Editing Al Williamson

{{short description|American cartoonist (1931–2010)}}
{{for|the baseball pitcher|Al Williamson (baseball)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = Alwilliamsontable.jpg
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = Alfonso Williamson 
| birth_place   = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_place   = [[Upstate New York]], U.S.
| area          = 
| pencil        = y
| ink           = y
| alias         = 
| signature     = 
| notable works = 
| awards        = [[Eisner Award]] Best Inker (1991, 1997)<br />[[Eisner Award]] Hall of Fame (2000)<br />[[Inkwell Awards]] Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (2010)
| birth_date={{Birth date|1931|3|21}}
| death_date={{nowrap|{{Death date and age|2010|6|12|1931|3|21}}}}
}}
'''Alfonso Williamson'''<ref name=nytobit /> (March 21, 1931<ref name="CBG">{{cite web|author-link=John Jackson Miller |last=Miller |first=John Jackson |url=http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |title=Comics Industry Birthdays |work=[[Comics Buyer's Guide]] |date=June 10, 2005 |location=Iola, Wisconsin |access-date=February 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |archive-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> – June 12, 2010)<ref>{{cite web|last= Veitch|first= Rick|author-link= Rick Veitch|url= http://comicon.com/pulse/index.php/2010/06/14/al-williamson-1931-2010/|title= Al Williamson 1931–2010|publisher= Pulse (column) ComicCon.com|date= June 14, 2010|access-date= June 15, 2010|archive-date= July 16, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716141313/http://comicon.com/pulse/index.php/2010/06/14/al-williamson-1931-2010/|url-status=dead|df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/al_williamson_rip/ | title = Al Williamson, RIP: The Official Statement From The Williamson Family | publisher = The Comics Reporter | date =  June 14, 2010 | archive-date = June 28, 2011 |  url-status=live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628204827/http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/al_williamson_rip/}}</ref> was an American [[cartoonist]], comic book artist and illustrator specializing in [[adventure (genre)|adventure]], [[western (genre)|Western]], science fiction and [[fantasy (genre)|fantasy]].

Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in [[Bogotá]], Colombia before moving back to the United States at the age of 12. In his youth, Williamson developed an interest in [[comic strips]], particularly [[Alex Raymond]]'s ''[[Flash Gordon]]''. He took art classes at [[Burne Hogarth]]'s [[Cartoonists and Illustrators School]], there befriending future cartoonists [[Wally Wood]] and [[Roy Krenkel]], who introduced him to the work of illustrators who had influenced adventure strips. Before long, he was working professionally in the comics industry. His most notable works include his [[science-fiction]]/[[heroic-fantasy]] art for [[EC Comics]] in the 1950s, on titles including ''[[Weird Science (comic)|Weird Science]]'' and ''[[Weird Fantasy]]''.

In the 1960s, he gained recognition for continuing Raymond's illustrative tradition with his work on the ''Flash Gordon'' comic-book series, and was a seminal contributor to the [[Warren Publishing]]'s black-and-white [[horror comics]] magazines ''[[Creepy (magazine)|Creepy]]'' and ''[[Eerie (magazine)|Eerie]]''. Williamson spent most of the 1970s working on his own credited strip, another Raymond creation, ''[[Secret Agent X-9]]''. The following decade, he became known for his work adapting ''[[Star Wars]]'' films to comic books and newspaper strips. From the mid-1980s to 2003, he was primarily active as an [[inker]], mainly on [[Marvel Comics]] [[superhero]] titles starring such characters as [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]], [[Spider-Man]], and [[Mayday Parker|Spider-Girl]].

Williamson is known for his collaborations with a group of artists including [[Frank Frazetta]], Roy Krenkel, [[Angelo Torres]], and [[George Woodbridge (illustrator)|George Woodbridge]], which was affectionately known as the "Fleagle Gang". Williamson has been cited as a stylistic influence on a number of younger artists, and encouraged many, helping such newcomers as [[Bernie Wrightson]] and [[Michael Kaluta]] enter the profession. He has won several industry awards, and six career-retrospective books about him have been published since 1998. Living in Pennsylvania with his wife Corina, Williamson retired in his seventies.

Williamson was inducted into the [[List of Eisner Award winners#The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame|Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame]] in 2000.

==Biography==

===Early life and career===
Al Williamson was born in [[Manhattan]], New York City, New York,<ref name=nytobit /> one of two children of Sally and Alfonso Williamson, who was of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] descent and a [[Colombians|Colombian]] citizen. The family relocated to [[Bogotá]], Colombia, when Al was two years old.<ref name=vanhise15>Van Hise, James. ''The Art of Al Williamson''. (San Diego, California: Blue Dolphin, 1983) {{ISBN|0-943128-04-8}}, p. 15</ref> "My father was Colombian and my mother was American," Williamson said in 1997. "They met in the States, got married and went down there. I grew up down there so I learned both English and Spanish at the same time. It was comic books that taught me to read both languages."<ref name=jkc15p16>"Interview with Al Williamson," ''The Jack Kirby Collector'' #15 (April 1997), p. 16. Reprinted in ''The Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume Three'' ([[TwoMorrows Publishing]]: |location= Raleigh, North Carolina,  1999), p. 142. {{ISBN|978-1-893905-02-3}}</ref> At age nine, Williamson took an interest in comic strips via the [[List of Mexican magazines|Mexican]] magazine ''Paquin'', which featured American strips as well as ''Underwater Empire'' by [[Argentines|Argentine]] [[cartoonist]] [[Carlos Clemen]]. Later, Williamson was attracted to [[Alex Raymond]]'s ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' strip after his mother took him to see the ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' movie serial.<ref name=hurd31>Hurd, Jud, "The Al Williamson Story", ''Cartoonist Profiles'' #3 (Summer 1969), p.31</ref> While living in Bogotá he met future cartoonist Adolfo Buylla, who befriended him and gave him artistic advice.<ref>{{cite book | last=Schultz | first= Mark | editor= Yeates, Thomas |editor2 = Ringgenberg, S.C. | chapter = Chapter 1: Up from South America | title = Al Williamson: Hidden Lands | page = 15| publisher = [[Dark Horse Books]]|location= Milwaukie, Oregon|year= 2004|isbn = 978-1569718162}}</ref> At age 12, in 1943, Williamson moved with his mother to [[San Francisco]], California; they later moved to New York.<ref name=vanhise15 /><ref>Schultz, in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 11–15.</ref>
[[Image:AlWilliamsonearly.jpg|alt=Drawing of a young man looking intently into the eyes of a smiling young woman while holding her hand.|thumb|left|Late 1940s sketch]]   
In the mid-1940s Williamson continued to pursue his interest in cartooning and began to take art classes with ''[[Tarzan (comics)|Tarzan]]'' cartoonist [[Burne Hogarth]], and later at Hogarth's [[Cartoonists and Illustrators School]]. There he met future cartoonists [[Wally Wood]] and [[Roy Krenkel]]. According to Williamson, "Roy broadened my collecting horizons, he became my guide to all the great illustrators — the artists who directly influenced adventure cartoonists like [Alex] Raymond and [[Hal Foster|[Hal] Foster]]. He showed me [[Joseph Clement Coll|J.C. Coll]], [[Franklin Booth]], [[Joseph Franke]], [[Dan Smith (artist)|Dan Smith]], [[Norman Lindsay]], [[Fortunino Matania]], and the great ''[[Blue Book (magazine)|Blue Book]]'' illustrators like [[Herbert Morton Stoops]] and [[Frank Hoban]]."<ref>Schultz, in Yeates, Ringgenberg, p. 20.</ref> As he continued to learn about the cartooning field, he would visit the comic-book publisher [[Fiction House]], meeting such artists as [[George Evans (comics)|George Evans]], [[Bob Lubbers]], [[John Celardo]], and [[Mort Meskin]].<ref>Morrow, Jon. "Interview with Al Williamson", ''The Jack Kirby Collector'' #15 (April 1997), p. 17</ref>

