They were originally done circa 1958 for the short lived race for the moon title, and featur. What makes the effort unique is that each volume focuses on a particular ec artist. See more ideas about art, comic art and comic book artists. Al williamson obituary comics and graphic novels the. Al williamson was the leading exponent of the heroic adventure style introduced by alex raymond in flash gordon. Half a dozen retrospectives of his work have appeared over the years, including al. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for getting my the reilly brown prince of power page i ordered out to me so quickly, ive been buying original art since i was thirteen and ive had a lot of experiences where i had to email. Media interview with his friend and artist mark schultz, in which he discusses the book al williamsons flash gordon. Al williamsons figures were heroic and larger than life and yet he was also able to ground them with a realworld sense of scale and proportion. In recent years he suffered from alzheimers disease.
Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other comic vine users. Al williamson the art of al williamson, 1983 first published in 1983, this was the first major book on the artists work and career. Allinall an excellent, affordable source of scarce al williamson art. Comic book art alfonso al williamson americancolombian 19312010. Williamson worked on classic titles including, flash gordon, star wars, weird science, kid colt outlaw, spiderman, daredevil, and many others. They contained some of the best western and sciencefiction comic book stories from artists sid check, al williamson, reed crandall, frank frazetta, angelo torres and others. I saw his art first in the weird science and weird fantasy reprints, and it stood out to me then, even before i learned to appreciate wally wood and jack kamen. He is survived by his wife of thirtytwo years, cori, his daughter valerie and his son victor. Al williamson comic book information and titles worked on. The final whitman flash gordon comic book was printed in 1982. Al williamson iis a highly regarded illustrator for his comic book genre art for science fiction, fantasy, and adventure with ec comics plus titles like creepy, eerie. We offer modern, bronze age, silver age, and golden age comics. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. I spent hours trying to mimic his style back in the day so it was a lot of fun for me to revisit his work all these years later.
Comic book artist al williamson was a major influence on me growing up. Alfonso williamson, american comic artist born march 21, 1931, new york, n. He is survived by his wife of thirtytwo years, cori, his daughter valerie. In 1960, little work to be found in the comic book field due to a downturn in the industry, he went to work as an assistant to john prentice on the alex raymondcreated comic strip rip kirby for a threeyear period. Al williamson comic creator the comics price guide. May not include supplemental items like discs, access codes, dust jacket, etc. Star wars debuted on the comicbook page in 1977, when marvel comics began publishing a six. Star wars return of the jedi 1983 movie comic books. In the 1960s, he found his niche in adventure comic strips, with a. In 1952 williamson began working at ec comics on their weird science and weird fantasy titles. This book is filled with half finished sketches and roughs. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Al williamsons career is crammed full of amazing accomplishments.
In 1952 williamson began working at ec comics on their weird science and weird fantasy. Checklist of al williamson comic book work from late forties to early eighties. Blade runner or just blade runner is a comic book adaptation of the film blade runner, published by marvel comics in 1982. Williamson began working on marvels comic book versions of star wars, as well as a newspaper strip. Al williamson 1931 2010 word is spreading across the comics community that legendary illustrator al williamson passed away june. The tilt of a hip, coiled legs about to spring, the action elements of comic art are easy to study in this nice selection from the sketch pad of a comic book great.
This book collects several scraps of unfinished, rough pencil sketches andor partially inked scenes. View market values for books, store your collection, and meet fellow comic fans. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Williamsons professional credits are both legion and legendary. Al williamson was one of those rare artists who was just too good for the comic book field, yet worked there anyway. He was only 21 years old when he joined the company in 1952, where he was considered the kid brother, since most of his colleagues were family men. In 1984, famed comic book writer editor archie goodwin mailed me a pile of pages that had been torn from comic books of the fifties. The art of al williamson, 1983 first published in 1983, this was the first major book on the artists work and career. As an artist al had few peers, amongst them were the likes of frank frazetta, who williamson worked with at e. See more ideas about comic book artists, comic art and classic comics. In addition to a lengthy interview with williamson, author james van hise also talks with many of his creative collaborators. After the ec heyday, williamson moved on to draw a wide variety of stories for atlas, acg, and other companies. In it you can study williamsons skill at the human figure in action.
He was particularly noted for his work on flash gordon in the 1960s, 80s, and 90s, as well as. In addition to these classics of sequential storytelling, al williamsons flash gordon features williamsons flash drawings done for commercial illustration and prints, his assists on the flash gordon comic strip, a variety of flash images contributed to amateur publications, and a selection of largely unpublished images spanning his interest. Al williamson, who for over fifty years drew for both comic books and comic strips, died june 12, 2010, at age 79. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock. His much beloved work in the mid60s on king features flash gordon comic book series garnered him a best comic book cartoonist award from the prestigious. Learn more about legendary comics artist al williamson in this mr. The honorees so far have been johnny craig, jack davis, al feldstein, harvey kurtzman, al williamson and wally wood, all members of the comic book hall of fame. Developing an elegantly illustrative cartooning style, he first came to prominence with the highly influential ec comics line of the 1950s. The following statement was released by the family of al williamson. Al williamsons flash gordon by al williamson, hardcover. He reappeared briefly in 1987 as part of a team that included mandrake and the phantom in the tvinspired defenders of the earth. Williamsons final comic book work was a cover for j david spurlocks space cowboy in 2001.
It was written by archie goodwin with art by al williamson, carlos garzon with dan green and ralph reese. Contrary to implications from the cover illustration, this book primarily contains western and horror stories, with only one story containing any classic williamson scififantasy elements. He especially loved doing pencil work, but was deathly afraid of inking, so frazetta undertook that task for him. Darth vader checks on the status of the second death star while the rebels attempt to rescue han solo from jabba the hutt. Al williamson was the single best figure artist to work in comic books. Alfonso al williamson was the youngest member of the ec family.
George clooney captain america lifting mjolnir is the greatest scene in mcu history. There may be underlining, highlighting, and or writing. Published by harvey comics, this book has two five page jack kirby stories, both inked by al williamson. About the author al williamson was born in new york city in 1931. Al williamson 1931 2010 the official statement from the williamson family al williamson, who for over fifty years drew for both comic books and comic strips, died june 12, 2010, at age 79. This approach enables readers to observe each artists development over time and, in some cases, see how he applied his skills to widely varying subject matter. Al williamson was the young guy among the ec artists of the early 1950s, producing classic stories for the various science fiction titles, often in collaboration with frank frazetta, wally wood, and roy krenkel.
With a career spanning several decades, williamsons work in newspaper comic strips and comic books included such iconic series as flash gordon, star wars and secret agent corrigan. Secret agent corrigan comic strip for 10 years, and more. Alfonso williamson american comic artist britannica. Al williamson s flash gordon, a lifelong vision of the heroic. See more ideas about comic book artists, flash gordon and comics.
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