He is survived by his wife of thirtytwo years, cori, his daughter valerie. Checklist of al williamson comic book work from late forties to early eighties. Comic book artist al williamson was a major influence on me growing up. He reappeared briefly in 1987 as part of a team that included mandrake and the phantom in the tvinspired defenders of the earth. Alfonso williamson american comic artist britannica. 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. 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. 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. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Published by harvey comics, this book has two five page jack kirby stories, both inked by al williamson. What makes the effort unique is that each volume focuses on a particular ec artist. Darth vader checks on the status of the second death star while the rebels attempt to rescue han solo from jabba the hutt. Williamson worked on classic titles including, flash gordon, star wars, weird science, kid colt outlaw, spiderman, daredevil, and many others.
Blade runner or just blade runner is a comic book adaptation of the film blade runner, published by marvel comics in 1982. View market values for books, store your collection, and meet fellow comic fans. They were originally done circa 1958 for the short lived race for the moon title, and featur. 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. Al williamson the art of al williamson, 1983 first published in 1983, this was the first major book on the artists work and career. Al williamson was the single best figure artist to work in comic books. 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 1952 williamson began working at ec comics on their weird science and weird fantasy. He especially loved doing pencil work, but was deathly afraid of inking, so frazetta undertook that task for him. See more ideas about art, comic art and comic book artists. Comic book art alfonso al williamson americancolombian 19312010. 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. Al williamson was the leading exponent of the heroic adventure style introduced by alex raymond in flash gordon. 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.
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. Star wars debuted on the comicbook page in 1977, when marvel comics began publishing a six. Media interview with his friend and artist mark schultz, in which he discusses the book al williamsons flash gordon. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. It was written by archie goodwin with art by al williamson, carlos garzon with dan green and ralph reese. Alfonso al williamson was the youngest member of the ec family. Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other comic vine users. In addition to a lengthy interview with williamson, author james van hise also talks with many of his creative collaborators.
Star wars return of the jedi 1983 movie comic books. In recent years he suffered from alzheimers disease. 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. There may be underlining, highlighting, and or writing. Al williamson 1931 2010 word is spreading across the comics community that legendary illustrator al williamson passed away june. 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. See more ideas about comic book artists, flash gordon and comics. See more ideas about comic book artists, comic art and classic comics.
As an artist al had few peers, amongst them were the likes of frank frazetta, who williamson worked with at e. Al williamson comic book information and titles worked on. Williamson began working on marvels comic book versions of star wars, as well as a newspaper strip. 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. Williamsons final comic book work was a cover for j david spurlocks space cowboy in 2001.
The art of al williamson, 1983 first published in 1983, this was the first major book on the artists work and career. The final whitman flash gordon comic book was printed in 1982. Al williamsons career is crammed full of amazing accomplishments. 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. 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. He was particularly noted for his work on flash gordon in the 1960s, 80s, and 90s, as well as. 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. Williamsons professional credits are both legion and legendary. The following statement was released by the family of al williamson. Al williamson s flash gordon, a lifelong vision of the heroic. Al williamson obituary comics and graphic novels the. 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. 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. Al williamson was one of those rare artists who was just too good for the comic book field, yet worked there anyway.
About the author al williamson was born in new york city in 1931. This book is filled with half finished sketches and roughs. Alfonso williamson, american comic artist born march 21, 1931, new york, n. Half a dozen retrospectives of his work have appeared over the years, including al. After the ec heyday, williamson moved on to draw a wide variety of stories for atlas, acg, and other companies. This book collects several scraps of unfinished, rough pencil sketches andor partially inked scenes. In the 1960s, he found his niche in adventure comic strips, with a. In it you can study williamsons skill at the human figure in action. Al williamsons flash gordon by al williamson, hardcover. He worked on the star wars daily comic strips, as well as the comicbook adaptations for the empire strikes back and return of the jedi published by marvel comics. Secret agent corrigan comic strip for 10 years, and more. Learn more about legendary comics artist al williamson in this mr.
In 1952 williamson began working at ec comics on their weird science and weird fantasy titles. Allinall an excellent, affordable source of scarce al williamson art. 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. May not include supplemental items like discs, access codes, dust jacket, etc. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. 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. He is survived by his wife of thirtytwo years, cori, his daughter valerie and his son victor. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Developing an elegantly illustrative cartooning style, he first came to prominence with the highly influential ec comics line of the 1950s.
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