Williamson's first professional work may have been helping Hogarth pencil some ''Tarzan'' Sunday pages in 1948,<ref>Schultz, in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 19–20.</ref> although Williamson, who had initially believed so, reconsidered in a 1983 interview and recalled that his ''Tarzan'' work had come after his first two pieces of comic-book art: providing spot illustrations for the story "The World's Ugliest Horse"<ref name=vanhise18>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', p. 18.</ref> in [[Eastern Color]]'s seminal series ''[[Famous Funnies]]'' #166 (May 1948),<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1= Groth|editor-first1= Gary|author-link1= Gary Groth|title= 50 Girls 50 And Other Stories Illustrated by Al Williamson|publisher= [[Fantagraphics Books]]|date= 2013|location= Seattle, Washington|page= 238|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=boaZCgAAQBAJ&q=World%27s+Ugliest+Horse+Williamson&pg=PA238|isbn= 978-1-60699-577-8}}</ref> and a two-page [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]] story, his first comics narrative, in ''New Heroic Comics'' #51 (Nov. 1948).<ref name=vanhise18 /><ref>Strauss, Robert, "Flourishing with the Genre" in Van Hise, p. 7</ref><ref name=gcd>{{gcdb|type=credit|search= Al+Williamson|title= Al Williamson}}</ref> (Williamson is also identified as co-penciler, with [[Frank Frazetta]], of a three-page crime story, "The Last Three Dimes", in [[Nedor Comics|Standard Comics]]' ''Wonder Comics'' #20 [Oct. 1948].)<ref name=gcd /> Williamson explained that while Hogarth had offered him ''Tarzan'' work, Williamson "just couldn't do it. ... I couldn't get it into my little brain that he wanted me to do it exactly the way that he did it," and instead successfully recommended Celardo, artist of the [[Tarzanesque|Tarzan-like]] feature "Ka'a'nga" in [[Fiction House]]'s ''Jungle Comics''.<ref name=vanhise18 /> As Williamson recalled:
{{blockquote|...Hogarth got in touch with [Celardo], and the next thing you knew, he was penciling the Sunday page for him. He did it for quite some time and something must have happened ... but at that point I was going to the Hogarth school again in the evenings ... and he asked me again if I would like to give it a try, so I said OK. He gave me a page and he had already laid it out, so I just tightened it up. Then he gave me another page that I tightened up and he inked it. Then I said I'd like to try laying it out myself and asked if I could do that, and he said, 'Go ahead, Al,' and handed me the script. So I laid that page out on a sketchpad. He said fine and just made a couple of suggestions as to what I should do; then I just did it on the big Sunday page, and when I was through, he inked it and the other one I had done the same way, and that was it.<ref name=vanhise18-19>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', pp. 18–19</ref>}}

During this period Williamson met his main stylistic influence, Raymond: "I had just turned 18. I had been in the business about six months or so. He gave me about two hours."<ref>Roberts, Tom, "Alex Raymond" (sidebar), "Chapter 2: The Young Pro" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, p. 22</ref>

===1950s===
[[File:Race for the Moon 02 page 22.jpg|thumb|''Race for the Moon'' #2 (September 1958), art by Jack Kirby and Al Williamson.]]
From 1949 to 1951, Williamson worked on [[science-fiction]] and [[Western comics|Western]] stories for publishers such as [[American Comics Group]] (AGC), [[Avon (publishers)|Avon Publications]], [[Fawcett Comics]], [[Nedor Comics|Standard Comics]], and, possibly, [[Toby Press]].<ref name=gcd /> He began collaborating with [[Frank Frazetta]], who often inked his work; and with [[Roy Krenkel]], who often did backgrounds.<ref>Ringgenberg, S.C., "Chapter 3: EC" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 23–35</ref> Examples of his work from that period include "Chief Victorio's Last Stand", in Avon's ''Chief Victorio's Apache Massacre'' (no number, no month, 1951); "Death in Deep Space", in [[Magazine Enterprises]]' ''Jet'' #4 (no month, 1951); and "Skull of the Sorcerer", in ACG's ''[[Forbidden Worlds]]'' #3 (Dec. 1951), inked by [[Wally Wood]].<ref name=gcd /><ref>Williamson, in Van Hise, p. 19, credits the inking on "Skull of the Sorcerer" to Wood, [[Joe Orlando]], [[Frank Frazetta]]. and himself.</ref>
[[File:Williamson 50Girls50.jpg|alt=Comic strip in which a woman dressed in a cape tells a man that she does not need him in order to become queen, then shoots him while he begs for mercy.|thumb|350px|Five Williamson panels from "50 Girls 50", in [[EC Comics]]' ''[[Weird Science (comic)|Weird Science]]'' #20 (Aug. 1953).]]
In 1952, upon the suggestion of artists Wally Wood and [[Joe Orlando]],<ref>Spurlock, David. ''Wally Wood Sketchbook''. (Lebanon, New Jersey: Vanguard Productions, 1998) p. 103</ref> Williamson began working for [[EC Comics]], an influential comic book company with a reputation for quality artists.<ref>Ringgenberg in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 76–77</ref> While at EC, Williamson frequently collaborated with fellow artists Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel and [[Angelo Torres]], a group which, along with [[Nick Meglin]] and [[George Woodbridge (illustrator)|George Woodbridge]], became affectionately known as the "Fleagle Gang", named after a notorious criminal gang.<ref>Ringgenberg in Yeates, Ringgenberg,  p. 50</ref>  Williamson primarily worked on EC's science-fiction comics ''[[Weird Science (comic)|Weird Science]]'', ''[[Weird Fantasy]]'', and ''[[Weird Science-Fantasy]]'', illustrating both original stories, primarily by writer [[Al Feldstein]], and adaptations of stories by authors such as [[Ray Bradbury]]<ref>For example, "A Sound of Thunder" in ''Weird Science-Fantasy'' #25(Sept. 1954)</ref> and [[Harlan Ellison]],<ref>For example, "Upheaval", an adaptation of Ellison's "Mealtime", in ''Weird Science-Fantasy'' #24 (June 1954). It was Ellison's first comic book work: {{cite web|url=http://www.sequentialellison.com/bibliography/?p=35 |title=''Weird Science-Fantasy'' #24 |date=n.d. |publisher=Sequentialellison.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021709/http://www.sequentialellison.com/bibliography/?p=35 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> but his work occasionally appeared in EC's [[horror fiction|horror]] and [[crime comics]] as well.

