'''Basil Wolverton''' ([[1909]]-[[1978]]) lived in [[Vancouver]], [[Washington]]. Described by some as a comedian, in his earlier years he engaged in vaudeville and radio work, but he is best known as an illustrator of comic book material which had a very distinctive and sinister look to much of it. The illustration work of Basil Wolverton appeared in many commercial publications such as [[MAD]] magazine, but this work gave way to his religious calling. Basil Wolverton was one of the earliest ordained ministers of [[Herbert W. Armstrong]]'s [[Radio Church of God]] who published adapted parts of the [[Bible]] as a comic book story line in [[The Plain Truth]] magazine.
==Commercial artist==
===1936-1955===
Although Basil Wolverton tried to sell his first comic strip at the age of 20, it was not until several years later in [[1938]] that he had his first major success with ''Spacehawk'', which appeared in ''Circus comics''. This same comic was later revived by another publisher during [[World War II]] when his character switched from fighting space aliens to [[Adolf Hitler]]'s [[Nazi]]s.
His big break came in [[1946]] when he won a contest to illustrate ''Lena the Hyena'' who was a horrific character invented by Al Capp in his Li'l Abner newspaper strip. This illustration also appeared on the front cover of [[LIFE]] magazine. This drawing featured the introduction of his own unique "''Spaghetti and Meatball''" style, which he then used in almost every illustration that followed.
==Minister==
===1955-1978===
The second phase of Basil Wolverton's life was devoted to being an ordained minister in [[Herbert W. Armstrong]]'s [[Radio Church of God]]. He was first baptised and became a member in [[1941]] and he was ordained as an elder in [[1943]]. In [[1946]] when the Radio Church of God (named after the original title of their radio program which was later retitled [[The World Tomorrow]]), moved its original headquarters from the state of [[Oregon]] to the state of [[California]], Basil Wolverton was one of the six people (which included Armstrong and his wife), who reincorporated the church in that state. However, it was not until the middle of the [[1950s]] that Wolverton decided to devote more of his attention to illustrating the horrors depicted by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Because Armstrong built his entire organization around two ''cycles'' of 19 years each, everything that the (later renamed) [[Worldwide Church of God]]) taught, was of great urgency. It was a message warning of what was to come, not a message to gain converts.
What was to come in the mind of Herbert W. Armstrong was horrific to say the least. The second and final time cycle was set to expire in [[1972]] and what followed after that was to be World War III involving the destruction of both the [[USA]] and [[UK]] by a [[United States of Europe]]. To illustrate the key booklet that Armstrong offered free of charge on [[The World Tomorrow]] radio program about all of this, he turned to Basil Wolverton. In turn, Wolverton turned the [[1956]] Armstrong booklet called '''''1975 in Prophecy''''', into a series of horrific illustrations depicting the ''Great Tribulation'' of the biblical book of [[Revelation]].
The work of Basil Wolverton also appeared in [[The Plain Truth]] magazine published by [[Ambassador College]] on behalf of the [[Worldwide Church of God]]. The magazine began to serialize '''The Bible Story''' which was both written and illustrated by Basil Wolverton. It covered six volumes from [[Genesis]] to [[Samuel]] and ''The Bible Story'' was later republished by Ambassador College in soft cover book form. Wolverton's drawings all contained the same "spaghetti and meatballs" treatment that made his work distinctive.
==External sources==
*[http://www.cgca.net/pabco/1975pro.htm] A web site reproduction of the original 1956 British edition of '''''1975 in Prophecy''''' complete with text and original illustrations by Basil Wolverton.
*[http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/wolverton01.htm] Monty Wolverton, son of Basil Wolverton is also an illustrator. He has placed on line several of the drawings by his father from the 1956 booklet '''''1975 in Prophecy''''', although Monty has taken the liberty of adding color to the originals which were first published in black and white.
*[http://www.quango.net/ekklesia/1946wcg.htm] The 1946 ''Articles of Incorporation'' signed by Basil Wolverton to establish the '''Radio Church of God''' in the state of California.
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<th align="center">Other pages related to Basil Wolverton as a subject</th>
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<p><small>[[Herbert W. Armstrong]] profile | [[Worldwide Church of God]] and Radio Church of God brief history of the church | [[Lost Ten Tribes]] links to related theories | [[1975 in Prophecy!]] theory of two time cycles | [[The World Tomorrow]] radio and television broadcasts | [[The Plain Truth]] magazine history | [[Ambassador College]] and [[Ambassador University]] | [[Big Sandy]] history of Texas campus location | [[Bricket Wood]] history of UK campus location | [[Ambassador International Cultural Foundation]] history | [[Ambassador Auditorium]] history | [[Garner Ted Armstrong]] profile | [[Stanley Rader]] profile | [[Art Gilmore]] profile | [[Michael Dennis Rohan]] and Al Asqa mosque arson | [[Bobby Fischer]] religious affiliation</small></p>
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[[Category:1909 births|Wolverton, Basil.]]
[[Category:1978 deaths|Wolverton, Basil.]]
[[Category:Cartoonists|Wolverton, Basil.]]
[[Category:Magazines|The Plain Truth.]]
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