A tribute to the artist, who has died at the age of 99… By JOE JUSKO The incredible Robert McGinnis died March 10, at the age of 99. That he was working to the very end, with practically no decline in the quality of his work, was as much a marvel as his storied career. He contributed to many different commercial venues, including the many movie posters ingrained in the minds of film aficionados, but we’re going to focus on his book cover art today. Leafing through my hundreds of McGinnis tear sheets I realized it’s impossible to pick 13 “best” pieces from a career of over a thousand covers, so I chose examples that I found special interest in and, aside from one obvious deviation, stuck to the crime genre for which he is best known. His popularity among readers and publishers alike is evident in not only the proliferation of his work, but by the freedom he was often given to paint what he wanted as he wanted. The Carter Brown series in particular showcased what has become known universally as “The McGinnis Girl.” The covers had no direct correlation to the stories, but man, did they sell a lot of books. His work became so popular that, like Frank Frazetta at the height of his popularity, art directors and publishers were instructing other artists to emulate his style and approach. It took me years to realize some of those other covers were not McGinnis. Every artist I know is reeling today from the loss of a talent that most of us would carve on a Mount Rushmore of artistic genius. — 1. Built for Trouble, by Al Fray (1958). What else could be in the top spot besides McGinnis’s very first cover, the one that started what is probably the most prolific paperback career of any artist? — 2. Kill Now, Pay Later, by Robert Kyle (1960). My favorite cover and the original I’d most love to own. It’s always tickled that film-noir chord in me just right. I’ve been passing on all the McGinnis paintings that have come to auction in the hopes that this one will eventually turn up. — 3. House of Sorcery, by Carter Brown (1967). A piece whose palette perfectly matches the title and the girl is as mysteriously and dangerously...