« Just then he saw the goblin rising in his stirrups, and in the very act of hurling his head at him. » — Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Look out, Ichabod! Legendary pulp and SF illustrator Frank Kelly Freas does the honours (he was Mad’s prime cover artiste from 1958 to 1962) of taking mascot Alfred E. Neuman‘s goofy gourd for a bumpy ride through the back lanes of Sleepy Hollow.
And here’s a peek at one of Freas’ preliminary versions of the cover. I daresay it’s lovely, but the final rendition is the clear winner. Sometimes the editorial process works just fine!
Some of you may recall Freas’ classic cover art for Queen’s News of the World album, back in 1977. That, in fact, was a case of Freas recasting his painting from the October 1953 issue of pulp mag Astounding Science Fiction. Look familiar?
– RG
Who's Out There? 