VIC PREZIO
Master Cover Artists No. 2
VIC PREZIO
Victor A. Prezio nasce a New York il 21 marzo 1924 dall’immigrato italiano Frank Prezio e da sua moglie Mary. È il minore di tre figli, dopo la sorella Grace (n. 1919) e il fratello Francis (n. 1922).
Nel 1930 i Prezio vivono stabilmente nel Bronx. Vic frequenta il college per un anno, poi viene arruolato il 19 febbraio 1943. Nel frattempo ha già mosso i primi passi come illustratore.
Congedato nel 1945, Prezio inizia a realizzare copertine e illustrazioni per pulp magazines quali Short Stories, Five Western Novels ed Exciting Western. Quando i pulps cessano le pubblicazioni nei primi anni Cinquanta, Prezio prende a contribuire ai loro successori, i men’s magazines, realizzando copertine a colori e illustrazioni interne a mezzatinta per 25 diversi titoli, che includono Adventure, Battle Cry, Challenge for Men, Male, Man’s Adventure, Real Men e True Adventures, la maggior parte dei quali edita dalla Stanley Publications o dal gruppo Atlas/Diamond con varie etichette. Il suo stile estremamente realistico ben si attaglia a ritrarre situazioni spesso estreme che vedono uomini muscolosi e donne prosperose alle prese con pericoli e torture.
Tra il 1957 e il 1959 contribuisce con copertine e illustrazioni a vari libri per ragazzi pubblicati da Grosset & Dunlap e Lantern Press.
È anche attivo come copertinista per albi e riviste a fumetti pubblicati da Gilberton (1955), Dell (1962-65), Western (1966-68) e Warren (1968-69). Per quest’ultimo editore realizza anche diverse copertine per la rivista Famous Monsters of Filmland (1965-70).
Dal 1952 in poi Prezio è assai attivo anche come copertinista di tascabili. Abile nell’affrontare I generi più vari, eccelle tuttavia nei western (con ACE e Pyramid) e nei romanzi gotico-romantici (per Pocket, Popular Library e specialmente per Pyramid books, sui titoli scritti da Dorothy Daniels).
La sua ultima copertina appare postuma nel 1977. Prezio scompare infatti nel dicembre 1976 a soli 52 anni.
Victor A. Prezio was born March 21, 1924 in New York to Italian-born Frank Prezio and his wife Mary. He was the youngest of three children. Before Victor, sister Grace (b. 1919) and brother Francis (b. 1922) were born.
By 1930 the Prezios were living in the Bronx. Vic attended college for one year, then was drafted on February 19, 1943. He had since started working as a commercial artist.
Back to civilian life in 1945, Prezio took to drawing covers and illustrations for such pulp magazines as Short Stories, Five Western Novels, and Exciting Western. As pulp magazines faded away in the early 1950s, Prezio turned to their successors, men’s magazines, doing covers and interior illustrations for twenty-five different titles, including Adventure, Battle Cry, Challenge for Men, Male, Man’s Adventure, Real Men and True Adventures, most of which were published by Stanley Publications or by the Atlas/Diamond group under various imprints. His bold, realistic style perfectly suits the extreme situations he is entrusted to visualize, with muscular men and buxom women facing dangers and tortures.
During 1957-59, he contributed cover art and illustrations to various children’s books published by Grosset & Dunlap and Lantern Press.
He was also active as a comic book and comic magazine cover artist at Gilberton (1955), Dell (1962-65), Western (1966-68), and Warren (1968-69). For the latter publisher, he also painted covers for the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland (1965-70).
From 1952 onwards, Prezio was also very active as a paperback cover artist. Tackling various genres, he excelled at westerns (at ACE and Pyramid) and gothic romances (at Pocket, Popular Library, and especially at Pyramid books, on titles written by Dorothy Daniels).
His last cover painting appeared posthumously in 1977. Prezio passed away in December 1976 at 52 years old.
COMIC BOOKS
Editore/Publisher: BETTER PUBLICATIONS (aka STANDARD)
Text Illustration (c.1948).
