Gerald Brom is a writer, American illustrator and production designer who works under the professional pseudonym Brom. He worked mainly in the genre of gothic fiction, fantasy and horror. Developed games, comics, novels and short stories.
Biography
Gerald Brom was born in Albany (Georgia, United States of America) on March 9, 1965. He grew up in the family of a military pilot, they often moved. He has lived in Japan, in Germany, where he completed high school (in Frankfurt am Main), in Alabama, in the Hawaiian Islands and in other states of America.
Gerald Brom was fond of drawing since childhood, but never took professional lessons. As teaching aids, he used the works of famous artists. As Gerald Brom notes, the paintings of Frank Frazetta, Newell Converse Wyatt and Norman Rockwell had a special influence on his work. From childhood, Gerald was fascinated by mysticism, the inexplicable, he saw in this a special beauty that he tried to capture. The artist calls melancholy his muse.
Nickname
Gerald Bromknown to many as simply Bromine. The artist explains his choice of a pseudonym by the fact that, due to frequent moves in schools, he was constantly called exclusively by his last name, because it is simple to pronounce and concise. Over time, Gerald got used to it and decided to use her as a professional pseudonym.
Career start
At 20, Gerald Brom took a full-time job as an advertising illustrator in Atlanta, Georgia. At 21, he became a nationally renowned artist. He has worked for Coca-Cola, IMB and CNN ("Cable News Network"). At 24, Brom was hired by Jeff Easley to join TSR Corporation in 1989 full-time. He has developed all of the company's book series and games, including Dark Sun. He also drew for the games "Magic" and Kingdom Come. Together with his idol Frank Frazetta, Gerald Brom designed the game Warlords.
Freelance work
In 1993, after four years working for TSR Corporation, Brom became a freelancer again. He still specializes in the development of video games, card games and comics. During the same period, Gerald Brom began to design covers and illustrations for books and comics, including DC comics. His work has graced the covers of books by Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks, Edgar Burroughs and Anne McCaffrey.
Deadlands by author Shane Lacey Hensley was influenced by the work of Brom, who in turn created the artwork for the release. He was a concept artist for the Heretic games. He is the co-founder, art director and illustrator of the Dark Age card game series. He also became a concept artist for several films (Sleepy Hollow, Ghosts of Mars, Van Helsing), comics studios and famous game companies.
Return to TSR and subsequent career
In 1998, Gerald returned to TSR where he worked on games, including the Dungeons & Dragons series and expansions, and book series covers. He completely designed the "Spider Queen Wars" and "Avatar" series in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
Gerald Brom currently has his own personal gallery website where he sells his artwork and books. On the site, he briefly introduces his work and biography.
Books by Gerald Brom
Brom is a writer. He began to write in order to take his mind off drawing when his eyes and hands got tired. Over time, this grew into something more than just a change of activity.
Brom was first recognized as a writer after the publication of the book "Pluker" in 2005. It became the author's first known work. This is a small (160 pages) novel, it consists of 22 chapters and 3 parts. The book contains more than a hundred illustrations created by him. The book tells about a toy named Jack, who is stuck in a dark fantasy world under the bed along with the rest of the toys at a time when the evil spirit Plükerescaped into the human world. Jack will have to protect his master, the boy Thomas, who has not played with Jack for a long time.
"Plucker" was adapted into a theatrical production and produced as a play at the University of Hawaii and Rowlette High School. It was also planned to release a feature film, which was supposed to star actor Channing Tatum, but in 2008 due to lack of funds, the project was frozen. A release date has been announced for 2010.
His most successful feature work was Gerald Brom's Dark Fantasies, a three-part book series: The Child Snatcher, Krampus, Lord of Yule and The Lost Gods. The trilogy is not connected by plot, but has a similar atmosphere that brings the books together:
- Gerald Brom's "The Kidnapper" tells the story of a desperate teenage boy, Nick from Brooklyn, who one day meets a mysterious man named Peter, who rescues him from trouble and promises to take him to a place that, according to Peter, is a real paradise for children. The story is somewhat reminiscent of the tales of Peter Pan, but at the same time remains original.
- The book "Krampus, Lord of Yule" tells the story of the bard Jess from West Virginia, who meets first Santa Claus surrounded by devils, and then a demonic creature called Krampus. The story is an original and unusual fantasy about the origin and nature of Santa Claus and discussions about the border between good and evil and the place of the common man in the world.
- The Lost Gods by Gerald Brom is the final part of the trilogy written in 2016. The book tells about the recently released from prison Chad and his family, who, by an unfortunate accident, were drawn into contact with the infernal world. Chad will have to go through many difficult and dangerous trials in order to save himself and his family from eternal suffering and damnation.
Each subsequent part of the trilogy is darker than the previous one. The feeling of anxiety, danger, darkness and the presence of dangerous infernal forces grows with each part of the Dark Fantasies series. Gerald Brom created the covers and all the illustrations for his books by himself.
Brom's bibliography:
- "Brom's Little Black Book".
- "Offers".
- "Darkwerk: The Art of Brom", 2000.
- "Plüker", 2005.
- "Metamorphoses" (2007).
- "Devil's Rose" (2007).
- "Child Abductor" (2009).
- "Krampus, Lord of Yule" (2012).
- "The Art of Brom" (2013).
- "The Lost Gods" (2016).
Reviews from readers
According to readers, his books deserve high marks. They have an exciting plot, an interesting plot and, of course, amazing illustrations.
Some people even think that Brom's drawings overshadow the characters and the story.
The atmosphere in Brom's books, according to readers, echoes the atmosphereclassic horrors of yesteryear, such as Faust or The Master and Margarita.
Filmography
In the late nineties and early 2000s, Gerald Brom worked as a concept artist in the film industry for several years. He participated in the development of seven projects:
- "Galaxy Quest" by Dean Parisot, 1999.
- "Sleepy Hollow" by Tim Burton (poster), 1999.
- "Save and Save" by Chuck Russell (2000).
- "Ghosts of Mars" Sandy King (2001).
- "Time Machine" (2002).
- Charles Roven's "Scooby-Doo" (2002).
- "Van Helsing" by Stephen Sommers (2004).
Private life
Gerald Brom currently lives in Seattle with his wife and two children.
Gerald also has an older brother.
In 2013, Gerald Brom released an artbook with over 200 illustrations. A colorful and high-quality edition is perfect for getting acquainted with the work of the author. Without a specialized education, the artist has achieved success in illustration, the film industry and even in literature. His books continue to be published, they receive high marks from critics and readers, they are complemented by author's images. Over 30 years of work, Gerald Brom has become a truly iconic figure in modern gothic fantasy culture.
