Basil Wolverton

Life & Legacy

Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 – December 31, 1978) was an American cartoonist and illustrator known for his intricately detailed grotesques of bizarre or misshapen people. Wolverton was described as "Producer of Preposterous Pictures of Peculiar People who Prowl this Perplexing Planet." His many publishers included Marvel Comics and Mad magazine.
His drawings have elicited a wide range of reactions. Cartoonist Will Elder said he found Wolverton's technique "outrageously inventive, defying every conventional standard yet upholding a very unusual sense of humor. He was a refreshing original." However, there are some negative responses such as when Jules Feiffer stated, "I don't like his work. I think it's ugly."
He was posthumously inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1991.