RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Comics artist Frank Thorne, dead at 90

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https://heavy.com/entertainment/frank-thorne-dead-wife-marilyn/


I love Thorne's work, I started with his run of KORAK stories in 1972. His work is compatible with Kubert's work, but still distinctly Thorne, hence his recruitment to work on Kubert's Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation titles, and on Kubert's war titles.

I also enjoyed Thorne's anthology stories in books like HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, ADVENTURE COMICS, STAR SPANGLED WAR, and other titles for DC.

Obviously Thorne's work with writer Bruce Jones on RED SONJA (in MARVEL FEATURE, circa 1976-1977) hit a chord with a lot of readers.

Thorne later did his own version of Red Sonja, "Ghita of Alizar", in Warren's 1984 magazine (issues 1-10) and 1994 (issues 11-29). It's also fun, kind of a darker more pornographic version of Red Sonja.
Dave Sim spoofed both in an issue of CEREBUS, issue 19 in 1980, where Red Sonja and Ghita clashed, although un-named and in parody form.

When I first saw Thorne's work, I thought he was new talent coming in during the early 70's, like Wrightson, Bruce Jones, Simonson and Howard Chaykin, But he was a bit older than these guys, more a contemporary of Williamson, Frazetta, Krenkel and Morrow.

Photos of Frank Thorne at comics conventions (often surrounded by rather attractive cosplay girls in Red Sonja outfits) can be seen in many 1970's issues of SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN.

Thorne lived to a very respectable age of 90. Also touching that his wife passed on within hours of when Thorne himself did.

The boards were down for the better part of 2 days, or I would have added more sooner.


Here are Thorne's stories on the lead KORAK feature, in issues 46-51 in 1972. With the Kaluta "Carson of Venus" backups, these were fantastic issues all the way around. With Kubert covers.
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Korak-Son-of-Tarzan-1972/Issue-46?id=118660#1

And here's the MARVEL FEATURE run (1975-1976) of Red Sonja by Thorne.
Issue 1 is a Neal Adams reprint from SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN 1.
Issues 2-7 are by Thorne.


https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Marvel-Feature-1975/Issue-1?id=58579

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Here's a sampling of Thorne's HOUSE OF MYSTERY story offerings:


"An Ice Place to Visit" 8 pages, issue 218, Oct 1973,
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/House-of-Mystery-1951/Issue-218?id=70752#21

"Pingo", 11 pages, from issue 221, Jan 1974
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/House-of-Mystery-1951/Issue-221?id=70757#1

"Fireman Burn My Child", 11 pages, from issue 225
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/House-of-Mystery-1951/Issue-225?id=70761#21

"Night of the Chameleon" 10 pages, from issue 237
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/House-of-Mystery-1951/Issue-237?id=70776#2

And a Satanic offering, "Kronos, Zagros, Eborak" 8 pages, issue 244
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/House-of-Mystery-1951/Issue-244?id=70785#1

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I forgot, Thorne also did the "Moonshine McJuggs" comic strip in PLAYBOY, among several other horny big-breasted adventure series. Thorne did a huge range of material over his career. But in the latter 3 decades of his career, he seemed to follow Howard Chaykin's interests, of fantasy, SF, sexy women and boobies.


The PLAYBOY work alone probably earned him a ton of money.

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Getting into the role as a wizard, with a scantily clad Red Sonja cosplay babe.
And there are plenty of photos to show Thorne was always surrounded by plenty of them at any convention he went to. You can generally pick Thorne out of a group of guys in any convention photo, as he always had the wildest, wooliest, most wizardly beard.




At a convention, surrounded by Sonja-babes. Not a bad place to be !

I liked Thorne's work. Ghita of Alizarr was one of those titles designed to excite teenaged boys, and in my mid-teens I found myself haunted by a Ghita sketch in The Comics Journal, having no idea what the character was. Ribit looked good too but I never read it.

I read the "Ghita" stories serialized in Warren's 1984 and 1994 magazines.

Here's Dave Sim's parody of both Ghita and Red Sonja by Thorne I mentioned in CEREBUS 19, Australia-Dave, for your reading pleasure:


CEREBUS 19
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Cerebus/Issue-19?id=59862

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I was looking through a run of Frank Thorne issues on the DC series TOMAHAWK a few days ago :

TOMAHAWK , issues 119-140 (Dec 1968-June 1972) Plus Neal Adams covers on 116-130.
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Tomahawk/Issue-119?id=90332

Right after that serries was cancelled, it looks like TOMAHAWK editor Joe Kubert then recruited Thorne to do art on the newly acquired KORAK series (Kubert edited all the Edgar Rice Burroughs tittles for DC from 1972-1976, TARZAN, KORAK, and WEIRD WORLDS, and Kubert most famously wrote and illustrated the Burroughs adaptations in TARZAN 207-243).

KORAK , issues 46-51 by Thorne (June 1972-April 1973)
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Korak-Son-of-Tarzan-1972/Issue-46?id=118660

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And here's the GHITA OF ALIZAR series in collected form (with color added) of the Frank Thorne stories, previously serialized in Warren's !984 anthology magazine (1984 in 1-10, re-titled 1994 in issues 11-29. Thorne's "Ghita" serialized in 7-8, 10-14, and 17-21 )
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Ghita-of-Alizarr/Issue-1?id=140621

Only two issues of 1984 magazine can be read online at this point, hopefully the Thorne issues will be added on later :
1984/1994 magazine issues 1-29
https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/1984/Issue-1?id=222276