Image Needed.
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 Bogot�, 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
Wikipedia Bio
Contributors:
Jerry Bails: Creator Information
Ray Cuthbert: Creator Information
Cori Williamson: Creator Information
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Appearance
Type
Appearance
Information
Issue Cover Date
  story G-469 The Hunted! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Two-Gun Kid 25 September 1955
  story G-580 The Tin Star 6pg art
pencils and inks signed
Western Outlaws 11 October 1955
  cover Wanted!
Gunsmoke!

pencils and inks unsigned
Kid Colt Outlaw 54 November 1955
story G-753 No Turning Back 5pg art
inks attributed
The Outlaw Kid 8 November 1955
  story H-28 The Man Who Lost His Nerve 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Wyatt Earp 2 January 1956
story H-282 The Man Who Wears the Star! 4pg art
pencils signed
Annie Oakley 9 February 1956
  story H-344 The Silver Star! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Gunsmoke Western 33 February 1956
  story H-280 Stranger in Town! 4pg art
pencils signed
Ringo Kid 10 February 1956
  story H-433 Outnumbered! 4pg art
pencils signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 57 February 1956
  story H-433 Outnumbered! 4pg art
inks attributed
Kid Colt Outlaw 57 February 1956
  cover The Jackal's Lair!
pencils signed
Jann of the Jungle 10 March 1956
  cover Challenge of Aku!
The Scarlet Menace Strikes!

pencils signed
Lorna, the Jungle Girl 18 March 1956
  story H-775 Gambling House! 4pg art
pencils signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 58 March 1956
  story H-430 The Tough Hombre! 4pg art
pencils signed
Wild Western 48 March 1956
  story H-665 The Man-Hunter! 4pg art
pencils signed
Cowboy Action 11 March 1956
  story H-890 The City that Time Forgot! 3pg art
pencils signed
Marvel Tales 144 March 1956
  story H-436 The Mob! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Billy Buckskin 3 March 1956
  story H-437 The Coward 4pg art
pencils signed
Rawhide Kid 7 March 1956
  story H-665 The Man-Hunter! 4pg art
inks attributed
Cowboy Action 11 March 1956
  story H-432 The Protector! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
The Outlaw Kid 10 March 1956
  story H-714 A Stranger in Tombstone! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Western Kid 9 April 1956
  story H-849 The Strange Crew Of The Pegasus 3pg art
pencils signed
Strange Stories of Suspense 8 April 1956
  story H-850 The Man Who Had No Friends! 3pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Mystery 33 April 1956
  story H-770 No Place To Turn 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Frontier Western 2 April 1956
  story Afraid of No Man! 4pg art
pencils signed
Two-Gun Kid 30 April 1956
  story J-7 Inside the Cave! 4pg art
pencils signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 59 April 1956
  story H-672 The Invaders! 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Strange Tales of the Unusual 3 April 1956
  story J-53 The Man Who Caught the Raven 6pg art
pencils signed
Western Outlaws 14 April 1956
  story J-7 Inside the Cave! 4pg art
inks attributed
Kid Colt Outlaw 59 April 1956
  story J-444 When Kelly Came to Town! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Matt Slade, Gunfighter 1 May 1956
  story H-918 Blaze Of Glory! 4pg art
pencils attributed
Battleground 11 May 1956
  story J-12 The World Beneath the Sea 4pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Unknown Worlds 45 May 1956
  story J-381 The Promise 4pg art
pencils attributed
Kid Colt Outlaw 60 May 1956
  story J-468 What'll It Be, Gents? 4pg art
pencils signed
Gunsmoke Western 35 June 1956
  story J-471 Genius With a Gun! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Western Kid 10 June 1956
story J-338 Desperado 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Frontier Western 3 June 1956
story J-765 Inside the Tunnel 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
World of Fantasy 2 July 1956
  story J-851 The Rip-Snorter 4pg art
pencils signed
Matt Slade, Gunfighter 2 July 1956
story J-608 Outlaw's Hideout 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Quick-Trigger Western 13 July 1956