Williamson worked at EC through 1956 until the cancellation of most of the company's line. Williamson's EC art has been lauded for its illustrative flamboyance, evident in such stories as "I, Rocket", in ''Weird Fantasy'' #20 (Aug. 1953), co-penciled and co-inked with Frank Frazetta; and "50 Girls 50", in ''Weird Science'' #20 (Aug. 1953), co-inked by Williamson and Frazetta.<ref name=gcd /><ref>Strauss, in Van Hise pp. 9–10, singles out "I, Rocket" and "50 Girls 50" as stylistic breakthroughs.</ref> His final published EC story was the 10-page "A Question of Time", in ''[[Shock Illustrated]]'' #2 (Feb. 1956) with partial inking by Torres, who put his initials on the last page.<ref name=gcd /> In the fall of 1956, writer [[Larry Ivie]] introduced Williamson to future comics writers-editor [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]], with whom he would become friends and, later, a frequent collaborator. Williamson eventually helped Goodwin enter the comics field, having him script a [[Harvey Comics]] story, "The Hermit", penciled by [[Reed Crandall]] and inked by Williamson.<ref>Feduniewicz, Ken, and Yeates, Thomas, "Chapter 5: Fade-Out on the Fifties" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 193–194</ref>

From 1955 to 1957, Williamson produced over 400 pages of three-to-five-page stories for [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], the 1950s forerunner of [[Marvel Comics]], working in various genres but primarily [[Western comics|Westerns]]. He continued to collaborate with Torres and Krenkel, as well as with [[Gray Morrow]], George Woodbridge and Ralph Mayo.<ref name="Yeates, T. 2004">Yeates, Thomas, "Chapter 4: Atlas" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 81–84</ref> With Mayo, one of the first editors to give Williamson work, at [[Nedor Comics|Standard Comics]], Williamson collaborated on the [[Jungle girl (stock character)|jungle girl]] series ''[[Jann of the Jungle]]'' #16–17 (April and June 1957). Following Mayo's death, Williamson drew stories solo for the planned #18, but the series was abruptly canceled before that issue could be published.<ref>Yeates, Thomas, "Chapter 4: Atlas" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 147–153</ref> His "prolific though somewhat uneven two-year stint at Atlas",<ref name=strauss11-12>Strauss, pp. 11–12</ref> where he first drew [[war comics]], yielded superlative art in such stories as "The City That Time Forgot", in ''[[Marvel Tales (1949–1957)|Marvel Tales]]'' #144 (March 1956); "Menace from the Stars", in ''[[Mystery Tales]]'' #44 (Aug. 1956); "The Unknown Ones", in ''Astonishing'' #57 (Jan. 1957); "Dreadnaught", in ''Navy Tales'' #2 (March 1957); and "Helpless", in ''Battle'' #55 (Nov. 1957).<ref name=gcd /><ref name=strauss11-12 /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlastales.com/cr/131/n:131:z:a:o:4:d:ASC:p:1 |title=Al Williamson credits |date=n.d. |publisher=Atlas Tales |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232206/http://www.atlastales.com/cr/131/n%3A131%3Az%3Aa%3Ao%3A4%3Ad%3AASC%3Ap%3A1 |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> While "something appeared to be missing from a lot of his Atlas work: enthusiasm," Williamson's Atlas Westerns, at least, "form a strongly consistent body of work, characterized by minimal to nonexistent action, a preponderance of closeups and reaction shots, and well-defined figures set against sparse backgrounds."<ref name=strauss11-12 />

From 1958 to 1959 Williamson worked for [[Harvey Comics]] collaborating with former EC artists Reed Crandall, Torres and Krenkel and inking the pencils of [[Jack Kirby]] (for ''Race to the Moon'' #2–3 and ''Blast-Off'' #1).  On inking Kirby, Williamson relates: "I remember going up to Harvey and getting work there. They said, 'We haven't got any work for you, but we have some stories here that Jack penciled. Do you want to ink them?' I'd never really inked anybody else before, but I said, 'Sure,' because I looked at the stuff, and thought, I can follow ''this'', it's all there. I inked it and they liked it, and they gave me three or four stories to do."<ref>Morrow, Jon. "Interview with Al Williamson", ''The Jack Kirby Collector'' #15 (April 1997), p. 18</ref>

Additionally, Williamson drew stories for ''[[Classics Illustrated]]'' (in collaboration with Crandall and Woodbridge); [[Canaveral Press]]'s line of [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]] books (inked by Crandall);<ref name="DAK62"/> Westerns for [[Dell Comics]] (including ''Gunsmoke'' #8–12) and [[Charlton Comics]], including two complete issues of the Cheyenne Kid (#10–11) with Angelo Torres, and science-fiction stories for ACG, including "The Vortex", in ''Forbidden Worlds'' #69 (1958).<ref name="Yeates, T. 2004" /> He also worked with former EC artist [[John Severin]] on the "American Eagle" feature in ''Prize Comics Western'' #109 and #113 (1955).

