Ralph Reese-Comic Artist Contest-1970

The legendary WEB OF HORROR magazine ran three issues i 1969-70 and each one featured one of these comic book artist contests where the reader would finish the picture and send it in. Since there were no more issues, no winner was ever chosen. The magazine featured early work by many artists who went on to bigger and better things including Jeff Jones, Berni Wrightson and sometime Ralph Reese who did this lovely and obviously Wood-influenced page.

Bissette on Wood

Here's a brief piece by comics creator Stephen R. Bissette that touches on Woody's techniques.

http://srbissette.com/?p=9597

The New Nickel Library/Galaxy

THE NEW NICKEL LIBRARY was a long series of one sheet publications from the pseudonymous "Eric Fromm"--actually somewhat controversial San Francisco comics dealer and underground publisher. Printed up in the early seventies and sold for a nickel, they featured whatever stray art Gary had access to. Sometimes the art was from the hippie artists of the era, other times from the likes of Will Eisner, Frank Frazetta and Wally Wood.

Seen here is Wood's first appearance, on issue # 8. The encyclopedically knowledgeable Ronn Sutton informs that it was originally seen in a 1958 GALAXY illustrating Robert Silverberg's story, "Birds of a Feather."

Down To Earth on eBay

Thanks to reader Chris for alerting me that one of Woody's best known EC stories is on eBay in its entirety. If you're particularly well off these days, the whole classic story can be yours for but a song....a rather loud and long song, mind you but still...

http://item.ebay.com/310244379672#ht_1543wt_1139

For those of you who like to study original art up close, these 1952 pages should embiggen quite nicely and crisply. The influence of Will Eisner, for whom Wood was ghosting THE SPIRIT around this time is stunningly obvious. The ending contains some of the most memorable EC aliens of them all which in turn influenced Wood's later MARS ATTACKS card character designs.

Cannon and Richter

Here is a lovely example of Wood's CANNON original art dated 1973. Someone please enlighten me though--Who is/was "Richter?"

More Galaxy Wood

Again thanks to Ronn Sutton!

The Wallace Wood Treasury

From 1980, this is Greg Theakston's WALLACE WOOD TREASURY, the first of a number of Wood-related books put out by Pure Imagination over the years. At the time this one came out, however, Woody was still alive and as I recall he was not happy with its publication. Someone feel free to correct me but I believe he was hoping at the time to publish a similar book himself.

The years have been quite kind to this Treasury, however, as it hold up very nicely today.

The first half of the book consists of a bio and interviews with former Woodworkers Joe Orlando, Dan Adkins, Ralph Reese and Paul Kirchner. The latter half reprints a number of still rarely seen pieces of artwork and ends with a full reprint of Wood's signature EC classic, MY WORLD. Good stuff, indeed. Thanks, Greg!