Sept. 1955: One more cover from the Davy Crockett craze—Four Color #657. I don't have verification of the artist, but it looks like George Wilson to me. Funnily enough, this issue was the last of six “Ben Bowie and His Mountainmen” books.
George Wilson was one of two George Wilsons to work in comics. The first worked mainly in commercial illustration and the pulps, but did some interior comics book work in the early ’40s. Our George Wilson did no interior work, but was one of the most prolific comic book cover artists of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. He also did advertising art, as well as many covers for romance and western paperback novels. He started working for Dell—his primary comic book client—in 1955, continuing there (and with its sister imprints, Gold Key and Western) until they ceased publishing comics.
Oct. 1955: When Vince Colletta broke into comics in 1952, he was a penciler/inker. His more delicate linework made him well suited to the romance genre, and those stories made up the bulk of his assignments. In late 1953 he joined Marvel, and by the summer of 1954 he became their primary romance cover artist, taking over from Al Hartley. He was a good, though not great, penciler, and continued getting penciling work into the mid-1960s—though by that point he often hired ghost pencilers, including the great Matt Baker. One could argue that he biggest talent was in getting work—a pretty handy skill, particularly during that time period.
He began inking other pencilers in the mid- to late ’50s, but didn’t make the switch (officially) to being primarily an inker until 1964 or so. Of course, these days Colletta is known as much for what he didn’t ink (erased) as for what he did. Say what you will, he played an integral role in the rise of Marvel Comics in the Silver Age. In the ’70s he worked mostly for DC, including a three-year stint as their art director (May 1976-May 1979). He retired from comics in 1989 at the age of 65, and died two years later of cancer.
So here is True Secrets Comics #36, with a cover penciled and inked by Colletta.
Michael W. Kaluta covering Epic Illustrated. I could only find small versions of the cover, but I did find a larger version of the original by Kaluta, necessary to appreciate his delicate linework and wonderful detail.
Nov. 1955: I know I posted an EC sci-fi cover recently, but this cover for Incredible Science Fiction #33 was Wally Wood’s last cover for EC before they dropped all their titles but Mad. Many would say that this marked the end of the peak of Wood’s comic book career, though I think you have to include his Mad work through the mid-’60s as well (even though that was technically magazine work).
Wood was discharged from the Merchant Marines—which he had joined right out of high school—in 1948, and moved to New York with his mother and brother. He worked as a busboy while briefly attending the Hogarth School of Art and trying to find work as an artist. After two or three month of rejections, he met John Severin, who invited him to the Charles William Harvey Studio where Severin shared space. It was there he met Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder, and also learned that Will Eisner was looking for a background artist on The Spirit. Wood rushed over to Eisner’s studio and was hired on the spot. It wasn’t long before Wood finally broke into comics as a letterer, and then as an inker. By the end of the year, Wood had gotten his first penciling (which he also inked) assignment for one of Fox’s western titles, Women Outlaws.
At Fox he was paired with Harry Harrison (the future science fiction novelist), with Harrison inking Wood’s pencils, but they switched roles as Wood improved his inking skills. In 1950 the team got their first work for EC, but the EC editors soon convinced Wood he’d be better off working solo—and so he was! Wood was already showing his potential by the time he arrived at EC, but that potential quickly bloomed and Wood produced some phenomenal work not only for EC, but as the full artist of a two-month-long Spirit story in 1952, as well as occasional work for Star and Avon. This cover would be the last comic book work Wood did for several years.
Dec. 1955: This month it’s Black Knight #5, and its iconic cover by Joe Maneely. Black Knight is the character Maneely is most closely associated with—even though the series only lasted five issues, and Maneely only provided interior art for the first three. This is largely because he mainly drew random western, war, and horror anthology stories throughout his career.
Maneely came from humble beginnings. Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in a poor family, dropped out of high school, and joined the Navy as a specialist in visual aids. After three years of service, he studied at the Hussian School of Art (also in Philly) under the G.I. Bill. After some time working in the advertising art department of the Philadelphia Bulletin, Maneely got his first comic book job in 1948 for Street & Smith. In late 1949 he got his first work for Atlas/Marvel. But he didn’t move to New York until 1953. Instead he would take the train to New York three times a week to turn in artwork and pick up new scripts. He took on a staff job at Marvel in 1955, during a time when his work was entering a new stage of mastery.
For the next two or so years, Maneely was one of, if not the, top artist at Marvel. Not only was he good, he was fast. He was on top of the world—and then came the crash of 1957 when Marvel laid off the entire staff (sans Stan Lee). Maneely still had his daily strip written by Lee called Mrs. Lyons’ Cubs, though, and he was able to get some work from DC, Charlton, and Crestwood to help make ends meet. Then in June of 1958, after having lost his glasses, Maneely fell between the cars of a moving train on his way from the city to his home in New Jersey. He would have been the first name on Lee’s call list when Marvel began hiring again, but it was not to be.
Dec. 1955: This month it’s Black Knight #5, and its iconic cover by Joe Maneely. Black Knight is the character Maneely is most closely associated with—even though the series only lasted five issues, and Maneely only provided interior art for the first three. This is largely because he mainly drew random western, war, and horror anthology stories throughout his career.
Maneely came from humble beginnings. Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in a poor family, dropped out of high school, and joined the Navy as a specialist in visual aids. After three years of service, he studied at the Hussian School of Art (also in Philly) under the G.I. Bill. After some time working in the advertising art department of the Philadelphia Bulletin, Maneely got his first comic book job in 1948 for Street & Smith. In late 1949 he got his first work for Atlas/Marvel. But he didn’t move to New York until 1953. Instead he would take the train to New York three times a week to turn in artwork and pick up new scripts. He took on a staff job at Marvel in 1955, during a time when his work was entering a new stage of mastery.
