Go, Read: Dan Nadel On Wally Wood

There's a terrific profile of Wally Wood over on the Comics Comics site by Dan Nadel.

It's hard to pin down the appeal of Wally Wood. It's not that he's overwhelmingly the comic book's finest craftsman -- he has a dozen or so direct peers, I think, in that way. Wood also never had the sustained period of creativity with an authorial bent that distinguished the careers of people like Jack Kirby. He was involved with some groundbreaking projects, but never as the driving force and always part of a team. Wood's not even comics' saddest story. Shamefully, there are maybe two dozen stories of unrealized talent and unsatisfactory reward as heartbreaking as Wood's. I think the key is that there was something so bouncy and cocksure and potent about Wood's artwork that his troubles seemed that much more poignant, like the sadness of a great clown from the movies no matter what his demeanor was like when the cameras were off. I also have a hunch that his role as solely a craftsman and a hard-luck case that is part of his appeal. He seemed like your friend's cool dad who didn't work a desk job. Wood remains one of the most fascinating figures of 20th Century cartooning, and endlessly worth discussion. Let Nadel's essay put him back squarely in your mind.
 
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