Year: 1990
Publisher: Friedlander
ISBN: 0962715409 (Softcover)
ISBN: 0962715425 (Limited edition)
Content: 96 pages with colour paintings
Limitation: 2000 (Silver leather hardcover, signed)
The first time I had this book in my hands, I was like "wow, Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo married and got a boy named Ken"... :)
But it didn´t take much time to realise, that although Frazetta was a bit of an inspiration and mentor in Ken Kelly´s early career, this artist has mastered his own voice and style. In fact, the analogy of my joke stands firmly: where Frazetta tends to paint rough colours as a symbolized background and Vallejo goes the same but much more softer, Ken has a mix of those techniques, with more eye for the detail. His barbarians (and girls) are not so "shadedly muscular" as Frazettas, yet also lack the oily, shiny "fitness studio" kinda surface of the Vallejo heroes and heroines. And the beasts are more natural and frightening, too ;)
So here he is, the superb fantasy artist with his own style, a painter of numerous rock band (KISS, etc.) album covers, book illustrations and covers, with all those beautifully crafted fantasy paintings. Friedlander released the artbook in connection with Kelly´s trading cards - there has even been a "colossal card" set published; large, shiny portfolio-like cards with all the best images, a true feast for the eye.
You can still find the book around, don´t get too much hopes for the limited, leatherbound edition though ;)
And while you´re at it, why don´t you pay Ken a visit at his homepage?
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