Flavorwire

Known in the comic book universe as the co-creature of legendary creatures like DC’s Swamp Thing — and for his illustrations for horror mag guru Warren Publishing — artist Bernie Wrightson created a series of paintings depicting scenes from the stories of macabre genius Edgar Allan Poe. The dark, thickly painted works were made in 1976 — just one year after Wrightson formed the New York City artists’ loft commune that came to be known as The Studio, which he shared with fellow creatives Barry Windsor-Smith, Jeff Jones, and Michael William Kaluta. Free from the restrictive commercialism of his roots, Wrightson’s Poe portfolio demonstrates a reverence for the classical painters and illustrators of the past and the artist’s early influences — like fantasy icon Frank Frazetta. Click through to see Wrightson’s painterly version of Poe’s grim tales.

Image credit: Bernie Wrightson [Spotted via Golden Age Comic Book Stories, hat tip to John Coulthart]