Karl Stephan (draftsman)
Karl Stephan (born December 21, 1923 in Gera ; † December 21, 1980 in Munich ) was a German draftsman who mostly designed cover pictures for science fiction - booklet novels .
Life
Karl Stephan grew up in Gera and his talent as a draftsman was already evident in kindergarten or in the first grade. There he drew a. a. a whole series of pictures showing the landing of a zeppelin near Gera. Stephan completed his professional training in aircraft construction. Since he successfully completed a glider training course before his military service, he was first employed as a cargo glider and then as a motor pilot during the Second World War.
After the war, he began working as a draftsman for signs and cinema posters in Bamberg. In 1952 he became aware of the series of novels Tom Shark , whose covers he found "hideous". He auditioned at Moewig- Verlag and became the cover artist of the novel series Fliegergeschichten . He also designed the covers for other series. So he became a busy draftsman who also worked for the science fiction series Utopia from Pabel Verlag. Here, however, under his pseudonym H. Albrecht .
In 1957, Kurt Bernhardt, the new Moewig chief editor and former Pabel employee, brought him to the cover team of the new Moewig Terra series , to which the later Rhodan specialist Johnny Bruck also belonged. He delivered his first cover picture for Terra with Terra Issue No. 9 (Treasure Trove of Space). He also drew the cover images for the Terra Extra and Terra Nova series .
When Terra Nova was discontinued in 1971 and replaced by the new Terra Astra range, the time had come for Stephan too. The Moewig publishing house (now part of the Heyne publishing house) was sold by Rolf Heyne to the Pabel publishing house and Erich Pabel was able to sell his company, which had been upgraded in this way, to the Hamburg Heinrich Bauer group. And he wanted modern, fresh cover images for his new Terra Astra series. Karl Stephan was no longer needed for Terra Astra. The British cover artist Eddie Jones took over his job .
Karl Stephan then took over the cover design of the Heyne paperback series Science-Fiction Classics for some time .
Stephan died unmarried on his 57th birthday.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interview with Karl Stephan in SF Fanzine Watchtower v. May 1976
- ↑ Disappeared in history - Karl Stephan - cover artist (part 1). Zauberspiegel - the online fanzine
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stephan, Karl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German draftsman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gera |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 21, 1980 |
| Place of death | Munich |