Sky Masters Original Art-1959

Found on the 'Net, I was less than one month old when this lovely SKY MASTERS OF THE SPACE FORCE strip saw print on Feb 2nd of 1959. Note the unlikely sign "Air P'r'sr Guage." Apparently the letterer couldn't letter small enough to actual print "pressure" legibly and it upset him so that he forgot how to spell "gauge." Either that or Kirby quick-pencilled the words in figuring the letterer would fix it but the letterer figured that if Kirby put 'em there like that, that's what Kirby wanted!

Witzend 3 and 7

Here's a look at two particular issues of WITZEND from the perspective of Ken Meyer, Jr, himself a comic artist of some reknown (I actually have some original art from Ken somewhere on an envelope where he sent something I mail ordered from him in the seventies or eighties). Ken links to some other interesting Woodwork on the Net in his piece (us included! Thanks, Ken!) so check it out.

http://comicattack.net/2009/12/is-8-witzend-3-and-7/

Original Marvel Art

Thanks again to Bill Wray.

Comic Book Foldees-1966

When I was in the first grade, COMIC BOOK FOLDEES from Topps were one of the big things at my school. We'd all play with them and trade them back and forth at recess. They were small foldable pieces of thin card stock paper. On one side in the middle was a DC superhero or supervillain. On the other sides, split in half, were drawings of a dancer, a cowboy, a politician...just about anything as long as it was in a similar pose. Then you would fold over either the top or the bottom and get a funny picture with a funny caption. Simple but fun! Imagine my surprise when I discovered that THESE had been done at least mostly by Wally Wood! I say mostly because there are a number of the small drawings that don't really look like Woodwork to me but may be. Most, however, are quite good. The only one I have left after 40+ years is the FLASH one seen here but I recently was able to download images of the whole set online so here's a few of what I think are the best examples of Wood!

Woodwork Originals

Here, courtesy of artist and Wood aficionado Bill Wray, is some nicely scanned Wood original art. Thank you, sir!

The Mad Comic Strip Characters' Christmas Party

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Ads

Wood Sketches From Various Sources

A little leftover Woodwork either shared by some of our readers or found on the Net.

Bucky's Christmas Caper-1967

Many Wood fans, myself included, consider 1967's holiday newspaper strip BUCKY'S CHRISTMAS CAPER to be amongst Wood's best works. Enjoy it this year over at THE BRONZE AGE OF BLOGS.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/12/buckys-christmas-caper.html

Another TBG Tribute Cover-1980

Wood Tribute TBG Cover-1976

I'm not sure who did this. The initials, here cut off, are "ED." Or is that a first name? If anyone knows, please comment. I'm also sorry for my scanner's limitations but I felt I had to share at least as much as possible of this nifty tribute cover done around the time of Woody's final, productive stretch at DC.

Wood Cameo in The Rats by Reese

Speaking of Ralph Reese as we were recently, reader Larry also pointed out this cameo of Woody in Mr. Reese's horror tale, THE RATS!

Feiffer on Wood

Bhob Stewart's always Wood-friendly POTRZEBIE blog serves up an interesting excerpt from cartoonist Jules Feiffer's recent autobiography in which he recounts his introduction to Woody when both worked on Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT. Perhaps even better is an early EC horror story by Wood done during the period Feiffer describes.

http://potrzebie.blogspot.com/2009/12/wood-chips-14-feiffer-on-wood.html

Shel Dorf Interviews Wally Wood-1980 Part 3

Ralph Reese Question

Reader Larry needs to know where this nice piece of art by sometime Woodworker Ralph Reese originally appeared. All he knows is that it was in a fanzine. WITZEND? SQUA TRONT? I'm told that even Mr Reese doesn't remember but I'm betting somebody out there does. What about it readers? It's astriking piece. Where's it from?

Shel Dorf Interviews Wally Wood-1980 Pt 2

FOO Stuff

Was sorting through a box of shtuff this evening and came across two items of interest here. The first is my Friends of Odkin membership card! I was # 288! Is that Woody's handwriting does anyone know? Looks like the examples I've seen.

The second is an early 1980 letter from publisher Bill Crouch promoting his first WALLACE WOOD SKETCHBOOK exclusively to current and former FOO members (which, as you can see by my membership card, I was, my own membership having expired at the beginning of the year).

Shel Dorf Interviews Wally Wood-1980: Part 1

Little more than a year before his death, Wally Wood sat down with the now-late Shel Dorf in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the 1980 San Diego ComicCon in July of that year. Some months later the interview appeared in his CBG (or was it still TBG?) interview series SHEL DORF AND THE FANTASY MAKERS. Over the next couple of days I'll be running their talk as it originally appeared, edited only by the necessity of having to break up the tabloid size pages. It's interesting to note Woody's seeming optimism here at times in light of the after the fact knowledge that he was headed into the last--and worst--year of his life soon afterwards.

Woody's Classic Covers # 35

The opening of Disney's PRINCESS AND THE FROG reminded me of this posthumous collection of naughty Woodwork.

Limewrecks

Over on Facebook, artist Hilary Barta (arguaby the last pro to be noticeably inspied by Woody) has announced it to be "Wally Wood Week" at his own unique and amusing blog LIMEWRECKS.
Check it out here:

http://limoday.blogspot.com/

Recipe Comics

EASILY MUSED has the short but hilarious MAD strip, RECIPE COMICS--part of a series of strip parodies by Wood with writer Frank Jacobs (one of his best collaborators) entitled "How to Make Dull Reading Matter Interesting" from early1961.

http://johnglenntaylor.blogspot.com/2009/12/recipe-comics-axolotl-pudding.html

Radian Ad

This from the late 1990's. Did this ever come out? I don't think so but knowing Mr. Spurlock I still expect to see it someday.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R Found On the Net

Girl Sketch

Although this doesn't look like Sally, Nudine, Snorky or Odkin to me, this certainly looks like one of the Friends of Odkin sketches by Wood with Paul Kirchner--perhaps a special request.

Small Painting

Although described as a "small painting" this looks much like a 1950's girlie mag gag panel that ended up in the hands of Woody's late-in-life friend Gilbert Ortiz. Thanks again to Ronn Sutton for finding it on EBay.

Country Road Layouts

The ever-helpful Ronn Sutton points us toward even more Bill Pearson sketches from Woody on EBay, all from a series done, I believe, for one of the Childhood of Famous Americans children's books from the early 1960's, many of which featured illustrations from comic artists including Gray Morrow.

Who Are These Guys?

I found this wthout comment on the Wally Wood Yahoo group. It seems to have been there awhile and yet I'd somehow never before noticed it. Looks to me to be from the mid-sixties. Good to see Woody looking so robust but who are these other guys? His assistants? It occurs to me that I don't think I've ever seeen photos of any of the Woodworkers from that period! I have educated guesses on the identities of all three of these guys but I'm sure many of you out there actually know so please ID them for us in the comments rather than me speculating! Thanks!

Unrepentant Wally

Found a nifty blog today with which I was not previously familiar. Unfortunately it's only been updated sporadically since 2006 with the most recent time being a couple of months back. That said, the blog-owner claims Wally Wood as his favorite artist and offers a number of Wood related posts and some art I've never seen before such as the MAD-style lid of the box for an obscure TV game show's home version, seen here. Check out the archives at CONFESSIONS OF AN UNREPENTANT COMIC COLLECTOR here:

http://tales-calculated-to-blog.blogspot.com/