Out this week from US publisher Hermes Press is The Art of George Wilson by Anthony Taylor, a superb looking hardcover art book devoted to an artist who created many memorable covers throughout the “Silver Age” of American comics.
What made many of the great American adventure comics of the 1960s so attractive were their fantastic painted covers by artist George Wilson. Unlike other comic book covers of the era, Wilson’s covers harkened back to the era of pulp magazines and were spectacularly eye-catching.
He turned in efforts for literally hundreds of comics titles including: Classics Illustrated, The Twilight Zone, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Dr. Solar, Magnus Robot Fighter, Time Tunnel, Turok, Son of Stone and Star Trek, to name but a few.
Written by author, journalist, and screenwriter Anthony Taylor, edited by Daniel Herman, The Art of George Wilson focuses on over 300 examples of Wilson’s cover art and features numerous examples of his artwork, scanned from the originals, together with many of the book covers he created – including his extensive run on Avon’s The Phantom, as well as his work on the Gold Key version.
If you’re reading this at San Diego Comic Con, attendees who purchase a copy of The Art of George Wilson at the Hermes Press stand (Booth 1821) will receive one of five different prints, suitable for framing. Anthony Taylor will also be signing at the stand on Friday, and Saturday from 11.00am to 1.00pm.
In addition to The Art of George Wilson, Anthony Taylor is author of Classic Monsters, Modern Art: 20th Century Horror in 21st Century Illustration. He’s also released a two-volume set of colour catalogue reproductions of Aurora Plastic Model kits from the 1960s and 1970s, which include a history of the company, as well as an interview with artist and kit designer Dave Cockrum.
He also wrote Arctic Adventure!, an official Thunderbirds novel, released in 2012, based on the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson TV series, and episodes of the animated Paddle Pop Adventures series from Monk Studios.
Anthony also penned the Introduction to Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Complete Series – Volume 2, which includes reprints of the classic Gold Key comic book stories and The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim, chronicling artist Mike Trim’s career designing models and special effects for Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO, and illustrating the cover for Jeff Wayne’s musical War of the Worlds album.
Previously a monthly columnist for Toy Shop Magazine for 12 years covering garage kits and genre collectibles, Anthony was also a regular contributor and editor for the British magazine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models International, and contributed a chapter on the Flying Sub miniatures from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea for the book From Sketch to Screen. His articles have appeared in Screem, Retro Fan, Cryptology, SFX, Video WatcHDog, Fangoria, Famous Monsters of Filmland, FilmFax, Amazing Figure Modeler, Effects Special, Modeler’s Resource, and many other magazines. Anthony also designed and co-edited CultTVMan’s Ultimate Modeling Guide to the Jupiter II as well as CultTVMan’s Ultimate Modeling Guide to Classic Sci-Fi Movies.
A Hall of Fame recipient from the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, Anthony remains dedicated to uncovering, archiving, and celebrating the stories that defined generations of fandom. He also organises Monsterama Con, Atlanta’s only retro horror and sci-fi convention.
• The Art of George Wilson, written by Anthony Taylor, is available now from all good bookshops | Published by Hermes Press | 288 pages | ISBN-13: 978-1613452882 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link
• Anthony Taylor is online at goanthonytaylor.com | Patreon | Facebook | Instagram |
If you are a comic book shop interested in this book, seeking a distributor, reach out to info@hermespress.com directly to discuss options on getting direct shipment and pricing from them
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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