| Graham Ingels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1915-06-07)June 7, 1915[1] Cincinnati |
| Died | April 4, 1991(1991-04-04) (aged 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Artist |
Notable works | The Haunt of Fear andTales from the Crypt |
| Awards | Inkwell Awards 2024 SASRA |
Graham John Ingels (/ˈɪŋɡəlz/; June 7, 1915 – April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work inEC Comics during the 1950s, notably onThe Haunt of Fear andTales from the Crypt, horror titles written and edited byAl Feldstein, andThe Vault of Horror, written and edited by Feldstein andJohnny Craig. Ingels' flair for horror led EC to promote him asGhastly Graham Ingels, and he began signing his work "Ghastly" in 1952.
Born inCincinnati, 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'sHawthorne 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 forFiction House Publications, both in their pulp magazines and their comic book division. Black and white illustrations signedG. Ingels appeared inPlanet Stories,Jungle Stories,North-West Romances andWings. He contributed one painted cover to a 1944 issue ofPlanet Stories as well. ForPlanet Comics, he illustrated stories in the "Hunt Bowman" series and the "Aura, Lord of Jupiter" series.[2] He also painted a mural at the United Nations building.[3]
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 theBaby Snooks radio program. ArtistHoward Nostrand, a friend of Ingels, recalled:
A regular inPlanet Comics andRangers Comics in the late 1940s, Ingels worked forMagazine 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 toGeorge Evans, with whom he would form a long friendship, and a youngFrank Frazetta, who credited Ingels as the first in the business to recognize his talent. During this period, Ingels created covers and stories for the company'sStartling Comics andWonder 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 inUnderworld,Gangsters Can't Win andExposed. There were also short stories and one painted cover by Ingels inDell Comics'Heroic Comics around 1947.
In 1948, Ingels was hired byAl Feldstein, the editor of EC Comics, to provide artwork for their titles which includedGunfighter,Saddle Justice,Saddle Romances,War Against Crime,Modern Love andA Moon, A Girl... Romance. The company's Western and romance comics were later canceled or converted to horror and science-fiction titles. InGrant Geissman'sFoul Play, Feldstein explained that Ingels' early work for EC was disappointing, but publisherBill Gaines was fiercely loyal to everybody, which is why Ingels remained at the company.[5] When EC introducedTales From the Crypt,The Vault of Horror andThe Haunt of Fear, it soon became apparent to both Gaines and Feldstein that Ingels was an ideal choice as an illustrator of horror.[5]
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 forThe 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 inTales From the Crypt andThe Vault of Horror, plus stories forShock SuspenStories andCrime SuspenStories. 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 1972Tales From the Crypt film from Amicus studios in England, withPeter Cushing 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,M.D.,Impact andValor. He later contributed to EC's short lived Picto-Fiction line.
After EC ceased publication in the mid-1950s, Ingels contributed toClassics Illustrated but otherwise found little work, as discussed by Nostrand inFoul 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".[6]
Ingels took a teaching position with theFamous Artists correspondence school in Westport, Connecticut. He later left the Northeast and became an art instructor inLantana, Florida, refusing to acknowledge his work in horror comics until a few years before he died. Journalist Donald Vaughan documented Ingels' life in Florida:
"Horror We? How's Bayou?" inThe Haunt of Fear issue #17 won an award as best EC horror art at the 1972 EC Fan-Addict Convention.In 2004, the webcomicIs This Tomorrow? featured Ingels in its series of comic book trading cards.[7]
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 theInkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA).[8]
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