Al Williamson Adventures [Hardcover]

Harlan Ellison (Author), Bruce Jones (Author), Mark Schultz (Author), Al Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

This oversized art book presents a huge dose of Al's exceptional illustrations for stories authored by Harlan Ellison, Bruce Jones, Mark Schultz, Archie Goodwin, and Mark Wheatley. It includes new and never before seen art and stories in addition to the highest art quality reproduction of the very best comic art Al Williamson has created. Look for a dramatic new cover illustration of Al's favorite comics strip character, Flash Gordon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Williamson, former artist of adventure comic strips like Secret Agent Corrigan and Flash Gordon, might best be described as the Roger Corman of comics art. While his own work has mostly appeared in the medium's pulpier areas, his influence on subsequent generations of comics artists is undeniable. Like Corman, Williamson has influenced filmmakers, too-George Lucas says much of the Star Wars movies' production design owes a huge debt to Williamson, and Lucas later asked Williamson to draw the Star Wars comics strip. In celebration of his long, successful career, Insight Studios Group has produced an album-sized collection of his art, both b&w and color. This is not some static pin-up book, but an anthology of various short stories by such luminaries as Harlan Ellison, Bruce Jones and Archie Goodwin. While it's an impressive roster of writers, it's clear they're completely in the service of the artist. The stories-almost all of which feature obvious plot twists and clumsy dialogue-are really no more than flimsy excuses for Williamson to draw beautiful, scantily-clad women; burly men in leather jackets; and futuristic cars with big guns. Fortunately, the art is well worth it. For all of his love of the Sunday sci-fi adventure strip tropes, Williamson is a skilled storyteller. He has a strong sense of both anatomy and physical objects, handles chases and fights with equal aplomb, and if his characters' expressions sometimes lack subtlety-well, they're not in subtle stories, now, are they?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Williamson is best known for the gorgeous sf stories he illustrated in the 1950s for various EC Comics. His style has changed remarkably little during the intervening half-century, and this collection of recent work demonstrates there is scant reason it should have. Unlike most contemporary comics artists, who learned to draw from studying their forebears, Williamson was influenced by classic magazine illustration, which spurred him to develop a facility rivaling those of its masters. Every panel here is beautifully rendered, and the book's oversize format and sharp, mostly black-and-white reproduction show Williamson's meticulous line to full advantage. The stories are primarily sf and other genre tales like the ones he drew in his early career. Perhaps the one that is the most fun is an Indiana Jones-style adventure in six chapters spaced by other stories in the volume. Hardly in the limelight lately--as in other pop-culture fields, comics veterans are routinely sidelined in favor of hot newcomers--Williamson well deserves the tribute of this book. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Insight Studios Group (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889317179
• ISBN-13: 978-1889317175
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,070,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Hardcore Williamson Fans Only, January 2, 2004

By 

rampageous_cuss (Under Billy Penn's Hat) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Al Williamson Adventures (Hardcover)

This is a so-so (storywise!!!) collection of some of Al Williamson's later ('70's era?) work. The 7 stories included are:

"Along the Scenic Route" (Story - Harlan Ellison)
"Cliff Hanger" (Story - Bruce Jones)
"Relic" (Story - Archie Goodwin)
"The Few and the Far" (Story - Bruce Jones)
"One Last Job" (Story - Mark Schultz)
"Out of Phase" (Story - Archie Goodwin)
"Tracker" (Story - Mark Wheatley)

The Ellison reprint is by far the best of the lot. "Cliff Hanger" is a weak "Indiana Jones" knockoff. "Relic" and "One Last Job" are somewhat odd homages to Roy Krenkel and Wally Wood, respectively. "The Few..." is a somewhat unconvincing 'ironic twist' tale, while "Out of Phase" might be a kind of ironic comment from Goodwin on the artist's persistent Flash Gordon fascination... "Tracker" feels like part one of a series that couldn't quite get off the ground (note that pages 80 and 81 are switched).

As always Williamson's art is the best feature. However "The Art of Al Williamson (James Van Hise)" is by far the better book for anyone interested in this artist.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greats, December 22, 2003

By 

n0s4a2 (Burbank, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Al Williamson Adventures (Hardcover)

I first saw Al Williamson's art in the old Creepy magazine published by Warren, and he was a standout, with his classic illustration style figures, deft brush and ink lines, and dynamic compositions. Totally slick yet loose and energetic, the inheritor of all that is best in 20th century advertizing/comic strip technique, ornate and slightly old-fashioned looking. His only rival might be Frazetta. The reproductions in this book are primo. The black and white stuff is like finding unread copies of Creepy to enjoy, and there is even a really nice color story- the color added not by the old color separation method, but what looks like watercolor (or maybe dye) over the inks, superbly handled. Such a classy style, such solid knowledge, such debonair craft, and no so-so early stuff, only mature, full-flavored work. If you like Williamson, this is the best collection I've seen.

4.0 out of 5 stars Al Williamson Adventures -Solid collectiom, March 1, 2005

By 

The Pinto Kid (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al Williamson Adventures (Hardcover)

I bought this book recently(it's been out about a year or two),because I love Al Williamson's artwork.

This is a nice collection of Al's 1980's and 1990's work(I should say pencil work because Al's been inking for Marvel for about 20 years).

Alot of this stuff is still available but it's nice to see it collected in a good package(bigger than the typical comic size, and on really great paper).

In my opinion, this dosen't really compare to "The Art Of Al Williamson" or the recently released "Hidden Lands"(why hasn't that been released in hardcover?),however this is a really good compliment to both.