Getting DOWN TO EARTH with Wally Wood

Wally Wood is one of the undeniable masters of comic book art.

His striking and powerful work grabs your attention from the first moment you see it, 

and once you've seen it, you'll never look at comics the same way again.

Since his earliest days in comics Wally Wood has impressed and inspired legions of artists, myself included. His unmatched proficiency with handling light and dark forms has set the standard for comic book chiaroscuro. Compared to most of his contemporaries, Wood's art didn't just fill panels with run of the mill images. No, the world he created was more real than anything else seen in comics, his characters were three-dimensional, alive! His comic stories had the ability to transport you to a magical realm where the impossible became reality.

It is then with great pleasure I present to you one of the premiere science fiction artists ever to draw in comics,  with a story presented in one of the greatest issues of one of the most celebrated science fiction comics ever produced. Written by the equally influential Al Feldstein, (and colored by Marie Severin) for EC Comics WEIRD SCIENCE # 16, 1952, the story is titled "DOWN TO EARTH!", and features fantastic flying saucers and disgusting alien creatures as only Wood could envision them.

Oh, yes, before I forget, I have a bonus treat for you.

While the color version of the comic is presented here, over at 

BLACK 'N' WHITE AND RED ALL OVER 

I have Wood's original art, displayed in all it's glorious detail,

which is a must see, I must say!

When you're done here,

just click the link above (or here) and go enjoy it!

You'll be glad you did!

But first, let's get

"DOWN TO EARTH!"

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Wood;s incredible cover art for WEIRD SCIENCE #16

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Okay, now, go enjoy Wood's amazing original artwork at

-click link above-

  

One Of The Best - Kurtzman and Wood's Classic SUPERDUPERMAN! (+ Special Bonus!)

It is classic, an epitome of the genre, it's drawn fantastically, and it's uproariously hilarious.

Sure, I know it's been around, and many of you have seen it before somewhere, but it never goes out of style.

You just cannot go wrong with this one.

So, here you go. From MAD #4 (1953), published by EC Comics, with a story written and storyboarded by the legendary Harvey Kurtzman, and jaw-dropping artwork by the equally legendary Wally Wood, here you go.

The one, 

the only,

SUPERDUPERMAN!

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SPECIAL BONUS!!

Here's your bonus treat!

A very rare and special artifact  --  

Here is the original rough thumbnail storyboard layout for the SUPERDUPERMAN story!

Penciled by Harvey Kurtzman on a 8 3/4" X  6" piece of lined-ruled notebook paper is 

the kernel of genius for the story that would change comics forever!

Both Kurtzman and Wood were really at the top of their game here, 

and now we get a rare glimpse into the creative process

of this unbelievably awesome comic story!

See how tight Kurtzman thought out his stories, 

and see how much more Wally Wood brings to the party,

 making this a one of a kind gem!

Here it is in it's approximate original size!

(Actual size 8.75" x 6")

(click to see)

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Now here it is broken up / blown up so you can see it better...

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(original document courtesy Heritage Auctions)

So, that's that! Until next time,

Adios!

Sayonara!

Arrivederci!

Hasta la vista!

UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Vince Colletta and Wally Wood

Here are two cool sci-fi stories from the fifties by two great artists – Vinnie Colletta and Wally Wood. After you read them both you will see that clearly one of them was *ahem* under the influence…of the other! All you need to really know is that the Wood story came first. Wood, who likely was the greatest sci-fi comic artist from the fifties (or all time), drew the typically wonderful “The Precious Years” for EC’s WEIRD SCIENCE #19, May-June 1953.

Atlas’ UNCANNY TALES #18 hit the newsstands in March 1954, and featured a story titled "The Machine Age" by a young artist named Vince Colletta, who would one day become possibly (in the opinion of some) one of the greatest romance comic artists of all time ( and who would one day become the object of controversy). It wouldn’t be long before Colletta would find his niche, but here he seems to be under the influence of Wood’s style for sure, if not the particular story, and throughout those influenced panels you’ll find trademark Woodisms such as the faces on the wall (in the splash panel), and faces with dual light sources (ex: page 1 panel 3), etc!

[Ironically, history has revealed that each artists trademark style was really the antithesis of the other -- Wood the master of solid blacks, bold lines and shadowed 3D-like figures, and Colletta the master of feathery cross-hatching and light, airy thin-lined ink strokes, perhaps exemplified best in his inking over Jack Kirby on silver age The Mighty THOR. But, although this particular Colletta story is virtually bereft of women (as depicted throughout his many romance comic artworks), both Colletta and Wood could sure draw some mighty fine female forms!] 

-The Apocolyte speaks

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(click image to enlarge)

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There you have it!

Two different stories,

one sci-fi theme, 

two different artists, 

one artistic master's style obviously heavily influencing the other...

Comic art legend Wallace Wood is still an influence upon knowledgeable students of the craft to this day, and Vince Colletta went on to simplify his style from the very detailed work shown here to his more basic depictions of romantic themed stories, to be highlighted here in the near future...

Although the details of the future as foreseen back in the Fifties was a bit hokey,

one aspect was truly captured with uncanny prophetic clarity...

that is the cloying dependence of modern humanity upon an ever intruding technology!

Hope you enjoyed it!

More soon!

- The Apocolyte