Saturday, February 28, 2009

Q. P. Dahl

One of the unsung Wally Wood characters is Lt. Q. P. Dahl from the SALLY FORTH comic strip the artist produced for the military. He may look like a cute little boy but he's a hardened battle veteran and a wily, clever, cigar-smoking (and cute as a button!) soldier. He was originally designed by Wood in the late sixties for the CO-ED COMMANDOS strip that eventually became SALLY FORTH. He is, in my opinion, a much better written character than Sally herself, an innocent cipher with a few inadvertently funny double entendre lines at best. She often simply reacts to what's going on around her (usually whilst naked, of course) but QP takes charge, and, in his own sitcom-style, sometimes bumbling way, usually wins the day and saves the oblivious heroine. We salute you, Lieutenant!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Dynamo Vs. Daredevil


There's no "DD" on his chest but there's still no question who this is supposed to be. Was Wood making a statement on this Rocket's Blast ComiCollector cover about how the big guys (Marvel) were overthrowing the little guys (Tower)? Or was he just having fun with a couple of super heroes he was known for drawing?

Monday, February 23, 2009

Outre'


OUTRE' was a companion magazine to the long-running (and STILL-running!) FILMFAX. It was subtitled "The World of UltraMedia," which kind of meant, "Hey! Here's some COOL stuff!!" Each issue would cover a grab bag of pop culture. For example, this particular issue, 1997's # 9, features articles on Blaxploitation and Pam Grier, Soviet sci-fi, actor Bruce Dern, UK puppeteer Gerry Anderson and surf musicians, the Ventures. Cover-featured, though, we have, in what is arguably his biggest more-or-less mainstream public exposure to date, Wally Wood! Taking a 1959 gag painting from a GALAXY cover for its own, this issue offers 6 illustrated pages of a perceptive multi-part article/biography written by David J. Hogan and begun two issues earlier. It's continued in the following issue.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sci-Fi Wood


Here's one of Wallace Wood's lovely sci-fi mag illustrations, this one reprinted in Bill Black's GOLDEN AGE GREATS # 12 from 1998.

Saturday, February 21, 2009