In 1948 a young Al Williamson accepted his first commercial assignment--for an issue of Famous Funnies comics, which launched his career as a professional in the field. Developing an elegant and illustrative style, he soon gained prominence in the highly influential EC Comics line of the 1950s. Over the next few decades, his exquisite art also illuminated many Atlas comics, various incarnations of Flash Gordon and the comic strips Secret Agent Corrigan and Star Wars, as well as a host of other titles and properties. This extraordinary body of superior work cemented Williamson's longstanding popularity. By the end of his career in the early 2000s, he had become one of the most highly regarded comic and strip artists in the industry, especially noted for the graceful ink line that he spent a lifetime pursuing. This first compendium in a new series is the perfect introduction to Al Williamson's work. You will find samples that span his fifty-year career along with anecdotes and historical details salted throughout. Cover art, interior pages, drawings and sketches--plus photographs of Al and his friends posing as reference for his sequential art--are included. This volume contains a mixture of both his most-obscure and best-known works, all meticulously reproduced from the original art. Until now, this captivating original artwork has only been seen by those fortunate enough to visit the Williamson studio in person. For the first time, readers will be able to view the artist's most-cherished works. Williamson's love of 1920s and 1930s adventure, fantasy and science-fiction pop culture--and his admiration of artists such as Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond--grounded his drawing technique and storytelling, which evolved throughout his life. He was able to take these inspirations and carry on the legacy of the past masters while becoming a unique icon in the industry. In this collection, readers will be able to witness Williamson's development as an artist.

Collects all of artist Al Williamson's major works featuring the character Flash Gordon, including his work on the King Comics stories, the 1980 adaptation of the motion picture, and the 1994 Marvel Comic miniseries.

The art of Al Williamson compliments short stories by Harlan Ellions, Bruce Jones, Archie Goodwin, and Mark Schultz.

Barely old enough to drink when he joined the EC Comics stable, Al Williamson may have been the new kid on the block, but a lifetime of studying such classic adventure cartoonists as Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) and Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) had made him a kid to reckon with ― as he proved again and again in the stories he created for EC’s legendary “New Trend” comics, in particular Weird Science and Weird Fantasy.

Beginning the complete library of the greatest science fiction hero of all time. Volume One will spotlight the work of Alex Raymond, legendary for some of the finest storytelling of the 20th century. Raymond illustrated the Sunday strips until 1944; with his clear and much-imitated style forming the original aesthetic of the most popular and easily recognised science fiction hero for decades to come. Introducing Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov, and Ming the Merciless, this volume will catapult readers to the deadly planet Mongo. These are the strips that influenced George Lucas to create Star Wars, and which illustrator Al Williamson said were "the reason I became an artist."

ÒDEATHMASK!Ó An ancient mask of a South American god of death is worn by a succession of men driven by it to kill, and Batman must discover the reason why.