Williamson's work during this decade was his most prolific in terms of comic book work and has garnered considerable praise for its high quality.<ref>Strauss, p. 13</ref> He has been noted for his perfectionism and love for the medium.<ref>Barlow, R.(1972) ''EC Lives!''. E.C. Fan-Addict Club: New York, p. 33</ref> Despite its high reputation, S.C. Ringgenberg felt that Williamson's artwork from this period could at times be uneven and uninspired.<ref>Ringgenberg, S.C., "Chapter 3: EC" in Yeates, Ringgenberg, pp. 46–48</ref> Williamson was single during this period and, according to ''The Art of Al Williamson'', had a bohemian and undisciplined lifestyle.<ref name=vanhise45>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', p. 45</ref>

===1960s===
In 1960, with little work to be found in the comic book field due to a downturn in the industry, he went to work as an assistant to [[John Prentice (cartoonist)|John Prentice]] on the Alex Raymond-created comic strip ''[[Rip Kirby]]'' for a three-year period.<ref name="Yeates, T. 2004" /> According to Williamson: "The reason that I was called in to help him out was that John had decided to go to Mexico and Mac <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Al McWilliams]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, John's prior assistant, didn't want to go... The deal was: would I be willing to go to Mexico?... and I said 'Si!'..."<ref>Feduniewicz, K. and Yeates, T., 'Williamson conquers the universe! ,''Third Rail'' #1 (June 1981), p.3</ref> It proved to be a solid learning period for Williamson, as he credits Prentice with teaching him many fundamental illustration methods.<ref>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', 30</ref> According to Prentice: "...he was terrific. He's the best guy I ever had by far."<ref>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', p. 65</ref> During that time, Williamson assisted [[John Cullen Murphy]] on the ''[[Big Ben Bolt]]'' boxing strip and [[Don Sherwood (cartoonist)|Don Sherwood]] on the strip ''[[Dan Flagg]]''.<ref>Hurd, p. 32</ref> He produced some sample pages for a proposed [[Sunday strip]] version of ''[[Modesty Blaise]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://profmendez.tripod.com/html/modesty3a.htm |title=Madame X: Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway's Modesty Blaise |access-date=November 4, 2009 |first=A. E. | last=Mendez | publisher= The Rules of Attraction: The Look of Love: The Rise and Fall of the Photo-Realistic Newspaper Strip, 1946–1970 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070720185200/http://profmendez.tripod.com/html/modesty1.htm | archive-date= July 20, 2007}}</ref>
[[Image:Flashgordon1-Williamson.jpg|alt=One comic strip panel of man and woman, each with  an empty balloon above them containing no dialog.|thumb|Williamson panel from [[King Features]] ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' #1 (Sept. 1966)]] 
He returned to comics in 1965 doing one story each in [[Gold Key Comics]]' ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'' #1 (June 1965), ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' #12 (Aug. 1965), and ''[[Boris Karloff]] Tales of Mystery'' #11 (Sept. 1965), and helped launch [[Warren Publishing]]'s black-and-white horror-comics magazines ''[[Creepy (magazine)|Creepy]]'' and ''[[Eerie (magazine)|Eerie]]'' with several stories in early issues, while contributing to Warren's [[war comics]] magazine ''[[Blazing Combat]]''. He was instrumental in recruiting other former [[EC Comics]] artists as Frazetta, Krenkel, Torres, Crandall, and Evans, as well as artist [[Gray Morrow]] and writer-editor [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]].<ref>Goodwin, Archie, "The Black & White World of Warren Publications", ''[[Comic Book Artist]]'' #4 (Spring 1999), p.9</ref>

In 1966, he drew the first issue (Sept. 1966) of a new ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' comic book series, published by [[King Features]]. Williamson's work received positive reader response, and returned to draw issues #4–5 (March and May 1967), as well as the cover of #3 (Jan. 1967). Williamson received a [[National Cartoonist Society]] Best Comic Book art award for his work on that title.<ref>Ringenberg, Steve. "Al Williamson Interviewed", ''The Comics Journal'' #90 (May 1984), p. 78</ref> In 1967, on the strength of a backup feature he had done in the ''Flash Gordon'' book, he took over another Alex Raymond creation, the long-running ''[[Secret Agent X-9]]'' comic strip, collaborating with writer Goodwin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/williamson_a.htm |title=Al Williamson |year=2014 |publisher=[[Lambiek|Lambiek Comiclopedia]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605095226/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/williamson_a.htm |archive-date=June 5, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the start of their tenure, the title was changed to ''Secret Agent Corrigan''.<ref>Riggenberg, "Al Williamson Interviewed", p. 80</ref>

Williamson helped assemble the first major book on Alex Raymond's ''Flash Gordon'', published by [[Woody Gelman|Nostalgia Press]] in 1967, and wrote the introduction.<ref>Ringgenberg, "Al Williamson Interviewed", p. 88</ref> In 1966, [[Wally Wood]]'s alternative-press comic book ''[[witzend]]'' #1 published Williamson's "Savage World", a 1956 story originally drawn for a [[Buster Crabbe]] comic book that had been cancelled.  With significant contributions by Frazetta, Krenkel, and Torres, the story is a prime sample of the "Fleagle Gang" style and has since been reprinted by [[Marvel Comics]] (in the black-and-white comics magazine ''[[Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction]]'' #1, January 1975), [[Pacific Comics]] and [[Kitchen Sink Press]].<ref>Schreiner, Dave. "Savage World", ''Death Rattle''  vol. 2, #10 (April 1987) pp. 22–23</ref> Wood would later write the script for a three-page story drawn by Williamson, "The Tube", in another alternative-press comic, publisher [[Flo Steinberg]]'s ''[[Big Apple Comix]]'' (1975).

By the end of the decade, Williamson was beginning to encourage younger artists whom he would meet at [[comic book convention]]s, helping [[Bernie Wrightson]] to enter the comics profession.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/05wrightson.html |title=Like a Bat Out of Hell: Chatting with Bernie Wrightson, DC's Monster Maker |journal=Comic Book Artist |publisher=[[Two Morrows Publishing]] |issue=5 |date=Summer 1999 |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218025041/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/05wrightson.html |archive-date=February 18, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===1970s===
[[File:Williamsoncorrigan12172.jpg|left|thumb|200px|This ''Secret Agent Corrigan'' panel (December 1, 1972) shows Williamson's skill with inking and contrasting techniques.]]
Williamson worked on ''Secret Agent Corrigan'' through the 1970s until he left the strip in 1980. The first Corrigan anthology was published in France in 1975, ''Le FBI joue et gagne'', reprinting Williamson's first episode on the feature.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bedetheque.com/BD-Corrigan-Agent-Secret-X9-Le-FBI-joue-et-gagne-20662.html|title= ''Corrigan – Agent Secret X-9''|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140601013310/http://www.bedetheque.com/BD-Corrigan-Agent-Secret-X9-Le-FBI-joue-et-gagne-20662.html|archive-date=June 1, 2014 |url-status=live|access-date=May 4, 2009 |publisher=Bedetheque}}</ref> He returned to [[Warren Publishing]] in 1976 and again in 1979 to draw three additional stories in ''[[Creepy (magazine)|Creepy]]'' (#83, 86, 112). These were published in France in the collection ''Al Williamson: A la fin de l'envoi'' in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bedetheque.com/serie-5199-BD-A-la-fin-de-l-envoi.html|title= ''A la fin de l'envoi''|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130129040927/http://www.bedetheque.com/serie-5199-BD-A-la-fin-de-l-envoi.html|archive-date= January 29, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=April 18, 2009 |publisher=Bedetheque}}</ref>

