the Pfeiffer Pfiles Presents....the Art Work of Artist Fred Pfeiffer

Fred Pfeiffer was an American Artist
He worked as an Illustrator out of N.Y.N.Y. and
L.A. CA. in the late 60's thru the 70's and into the 80's

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - The Devil Genghis - 1974

by Lester Dent writing as Kenneth Robeson.
Fred and Doc Savage. This is an interesting piece.
Very pulpish with the larger than life villain in the background.

So we have arrived at the last of the Doc Savage covers by Fred.
If it was the late 70s you would here a collective sigh from the fanboys.
Fred shouldn't have let it bother him, the collective sighing group wouldn't find
Boris to their liking either. As I have said before...Fred did his own thing with the Doc Savage covers.

He didn't try and copy Jimmy Bama, he blazed his own trail and although at the time the Doc fans were rather cool to it. Leonardo da Vinci could have been signed to do the next 13 and they would have booed him. I think a few can look at Freds work now and not sigh as much. Thanks, Fred for some of the best Doc covers ever.

SP

2 comments:

Courtney Rogers said...

Pfeiffer really has been getting no due from Doc fans for his covers. I know everyone has their own artistic taste, but come on! To call his covers the worst of the series is unbelievable!

His Doc covers were very stylistic and metallic. Quite perfect for The Man of Bronze. When I think of classic Pfeiffer style, I always come back to his Doc Savage paintings. Wish there were more, and wish I owned an original.

Oh, yeah, and I wish Fred was still around....

Courtney Rogers said...

I have never found out why Pfeiffer left the Doc Savage series. I quizzed Bantam Art Director Len Leone and others but no one remembered.

The next book featured the King Maker on #80 in Feb '75, then Doc took his first long hiatus, showing up next in early 1976. Some fans have blamed the Pfeiffer covers for the demise in Doc's printing popularity, but I believe it has been pointed out that the series started slowing down near the end of Bama's reign. The poor showing of the 1975 Doc movie also did nothing to expand book sales.

Needless to say, I have always been into Pfeiffer art because of his Doc Savage work.