Creepy #59 Cover ‘Dax the Damned’ 1974

Ken Kelly made this cover for Creepy Comics – Dax the Damned, and you can tell he had fun with it. The painting has this epic quality, right? You can almost feel Kelly channeling his inner Conan. The way he's built up the layers of oil paint, gives the picture this kinda heavy, almost sculptural feel. Just imagine him in his studio, mixing those fleshy tones, maybe listening to some heavy metal… There’s a real intensity in how he’s rendered all those demons, skulls, and of course Dax himself. The palette is pure dark fantasy, isn't it? The way the red pops against those muddy greens and browns. It's like a horror film playing out right before our eyes. Kelly’s artwork seems like a total conversation with other artists. The piece makes me think of Frank Frazetta. It’s that same over-the-top energy, a commitment to the grotesque, and the darkly magnificent.