup story in The Silver Surfer #6 (June 1969). and in Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts #1–2 and #4–5 (June–August 1974 and Oct.–Dec. 1974). The two killed Dr. Strange's mentor, the Ancient One, and Strange became the new Sorcerer Supreme. Englehart and Brunner created a multi-issue storyline in which a sorcerer named Sise-Neg ("Genesis" spelled backward) goes back through history, collecting all magical energies, until he reaches the beginning of the universe, becomes all-powerful and creates it anew, leaving Strange to wonder whether this was, paradoxically, the original creation. Stan Lee, seeing the issue after publication, ordered Englehart and Brunner to print a retraction saying this was not God but a god, so as to avoid offending religious readers. The writer and artist concocted a fake letter from a fictitious minister praising the story, and mailed it to Marvel from Texas; Marvel unwittingly printed the letter, and dropped the retraction order. In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Englehart and Brunner's run on the "Doctor Strange" feature ninth on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels".

Other Marvel credits include Howard the Duck's first two solo stories in Giant-Size Man-Thing #4 and #5 (May and Aug. 1975) and the first two issues of the Howard the Duck comic book series (Jan. and March 1976), as well as the anthologies Chamber of Chills, Haunt of Horror, and Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction. He drew covers for the supernatural series The Tomb of Dracula and the swamp-monster series Man-Thing.

Brunner and novelist Michael Moorcock collaborated on a comics adaptation of Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery hero Elric in Heavy Metal magazine. It was reprinted in publisher Mike Friedrich's Star Reach Greatest Hits.

Bibliography

Books

  • The Brunner Mystique (Artist Index Series Volume One) (Hendrik Sharples and Steven R. Johnson, March 1976)
  • Brunner's Beauties (Eros Comix, August 1993)
  • Eyes Of Light: the Fantasy Art of Frank Brunner (Vanguard Productions, 2002)
  • Mythos: The Fantasy Realms of Frank Brunner (Vanguard Productions, 2007)

Comics and magazines

Interior art (except where noted) includes:

First Comics

  • Warp! #1–9 (1983)

Marvel Comics

  • Chamber of Chills #2–4 (1973)
  • Doctor Strange #1–5 (also covers) (1974)
  • Giant-Size Man-Thing # 4–5 (1975) (first two Howard the Duck solo appearances)
  • Howard the Duck #1–2 (also covers) (1976)
  • Marvel Premiere (Doctor Strange feature) #4 (inker); #6, 9–14 (1972–1974)
  • Monsters Unleashed #2 (1973)
  • Mystic Hands of Dr. Strange #1 (2010)
  • Savage Sword of Conan #30 (1978)
  • Silver Surfer #6 (inker) (1969)
  • Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #1 (1975)

Pacific Comics

  • Alien Worlds #6 (cover and interior art) (1984)

Star Reach

  • Quack #1, 6 (1976–1977)
  • Star Reach #3 (also painted cover); #10, 12 (covers only) (1974–1977)

Warren Publishing

  • Creepy #39, 45 (1971–1972)
  • Eerie #35 (1971)
  • Vampirella #10 (1971)

Other publishers

  • Adventures of Chrissie Claus #31 (cover)
  • Brunner's Carnal Delights #1 (cover) (Carnal)
  • Castle of Frankenstein (Kable News)
  • Crawdaddy!
  • Flare #29 (cover) (Hero)
  • Flare Adventures #13, 15–19 (covers) (Hero)
  • Monster Times
  • Red Sonja #2 (cover) (Dynamite Entertainment)
  • Unknown Worlds of Frank Brunner (cover) (Eclipse Comics)
  • Silver Comics #1, 4, 6 (covers) (Silver)
  • Karmatron #20 (cover and interior art, 1987) (Cepsa)
  • The War of the Worlds (covers) (Best Sellers Illustrated)
  • Witchgirls Inc. #1–3, 5 (covers)
  • Wild Stars #1–6 (covers) (Little Rocket)

Art portfolios

  • Flesh & Fantasy Bran Mak Morn
  • Elric
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Through the Looking-Glass (Alice II)
  • Stormbringer (Elric II)
  • Flesh & Fantasy II
  • Legends of Arzack

Trading cards (Topps)

  • Jurassic Park
  • Star Wars Galaxy
  • Vampirella
  • Mars Attacks
  • Satan's Six

Film

Live-action

  • Cellar Dweller
  • From Time To Time (Disney)
  • Dr. Strange (CBS)
  • Dinosaur Valley Girls

Animation

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
  • Sky Commanders
  • Dark Water
  • Dino-Riders
  • Once Upon a Forest (feature)
  • X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
  • Darkstalkers
  • Skeleton Warriors
  • Extreme Ghostbusters

Record-album covers

  • Faithful Breath
  • Mandator
  • Necronomicon (German heavy metal bands)
  • Veto (Danish heavy metal band)

Poster prints

  • The Faerie Princess (Dreamweaver Studios)
  • Four Queens Of The Tarot (Color)
  • Dreamtide (Dreamweaver)
  • Go Ask Alice (Dreamweaver)
  • Raiders Of The Lost Egg (Vanguard)

Further reading

  • "Brunner Mystique", interview: Spectrum Magazine #3
  • Star*Reach information referenced from Comic Book Artist #2

References

  • Frank Brunner at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
  • Frank Brunner at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators