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Al Williamson
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Creator Profile
- Creator Name
- Al Williamson
- Date of Birth
- March 21, 1931
- Date of Passing
- June 12, 2010
- Biography
- Al Williamson, who for over fifty years drew for both comic books and comic strips, died June 12, 2010, at age 79. In recent years he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by his wife of thirty-two years, Cori, his daughter Valerie and his son Victor. Williamson was born in New York City in 1931, but spent his first thirteen years primarily in Bogotá, Colombia. In 1941, his mother took him to see the science fantasy movie serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, an experience which, combined with his love for comics storytelling, set his career course at an early age. Williamson, who first and foremost considered himself a cartoonist, excelled at illustrative science fiction, adventure and western stories, pulling inspiration from both classic comic strips and motion pictures. He is highly regarded both popularly and critically for his excellent draftsmanship and dynamic storytelling. Most notably, Williamson was extraordinarily accomplished at rendering the human figure in motion. His classically proportioned characters twist and leap with a startlingly vivid illusion of movement in part evolved from his study of motion picture action choreography. Williamson began his professional career in 1948 and achieved popular recognition in the early 1950s as the youngest and one of the most talented contributors to the legendary EC line of comics. Beyond EC, Williamson drew superior work for many comic publishers, including American Comics Group, Atlas/Marvel, Charlton, Classics Illustrated, Dark Horse, Dell, Harvey, King, Prize, Toby and Warren. From 1967 until 1980 he produced the art for the King Features Syndicate's daily Secret Agent Corrigan newspaper strip, and from 1981 to 1984 drew the daily and Sunday Star Wars newspaper strip. Beginning in the 1980s Williamson reintroduced himself to a new generation of comics readers as an inker for DC and then Marvel Comics, enjoying memorable stints finishing the work of other artists on Superman, Daredevil and Spidergirl. The single comics character, however, with whom Williamson is most identified would be Flash Gordon. The science fiction adventurer, created in 1932 by Alex Raymond for King Features, engaged the lifelong imagination of Williamson. He produced a much beloved series of stories for King Comics' Flash Gordon comic book in the 1960s. He returned to the character in 1980, drawing a comics adaptation of the contemporary Flash Gordon motion picture. In the 1990s, he produced a Flash Gordon mini-series for Marvel Comics and later contributing to the original Sunday strip. In addition to the stories, he produced countless other Flash Gordon images for uses in advertising, merchandising and the fan press. He gradually retired from the professional ranks in the early years of the new century as one of comics' most admired and influential creators. Over his career he received numerous professional awards, including multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards and the National Cartoonists Society's 1967 Award for Best Comic Book Cartoonist. Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as an artist—the works mentioned above represent only a sampling—Williamson deserves recognition as a veteran who often opened professional doors for many others starting their careers. An impressive number of comics contributors owe at least part of their success to Williamson's willingness to recommend and promote new artists and writers to his editorial contacts. Williamson was also an avid collector of comics and illustration art, valuing the beauty of original drawings produced for comic books and strips long before the physical art created by commercial artists was popularly appreciated. He will be fondly remembered by those you knew him for his generosity, his indefatigable sense of humor and his great enthusiasm in sharing his love of comics, illustration, movies and music. Al Williamson took inspiration from a legion of cartoonists, illustrators and motion pictures from the first half of the twentieth century and created works of timeless appeal—and then he passed that inspiration on to new generations of comics creators.
- Links
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Wikipedia Bio
Contributors:
Jerry Bails: Creator Information
Ray Cuthbert: Creator Information
Cori Williamson: Creator Information
Jerry Bails: Creator Information
Ray Cuthbert: Creator Information
Cori Williamson: Creator Information
Challenge of Aku!
The Scarlet Menace Strikes!
The Scarlet Menace Strikes!
pencils signed
H-849 The Strange Crew Of The Pegasus 3pg art
pencils signed
J-444 When Kelly Came to Town! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
K-26 Crag Noonan Fastest Gun in the West! 7pg art
inks attributed
K-902 One of Us Is an Outlaw! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
L-30 The Secret of the Strange Stone 3pg art
pencils signed
L-205 King of the Glacier Men 4pg art
pencils unsigned
M-377 The Secret Laboratory of Dr. Domino 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
T-100 The Strangers From Space! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
T-334 I Found the Nightmare Note 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
T-486 The Vengeance of Spade Corbell! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 54
November 1955
pencils and inks unsigned
The Outlaw Kid 8
November 1955
Annie Oakley 9
February 1956
Jann of the Jungle 10
March 1956
pencils signed
Lorna, the Jungle Girl 18
March 1956
pencils signed
Frontier Western 3
June 1956
World of Fantasy 2
July 1956
Quick-Trigger Western 13
July 1956
Battleground 13
September 1956
Kid Colt Outlaw 64
September 1956
Quick-Trigger Western 14
September 1956
Kid Colt Outlaw 66
November 1956
Kid Colt Outlaw 66
November 1956
Lorna, the Jungle Girl 22
December 1956
pencils guess
Astonishing 57
January 1957
Six-Gun Western 2
March 1957
Marines in Battle 17
April 1957
Mystic 60
June 1957
Battle 55
December 1957
Tales of Suspense 1
January 1959
Strange Worlds 2
February 1959
Strange Worlds 4
June 1959
Tales of Suspense 4
July 1959
Kid Colt Outlaw 88
January 1960
Kid Colt Outlaw 89
March 1960