Pat Boyette, filmmaker, comic artist, 77

[DESSCRIBE1]

In the wake of Gil Kane's passing, I've just learned of the death of another
comic-book great. In the Feb. 11 issue of "Comics Buyer's Guide," columnist
Mark Evanier offers an informative and touching memorial to Pat Boyette, cult
filmmaker turned comic artist, who died of esophagial cancer on January 14.

Pat Boyette began his media career as a radio and television newscaster in the
1950s. He soon moved into making low-budget movies, working on practically
every aspect of the production--writing, directing, art direction, set
construction, etc. One of his films, "Dungeon of Harrow" (a.k.a. "Dungeons of
Horror") has become a bona fide cult classic.

After only a handful of movies, Boyette became frustrated with the difficulties
and compromises of making and distributing movies, and he eventually discovered
a new outlet for his creative energies. By writing and drawing comics, he
could tell the stories he wanted to, unhindered by budget considerations or low
production values. He began his comics career at Charlton Comics in the 1960s,
drawing practically every genre Charlton published--horror, war, Westerns,
science-fiction, and super-heroes ("The Peacemaker" and "Peter Cannon,
Thunderbolt"). Later work included stories for Warren ("Creepy," "Eerie"), DC
("Blackhawk") and Marvel ("Ulysses Bloodstone").

In 1998, a fine retrospective of Boyette's work was published under the title
"Tales from the Edge: Nightstand Chillers." I highly recommend it.

Erich