He drew a few more stories for [[Gold Key Comics]], in ''Grimm's Ghost Stories'' #5 and 8 (Aug. 1972, March 1973), and ''[[The Twilight Zone#Comic books|The Twilight Zone]]'' #51 (Aug. 1973), as well two mystery stories for [[DC Comics]], in ''[[The Witching Hour (DC Comics)|The Witching Hour]]'' #14 (May 1971), with inker [[Carlos Garzon]], and ''[[House of Mystery]]'' #185 (April 1970), with [[Michael Kaluta]], another artist whom he helped enter the professional field, assisting him.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.kaluta.com/pages/bio/intvwcba.html|title= Interview by Jon B. Cooke of ''Comic Book Artist'' Magazine|first= Jon B.|last= Cooke|date= March 13, 1998|publisher= Kaluta.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140407082218/http://www.kaluta.com/pages/bio/intvwcba.html|archive-date= April 7, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Comics historian [[Les Daniels]] noted that "Williamson's atmospheric technique, which relied on subtle textures as much as hard lines, was not typical of traditional DC art" and that editor Joe Orlando "got complaints from the production department" over using Williamson's art.<ref>{{cite book|last = Daniels|first = Les|author-link = Les Daniels|chapter= Haunted Houses Fear as an Art Form|title = DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes|publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company|Bulfinch Press]]|year = 1995|location= New York, New York|page = 159|isbn = 0821220764}}</ref> He drew various Flash Gordon illustrations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.comcast.net/~cjh5801a/Flash_williamson.htm|title=Flash Gordon Commercial Art|access-date=April 18, 2009|publisher=The Holloway Pages|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412025338/http://home.comcast.net/~cjh5801a/Flash_williamson.htm|archive-date=April 12, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the burgeoning fan movement, Williamson became an early subject of comics historians with the publication of Jim Vadeboncoeur's ''Al Williamson: His Work'' in 1971<ref>Vadeboncoeur, Jim. ''Al Williamson: His Work'' (Promethean Enterprises: Sunnyvale, California, 1971)</ref> and the "Al Williamson Collector" by [[James Van Hise]] and Larry Bigman, featured in the fanzine ''[[Rocket's Blast Comicollector]]'' in the early 1970s.<ref>See Van Hise, James, ''The Al Williamson Collector'', ''Rocket's Blast Comicollector'', Miami, Florida: S.F.C.A, #'s 90–116</ref><!--Confusing footnote: Is "The Al Williamson Collector" a column in ''Rocket's Blast Comicollector''?--> Samples of his sketches appear in various [[fanzines]] of the period.<ref>For example, ''Heritage'' #1a and 1b, Doug Murray and Richard Garrison (1972); ''Squa Tront'' #1–7, Wichita: Jerry Weist (1967–1977)</ref> [[Marvel Comics]] began regularly reprinting Williamson's 1950 [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]] Western stories, starting with ''The [[Ringo Kid]]'' #1 (Jan. 1970) and ''[[Kid Colt Outlaw]]'' #147 (June 1970), further introducing Williamson's early work to a latter-day generation.

===1980s===
After leaving the ''Secret Agent Corrigan'' daily strip, he illustrated the [[Marvel Comics]] [[The Empire Strikes Back (comic)|adaptation]] of ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' with Carlos Garzon,<ref>{{cite book|last = Edwards|first = Ted|title = The Unauthorized Star Wars Compendium|chapter = Adventures in the Comics|publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company]]|year = 1999|location = New York, New York|page = [https://archive.org/details/unauthorizedstar00edwa/page/82 82]|isbn = 9780316329293|quote = The artwork reached a new high, with Williamson penciling and Carlos Garzon inking likenesses of the characters that had an accuracy never before seen in the series.|chapter-url-access = registration|chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/unauthorizedstar00edwa/page/82}}</ref> as well as the 50th issue of the monthly ''[[Star Wars (1977 comic book)|Star Wars]]'' comic. Williamson was [[Lucasfilm]]'s first choice as illustrator for the ''Star Wars'' newspaper [[comic strip]], a project Williamson had been offered years earlier but had declined to take on at the time. He was offered the ''Empire Strikes Back'' adaptation upon Lucasfilm's specific request, as [[George Lucas]] had an appreciation of Williamson's EC Comics and Flash Gordon work.<ref>Van Hise, ''The Art of Al Williamson'', p. 36</ref> Writer Archie Goodwin cited "the comfort of knowing that I would be working with Al Williamson, an old friend that I've worked with over the years. He was absolutely the best ''Star Wars'' artist you could ever want to have. That makes it easier because you feel that whatever you do as a writer, you have an artist that will make it look great. He's also an artist that Lucasfilm kind of begged and pleaded for and always wanted to have do ''Star Wars'' material. There was that comfort factor in it as well."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.echostation.com/interview/goodwin.htm|title=Another ''Star Wars'' Classic: Writer/Editor Archie Goodwin|date=June 9, 1996|author=Morrow, Jim|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723005700/http://www.echostation.com/interview/goodwin.htm|archive-date=July 23, 2013|url-status=usurped|access-date=April 18, 2009|publisher=Echo Station}}</ref>

