Often referred to a "sexy action-adventure" character, Sally Forth was -- like his male character, Cannon -- created by Wallace Wood for a male military readership in a tabloid military newspaper for servicemen.
Woody explained in a 1976 interview:
"It all started in 1968, when I was asked to do a complete comic section for a proposed tabloid newspaper for servicemen, four pages of full-color, service-oriented humor strips ... There was a high-flying lowlife named 'Wild Bill Yonder,' a couple of others that for some reason escape my memory ... (such an embarrassment) and one that I felt, and still feel, had a great name for a comic heroine ... Sally Forth."
In 1971, Sally reappeared in OVERSEAS WEEKLY, the same paper that the Cannon strip ran. Her last installment was on April 22, 1974. Wood had several art assistants during this project, including Nicola Cuti, Larry Hama and Paul Kirchner.
From 1993-1995, her strips were collected and re-formatted by editor Bill Pearson into a series of comic magazines under the Eros Comix imprint, a division of Fantagraphics.
Monster and cheesecake fans should enjoy the "strip" shown here today. In this episode, Sally arrives at Castle Vernacula, where she encounters Krankenstein's monster, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, King Kong and Count Vernacula himself.
While he had a studio full of youngbloods eager to help, Sally Forth was the strip that Wally Wood was born to draw. Pages and pages of delightful wardrobe malfunction.
ReplyDeleteAlways a treat to see Wally Wood artwork!
ReplyDeleteRip: Dare I say it: Compared to Cannon, I think the Sally Forth strips were a touch more "tasteful" and I think the lighter-hearted story served it well, much like Kurtzman and Elder's Little Annie Fanny.
ReplyDeleteDoug: One thing you can say for sure: Woody never flinched with his pencil!
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