Gold Key and Dell comics wouldn't be the same without the dramatic cover art of George Wilson. His images conveyed each title with (mostly non-superhero) characters in dynamic poses and his use of color is phenomenal.
A veteran, he served during the fateful invasion of Normandy and a decade later would be cranking out covers for Dell and Gold Key for the next 20-plus years. He also produced paperback covers for Avon and Harlequin, as well as westerns and The Hardy Boys.
Inspired by Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon (who wasn't back then?) and the illustration of Noel "Scorchy Smith" Sickles. He mainly worked with gouache on illustration board, but also used other mediums as well.
This gallery is a sampling of Wilson's work from the originals that has appeared up for auction over the past few years
See more of George Wilson's art HERE.
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| Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery No. 4 |
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| Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery No. 49 |
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| Buck Rogers No. 3 |
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| Dark Shadows No. 20 |
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| Dr. Solar, Man of the Atom No. 4 |
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Flash Gordon No. 19
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| Grimm's Ghost Stories No. 4 |
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| John Steele, Secret Agent No. 1 |
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| Korak, Son of Tarzan No. 8 |
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| Korak, Son of Tarzan No. 12 |
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| Magnus, Robot Fighter No. 1 |
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| Magnus, Robot Fighter No. 27 |
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| The Phantom No. 6 |
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| Ripley's Believe It Or Not No. 66 |
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| Space Family Robinson No. 5 |
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| Star Trek No. 10 |
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| The Time Tunnel No. 2 |
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| Turok, Son of Stone No. 41 |
As much as any single talent George Wilson defined Gold Key. His covers were dramatic and a startling departure from the average comic cover of the era, matched at the time only by Classics Illustrated. And I loved that Gold Key usually offered the artwork unblemished on the back cover.
ReplyDeleteWith his talent, it's interesting that he didn't focus his output on book covers. Gold Key must have paid well!
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