Each artist was a titan in the field of narrative art: Gene Colan (1926 – 2011) stamped his iconic “painting with a pencil” style on characters such as Daredevil, Sub-Mariner, and Tomb of Dracula (TOD); and Al Williamson (1928 – 2010) meticulously applied his brush on Flash Gordon, Secret Agent X-9, and Star Wars, including numerous exemplary covers and pages of EC Comics. (In fact, George Lucas selected Williamson to illustrate Star Wars.)
I own a TOD original art page by Colan and inker extraordinaire Tom Palmer, plus I have an original X-9 newspaper strip by Williamson. This original 1994 Iron Man Annual Vol.1, No.15, page 11 is my first where both luminaries collaborated—Colan pencilled (also signed bottom right), and Williamson inked.
Left: Iron Man original art interior page by Colan and Williamson.
Not a significant page in the annals of their collaborative efforts, yet I’m amazed by the cinematic narrative rendering of Tony Stark appearing twice in the middle panel as he speaks to the doctor.
Moreover, throughout the page, Williamson captured Colan’s three pencil values: light, medium, and dark that numerous inkers had failed to execute. The numerous values embody Colan’s style of “painting with a pencil”.
The printed page, and cover by Mark Bright and Andy Lanning.
Colan and Williamson’s short-lived collaboration can be appreciated in, for instance, the four-part mini series TOD, Clive Barker’s The Harrowers, Iron Man Annual No.13, Marvel Comics Presents No.103, and Marvel Fanfare No.51.
From my spontaneous, casual messages with award-winning writer/editor/historian Tom Field, who authored a book on Colan as outlined in my previous blog: “I know Gene was honored to work with Al … I think Williamson wanted to make more money and decided his best route was as an inker. He was fast, and I think he was trying to produce as much work as he could—for the first time in his career. He had always been so meticulous before that.”
From my observations, as artists age, their styles alter, which is why Colan and Williamson’s latter efforts were not as refined as their earlier, primary works. Berni Wrightson, Neal Adams, and Frank Frazetta are examples of transformed styles in their twilight years.
Interview with Gene Colan by Kevin Hall, May 1998.
“Tom Palmer I loved his work very much. I LOVE Al Williamson’s work because he captures, and so did Tom, he captures an awful lot of what I do. They could instinctively read what I was trying to do.
My work is not the easiest stuff to ink, the pencils are complex. Very few inkers … either they don’t want to do it or they’re afraid to tackle it because I have half-tones in there. I’m not a linear artist: I put in shading and stuff like that that takes time to do.
And inkers, you know, the pen and the ink and the brush is a different tool altogether, and you cannot capture those in between greys unless you take the time and trouble and know how to do that. Al Williamson does.
He’s a great penciller when he has been pencilling, but he sort of gave that up. Why? I don’t know. But he’s concentrated for the last, I don’t know … what, ten years or so, on inking. And that’s all he does. He did something … it might have been Star Wars. I think he did some pencilling for that, I’m not sure of it though.”
Greatly appreciate the assistance re this page from my buddy Ryan and Warren for their great customer service at Capt. Can Comics.