Graham Ingels
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Graham John Ingels (; June 7, 1915 – April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in
EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...
during the 1950s, notably on '' The Haunt of Fear'' and '' Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by
Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine '' Mad''. After retiring from ''Mad' ...
, and '' The Vault of Horror'', written and edited by Feldstein and
Johnny Craig John Thomas Alexis Craig (April 25, 1926 – September 13, 2001),John T. Craig
at the ...
. Ingels' flair for horror led EC to promote him as Ghastly Graham Ingels, and he began signing his work "Ghastly" in 1952.


Pulp illustrator

Born in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, Ingels began working at age 14 after the death of his father, commercial artist Don Ingels. Graham was 16 when he entered the art field drawing theater displays. He studied at New York's Hawthorne School of Art Graham and Gertrude Ingels married when he was starting as a freelancer at age 20. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1943, and he began working that same year for
Fiction House Fiction House was an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was founded by John B. "Jack" Kelly and John W. Glenister.Saunders, David"JACK BYRNE (1902-1972),"Field Guide to Wild American P ...
Publications, both in their pulp magazines and their comic book division. Black and white illustrations signed G. Ingels appeared in ''
Planet Stories ''Planet Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readershi ...
'', ''Jungle Stories'', ''North-West Romances'' and ''Wings''. He contributed one painted cover to a 1944 issue of ''Planet Stories'' as well. For ''Planet Comics'', he illustrated stories in the "Hunt Bowman" series and the "Aura, Lord of Jupiter" series. He also painted a mural at the United Nations building. The Ingels had two children, Deanna (born 1937) and Robby (born 1946), who was named after a character created by child impersonator Lenore Ledoux for the ''
Baby Snooks ''The Baby Snooks Show'' was an American radio program starring comedian and '' Ziegfeld Follies'' alumna Fanny Brice as a mischievous young girl who was 40 years younger than the actress who played her when she first went on the air. The series ...
'' radio program. Artist
Howard Nostrand Howard Nostrand (May 13, 1929Nostrand, Howard. "Nostrand by Nostrand", ''Graphic Story Magazine'' #16 (Summer 1974), p. 18–August 1, 1984)Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...
show, ''Baby Snooks''. Baby Snooks had a little kid brother named Robespierre. They called him that when he was a little kid, and the name stuck. A regular in ''Planet Comics'' and ''Rangers Comics'' in the late 1940s, Ingels worked for Magazine Enterprises and other publishers of comic books and pulps. He became an art director at Better Publications (Ned Pine's Comics Group later known as Nedor), where he gave early comic book assignments to
George Evans George Evans may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George "Honey Boy" Evans (1870–1915), American songwriter and entertainer * George Evans (bandleader) (1915–1993), English jazz bandleader, arranger and tenor saxophonist * George Evans (sin ...
, with whom he would form a long friendship, and a young
Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American artist known for themes of Fantasy art, fantasy and science fiction, noted for comic books, mass market paperback, paperback book covers, paintings, p ...
, who credited Ingels as the first in the business to recognize his talent. During this period, Ingels created covers and stories for the company's ''Startling Comics'' and ''Wonder Comics''; these and other Better Publications comics reveal certain panels by other artists have been redrawn by Ingels to improve the artwork. Ingels drew crime comics for Magazine Enterprises (''Manhunt'', ''Killers'') and Westerns for a variety of companies, including Magazine Enterprises (''Guns''), Youthful Magazines (''Gunsmoke''), Hillman Periodicals (''Western Fighters'') and D.S. Publishing Co. (''Outlaws''). D.S. also published crime stories drawn by Ingels in ''Underworld'', ''Gangsters Can't Win'' and ''Exposed''. There were also short stories and one painted cover by Ingels in
Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
' ''Heroic Comics'' around 1947.


