Cirillo, Rich :: Frank Thorne

TIGER-MAN #2 COVER- ATLAS COMICS (1975)

Artist: Frank Thorne (All)

22 Comments - 2,426 Views - 3 Likes

TIGER-MAN #2 COVER- ATLAS COMICS (1975) Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	TIGER-MAN #2 COVER- ATLAS COMICS (1975)
Artist:	Frank Thorne (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	2,426
Likes on CAF:	3 4
Comments:	22
Added to Site:	12/24/2016
Comic Art Archive:

Description

A Long Time Grail has Finally Come Home!

In 1975 I came across this book on the news stand and the cover graphics literally jumped off the page at me! I had never come across an Atlas Comic before that. There was something about this cover that stuck with me over many years. It turned out to be a very obscure book that many people don't even recall, but the nostalgic aspect of it reminded me a lot of my childhood.

Jump forward to 10 years ago when, after collecting original art for a few years, I had decided to post images of some of my most sought after pieces. These reflected some of my strongest childhood memories. The nostalgic pieces always meant the most to me when collecting. The earlier the memories the more of an impact a particular piece had on me.
This particular cover I knew would be a great challenge to try to find, mainly because most people I asked about it had no idea what the book or the character was. Unlike a lot of other art I collect, there weren't any like minded collectors who had fond memories of this book or who had come across it at any point to help narrow the search.

When I first posted the cover in my Wanted section of my gallery I wasn't even sure who the cover artist was as the piece was not signed. Early on I was told it might be Ernie Chan, but later it was confirmed to me that Frank Thorne was the cover artist, even though he did not work on the interior of the book, which was by Steve Ditko. Once I knew who the artist was I had spoken to a few people who had repped Frank over the past 10 years. At one point I was told by one of them that Frank said he still had the art but couldn't find it. More recently I was told by his current rep that after going through all of Frank's art that the piece was not found. I didn't have anymore leads on the piece and wondered if I would ever come across it.

Then one day a few weeks back I received an email through CAF out of the blue regarding this cover. I was asked if I was still interested in the piece since I had originally posted the wanted picture over 10 years ago in my gallery. I asked if that person had any leads on it, to which they replied, "Leads? I have it!"

After seeing a lot of the same pieces in this hobby over and over again there aren't many instances where you learn about a piece you haven't seen yet that makes your heart beat fast, but this was one of those moments for me! Disbelief? Maybe. Was this piece I had searched for years for with no leads finally finding its way to me? Was it going to be available and at what price?

This is one of those instances where I owe a great debt and gratitude toward Bill Cox for creating Comicartfans. Without this site this piece would not have found me. The owner was looking to sell this piece that he had for a while but before consigning it to an auction house he decided to do a search on CAF to see if someone was interested in it. That someone was me! I can't be more thankful to Steve for contacting me, working out a fair price for the cover and for working with me on the time payments. I expressed to him how long I looked for this cover art and what it meant to me and my childhood memories of it. So my heart felt thanks for allowing me this dream of owning this!

Now concerning the art, the first thing I noticed besides the logos and stats not being present is that the art is slightly different from the printed cover. Pieces were resized and repositioned for the final publication. Was this the actual cover piece? Was it a recreation? Was it an unpublished version? My computer skills went to work. I placed the art scan and the cover scan on top of one another in the computer and saw that when resized and repositioned the line work lined up. Even if the piece was recreated and light boxed the lines wouldn't be exactly the same. After contacting Frank's rep again he confirmed through Frank that this was the original art to the cover and that Atlas' bullpen "tweaked" the art in production. It's cool to note that this original has a few extra components that were either eliminated or covered up on the published cover. Including the Tiger-Man head in the top right corner.

So Christmas came a little early for me this year! I am so appreciative of acquiring this piece because it took so many years before it found it's way to probably The Biggest Tiger-Man fan's home! Many thanks to Steve for selling it to me, Bill for giving me the opportunity to connect with the previous owner, Andrew for purchasing a few pieces from me to help make this purchase, Zaddick for confirming the piece is the Real Deal,and to Frank for crafting this childhood Masterpiece so many years ago!

