Monday, October 24, 2011

Gray Morrow's "Orion" from Hermes Press!

Gray Morrow burst into comics in the late 1950s, bringing his classic Alex Raymond-inspired style to everything from paperback covers to newspaper strips. Morrow's work graced several issues of various Warren magazines, Classics Illustrated, and westerns for DC Comics such as "El Diablo" with writer Robert Kanigher. Morrow also served as editor of Archie Comics Red Circle horror line in the 1970s, which included art by his contemporaries Alex Toth and Angelo Torres. As a comic strip artist, he drew the late 1970s incarnation of Buck Rogers, plus and eighteen year stint on the Sunday Tarzan strip.


Hermes Press is now reprinting the entirety of legendary artist Gray Morrow's "Orion" from the pages of Heavy Metal magazine. The project has been a passion of Hermes Press Christopher Irving for a decade, starting with his friendship with the late artists widow, Pocho Morrow. Morrow passed away in 2001 after succumbing to Parkinson's and general failing health.


Most of Gray Morrow's "Orion" will be shot directly from Morrow's original hand-colored artwork, and reproduced in full color. The story was a 1978 sword and sorcery masterpiece about an Errol Flynn-like swashbuckling hero who battles evil on a strange and mystical world. Gray Morrow's Orion will be published in mid-2012, with proceeds going to his wife. Included in Orion will be a biographical essay of the late illustrator by Christopher Irving as well as more samples of Morrow's inimitable artwork and storytelling.


Highly recommended!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's wonderful news. Morrow's art on Orion is beautiful.

David Simpson

David Wells said...

I've got those Heavy Metal issues and the Orion serial is one of my favorites of all time from the mag.

Chuck Wells said...

Rub it in, Dave (good job)!!