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.

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.

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

Al Williamson stands in rarified air, among the titans of the development of comics as an art form. Drawing from the tradition of the heyday of book, advertising, and comic-strip illustration, Williamson brought a command of craft and dynamics rarely seen, before or since, to a field that had largely valued speed over skill. As part of an amazing stable of young artists at E.C. in the 1950s, Williamson helped change the industry forever although much of his work of the era has remained hidden. This work includes a diverse array of fantasy, science fiction, westerns, war stories, and more that showcases the astonishing range of this master of the form. Al Willaimson: Hidden Lands at last uncovers these stories from his days at Atlas, E.C., Charlton, Harvey, Dell, and more — including collaborations with Roy Krenkel, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, and other top creators of the era — most of which have never been reprinted as well as a wide array of material that has never before been published, including fascinating sketches and works from his career's infancy and photos from the artist's personal scrapbooks. Covered in fascinating depth by writers Mark Schultz, Thomas Yeates, and Steve Ringgenberg and gathered from extensive, lively interviews with Williamson, Al Williamson: Hidden Lands is an essential volume for any fan of this giant of graphic fiction as well as for those interested in comics history of the classic era of pen-and-ink illustration.

With the Death Star destroyed, the Empire has declared martial law throughout the galaxy. A thousand worlds have felt the oppressive hand of the Emperor as he attempts to crush the growing Rebellion. As the Imperial grip of tyranny tightens, Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the small band of freedom fighters continue to press for the salvation of the planets -- but such a small crew stands little hope of succeeding against the dominant might of the Empire. But sometimes that's all it takes -- a little hope. Dark Horse Comics is proud to present, in an all-new package, the comics adaptation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back -- The Special Edition. By Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, this classic adaptation is reprinted from the original Star Wars comic-book series and is now collected with an all-new cover to celebrate The Empire Strikes Back -- The Special Edition.

Al Williamson is a legendary fifty year veteran comic-book and adventure-strip artist. Williamson has glorified E.C.'s Weird Science, won awards for his Flash Gordon, and Marvel-ous inking, inspired a generation of imitators with his Creepy and Eerie magazine work, and has been universally recognized as the truly classic Star Wars comics artist. Williamson's sketches are the closest thing the artist has produced to traditional fine art. They are in many ways his purest work. The Al Williamson Sketchbook is the only major collection of these works. The book spans the artist's most intimate musings, revealing hundreds of unpublished works dating from his years of collaboration with Frazetta, Krenkel, Wood and Torres, through all the classic Williamson subjects: dinosaurs, alien landscapes, fantastic ruined cities, exotic women, Star Wars, and swashbuckling swordplay. J. David Spurlock is an illustrator, publisher, and historian of popular culture.