Editore/Publisher: DELL PUBLICATIONS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Air War Stories #1-3 (1964-65).
Brain Boy #2-6 (1962-63).
The Creature #12-142-312 (1963).
Dracula #1 (1962).
Four Color #1330 [Brain Boy] (1962).
Frankenstein #1 (1962).
The Frogmen #5, 8, 10 (1963-64).
Jungle War Stories #1, 2, 7 (1962-64).
Kona #1-14 (1962-65).
Naza #1-4 (1964).
The Outer Limits #1 (1964).
Space Man #8 (1964).
World War Stories #1 (1965).
Editore/Publisher: GILBERTON
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Classics Illustrated Special Edition #129A [The Story of Jesus] (1955).
Editore/Publisher: GOLD KEY (aka KK PUBLICATIONS, WESTERN PUBLISHING)
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Magnus, Robot Fighter #14-19, 21 (1966-68).
Editore/Publisher: WARREN PUBLICATIONS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Creepy #18, 19, 28, 29 (1968-69).
Eerie #14, 15, 21, 22, 24 (1968-69).
Monster World #2, 4 (1965).
ILLUSTRAZIONI PER RIVISTE / MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATIONS
Editore/Publisher: AIMAT/PYRAMID
Challenge for Men – Illustrazioni / Illustrations c.1955-59.
Editore/Publisher: ATLAS NEWS COMPANY
Five Western Novels – Illustrazioni / Illustrations 04/1948.
Editore/Publisher: BETTER PUBLICATIONS
Exciting Western – Copertina / Cover art 10/1953.
Editore/Publisher: H.S. PUBLICATIONS
Bluebook – Illustrazioni / Illustrations.
Editore/Publisher: NEW PUBLICATIONS
Adventure – Copertine / Cover art 04/1961, 06/1961, 08/1961, 10/1961, 02/1962, 06/1962, 10/1962, 02/1963, 12/1965, 02/1966, 12/1966, 02/1967; Illustrazioni / Illustrations 02/1957, 08/1961, 02/1962, 08/1962, 04/1963, 08/1963, 12/1963, 04/1964, 06/1964, 08/1964, 12/1964, 04/1965, 02/1966, 02/1967, 06/1967.
Editore/Publisher: CANAM/NEWSSTAND/MAGAZINE MANAGEMENT
For Men Only – Illustrazioni / Illustrations 06/1956 et al.
Editore/Publisher: CRESTWOOD/STANLEY PUBLICATIONS
Man’s Life – Copertine / Cover art 11/1960; Illustrazioni / Illustrations.
Editore/Publisher: HILLMAN
Real Adventure - Copertina / Cover art 07/1958.
Editore/Publisher: LITERARY ENTERPRISES/EXCELLENT PUBLICATIONS
Real – Illustrazioni / Illustrations.
Editore/Publisher: MALE
Male – Illustrazioni / Illustrations 07/1952, ?/1953.
Editore/Publisher: MEDALION/OFFICIAL/VISTA/MAGAZINE MANAGEMENT
Man’s World – Illustrazioni / Illustrations.
Editore/Publisher: NEW PUBLICATIONS
True Adventures – Copertine / Cover art 10/1960, 10/1961, 06/1966.
Editore/Publisher: NORMANDY ASSOCIATES
Man’s Best – Copertine / Cover art 07/1962.
Men in Conflict – Copertine / Cover art 10/1961.
Women-in-War – Copertine / Cover art 11/1959.
Editore/Publisher: PONTIAC PUBLISHING
Man’s Escape – Copertine / Cover art 06/1963.
Editore/Publisher: SHORT STORIES, INC.
Short Stories – Illustrazioni /Illustrations June 10 1946.
Editore/Publisher: STADIUM PUBLISHING CORPORATION
Complete Western Book Magazine – Illustrazioni /Illustrations 12/1956.
Editore/Publisher: STANLEY PUBLICATIONS
All Man – Copertine / Cover art 07/1961.
