Customer Reviews

FRAZETTA, THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE HC

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I was going to pass on the review because this is a very functional book, one readily pointed out in advertising blurbs and other promotional descriptions.
Apparently reading is becoming so bad in the US of A that the obvious is missed by too many. The Definitive Frazetta Reference does not advertise or suggest that it's an art book. For the record there are five, very handsome volumes readily available through Amazon and other book retailers that do the job of highlighting Frank Frazetta's art. They are titled: ICON, Legacy, Testament, Rough stuff (a great collection of doodles, sketches and preliminary paintings) and, last but not least- Telling Stories: The Comic Art of Frank Frazetta. So, before anymore critiques are considered for the title carried here, please, it is not an art book. Reference books are catalogs of information and not books collecting retrospectives with art plates of the artist being referenced.
Now, having cleared that up "The Definitive Frazetta Reference" is actually chock'a block full of artwork, and some of it is quite rare. It's art in its original printed form with authors' names, publishers' logos, descriptive blurbs and other print cluttering the stunning images as samples of the actual products the art was used for like book covers, Doubleday Book Club promos, etc, etc. This is an artist reference for collectors and fans but it is not an art book. Despite that I'm surprised by the amount of art on display. Movie posters with actual folds are reproduced as well as dinged up album covers. What comes through loud and clear is the fact that even blemished examples of Frank's work is rivetting. Most of the art is very clear and colorful but these are not art plates, carefully printed from beautiful transparencies shot from the original artwork. It was not sold as any such a thing.
Now the down part- some of the reproductions look rushed with very dim or dark images that should have received more attention when reproduced. The proofing feels a bit diminished here. I'm also not fond at all of the "Frazetta" font on the cover. It's huge and overly artsy and frankly, it's gawdawful. And to do that over such a great image as the cover art for Burroughs' "Fighting Man of Mars" from the Doubleday Book Club edition is just plain annoying. Tacky, guys, just tacky.
I'm forgiving those flaws because the reference is pretty good. It's not great but it is the best I've seen to date and that's just the listings without the art examples (if you secure a copy of the incredible book titled "Frazetta Index Bonanza" you'll be pretty much set in knowing all the material sporting Frazetta and his artwork out there). The art examples in this reference are delightful even with the apparent flaws. For Frazetta fans out there who want to see the gaping holes in their collections, buy this book and sigh wistfully knowing that at least you know what you'll probably never have. At least the samples of the some of the books and magazines you don't own are here for you to see. So, until you roll over that bleak looking 401K and get that third mortgage to fill some of those gaps before you shuffle your mortal coil (still incomplete in your collection, but happier) this will be the wish book you can drive folks crazy with.
James, David, you're both sick for providing this info but we love you for doing it anyway (addicts; can't live with us but we are predictable and stupid with money).
Though, I wish you'd lose that ostentatious font on the cover for the next printing.... if there is one.