Wolvertoons: The Art of Basil Wolverton
The first time I saw Basil Wolverton's grotesque and absurd drawings in a reprint of Mad magazine it gave me hope, because I realized that you can be an adult and still have a sense of playfulness.
Wolverton was billed as a "producer of preposterous pictures of peculiar people." His characters have giant, throbbing warts, unchecked tumorous growths, dilated pores oozing with viscous sebum, tongues with luxuriant coats of hair, organs growing on the outside, and ears inhabited by creatures that are even uglier than their host. But instead of being repellent, they're funny and lovable.
I stand in awe of this genius, an artist whose work can stand proudly next to Dali or any other surrealist. $37.71 and up on Amazon
