Batman? Check. Doom Patrol? Check. Star Trek? Check. And so much more from the late cartoonist…
Cartoonist Richard Sala died a year ago May 7 at the age of 65, leaving an offbeat legacy of stories and artwork that both revered and poked fun at some of our favorite pop-culture concepts and tropes.
Just check out Sala’s take on Catwoman’s perspective when encountering a humorless, monstrous Batman, or his fittingly oddball perspective on the Doom Patrol (both of which you can find in full below).
“Richard Sala was wonderfully unique,” Hellboy creator Mike Mignola said in a tribute to the artist. “ It was all there in everything he did, his love of old monster movies, the pulps, mystery and horror in general ― the good stuff and the terrible ― wore it all like a badge of honor and did wonderful things with it. I miss him.”
With the anniversary of Sala’s death this week, Fantagraphics has released his final book — Poison Flowers and Pandemonium: A Richard Sala Omnibus, featuring a series of groovy stories and pinups.
“Richard was a true original!” said 13th Dimension fave Mike Allred. “His work is timeless and simultaneously charming and creepy in the best way possible. He was also one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. And incredibly supportive. He was actually the first of hundreds to do a Madman pin-up. He set the bar high with that, and in every other way.”
“Poison Flowers & Pandemonium includes four separate graphic novellas that showcase Sala’s love of B-movie horror, silent film-era archetypes, and femmes fatale,” reads the official description.
So dig these 13 GREAT ILLUSTRATIONS, some that precede the book and some that are included within.
Far out.
A Catwomanish thief encounters a monstrous Batman type.
A very Batman-style Scarecrow
Doom Patrol
Nosferatu
The Star Trek salt vampire terrorizes Starfleet-esque officers.
More Starfleet-esque officers in peril
A cameo by Andrea (left), from the Star Trek ep “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”
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Triffids attack!
The Creature runs amok!
Krampus ruins the party!
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And here are a few more:
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Poison Flowers and Pandemonium: A Richard Sala Omnibus is a 308-page hardcover that lists for $29.99. For more info, including how to order, click here.
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May 7, 2021
That Doom Patrol piece reminds me of Charles Addams & now I want a DOOM PATROL/ADDAMS FAMILY cross-over!
The Star Trek salt monster always reminds me of the Morlocks from the Classic Time Machine film
May 7, 2021
“A cameo by Andrea (left), from the Star Trek ep “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” ”
And the martian from the movie It! The Terror From Beyond Space created by Paul Blaisdell.
Bizarre creepy work!
May 7, 2021
Wow.l! Can you imagine what a Doom Patrol series by Sala could have been like ?
It would have been the best. God bless Richard Sala . I will ne getting that new book.
May 7, 2021
This artwork is absolutely terrific. R.I.P., Mr. Sala.
May 7, 2021
Loved Sala so much. In 2013, I also put together a gallery of his superhero pinups: http://blog.popsgustav.com/2013/09/the-wednesday-theme-richard-sala.html
May 8, 2021
Another appreciation of Sala:
https://neotextcorp.com/culture/pulp-and-peculiarities-remembering-the-bizarre-creations-of-richard-sala/
And remember: Only the good die young.