The late fantasy painter was born 101 years ago…
By PETER BOSCH
The late Earl Norem was to Marvel as George Wilson was to Dell and Gold Key — one of its supreme cover painters.
Many of the covers Norem (born April 17, 1923) painted for Marvel conveyed greatness in illustration. Some even carried over themes from when he was painting covers for risqué men’s adventure magazines in the ’60s.
Enjoy this 13 COVERS birthday tribute — including 11 from Marvel, as well as two from Charlton:
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The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #7 (Dec. 1974)
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #29 (Oct. 1976)
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #33 (Feb. 1977)
Marvel Preview #9 (Winter 1976)
Marvel Preview #12 (Fall 1977)
Marvel Preview #22 (Summer 1980)
Marvel Super Special #10 (Winter 1979)
Marvel Super Special #20 (1981)
The Savage Sword of Conan #53 (June 1980)
The Savage Sword of Conan #107 (Dec. 1984)
The Savage Sword of Conan #171 (Mar. 1990)
The Six Million Dollar Man #4 (Jan. 1977)
The Six Million Dollar Man #6 (July 1977)
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MORE
— 13 COVERS: An EARL NOREM Birthday Celebration — 2021 EDITION. Click here.
— 13 Marvelous MARVEL PLANET OF THE APES Covers. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. He is currently at work on a sequel, about movie comics. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
April 17, 2024
Earl Norem was a great artist. I always loved his cover work. One of the best.
April 17, 2024
Definitely an all-time great, classic illustrator. One of my first experiences with his art was his cover to Moon Knight 6. So different than the covers Sienkiewicz had done to that point, and a real eye-catcher.
April 17, 2024
Fantastic stuff! I picked up two kids Marvel storybooks in the 80s, illustrated by Norem, and was just gobsmacked at how gorgeous they were. Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four never looked so real. It was like reading a fummeti book. Then he went on to do a lot of work with Masters of the Universe, including posters and covers to the MOTU magazine I subscribed to. So my wall was covered with Norem art!
April 18, 2024
These covers are so freaking cool ! Brings back good memories.
May 11, 2024
Love that Lilith cover. Found that issue in backstock around 20 years ago. Lilith had a great look and Norem did an awesome job painting her.