Mike W. Kaluta - Web of Horror 4 Page 5

This page has a rather convoluted history, originally being part of the planned but ultimately lost 4th issue of talent-loaded magazine Web of Horror alongside other gems by Berni Wrightson, Frank Brunner, Bruce Jones and Tom Sutton... Most of this material finally found a way to the the printer and the story from which this page is taken appeared in 1970 in Reality, another outlet for graphic wonders by the likes of Jeff Jones or Virgil Finlay...

Well, it definitely is high caliber, but rest assured that, even early in his career, Mike W. Kaluta stands perfectly at ease among these greats!

His treatment of the textures, the fabrics, his incredibly expressionist approach to lights and shadows, it all speaks volumes...

And look at how the page is paced: the relatively quiet top 3 panels followed by this show-stopping middle panel where the 2 portraits are unencumbered by any background. A last moment of peace and tension before drama explodes in the last 3 panels, constructed like an inverted mirror against the top 3 panels...

Oh, and also, adding this very vintage page of Mike W Kaluta means that all 4 artists of the Studio are now represented in my collection! A kind of small feat...