Frank Frazetta: A Princess of Mars

John Carter of Mars is a character in a series of eleven books by Edgar Rice Burroughs who also was the creator of Tarzan. A Princess of Mars (1917) is the first book in the series. A 1970 edition had a celebrated cover illustrated by Frank Frazetta.

At Heritage Auctions, this original book cover art was sold on Tuesday. Nine days prior to the sale, there were as yet no online bids for the iconic work. Given that bidding opened at an imposing $750,000, that fact perhaps isn't so surprising but there was little doubt that serious bidders would eventually make themselves known. The house's estimate was $1.5 million and up.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the copyright symbol appearing on art, but what can you do?

Frank Frazetta
Heritage Auctions listing accessed October 25, 2025, nine days before the auction

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/pulp-pulp-like-digests-and-paperback-art/frank-frazetta-american-1928-2010-a-princess-of-mars-1970oil-on-canvas-board20-x-16-inches/a/8224-71020.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Open-MyTrackedLots-101116#8224-147001

Frank Frazetta
Heritage Auctions item description

The painting was sold in the November 4 Signature Illustration Art sale. With the buyer's premium included, it still came in under the estimate, but it's a healthy outcome.

The 1970 book:

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/946301?tzf=1

November 16, 2025 Update:  A news item reports that this work joins the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art scheduled to open in September 2026.

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Heritage Auctions Signature Illustration Art Sale New York Preview

On Wednesday evening, Heritage Auctions held a reception at its Park Avenue gallery space. The Dallas-based auction house offered its New York audience a preview featuring highlights of the Signature Illustration Art sale coming up on November 4. (There was some other work here, as well.) The pieces looked wonderful in person. Come, have a look at some of them.

Frank Frazetta

Eugene Iverd

Charles Addams

Edward Sorel

E. H. Shepard

Chesley Bonestell

Gil Elvgren

Olivia De Berardinis

George Petty

Charles Dana Gibson

Harrison Fisher

F. X. Leyendecker

J. C. Leyendecker

J. C. Leyendecker

Harvey Dunn

Dean Cornwell

Gerald Brom

The Brothers Hildebrandt

Thomas Taylor

Neal Adams

Comic Art Signature Auction

Attributed to Haddon Sundblom

Patrick Nagel

The Brothers Hildebrandt (far left), Charles Dana Gibson, N. C. Wyeth, and E. H. Shepard

 

Note:  We're in luck! The entire Heritage Auctions Signature Illustration Art sale coming November 4 may be viewed here.

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Frank Frazetta: Danger Planet

A little over five years ago, original paperback book cover art by Frank Frazetta was sold at Illustration House. It sold for very close to its low estimate, but today it might very well fetch considerably more. The 1945 book Danger Planet introduced the character Captain Future. Who?

Frank Frazetta, Danger Planet by Brett Sterling

Illustration House
December 8, 2007

Lot 140

Frank Frazetta

Gavel=$45,000. +15%=$51,750.

Frank Frazetta, Danger Planet Book Cover

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnyapollo/4118973211/?reg=1&src=fave

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Frank Frazetta's Land of Terror

Frank Frazetta's preliminary pencil study for the cover of Land of Terror by Edgar Rice Burroughs uses the curvature of the crocodile's body to give the composition a forceful left-to-right sweep. Ultimately though, this is not the approach used in the published version, which instead opts for the dramatic frontal view of the writhing crocodile.

Buying preliminary Frazetta pencil art can be tricky because there are fakes out there. Presumably, the provenance from an Illustration House sale in 2003 minimizes that particular risk. Nevertheless, the winning bid of $365 does not seem to be especially strong for a coveted Frazetta original.

Frank Frazetta, Study for Land of Terror cover

Frank Frazetta, Land of Terror

Frank Frazetta, Study for Land of Terror, eBay Listing

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Frank Frazetta: Tomorrow Midnight

The Jerry Weist collection of science fiction and fantasy art will be sold at Heritage Auctions on September 12 in Beverly Hills, with internet bidding ending the night before. The cover lot is this evocative painting by Frank Frazetta which served as the cover art for the paperback edition of the E.C. comic book adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Tomorrow Midnight. Heritage refers to Frazetta as "the greatest fantasy artist of all time." I won't dispute that since I can't think of anyone better.  

