Ink Stains 205: Witzend 6

One of the most highly regarded and consistently great fanzines of all time, Wally Wood's Witzend!

Mike Hinge

Witzend 6: Spring 1969
Publisher: Bill Glasser, editor: Bill Pearson

Witzend holds a special place in the annals of fandom, one of the very few produced by an actual, seasoned professional, and an incredibly highly regarded one in Wally Wood, at that. Wood had huge plans and expectations, but it never did quite become the career defining publication he had planned on. So, by this time (with issue 4, actually), Wood handed over the zine (for one dollar, see more here) to be run by Bill Pearson, who went on to do an incredible job over several more issues. You can purchase a "best of" from one of my favorite all time comic companies, Fantagraphics, here. But, if you want to see all of the issue, you stay right here (and use the pdf)! I am hoping Bill allows me to publish this column with the whole issue available to see, since there have been a few collections of the amazing zine...we shall see! Worse case, you see a sampling here in the column, cross your fingers for the rest.

It's funny (and totally in character for Woody) for Bill to name the issue what you see above. From what I remember, Wally's purpose for the zine was not only to showcase work from him that might not be able to be published widely, but other professional artists, as well as promising amateurs. This issue, appropriate to the title above, pulls out a lot of stops, talent wise, as you will see below (and above, with the Mike Hinge cover, one of the earliest artists to incorporate computer graphics into their work).

The issue starts out with a bang (although, in space, I guess you wouldn't hear it) with Jeff Jones' Alien. Typically gorgeous with extraordinary compositions, and a totally alien language, check it out below.

Jeff Jones

Breaking up the string of stories is an interview by venerated scholar, John Benson, with even more venerated creator, Will Eisner. Great reading! Below is a sample of Eisner's brilliance, of which most of us have acknowledged for many years.

Will Eisner

The next story, Qwamb, is by someone I have no knowledge of (and for whom I can find nothing online), one Sorrel Garika. He could be someone from another country John or Wally admired, it could be a pseudonym, who knows? A story about a disgruntled water maintenance man, in a cartoony style that, in places, reminds me of the cartoony work of Ernie Colon. Judge for thyself below.

Sorrel Garika

We move back to more familiar climes, so familiar that it is the work of the originator of the zine, the great Wally Wood, entitled Spawn of Venus. I am pretty sure I have seen this reprinted several places, and I don't know if this appearance is it's first...but it is still gorgeous to look at! You know where to look!

Wally Wood

It's always amazed me how someone who admitted to "cheating" in every way possible (stat, swipe, copy, etc) could only create work that only ever looked like his work, immediately identifiable, professional, and inventive. What an immense talent, gone too soon, and so often self sabotaged.

Now, I guess we could also classify the next creator as the opposite of self serving. But his popularity and workability was not diluted by drink or crazy antics, but an ideology that, more and more as time went by, put him at the sidelines of the comic industry. That "crazy" genius is Steve Ditko. The next story is a great example of his extreme views (often likened to Ayn Rand), the views he felt so strongly, he couldn't keep them inside. It's not even ironic that his black and white worldview would, more and more, only be presented as it is here, in black and white. I have to say, I definitely have an affinity for his views, to at least some degree. 

Steve Ditko

The last image (excluding the actual back cover), is a seldom seen fantasy scene from realist illustrator, Gray Morrow. He can and did it all!

And Witzend 6 comes to an end, luckily for my sore butt in this chair! Tune in next month for who knows what??? Remember, you can see it all in the pdf.