EC Comics

In 1948, Ingels was hired by
Al Feldstein Albert Bernard Feldstein ( ; October 24, 1925 – April 29, 2014) was an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine '' Mad''. After retiring from ''Mad' ...
, the editor of EC Comics, to provide artwork for their titles which included ''
Gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers () or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslin ...
'', '' Saddle Justice'', '' Saddle Romances'', '' War Against Crime'', ''Modern Love'' and ''A Moon, A Girl... Romance''. The company's Western and romance comics were later canceled or converted to horror and science-fiction titles. In Grant Geissman's ''Foul Play'', Feldstein explained that Ingels' early work for EC was disappointing, but publisher
Bill Gaines William Maxwell "Bill" Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992) was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically i ...
was fiercely loyal to everybody, which is why Ingels remained at the company. When EC introduced ''Tales From the Crypt'', '' The Vault of Horror'' and '' The Haunt of Fear'', it soon became apparent to both Gaines and Feldstein that Ingels was an ideal choice as an illustrator of horror. Ingels' unique and expressive style was well-suited for the atmospheric depiction of Gothic horrors amid crumbling Victorian mansions in hellish landscapes populated by twisted characters, grotesque creatures and living corpses with rotting flesh. A trademark image was a character with a thread of saliva visible in a horrified open mouth. As the lead artist for '' The Haunt of Fear'', he brought to life the Old Witch, horror host of "The Witch's Cauldron" lead story, and he also did the cover for each issue from issue 11 through 28. A prolific artist, Ingels also drew the Old Witch's appearances in Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, plus stories for '' Shock SuspenStories'' and ''
Crime SuspenStories ''Crime SuspenStories'' was a bi-monthly anthology crime comic published by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title first arrived on newsstands with its October/November 1950 issue and ceased publication with its February/March 1955 issue, produ ...
''. The Old Witch's origin story was told in "A Little Stranger" ('' The Haunt of Fear'' #14). "Poetic Justice" in the 12th issue was adapted for the 1972 '' Tales From the Crypt'' film from Amicus studios in England, with
Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...
as the kindly old junk collector, and Ingels' "Wish You Were Here" ('' The Haunt of Fear'' #22) was also adapted. When EC cancelled its horror and crime comics, Ingels drew for EC's New Direction titles: ''
Piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
'', ''M.D.'', ''
Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
'' and ''Valor''. He later contributed to EC's short lived Picto-Fiction line. After EC ceased publication in the mid-1950s, Ingels contributed to ''
Classics Illustrated ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as '' Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and '' The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication ...
'' but otherwise found little work, as discussed by Nostrand in ''Foul Play'': "He was kind of a sad case, because when the horror stuff went out, Graham went out with it. His forte was strictly doing horror comics, and there weren't any more horror comics being done". Ingels took a teaching position with the Famous Artists correspondence school in Westport, Connecticut. He later left the Northeast and became an art instructor in
Lantana, Florida Lantana is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is north from Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami. This town is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. Its population was 11,504 at the 2020 United States censu ...
, refusing to acknowledge his work in horror comics until a few years before he died. Journalist Donald Vaughan documented Ingels' life in Florida: :His relationship with Gertrude became increasingly strained, possibly due to his heavy drinking, and apparently Ingels simply couldn't bear the life he was living. So in 1962, he quietly packed up and moved to Lantana, where he painted and taught fine art from his tiny home. Oddly, he never officially divorced Gertrude, probably because both were devout Catholics. Relations between Ingels and his children were painfully strained for decades, but he finally reconciled with Deanna in the mid-'80s with the help of George Evans, who had stayed in touch with the Ingels family. However, Ingels never reconciled with his son, Robby, who couldn't forgive his father for running out. It was a situation that hurt Ingels to the very end. In Florida, Ingels became extremely reclusive and went to great lengths to avoid any association with his comic-book past. Evans recalls an incident in which a couple of comic-book fans found out where Ingels was living and flew to Florida to meet him. "He refused to talk to them," says Evans, "and he told William Gaines to put out the word that if anyone bothered him that way again he would take legal action to stop it."... There's no question, however, that Ingels' life changed dramatically once he settled in South Florida, thanks in great part to a girlfriend named Dorothy Bennett. An artistic soul in her own right, Bennett handled the day-to-day aspects of Ingels' teaching business, cherished his artistic talent and encouraged his various endeavors. The couple lived next door to each other for years and finally moved in together.


Awards and tributes

"Horror We? How's Bayou?" in '' The Haunt of Fear'' issue #17 won an award as best EC horror art at the 1972 EC Fan-Addict Convention. In 2004, the webcomic ''Is This Tomorrow?'' featured Ingels in its series of comic book trading cards. Started in 2011, the Ghastly Awards adopted their name from Ingels's nom-de-plume. The award, which honors excellence in horror comics, is presented annually. Ghastly Graham Ingels was the first Hall of Fame inductee. In 2024, Ingels was posthumously awarded the Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA).First Comics News - Inkwell Awards 2024 Lifetime Achievement Awards Announced
/ref>


References


External links



* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingels, Graham 1915 births 1991 deaths American comics artists American horror artists American fantasy artists Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees People from Lantana, Florida EC Comics Catholics from Florida Golden Age comics creators American science fiction artists Pulp fiction artists Artists from Cincinnati