I didn't ever read these E.C. adaptations from the sixties and I'm not familiar with the Bradbury story. I know I've seen this well-known illustration somewhere, but right now I'm not feeling any sort of emotional connection to the artwork. But somebody clearly is. Bidding is already at $28,000.

FRANK FRAZETTA (American, 1928-2010)

Tomorrow Midnight, paperback cover, 1966

Oil on board

19.5 x 14.75 in.

Signed and dated lower left

For many fans, their first exposure to the magic of EC's evocative comic book adaptations of Ray Bradbury's short story classics came courtesy of two sixties Ballantine Books paperback reprints, Tomorrow Midnight and The Autumn People. The legendary fantasy master Frank Frazetta was the obvious choice as cover artist for these titles, and this was the last in the series. This superb cover scene captures perfectly the haunting poetry of Ray Bradbury's vision, and is one of the finest Frazetta masterpieces we've ever had the pleasure to offer-it's not only a stunning, peak period painting by the greatest fantasy artist of all time, it's also got the added appeal of EC and Bradbury, encompassing three of Weist's lifelong passions. From the Jerry Weist Collection. Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000.

September 12, 2011 Update::

Sold for:

$83,650.00 (includes BP)

I'm still not feeling it!

 

2011 September Beverly Hills Signature Jerry Weist Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art and Books Auction #6069

Lot 30028

FRANK FRAZETTA (American, 1928-2010)

Tomorrow Midnight, paperback cover, 1966

Oil on board

19.5 x 14.75 in.

Signed and dated lower left

For many fans, their first exposure to the magic of EC's evocative comic book adaptations of Ray Bradbury's short story classics came courtesy of two sixties Ballantine Books paperback reprints, Tomorrow Midnight and The Autumn People. The legendary fantasy master Frank Frazetta was the obvious choice as cover artist for these titles, and this was the last in the series. This superb cover scene captures perfectly the haunting poetry of Ray Bradbury's vision, and is one of the finest Frazetta masterpieces we've ever had the pleasure to offer-it's not only a stunning, peak period painting by the greatest fantasy artist of all time, it's also got the added appeal of EC and Bradbury, encompassing three of Weist's lifelong passions. From the Jerry Weist Collection. Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000.

Note:  My brief book review of Al Capp's Li'l Abner:  The Frazetta Years:  Volume 4 (1960-1961) can be found here.

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Book Review: Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years Volume 4 (1960-1961)

Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years Volume 4 (1960-1961) by Al Capp

3.5/5 Stars

It must be a real rarity in the field of newspaper comic strips for a cartoonist's assistant eventually to go on to become a famous illustrator in his own right, but such is the case with Frank Frazetta, who spent eight years penciling Sunday pages for Al Capp's Li'l Abner. For a cartoonist with Capp's talent to be able to find someone who could produce with such facility drawings so close to his own unique style is simply extraordinary. Frazetta is quite gifted in his own right, we now know, but at the time in the late 1950's and early 1960's, the largely unknown Frazetta was able for the most part to repress his own artistic sensibilities and mimic those of the great Al Capp. The collaboration ends at the close of 1961, with this being the fourth and final volume of Frazetta's Li'l Abner Sunday comics.

There are a few good reasons, I believe, to go back and read forgotten comic strips that are almost 50 years old, reasons that are apparently lost on my nearest and dearest, who eyed me with some concern and incomprehension as I diligently went through this book. The sad truth is that newspaper comics have been in decline for a long time, and there isn't anything being produced today of this caliber--not even close. Al Capp's satiric plots are somewhat dated, yes, but still readable and often enjoyable. It's a shame, but the best days of the newpaper comic strip are far behind us. Fortunately, a lot of the better work is being preserved for future readers in books such as this one.



You can also read my brief book review of Al Capp's Shmoo:  The Complete Comic Books here.

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