Roy Gerald Krenkel (July 11, 1918 – February 24, 1983), who often signed his work RGK, was an American illustrator who specialized in fantasy and historical drawings and paintings for books, magazines and comic books. Influences and study His artwork revealed the strong influence of artist Norman Lindsay, in addition to Franklin Booth, Joseph Clement Coll and J. Allen St. John. In 1939, he was attending Cooper Union's Art School. Before World War II he studied with George Bridgman at the Art Students League of New York. During the War he served as a Private in the U.S. Army in the Philippines. His enlistment papers of January 23, 1942, record him as living in Queens, as having graduated high school, and as single, without dependents, employed as an actor. After the War, Krenkel attended Burne Hogarth's classes at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, which became the School of Visual Arts. There he met a group of young cartoonists, including Joe Orlando, Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. Frazetta noted, "I met Roy Krenkel back in 1949 or 1950, and he has never ceased to be a constant source of inspiration to me—a truly conscientious artist who will not tolerate incompetence." Krenkel sometimes collaborated with Frazetta and Williamson on pages the trio drew for EC Comics particularly in Weird Science, Weird Fantasy and Weird Science-Fantasy. His splash page contribution to Williamson's "Food for Thought" (Incredible Science Fiction 32, November–December 1955), a highly detailed alien landscape, is often regarded as a peak achievement in comic book illustration. Krenkel only drew one solo story for EC, the unsigned "Time to Leave" (Incredible Science Fiction 31, September–October 1955), displaying a futuristic cityscape of architectural splendors. Krenkel inked many of Williamson's comic stories for Marvel and American Comics Group in the 1950s as well. He was known for regarding his own work as disposable and unimportant. Magazines and paperbacks Krenkel provided illustrations to several science fiction magazines. The writer Harry Harrison recalled, "Krenkel was a master penciler. I know. When he shared a studio with me and Wally Wood, I inked one of his illustrations for Marvel Science Fiction magazine. The influence of fine artists Norman Lindsay and Alma Tadema can be seen in his work." His work includes 23 paperback book cover paintings as well as frontispieces for Edgar Rice Burroughs and other fantasy writers published by Donald A. Wollheim at Ace Books. During the