Battle Cry – Copertine / Cover art 04/1959, 03/1961, 06/1963.
Big Adventure – Copertine / Cover art 01/1961.
Man’s Adventure – Copertine / Cover art 01/1959, 01/1962, 08/1964, 01/1965, 08/1966.
Real Men – Copertine / Cover art 10/1958, 12/1958, 01/1959, 03/1959, 06/1964, 05/1965, 06/1969.
Real War – Copertine / Cover art 10/1958.
Rugged Men – Copertine / Cover art 02/1961.
Spur – Copertine / Cover art 04/1959.
Editore/Publisher: VISTA PUBLICATIONS
Real Life Adventures – Illustrazioni / Illustrations.
Editore/Publisher: WARREN PUBLICATIONS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Famous Monsters of Filmland #35, 36, 38, 39, 67, 68 (1965-70).
Famous Monsters of Filmland Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook.
Famous Monsters of Filmland Yearbook (1966/67).
Editore/Publisher: ZENITH
Men – Illustrazioni / Illustrations 05/1956.
ILLUSTRAZIONI PER LIBRI / BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS
Editore/Publisher: ACE PUBLICATIONS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Ambush Reckoning/The Trouble Borrower (#G-732, 1968).
Hardesty/The Stranger (#31739, 1972).
The Least of All Evils (#47700, 1970).
Lone Star Roundup/Write His Name in Gunsmoke (#G-742; #488510, 1968).
Dead Man’s Gold/The Silver Concho (#G-721, 1968).
Editore/Publisher: BEACON BOOKS
The Bed Sharers (#S75138, 1965).
Editore/Publisher: GROSSET & DUNLAP/LANTERN PRESS
NOTE: Copertine e illustrazioni / Cover art and illustrations.
Lance Todd at Mystery House (1959).
Teen-Age Frontier Stories (The Teen-Age Library, 1958).
Teen-Age Nature Stories (The Teen-Age Library, 1959).
Teen-Age Treasure Hunt (The Teen-Age Library #31, 1958).
Through the Wall: A Boy's Struggle for Freedom.
Editore/Publisher: LANTERN PRESS
NOTE: Copertine e illustrazioni / Cover art and illustrations.
The Cave of Living Treasure (1958).
Young Readers Nature Stories (1959).
Young Readers Science Fiction Stories (1957).
Editore/Publisher: LION BOOKS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Hardman (#119, 1953).
Little Killer (#104, 1952).
The Men in the Jungle (1967).
Editore/Publisher: POCKET BOOKS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
The White Ghost of Fenwick Hall – A Ravenswood Gothic (1974).
Editore/Publisher: POPULAR LIBRARY
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Lost River Loot (1975).
Shadows on the Bay (1977).
Editore/Publisher: PYRAMID BOOKS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
Bravo Trail (#265, 1957).
Death to the Ranger! (#X-2151, 1970).
Holster Law (#455, 1959).
Hot Lead and Cold Nerve (#K-1732, 1967).
Outlaw Brand (#216, 1956).
Reach For Your Guns (#230, 1956).
The River Raiders (#T3066, 1968).
Texas Death – A Walt Slade Western (#K-1668, 1967).
Thunder Trail (#K-1705, 1967).
Thunderbird Range (#370, 1958).
Thunderbird Trail (#G276, 1957).
Editore/Publisher: WARNER BOOKS
NOTE: Copertine / Cover art
The Beaumont Tradition (#75-534, 1976).
Behind the Purple Veil (#75-084, 1974).
The House of False Faces (#75-541, 1974).
The House of Many Doors (#75-488, 1974).
The House on Black Bayou (#76-759, 1975).
Island of Bitter Memories (#75-474, 1973).
Jade Green (#75-298, 1973).
Voice on the Wind (#75-557, 1974).
Larabee Heiress (#76-872, 1975).
The Man from Yesterday (#75-637, 1974).
Shadow Glen (#75-965, 1975).