The Fantasy Art of Oliver Frey
An updated look into the life and works of the renowned video games magazine cover illustrator from the 1980s
Book and magazine cover art from the 80s feature in this artist’s updated retrospective.
Rarely does an artist prefer to describe themselves as a “commercial illustrator” – especially when they’ve worked on the likes of Superman: The Movie and Dan Dare. Yet that’s how the prolific Oliver Frey likes to define himself though in this updated and extended version of a book that was first released in 2006. Supported by Kickstarter donations, this edition shows how much appreciation there still is for the artist known as ‘Oli’. Most of the new additions in the 250 page collection are images, plus there’s material from the 8- and 16- bit computer revolution.
The book opens with a three-part biography of Oli’s career that balances anecdotes alongside personal photographs and illustrations by the man and his influences. However, the bulk of the book is set aside to Oli’s cover pieces for magazines like CRASH, Sega Force Mega and ZZAP!.
All of the illustrations are coverlinefree and accompanied by captions and dates. For readers of a certain generation, this book offers the chance to plot their nostalgia and appreciate the unique style of the lavish illustrator like never before.