Woody's Classic Covers # 29

Feiffer/Wood-1952

Here's another comparison--this one a page from the so-called "OUTER SPACE SPIRIT" as originated in layouts by writer Jules Feiffer and then in its final execution by Wallace Wood.

Simonson and Wood

Ferran Delgado's Blog art blog ( http://ferrandelgado.blogspot.com/) offers this nice comparison of Walt Simonson's original pencils and Wood's final inked version of pages from DC's HERCULES UNBOUND, originally posted by Simonson himself on Facebook.

Angel and the Ape Original Art

Today, Jon's Random Acts of Geekery spotlights--as it does from time to time--a slew of original art pages including this really nice page from DC's ANGEL AND THE APE # 6 drawn by Bob Oksner and inked by Woody, yet another combination that always seemed to work amazingly well!

http://waffyjon.blogspot.com/2009/08/cool-stuff-original-comic-art_27.html

Shaman by Paul Kirchner

Pete over at The Bronze Age of Blogs presents one of Paul Kirchner's best (and probably least known) pieces, SHAMAN, from a 1980's issue of HEAVY METAL. Trippy stuff indeed from a former Woodworker.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/08/shaman.html

Jim Aparo and Wally Wood

Adapted from a post at Booksteve's Library in June of 2006
Comic book artist Jim Aparo never seemed to get enough respect when he was alive. My wife and I met him in Chicago at one of the first conventions he'd ever done and he seemed starved for attention. A nice man, very talkative and friendly, his death in recent years brought some people to the belated realization that his Batman was the definitive seventies version. Here are some sample comic strips that originally appeared in the late, lamented, absolutely marvelous weekly comic strip newspaper THE MENOMONEE FALLS GAZETTE. ZIP TYRO was an unsold sixties comic that bore some resemblence to England's JEFF HAWKE astronaut comic strip. Considering the time, it may also have been inspired by Kirby and Wood's SKY MASTERS OF THE SPACE FORCE. Note the introductory comment which points out that these early sixties samples were done during the a period in which the artist was influenced by Wally Wood and Milton Caniff. That influence is seen largely in the background equipment in a few panels. You can see that Aparo's distinctively classy signature is already present. If ZIP TYRO had been successful at all Jim Aparo might never have been at Charlton to follow Dick Giordano to DC...and BATMAN.

Fireball XL-5

Here's a preliminary sketch for Wood's FIREBALL XL-5 lunchbox from the mid-sixties. This was a British puppet show from Gerry Anderson that ran on Saturday mornings here in America. My favorite toys in 1965 were the huge Fireball spaceship and launching pad! Kept it for years! I didn't have enough money to get the lunchbox when I found it (with matching thermos) and recognized Wood's style at a junk shop in the mid-eighties. The whole thing (minus thermos) was re-issued on the collector's market later on.

Comic book artist and collector Ronn Sutton likes to share. If you see Ronn or know Ronn or happen to be Facebook frinds with Ronn, thank him. He has a cool collection of Wallace Wood "stuff" and he likes to show it off. We are pleased that he shares it with us from time to time so we can share it with you here! Thanks, Ronn!

These are the front and back covers from three more of the Topps FUNNY L'IL JOKE BOOKS. Not sure that "Doctor" one is Woody's work but the other two certainly are and if you embiggen the back covers you can get an idea of how many others were. also.

Jester's League of America

Over at THE BRONZE AGE OF BLOGS, friend Pete has posted the entire series of the mid-sixties Topps super hero parodies (in B&W) by Len Brown, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane and Wally Wood. (He's even posted the Art Spiegelman joke ads!). Roy's attached credits (from ALTER EGO) would seem to indicate that Woody did, in fact, ink the questionable panel we posted the other day. The problem is that I still don't see it. Here's the whole piece and except for maybe the cover, I see no real trace of Wood. Looks like pure Gil Kane to me. Well, okay, maybe Wonder Woman in panel one looks like Woodwork. Maybe he started this one and Gil finished it solo? You guys?

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/08/topps-superhero-parodies.html

Woody's Classic Covers # 28

Star Wars

From Richard Pryor's (NOT that one) WEIRD SEX FANTASIES PORTFOLIO, here's Wood's not quite pornographic take on STAR WARS. The highly detailed backgrounds here are probably the work of Al Sirois.

Wally or No Wally?

Here's a piece of original art found on the 'Net that comes from the little Topps parodies done by Woody, Gil Kane and writer Roy Thomas. This was listed as Wood and I can't say that it isn't. Maybe if I saw more of the art I could tell for sure. I'm more familiar with the oft-reprinted Marvel ones. Doesn't have any telltale Wood signs but that doesn't mean anything. Don't see a lot of Gil Kane in this either, though. In fact, the Flash character reminds me more of the work of Ross Andru! Says it's Wood. Could be Wood. What do you think?