A comic book adaptation of the [[Dino De Laurentiis]]' film, ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]],'' written by Bruce Jones and illustrated by Al Williamson, was released by Western Publishing in both hardcover and softcover formats to coincide with the film's release. A photograph of actor [[Sam J. Jones]], who played Flash Gordon, was pasted into the original cover art. It was serialized in three issues of Whitman's ''Flash Gordon'' comic book, #31–33, March–May 1981. [[Al McWilliams|Alden McWilliams]] inked the backgrounds for the last 25 pages.  According to Williamson, "It was the hardest job I ever had to do in my life."<ref>Riggenberg, "Al Williamson Interviewed", p. 77</ref> He then began drawing the ''[[Star Wars (comic strip)|Star Wars]]'' comic strip in February 1981<ref>Edwards, p. 84</ref> following [[Alfredo Alcala]]'s tenure, with Goodwin writing.  He drew the daily and Sunday feature until March 11, 1984, when the strip was canceled.<ref>Edwards, p. 88: "The syndicated newspaper comic strip wrapped up its impressive run on March 11, 1984...Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson continued to deliver top-quality story lines through to the end."</ref>  Williamson's daily strips on this series were completely reprinted in Russ Cochran's three-volume slipcase edition in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.timelineuniverse.net/CoverGalleries/CovergalleryClassic2.htm|title= ''Classic Star Wars''|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131204031631/http://www.timelineuniverse.net/CoverGalleries/CovergalleryClassic2.htm|archive-date= December 4, 2013|url-status=dead|df= mdy-all|access-date= April 18, 2009|publisher= Time Line Universe}}</ref>

Returning to comic books full-time for the first time since 1959, Williamson began work for [[Pacific Comics]], collaborating with writer [[Bruce Jones (comics)|Bruce Jones]] for the ''[[Alien Worlds]]'' title (#1, 4, 8), and "Cliff Hanger", a six-issue adventure-strip backup feature in the ''[[Somerset Holmes]]'' [[miniseries]]. For Marvel, he illustrated the ''[[A Marvel Comics Super Special: Blade Runner|Blade Runner]]'' and ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' movie adaptations.<ref>Edwards, p. 87</ref>  The two Archie Goodwin stories he illustrated for ''[[Epic Illustrated]]'' ("Relic" in issue #27, 1984; and "Out of Phase", in #34, 1986) have been considered to be some of his finest work,<ref>Wheatley, Mark (contributor). ''Al Williamson Adventures'' (anthology) (Insight Studios Group: Westminster, Maryland, 2003) {{ISBN|1-889317-17-9}}. Preface</ref> and Williamson himself named "Relic" as one of his best works.<ref name="DAK62"/> The letterer on all these projects was Ed King.<ref>{{gcdb|type=letterer|search= Ed+King|title= Ed King}}</ref> Williamson drew a short story for ''[[Timespirits]]'' #4 and the full issue of ''Star Wars'' #98.<ref name="gcd" /> For [[DC Comics]], he penciled and inked an eight-page story by [[Elliot S. Maggin]] for ''[[Superman (comic book)|Superman]]'' #400 (Oct. 1984)<ref>{{cite journal|last = Addiego|first = Frankie|title = ''Superman'' #400|journal = [[Back Issue!]]|issue = 69|pages = 68–70|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|date = December 2013|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> and he inked [[Rick Veitch]] on the classic, oft reprinted [[Alan Moore]] [[Superman]]/[[Swamp Thing]] story "The Jungle Line" in ''[[DC Comics Presents]]'' #85 (Sept. 1985).<ref name="gcd" />

Following the expiration of his contract on the ''Star Wars'' newspaper strip, Williamson found that the weight of doing both pencil and inks suddenly became stressful to him, drastically reducing his output.<ref name="DAK62">{{cite news | last = Zimmerman | first = Dwight Jon | date = November 1988 | title = Al Williamson | work = [[Comics Interview]] | issue = 62 | pages = 43–59 | publisher = [[Fictioneer Books]]}}</ref> As a response to this, in the mid-1980s Williamson made a successful transition to becoming strictly an [[inker]], beginning at DC Comics inking [[Curt Swan]] on ''Superman'' #408–410 and #412–416. The longtime Man of Steel artist would later describe Williamson as "his favorite inker".<ref>{{cite book|last = Zeno|first = Eddy.|chapter= New Glories in the '80s and '90s|title = Curt Swan A Life in Comics|publisher = [[J. David Spurlock|Vanguard Productions]]|year = 2002|location= Lebanon, New Jersey|page = 40|isbn = 978-1887591393|quote= Curt stated that, for the record, Williamson was his favorite inker. He wrote of his 'flair'. Indeed Williamson's varied line did lend itself to excellent reproduction in the telling of a good story.}}</ref> Williamson then moved to Marvel where he inked such pencillers such as [[John Buscema]], [[Gene Colan]], [[Rick Leonardi]], [[Mike Mignola]], [[Pat Oliffe]], [[John Romita Jr.]], [[Lee Weeks]], and many others. [[John Romita Sr.]], Marvel's [[art director]] during that time, considered Williamson to be "one of the best pencillers in the world but he really can't make a living at penciling because he wants to do these beautifully pencilled pages with ample time to do them. That's why Al is inking now ... and adding a greater dimension to the penciller he's working with."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jimkeefe.com/studio/romita/interview.htm|first = Jim | last=Keefe| title=Interview: John Romita |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203025509/http://www.jimkeefe.com/studio/romita/interview.htm|archive-date= December 3, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=April 18, 2009 |publisher=JimKeefe.com}}</ref> He won nine industry awards for Best Inker between 1988 and 1997.

===1990s===
[[Image:Hansolo-al williamson.jpg|alt=Drawing of a man pointing a pistol at the viewer. In the background looms a monster and an ape figure, while some spaceships fly by in a starry sky.|thumb|Williamson promotional art for cover of [[Dark Horse Comics]]' ''Classic Star Wars: [[Han Solo]] at Star's End'' (1997)]]  
Williamson provided the covers and additional artwork for [[Dark Horse Comics]]' 20-issue ''[[Classic Star Wars]]'' (Aug. 1992 – June 1994), which reprinted his ''[[Star Wars]]'' daily strips. He later inked the ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|A New Hope]]'' film adaptations for the company.  Through 2003, he was active as inker on several [[Marvel Comics]] titles, including [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|''Daredevil'']] (#248–300), ''[[Spider-Man 2099]]'' (#1–25), and ''[[Mayday Parker|Spider-Girl]]'' (#1–61), and such non-superhero projects as the four-issue Marvel / [[Epic Comics]] [[miniseries]] ''[[Atomic Age (comics)|Atomic Age]]'' (Nov. 1990 – Feb. 1991), by writer [[Frank Lovece]] and penciler [[Mike Okamoto]], one of the works for which Williamson won a 1991 [[Eisner Award]] for Best Inker. ''Daredevil'' penciler [[John Romita Jr.]] recalled that, "Working with Al Williamson was much like working with my father [comics artist [[John Romita Sr.]]] in that I felt that I was protected from mistakes. ... If my art wasn't correct, then Al would repair it. Oddly enough, Al said he never had to fix anything, claiming he just 'traced' over my pencils."<ref>{{cite journal|last= Cordier|first= Philippe|title= Seeing Red: Dissecting Daredevil's Defining Years|journal= Back Issue!|issue= 21|page= 49|publisher= TwoMorrows Publishing|date= April 2007|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|url= https://issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/back_issue__21|access-date= January 20, 2013}}</ref> In a 1988 interview Williamson indeed stated that "I'm just tracing [Romita's] pencils" and claimed that the only changes he made were occasionally leaving out an unnecessary background if he was in a rush.<ref name="DAK62"/>

