One of comics’ great horror/pulp artists turns 69.
—
Growing up in the ’70s, there were certain artists who inspired a particular kind of reverence. Not cult-like exactly but more like an “in the know” kind of thing.
Mike Kaluta was one of those artists. The older kids dug him and would nod in appreciation when talking about him, with head bobs and almost-whispered comments like “Aw, man, yeah, Kaluta…”
Michael William Kaluta — usually spelled Michael Wm Kaluta — was born Aug. 25, 1947, making him a year shy of 70. He’s been active for decades now, but if I’m picking 13 COVERS, they’re (mostly) coming from that time when those kids just called him “Kaluta…”
(And if you were one of those kids, feel free to add your own faves in the comments below or in whichever social-media thread you found this.)
—
All scans courtesy of the shadowy Grand Comics Database.
—
August 25, 2016
Was lucky enough to meet him several times at SDCC several years ago. Super nice and super fun to talk to.
August 25, 2016
Happy birthday to one of my favorite comics artists of all time! His SHADOW work throughout the years has been incomparable, but who remembers the work he did for the Alan Parsons Project music video for the song “Don’t Answer Me?”
August 26, 2016
These covers bring back some memories. The Shadow knows! 🙂
His website:
http://www.kaluta.com/