For the next two or so years, Maneely was one of, if not the, top artist at Marvel. Not only was he good, he was fast. He was on top of the world—and then came the crash of 1957 when Marvel laid off the entire staff (sans Stan Lee). Maneely still had his daily strip written by Lee called Mrs. Lyons’ Cubs, though, and he was able to get some work from DC, Charlton, and Crestwood to help make ends meet. Then in June of 1958, after having lost his glasses, Maneely fell between the cars of a moving train on his way from the city to his home in New Jersey. He would have been the first name on Lee’s call list when Marvel began hiring again, but it was not to be.
That’s a beautiful cover. Maneely doing books next to Kirby and Ditko would have been fantastic.
Sept. 1955: One more cover from the Davy Crockett craze—Four Color #657. I don't have verification of the artist, but it looks like George Wilson to me. Funnily enough, this issue was the last of six “Ben Bowie and His Mountainmen” books.
George Wilson was one of two George Wilsons to work in comics. The first worked mainly in commercial illustration and the pulps, but did some interior comics book work in the early ’40s. Our George Wilson did no interior work, but was one of the most prolific comic book cover artists of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. He also did advertising art, as well as many covers for romance and western paperback novels. He started working for Dell—his primary comic book client—in 1955, continuing there (and with its sister imprints, Gold Key and Western) until they ceased publishing comics.
The guy in the back of the boat looks like Lee Majors to me.
Comments
George Wilson was one of two George Wilsons to work in comics. The first worked mainly in commercial illustration and the pulps, but did some interior comics book work in the early ’40s. Our George Wilson did no interior work, but was one of the most prolific comic book cover artists of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. He also did advertising art, as well as many covers for romance and western paperback novels. He started working for Dell—his primary comic book client—in 1955, continuing there (and with its sister imprints, Gold Key and Western) until they ceased publishing comics.
He began inking other pencilers in the mid- to late ’50s, but didn’t make the switch (officially) to being primarily an inker until 1964 or so. Of course, these days Colletta is known as much for what he didn’t ink (erased) as for what he did. Say what you will, he played an integral role in the rise of Marvel Comics in the Silver Age. In the ’70s he worked mostly for DC, including a three-year stint as their art director (May 1976-May 1979). He retired from comics in 1989 at the age of 65, and died two years later of cancer.
So here is True Secrets Comics #36, with a cover penciled and inked by Colletta.
I could only find small versions of the cover, but I did find a larger version of the original by Kaluta, necessary to appreciate his delicate linework and wonderful detail.
Wood was discharged from the Merchant Marines—which he had joined right out of high school—in 1948, and moved to New York with his mother and brother. He worked as a busboy while briefly attending the Hogarth School of Art and trying to find work as an artist. After two or three month of rejections, he met John Severin, who invited him to the Charles William Harvey Studio where Severin shared space. It was there he met Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder, and also learned that Will Eisner was looking for a background artist on The Spirit. Wood rushed over to Eisner’s studio and was hired on the spot. It wasn’t long before Wood finally broke into comics as a letterer, and then as an inker. By the end of the year, Wood had gotten his first penciling (which he also inked) assignment for one of Fox’s western titles, Women Outlaws.
At Fox he was paired with Harry Harrison (the future science fiction novelist), with Harrison inking Wood’s pencils, but they switched roles as Wood improved his inking skills. In 1950 the team got their first work for EC, but the EC editors soon convinced Wood he’d be better off working solo—and so he was! Wood was already showing his potential by the time he arrived at EC, but that potential quickly bloomed and Wood produced some phenomenal work not only for EC, but as the full artist of a two-month-long Spirit story in 1952, as well as occasional work for Star and Avon. This cover would be the last comic book work Wood did for several years.
Maneely came from humble beginnings. Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in a poor family, dropped out of high school, and joined the Navy as a specialist in visual aids. After three years of service, he studied at the Hussian School of Art (also in Philly) under the G.I. Bill. After some time working in the advertising art department of the Philadelphia Bulletin, Maneely got his first comic book job in 1948 for Street & Smith. In late 1949 he got his first work for Atlas/Marvel. But he didn’t move to New York until 1953. Instead he would take the train to New York three times a week to turn in artwork and pick up new scripts. He took on a staff job at Marvel in 1955, during a time when his work was entering a new stage of mastery.
For the next two or so years, Maneely was one of, if not the, top artist at Marvel. Not only was he good, he was fast. He was on top of the world—and then came the crash of 1957 when Marvel laid off the entire staff (sans Stan Lee). Maneely still had his daily strip written by Lee called Mrs. Lyons’ Cubs, though, and he was able to get some work from DC, Charlton, and Crestwood to help make ends meet. Then in June of 1958, after having lost his glasses, Maneely fell between the cars of a moving train on his way from the city to his home in New Jersey. He would have been the first name on Lee’s call list when Marvel began hiring again, but it was not to be.
Want to hear some art collection talk about this famous Brian Bolland cover and the
"Gaze into the fist of Dredd" page?
Listen in here:
http://megacitybookclub.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/57-gaze-into-fist-of-dredd.html
Mazzucchelli...
Xaime
Tim Sale.
From one of the best comic series, ever.
Beto.
[Edit: That's what I get for looking up the wrong volume!"]