In 1995, Marvel released a two-part ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' miniseries written by [[Mark Schultz (comics)|Mark Schultz]] and drawn by Williamson, which was his last major work doing both pencils and inks. Also with Schultz, he illustrated the short story "One Last Job" for ''[[Dark Horse Presents]]'' #120 in 1997. In 1999, he drew the ''Flash Gordon'' character a final time when regular cartoonist Jim Keefe asked for his help on a ''Flash Gordon'' Sunday page.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jimkeefe.com/studio/williamson/williamson.htm|title= Jim Keefe's account of Williamson's ''Flash Gordon'' page |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130129152133/http://www.jimkeefe.com/studio/williamson/williamson.htm|archive-date= January 29, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=June 16, 2009 |publisher=Jim Keefe}}</ref>

===Later life and career===
Since 1998, there have been six career retrospective books published (see "Further Reading" section).  Williamson cooperated with their production, with the exception of the books from Pure Imagination. He was interviewed for the 2003 [[Frank Frazetta]] documentary ''Painting with Fire'', along with fellow surviving "Fleagle Gang" members [[Angelo Torres]] and [[Nick Meglin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemachine.net/fraz_timeline.html |title=Production Timeline |publisher=Cinemachine (self-published) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305075001/http://www.cinemachine.net/fraz_timeline.html |archive-date=March 5, 2009 |url-status=live|access-date=November 10, 2009}}</ref> In 2009, a Williamson-illustrated [[Namor|Sub-Mariner]] story written by Schultz and dedicated to Sub-Mariner creator [[Bill Everett]] was published.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=915|last= Zawisza|first= Doug|title= Sub-Mariner 70th Anniversary Special|date= April 14, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2009|work=[[Comic Book Resources]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090417043817/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=915|archive-date= April 17, 2009| url-status=live}}</ref> The story itself was originally drawn ten years previously.<ref>Spurlock, J. David (editor). ''The Al Williamson Sketchbook'' (Vanguard Productions: [[Lebanon, New Jersey]], 1998) p. 90. {{ISBN|1-887591-02-8}}</ref> Williamson illustrated a "Xenozoic Tales" story written by Schultz that remains unpublished.<ref>Beauchamp, M. '"Mark Schultz Interview", ''The Comics Journal'' #150 (May 1992), p. 129</ref>

Living in Pennsylvania with his wife Corina,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.newsarama.com/3022-mark-schultz-celebrating-al-williamson-s-flash-gordon.html|title= Mark Schultz: Celebrating Al Williamson's Flash Gordon|first= Michael C.|last= Lorah|date= June 3, 2010|work= [[Newsarama]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140601023156/http://www.newsarama.com/3022-mark-schultz-celebrating-al-williamson-s-flash-gordon.html|archive-date=June 1, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Williamson retired in his seventies<ref>{{cite web|url= http://comicsbulletin.com/columns/5887/50-girls-50-and-other-stories-by-al-williamson/|title= ''50 Girls 50 and Other Stories'' by Al Williamson|first= Eric|last= Hoffman|date= July 5, 2013|publisher= ComicsBulletin|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140420192321/http://www.comicsbulletin.com/columns/5887/50-girls-50-and-other-stories-by-al-williamson/|archive-date= April 20, 2014|url-status=dead|df= mdy-all|access-date= June 1, 2014}}</ref> and died on June 12, 2010, in [[Upstate New York]].<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/arts/design/21williamson.html?_r=0|title= Al Williamson, Illustrator of Comic Books, Dies at 79|first= Dennis|last= Hevesi|date= June 21, 2010|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|page= B8|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140601005826/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/arts/design/21williamson.html?_r=1& |archive-date=June 1, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Some premature reports, based on unsubstantiated [[Twitter]] claims, erroneously gave June 13, 2010.<ref name=rip>{{cite news |first=Kiel |last=Phegley |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=26686 |title= R.I.P. Al Williamson |work= Comic Book Resources|date=June 14, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140601043910/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=26686|archive-date= June 1, 2014|url-status=live|access-date= June 14, 2010}} Archive requires scrolldown</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.comicmix.com/news/2010/06/14/al-williamson-1931-2010/|title= Al Williamson 1931–2010|first= Robert|last= Greenberger|author-link= Robert Greenberger|date= June 14, 2010|publisher= ComicMix.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140601043846/http://www.comicmix.com/news/2010/06/14/al-williamson-1931-2010/|archive-date= June 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Williamson has been a stylistic influence on a number of younger artists such as [[Tom Yeates]],<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=540120|title= Yeates' time with John Carter of Mars|first= Jennifer M.|last= Contino|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120301165914/http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=540120|archive-date= March 1, 2012|url-status=dead|df= mdy-all|access-date= May 9, 2009|publisher= Comicon Pulse News}}</ref> [[Mark Schultz (comics)|Mark Schultz]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21107 |title=In-Depth with Mark Schultz|first= Alex|last= Dueben|work= Comic Book Resources| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090517075704/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21107| archive-date= May 17, 2009| url-status=live|access-date=May 9, 2009}}</ref> [[Frank Cho]],<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may03/fcho.shtml|title=Cho's Meadow|first=Jennifer M.|last=Contino|publisher=Sequential Tart|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100550/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may03/fcho.shtml|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=May 10, 2009}}</ref> [[Steve Epting]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://aquamanshrine.blogspot.com/2009/02/aquaman-shrine-interview-with-steve.html|title=Interview with Steve Epting|first= Rob|last= Kelly|date= February 24, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131115025614/http://www.aquamanshrine.net/2009/02/aquaman-shrine-interview-with-steve.html|archive-date= November 15, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=May 4, 2009 |publisher=Aquaman Shrine}}</ref> [[Tony Harris (comics)|Tony Harris]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popimage.com/content/viewnews.cgi?newsid1053837723,858, |title=Short and Sweet with Tony Harris |first=B. Allan |last=Dempsey |date=April 12, 2003 |publisher=PopImage.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171508/http://www.popimage.com/content/viewnews.cgi?newsid1053837723,858, |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 10, 2009 }}</ref> Jim Keefe,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/fgordon.htm |title=Flash Gordon |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2007 |publisher=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912132540/http://www.toonopedia.com/fgordon.htm |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dan Parsons]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1158.html |title=ERB Artist Dan Parsons|access-date=May 10, 2009 |publisher=Erbzine.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130915110351/http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1158.html|archive-date= September 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dave Gibbons]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36687/mindscape-of-alan-moore-the/|title= The Mindscape of Alan Moore|access-date=May 10, 2009|publisher=DVDTalk.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090426030853/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/36687/mindscape-of-alan-moore-the/|archive-date= April 26, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Paul Renaud]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.paulrenaud.com/about-paul/|title= About Paul|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130829132457/http://www.paulrenaud.com/about-paul/|archive-date= August 29, 2013|url-status= dead|df= mdy-all|access-date= May 6, 2009|publisher= Paul Renaud (official site)}}</ref>

