Most people know legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson as the co-creator of SWAMP THING for DC Comics, or the creator of “Captain Sternn” in the HEAVY METAL movie, or perhaps for his concept art on films like GHOSTBUSTERS and THE MIST… but his crowning achievement to many will always be his breathtaking art plates for an art book adaptation of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN. Bernie (or as he was known at the time, “Berni”) depicted the creature and his creator in a more macabre and surreal way than we had ever seen before, and his work on that project has been so appreciated and adored that it’s led to multiple printings in several different formats through the year, almost always selling out fast. Prominent figures in Hollywood like THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION director Frank Darabont actually owned several of Wrightson’s originals, including some of the famous FRANKENSTEIN plates, which are now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of the plates have been produced as art prints over the years, usually standard quality for such things, but the fine folks at Nakatomi Inc. have been doing a special “Artist Edition” prints of the more desired images from the book. These are shot from high-resolution scans of the actual art and reproduced with the highest quality printing process, smartly reproducing every aspect of the original plate, even tape and ink lines left in the margins, or production notes… so it looks like you are holding the actual piece right in front of you. The first print release “I will be with you on your wedding night”, featuring the oversized illustration of the laboratory, has already sold out, but there are two more prints currently available, limited numbered editions (only 300 produced of each), and profits from the sale of these prints go directly to Bernie’s widow Liz Wrightson. Each print also features a “W.” embossed stamp in the lower right to show these were produced with permission from the Wrightson Estate. If you’d like to purchase one of these prints, you can do so at the Nakatomi Inc. website right here. To get a better look of just how cool these are, check out our unboxing video below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
