Creepy #117 Cover 1980

Ken Kelly conjured this cover for Creepy Magazine, probably with oils, and I can only imagine the number of layers it took to get there! The ochre hues pull you in, right? It’s like you’re trudging through a swamp, the air thick with anticipation. And then, BAM! This figure emerges, all muscle and primal rage, clutching bats like they’re the most natural accessory. I feel like I can hear him roaring, a sound that bounces off the canvas. I wonder what Kelly was thinking as he painted each bat wing, each ripple of muscle. Did he see himself as a modern-day Frazetta, channeling those barbarian vibes? Or was he just having a blast, splattering paint and creating a world where anything is possible? It reminds me that we are all, in a way, in conversation with one another. It's like we're constantly borrowing and remixing ideas, building on the work that came before us to explore new creative territory.