  story J-851 The Rip-Snorter 4pg art
inks attributed
Matt Slade, Gunfighter 2 July 1956
  story J-910 The Green Man! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
World of Suspense 3 August 1956
  story J-934 Menace from the Stars! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Mystery Tales 44 August 1956
  story J-914 When Drago Came to Town! 4pg art
pencils signed
Gunsmoke Western 36 August 1956
  story J-902 Where Larrabee Rode! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Ringo Kid 13 August 1956
  story J-914 When Drago Came to Town! 4pg art
inks attributed
Gunsmoke Western 36 August 1956
  story J-999 The First Shot! 4pg art
pencils signed
Battlefront 42 September 1956
  story K-176 Settlers Trail 2pg text
pencils unsigned
Wild Western 51 September 1956
J-695 Action at Sedan Story Image
story J-695 Action at Sedan 4pg art
pencils signed
Battleground 13 September 1956
story K-256 The Town! 4pg art
inks attributed
Kid Colt Outlaw 64 September 1956
story K-26 Crag Noonan Fastest Gun in the West! 7pg art
inks attributed
Quick-Trigger Western 14 September 1956
  story K-367 The Fake 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Mystery Tales 46 October 1956
  story K-417 Lawman's Point 2pg text
pencils unsigned
Frontier Western 5 October 1956
  story K-503 Ranch Hand's Luck 2pg text
pencils and inks unsigned
Ringo Kid 14 October 1956
  story Home Trail 2pg text
pencils and inks attributed
Gunsmoke Western 37 October 1956
  story G-863 The Search 2pg text
pencils and inks unsigned
Western Outlaws 17 October 1956
  story K-297 None Are So Blind! 4pg art
pencils attributed
Adventure Into Mystery 4 November 1956
  story K-684 The Man Who Lost the Fight 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Wyatt Earp 7 November 1956
story K-724 Fear 4pg art
pencils signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 66 November 1956
story K-724 Fear 4pg art
inks unsigned
Kid Colt Outlaw 66 November 1956
  cover Cry Danger!
pencils guess
Lorna, the Jungle Girl 22 December 1956
  story K-749 Pearl-Handled Colts! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Frontier Western 6 December 1956
  story K-820 They Took Me Away! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Mystery Tales 48 December 1956
  story K-902 One of Us Is an Outlaw! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Western Gunfighters 23 December 1956
  story G-715 Space Tune 2pg text
pencils and inks unsigned
Spellbound 31 December 1956
  story K-720 What Stanley Saw! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Strange Tales 53 December 1956
story K-824 The Unknown Ones! 4pg art
pencils signed
Astonishing 57 January 1957
  story G-514 The Bronc Buster 2pg text
pencils guess
Six-Gun Western 1 January 1957
  story L-173 In the Dead of Night 4pg art
pencils signed
Uncanny Tales 51 January 1957
  story F-765 Double Trouble 2pg text
pencils and inks attributed
The Outlaw Kid 15 January 1957
  story K-930 The Taboo! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Mystical Tales 5 February 1957
  story F-902 Saving the Cattle 2pg text
pencils and inks unsigned
Gunsmoke Western 39 February 1957
  story L-30 The Secret of the Strange Stone 3pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Mystery 43 February 1957
  story J-244 The Living Portrait 2pg text
pencils unsigned
Journey Into Mystery 43 February 1957
  story J-216 No Variations 2pg text
pencils and inks unsigned
Mystic 56 February 1957
  story L-390 Dreadnought! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Navy Tales 2 March 1957
  story L-509 The Lizard 4pg art
pencils signed
Mystery Tales 51 March 1957
  story L-205 King of the Glacier Men 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Journey Into Unknown Worlds 55 March 1957
  story L-363 Where Rides the Rustler! 5pg art
pencils signed
Wild Western 54 March 1957
L-459 Ghost Town! Story Image
story L-459 Ghost Town! 4pg art
pencils signed
Six-Gun Western 2 March 1957
  story L-159 The Menace of the Green Men 4pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Mystery 44 March 1957
  story L-386 Showdown at Noon! 5pg art
pencils signed
Two-Gun Western 9 March 1957
  story G-973 The Debt 2pg text
pencils signed
Wild Western 54 March 1957
