Description
Drew Friedman rendered this portrait of legendary MAD and EC Comics cartoonist Wally Wood (1927-1981), one of the greats of comic illustration. Wood, along with Will Elder, exploded on the pages of MAD when it debuted in 1952 as a comic book under Harvey Kurtzman. (See Drew’s portraits of Elder, Kurtzman, and Al Jaffee, also available as limited edition fine art prints.) Wood next contributed to Kurtzman’s short-lived Trump magazine, after which he returned to MAD until the mid-1960s. EC publisher William Gaines once observed, “Wally may have been our most troubled artist. I’m not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant.”
Wood provided illustrations for books, advertising, packaging and products; gag cartoons, record album covers, and posters. He created pencil sketches for Topps’ landmark Mars Attacks trading cards and Ugly Stickers series. He was also renowned for science fiction/fantasy illustrations (hence the portrait backdrop). A nasty drinking habit curtailed Wood’s professional ascendance, and he ended his career drawing porn for a pittance.
Drew Friedman has produced a limited edition of five (5) artist-signed prints. These prints are offered on a first-come basis. Once the run sells out, the work will not be offered in any other fine art print format.