World of Wood (Wally)
March 2, 2012 11:46 AM   Subscribe

Wally Wood is most acclaimed for his comical comic books, mainly his acclaimed work for Mad back in its original, pre-magazine, 1950s incarnation. But his personal life was a drama verging on tragedy and culminating with his suicide in 1981. Only now, three decades later, is his story heading toward a happy ending, with a burst of renewed interest in his work.

A graphics heavy interview with J. David Spurlock, newly named director of the Wood estate, on the renewed interest in the artist and his work. [via]

Wally Wood Wikipedia page.

Previously: 22 Comics Panels That Always Work

Bonus: A Complete List of Woody's contributions to Mad.
posted by marxchivist (10 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Man, I loved T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents. Found it in the three-for-a-dollar-box of My Local Comic Book Store back in my youth. You ask me, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. led to Planetary, The Authority, etc., in the same straight line that the Charlton characters led to Watchmen.
posted by penduluum at 11:55 AM on March 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Thank you for this! I remember when MAD published reprint inserts of the 1950s stuff, and how fascinating Wood's work was.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:11 PM on March 2, 2012


Don't forget, don't ever forget, that Wally Wood drew the Disneyland Memorial Orgy. ...and oh look, there's a whole blog devoted to the man and his art! (I had thought this '50s era war comic story was my first introduction to Wally Wood, but I see it's by Harvey Kurtzman. Wood did draw for Frontline Combat where this story appeared though.)
posted by Catblack at 12:19 PM on March 2, 2012


Last week I just got a copy of IDW's Wally Wood Artist's Edition, Oh My God It Is the Current Greatest Thing Ever.

Huge like 15" X 20" with a bunch of stories reproduced from the original art in original size, you can see every bit of white-out and zip-a-tone and practically smell the cigarette smoke on the pages. It sold out right away.
posted by marxchivist at 12:26 PM on March 2, 2012


Catblack, did you first read that Kurtzman story in the Les Daniels Comix book? I thank Mr. Daniels for helping to twist my mind at a young age.
posted by marxchivist at 12:27 PM on March 2, 2012


Why can't it be this kind of thread that gets the 500 comments?
posted by jfuller at 1:52 PM on March 2, 2012 [5 favorites]


No one has come close to Wood's science fiction work for EC.
posted by TDavis at 2:06 PM on March 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Why can't it be this kind of thread that gets the 500 comments?

Come on, 500 repetitions of "Cool", would be more boring than 500 "." in an obit thread.

That said, cool.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:35 PM on March 2, 2012


marxchivist, yes, that's where i saw it. My oldest brother, the comics collector had a copy that he found at a thrift store, no slip cover. I can recall just about every story featured in there, and when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade we had to record a poem onto tape on a field trip to a recording studio... I chose the "chickens on LSD" poem, but I don't know what ever happen to the cassette of it. And thanks for the Amazon link, I've got a used copy on the way for cheap. (To replace the one I swiped from my brother 25 years ago...)
posted by Catblack at 2:35 PM on March 2, 2012


He was a Maestro. His adult stuff is great, too. Did he do his own inking?
posted by Trochanter at 9:06 AM on March 3, 2012


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