  story L-690 The Secret of the Haunted House 4pg art
pencils unsigned
World Of Mystery 6 April 1957
  story L-468 Beware ... a Martian 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Strange Stories of Suspense 14 April 1957
  story L-657 When the Creature Escapes 4pg art
pencils unsigned
World of Suspense 7 April 1957
  story L-528 Six-Gun Justice 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Gunsmoke Western 40 April 1957
  story L-440 The Monster in the Mist! 4pg art
pencils signed
Astonishing 60 April 1957
  story L-649 Cry Danger! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 16 April 1957
  story L-628 Jungle Vengeance! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 16 April 1957
  story L-600 Fangs of the Black Orchid! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 16 April 1957
L-395 A City at Stake! Story Image
story L-395 A City at Stake! 3pg art
pencils signed
Marines in Battle 17 April 1957
  story L-860 The Gunslinger! 4pg art
pencils signed
Kid Slade, Gunfighter 7 May 1957
  story L-902 One of Our Deputies Is Missing! 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Six-Gun Western 3 May 1957
  story L-695 The Sheriff Strikes Back! 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Wild Western 55 May 1957
  story L-758 He Floats Thru the Air 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Strange Tales 58 May 1957
  story M-161 A Handful of Bullets! 4pg art
pencils signed
Wyatt Earp 12 June 1957
  story L-792 In the Room of Darkness 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Spellbound 34 June 1957
story M-11 The Mystery Of The Tattooed Man! 4pg art
pencils unsigned
Mystic 60 June 1957
  story M-14 Voodoo Vengeance! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 17 June 1957
  story L-960 The Killers of the Swamps! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 17 June 1957
  story L-942 The Drum Beats at Midnight! 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Jann of the Jungle 17 June 1957
  story M-234 They Don't Come Back! 4pg art
pencils signed
Battleground 18 July 1957
  story The Death of Dallas Dawson 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Two-Gun Western 11 July 1957
  story M-108 The Last Notch! 4pg art
pencils signed
The Outlaw Kid 18 July 1957
  story M-63 A Shaggy Wolf Tale! 3pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Unknown Worlds 59 August 1957
  story J-899 The Tunnel 2pg text
pencils and inks attributed
Marines in Action 14 September 1957
story M-991 Helpless! 5pg art
pencils signed
Battle 55 December 1957
  story H-57 Crackpot Chemist 2pg text
pencils unsigned
Strange Tales 60 December 1957
  story O-377 Icebreaker! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Navy Combat 17 April 1958
  story M-377 The Secret Laboratory of Dr. Domino 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Strange Tales 64 August 1958
story T-100 The Strangers From Space! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Tales of Suspense 1 January 1959
  story T-111 Beware the Future! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
World of Fantasy 16 February 1959
story T-122 I Was the Miracle Man 5pg art
pencils unsigned
Strange Worlds 2 February 1959
story T-244 I Was The Changing Man! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Strange Worlds 4 June 1959
story T-275 Beware Of The Robots! pg art
pencils and inks signed
Tales of Suspense 4 July 1959
  story T-362 My Other Face! 4pg art
pencils signed
Journey Into Mystery 54 September 1959
  story T-334 I Found the Nightmare Note 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Tales to Astonish 5 September 1959
  story T-379 And Then I Found You! 4pg art
pencils attributed
My Own Romance 71 September 1959
  story T-362 My Other Face! 4pg art
inks unsigned
Journey Into Mystery 54 September 1959
  story T-454 I Flew in the Berlin Airlift! 4pg art
inks signed
Battle 67 December 1959
  story T-486 The Vengeance of Spade Corbell! 5pg art
pencils and inks signed
Two-Gun Kid 51 December 1959
story T-508 Escape! 4pg art
pencils and inks signed
Kid Colt Outlaw 88 January 1960
  story T-529 Sitting Duck! 4pg art
inks guess
Battle 68 February 1960
story T-579 Rip-Snorter! 4pg art
pencils and inks unsigned
Kid Colt Outlaw 89 March 1960