Tom Sutton

I recently picked up this 2004 issue of CHARLTON SPOTLIGHT at my local comic shop for half price. Most of this issue is done as a special tribute to the then-recently deceased artist Tom Sutton. I first discovered Tom Sutton's work in Marvel's MAD-style humor comic NOT BRAND ECHH! in the mid-sixties. Although he would later do some good super hero work for them, Sutton would go on to establish his reputation instead as a horror/sci-fi artist in the black and white horror magazines and ultimately at Charlton as a mainstay and cover artist during their relatively brief but enjoyable creative renaissance in the mid-seventies. He would return to humor from time to time such as with the Will Elderesque SCHLOMO RAVEN for Byron Preiss (my personal favorite).

Sutton is paid tribute by a number of his fellow creative types in this issue including former Woodworkers and friends of this blog, Bhob Stewart, Bill Pearson and Nick Cuti. In one reprinted interview, he is even quoted as saying, "I worshiped Wally Wood, I copied him...Hell, I traced him! His spaceships, his fantastic little hollowed out panels--incredible magic! Later I got into the horror books but never anything like I was into the fantastic sci-fi stuff." While Sutton goes on to mention copying the styles of other illustrators, also, in time he had developed a unique style and his own unique place in comics history...all because he had been inspired by Wood way back when.

Topps Flash Cards

Sci-Fi Mag Illustration-1950's

Maya

Been sidelined with computer issues much of this past week but we have here, courtesy of Wood mega-fan (and a reputable artist in his own right!) Ronn Sutton some truly rare Woodwork. MAYA was a short-lived 1967 TV series about two boys and elephants in India. Former DENNIS THE MENACE Jay North (by that point age 16) starred but was overshadowed by his more exotic co-star Sajid Khan who was played up in the fan mags as a teen idol. None of this matters other than the fact that the show's brief popularity led Topps to do a series of trading cards. Since the front sides of the cards were photos, these have long gone unnoticed as Woodwork but the back of each card has an illustration and Ronn notes that 22 of these are obviously by Wallace Wood! Being the generous sort he is, we are able to share some of them with you here today. Thanks, Ronn!

Glitches

After a few days of dealing with computer glitches, everything seems to be fixed now...except that for some reason I cannot post images to this blog. It seems to be JUST this blog, too! Stand by.

Topps Pirate

Captain Nice

Bhob Stewart's INDEX credits Wood solely with "wrapper art" for Topps' CAPTAIN NICE cards which apparently themselves featured actual photos from the short-lived William Daniels TV superhero sitcom. From these examples, though, it looks as though the backs of the cards featured little Bazooka Joe style comic strips. The black and white art looks to be by Wood while the other I'm not so certain. It's possible that different artists contributed. The numbering on the color one would seem to indicate that there were quite a few but that doesn't mean they were on every card. Does anyone have a set of these rarities that they wouldn't mind scanning and sharing with other Wood fans?

BLOCKHEADS were a series of cardboar box masks that came from Topps in 1967. Designed by Wally Wood and (apparently at Wood's suggestion) Basil Wolverton and then painted by Norm Saunders. You can link to a number of color images of them here:
http://www.lostwackys.com/blockheads/index.htm

Captain Science-Time Door of Throm

A number of the 1950's CAPTAIN SCIENCE stories done by Wallace Wood (often in collaboration, as here, with Joe Orlando) have been reprinted since the early 1970's in fanzines, in books and in reprint comics. This one, "Time Door of Throm" did not look familiar to me and when I checked the GCD it does not indicate any reprint appearances. If, in fact, it has been reprinted at all, I'd say it's at least a bit rarer than most of these stories so here it is. Enjoy as Wood and Orlando, too, for that matter begin to show their quickly developing pre-EC skills.

Another Sally Forth FOO Drawing

Wood Madness

I'm pretty sure this nicely matted original art spotted on the 'Net is from MAD but I'm not certain which issue right now. Whatever it's origin, it certainly depicts some incredibly detailed madness going on!

Ralph Reese at Potrzebie

Undoubtedly all of you who frequent this site are already familiar with Bhob Stewart's impressive site POTRZEBIE at http://potrzebie.blogspot.com/ but for those who haven't checked it lately, Bhob has had several recent posts updating the story on former Woodworker Ralph Reese as well as featuring some new and old art by him. Here, for instance, is a colorful, recent commission piece depicting VAMPIRELLA as captured by the martians that Wood designed decades ago for the infamous MARS ATTACKS trading cards.