Mike Hinge was a New Zealand-born illustrator and graphic designer who became renowned for his striking contributions to the science fiction illustration genre after moving to the United States in 1958. Hinge’s work is especially noted for its psychedelic, futuristic, and surreal style, blending vivid colors with intricate line work and a pop art sensibility that was both energetic and visually distinctive.

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In the 1970s, Hinge produced memorable covers for prestigious American science fiction magazines such as Analog, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic. These covers were celebrated for their electric intensity and their ability to bring a fresh, contemporary feel to publications that had previously relied on more traditional science fiction imagery. Hinge’s approach to SF art paralleled the transformative experiments occurring in the comic book world and played a part in modernizing the visual language of the genre during that era.

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Beyond magazines, Hinge created cover art for books by authors including Neal Barrett, Michael Bishop, George Alec Effinger, Ron Goulart, and Mack Reynolds, as well as various science fiction reprints throughout the 1970s. He also produced two notable Time magazine covers: Japanese Emperor Hirohito (October 1971) and President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal (November 1973), both now held by the Smithsonian Institution. His collected works from this period are featured in The Mike Hinge Experience (1973), a portfolio that underscores his fascination with iconic American themes viewed through a distinctive, technicolor lens.