This may not be a Grail piece to another collector out there, but it truly is one for me in every sense of the word!

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About the Owner

	Rich Cirillo ( 7 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	October 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	raptured1
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Rich's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Fred's CAF Gallery
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Astounding! :-)

Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Who cares what other folks think.....a grail is a grail by one definition only..YOU ! Enjoy. Your gallery has been a source of enjoyment for many of us on CAF so I am thrilled for you

Michael Browning
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Great story and great art! I completely understand the decade-long search for a grail you think you might never own -- and the feeling you get when it's finally offered to you and you know it's in reach! Congrats!

David Holden
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Fantastic cover. Glad you got your grail, its always great to hear these stories. Congrats!!

Miki Annamanthadoo
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Marvelous story! Congrats!

Keith Richard
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/24/2016

Awesome piece! Congrats and Merry Christmas!

Felix Lu
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Congrats Rich! Got a soft spot for Atlas covers, too. This one's a doozy!

Justin Leigh Leiter
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

That's a great story and a great cover! Big congrats on acquiring it - and you're right I totally thought Golden when you first mentioned grail! Funny, I have an old Tiger-Man comic - I think #3, which I picked up somewhere along the way in the mid 70's...didn't realize until many years later the whole story behind that comic company. Back then, I just thought they were some cheapie Marvel knock-off! (which in a way, I guess they were!?) Congrats again and thanks for the backstory. Interesting to see how they changed the cover up a bit before it went to print.

matthew reed
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

great story! so interesting to hear how certain artwork arrives in certain collections. i agree wholeheartedly that CAF is a tremendous networking resource to the hobby. i would not own my beloved alien legion cover if not for a roundabout CAF connection (thanks again mike). just awesome! so happy for you rich.

Len G
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

What a fantastic tale. I am so glad it is where it "should" be. Happy holidays!

Filmore W. Bedwick
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Major Congratulations, Rich! This is The Best thing about this Hobby!!! A Work of Art captures your heart and sends you on Arthur's quest!!! Fellow enthusiasts take up the cause and the Grail comes into view. Is it the Real Deal? More loving effort to authenticate. Yes!!! I can see why this piece holds such Magic for you. And a Thorne!!! So very Happy for you!!!! Merry Christmas, my friend!!!

. BRAUNY
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Congrats on acquiring a long sought after piece. 2016 will be a sweet year for you!

frank x townsondecker
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Excellent!

Mike W
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Congratulations, my friend, on acquiring your Grail!!!! Great cover!!!!!!!

John Livesay
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Cool!!

John Stuart
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Great piece, a fine addition to any collection!

Aaron N.
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 12/25/2016

Biggest Tiger-man fan? Probably "Only Tiger-man fan", but this cover would be a score for anyone. Top-notch, and great story too!

K Gearon
Member Since 2011

1 - Posted on 12/31/2016

Sincere congrats, Rich! Rare and awesome in this hobby to pick up a personally important piece from your younger days. Your excitement rings thru in your commentary! And it's a sweet piece of art, too! Congrats, again.

R Shur
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 12/31/2016

WOW! Nice one man - it just screams mid 70's! As you are well aware I know what is like to obtains ones own "grail", so hang on tightly to it.

Rich Cirillo
Member Since 2004

Posted on 12/31/2016

R Shur wrote:

WOW! Nice one man - it just screams mid 70's! As you are well aware I know what is like to obtains ones own "grail", so hang on tightly to it.

Thanks Rick! I was able to share the moment you acquired your grail cover, and even though this was not the cover to my first comic like your case, this one is still as nostalgic to me! Believe me, it is going no where after all the years of searching for it!

Shaun Crowell
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 12/24/2020

Congrats on finding this great cover!

Steven Dilworth
Member Since 2012

1 - Posted on 8/31/2023

Grail? You chose...wisely. The first Atlas Comic I saw of the short-lived attempt to revive the great name, was Howard Chaykin's The Scorpion. I was immediately in love with the whole idea of the 'New Atlas', and sought them all out. Loved them all, including this one. I'm so glad to see a fellow lover of the art form find a piece so dear to them. Especially one from childhood. Awesome!

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