The Art of Earl Norem

           

  Earl Norem was one of the most prolific, and versatile, fantasy illustrators ever. Earl was born in 1923. Like many young men of his generation he fought in World War II, eventually becoming a squad leader in the 10^th Mountain Division. He was wounded in the mountains of Italy, ending his military career. After returning home, he began a new career as an illustrator.

            

     The breadth of Earl’s body of work is what impresses me. In the 1950s and 60s he produced saucy images for men’s adventure magazines, but was also producing mainstream art for the likes of Field and Stream and Reader’s Digest. In the 1970s he was painting beautiful covers for Marvel comics. His work for Savage Sword of Conan is was excellent. Savage Sword always sported the best fantasy artists of is day and Earl's covers were as good as anyone's.. In the 1980s he was making beautiful art for toy packaging (a lost art) as well for other related toy merchandise. In particular,  his work on GI. Joe stands out. I think his military experience lent an air of believability to it.

           

       In 2005 he retired from professional illustration due to arthritis and passed away in 2015. His body of work is so extensive it would be hard, maybe impossible, to catalog it completely. Below are of examples of his work with an emphasis on his horror work.