I've recently been on a John Bolton kick, particularly enjoying his earliest work for British magazines from 1977-1981, and his earliest U.S. work, circa 1981-1985.
If you've never read BIZARRE ADVENTURES 26 (Kull: "Demon in a Silvered Glass", 55 pages, May 1981) you're really depriving yourself. This was his first U.S. work, after editor Ralph Macchio read an 8-page artist profile of Bolton in COMICS JOURNAL 55 (April 1980) and immediately commissioned Bolton to do a story for Marvel.
In his opening editorial, Macchio describes Bolton as an unknown artist who's work is "material worthy of Frazetta or Wrightson in peak form", and I doubt anyone who looks at it would disagree.
Here's the
first 15 pages of the 55-page story.
Some of the early British stories that preceded it are in JOHN BOLTON: HALLS OF HORROR miniseries 1 and 2 (1985, in color from Eclipse, reprinting black-and-white HOUSE OF HAMMER magazine stories from the 1977-1981 period).
And in the first issue of the U.K.-published WARRIOR magazine (1982-1984), that also features serialized stories of Alan Moore's "Marvelman" (later re-released, post-lawsuit, as "Miracleman" by Eclipse in 1985).
Other early Bolton work includes EPIC ILLUSTRATED 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18, 22, 23, 24, and 25. (1981-1984)
The Marada stories in 10-12 (black-and white) and 22-23 (in color). The stories in 10-12 were later collected completely, with color added, as Marvel Graphic Novel 21 in May 1986.
Also shorter anthology stories in TWISTED TALES 4, 6, and 7 (1983-1984)
Plus ALIEN WORLDS 5 (1983), and ALIEN WORLDS 3-D 1 (1984)
And a nice 14-page Thor story in BIZARRE ADVENTURES 32 (August 1982).
Bolton's pen-and-ink work on the later 6-issue BLACK KNIGHT miniseries (1985, Epic Comics), marks a slight decline in Bolton's work, and is not as labored over as his more sporadic earlier efforts. And his later painted art and covers, while arguably more technically perfect and photorealistic, are for me not as beautiful and uniquely Bolton as these earlier works.