==Awards==
*1966 [[National Cartoonists Society]] Award for Best Comic Book<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuben.org/ncs-awards/division-awards/#comic |title=Division Awards Comic Books |year=2013 |publisher=[[National Cartoonists Society]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216074848/http://www.reuben.org/ncs-awards/division-awards/#comic |archive-date=December 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 16, 2013 }}</ref>
*1966 [[Alley Award]] for Best Pencil Work<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/alley66.php|title=  1966 Alley Awards|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140428122637/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/alley66.php|archive-date= April 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1967 Alley Award for "Best Feature Story" (for "Lost Continent of Mongo" from ''Flash Gordon'' #4)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/alley67.php|title= 1967 Alley Awards|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140428122012/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/alley67.php|archive-date= April 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1969 [[Nova Award]] for excellence in illustrative art.<ref>Hurd, p. 38</ref>
*1984 [[Inkpot Award]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php|title= Inkpot Award Winners |publisher= Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120709055558/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php|archive-date= July 9, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
*2010 [[Inkwell Awards]] Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inkwellawards.com/?page_id=34|title= 2010 Inkwell Awards Winners|publisher= Inkwell Awards|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160301142431/http://www.inkwellawards.com/?page_id=34|archive-date= March 1, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Harvey Award]]
*1988 Al Williamson, for ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'', [[Marvel Comics]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey88.php|title=  1988 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131024164636/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey88.php|archive-date= October 24, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1989 Al Williamson, for ''Daredevil'', Marvel Comics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey89.php|title= 1989 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131005012147/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey89.php|archive-date= October 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1990 Al Williamson, for ''Daredevil'', Marvel Comics<ref name="Harvey1990">{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey90.php|title=  1990 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131005005710/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey90.php|archive-date= October 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1991 Al Williamson, for ''[[Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser]]'', Marvel Comics imprint [[Epic Comics]]<ref name="Harvey1991">{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey91.php|title= 1991 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013231/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey91.php|archive-date= October 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1993 Al Williamson, for ''[[Spider-Man 2099]]'', Marvel Comics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey93.php|title= 1993 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131004230529/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey93.php|archive-date= October 4, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1994 Al Williamson, for ''Spider-Man 2099'', Marvel Comics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey94.php|title= 1994 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213507/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey94.php|archive-date= October 4, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1995 Al Williamson, for ''Spider-Man 2099'', Marvel Comics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey95.php|title= 1995 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213100/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey95.php|archive-date= October 4, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Eisner Award]]
*1989 Nominee, Best Art Team, for ''Daredevil'', Marvel Comics, with penciler [[John Romita Jr.]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner89.php|title= 1989 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130922040121/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner89.php|archive-date= September 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1991 Winner, Best Inker<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner91.php |title=1991 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners |publisher=Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217001645/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner91.php |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*1996 Nominee, Best Penciller/Inker for ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' Marvel Comics imprint [[Marvel Select]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner96.php|title= 1996 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130922005135/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner96.php|archive-date= September 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1997 Winner, Best Inker, for ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' and ''[[Untold Tales of Spider-Man]]'' #17–18, Marvel Comics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner97.php|title= 1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140428122412/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner97.php|archive-date= April 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1998 Nominee, [[List of Eisner Award winners#The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner98.php|title=1998 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher=Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101160218/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner98.php|archive-date=November 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*1999 Nominee,  Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner99.php|title= 1999 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140428180703/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner99.php|archive-date= April 28, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*2000 Inductee, Hall of Fame (Voter's choice)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner00.php|title= 2000 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054525/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner00.php|archive-date= September 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.comic-con.org/awards/hall-fame-awards?page=8|title= Will Eisner Hall of Fame|year= 2014|publisher= [[Eisner Award|The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140110104343/http://www.comic-con.org/awards/hall-fame-awards?page=8|archive-date= January 10, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Jack Kirby Hall of Fame]] 
* Formally named finalist for induction in 1990,<ref name="Harvey1990" /> 1991,<ref name="Harvey1991" /> and 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey92.php|title= 1992 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners|publisher= Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221205/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/harvey92.php|archive-date= October 4, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Ellison, Harlan, Bruce Jones, Mark Schultz, Archie Goodwin, Mark Wheatley, Al Williamson. ''Al Williamson Adventures'' (Insight Studios Group, 2003) {{ISBN|1-889317-17-9}}
* Schultz, Mark. ''Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic'' (Flesk, 2009) {{ISBN|1-933865-13-X}}
* Spurlock, J. David (editor). ''The Al Williamson Sketchbook'' ([[Vanguard Productions]], 1998) {{ISBN|1-887591-02-8}}
* Theakston, Greg. ''Al Williamson – Forbidden Worlds'' (Pure Imagination, 2009) {{ISBN|1-56685-081-9}}
* Theakston, Greg. ''The Al Williamson Reader, Vol. 1'' (Pure Imagination, 2008) {{ISBN|1-56685-037-1}}
* Williamson, Al, Frank Frazetta, Roy G. Krenkel, Angelo Torres, Al Feldstein, Otto Binder, Jack Oleck, Carl Wessler. ''50 Girls 50 And Other Stories'' (Fantagraphics Books, 2013) {{ISBN|978-1-60699-577-8}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(qxw1u42foeukpmmevoktv355))/whoswho.aspx?mode=AtoZsearch&id=WILLIAMSON%2c+AL Al Williamson] at the Who's Who of American Comic Book Artists
*Cuthbert, Ray [https://web.archive.org/web/20100213104133/http://www.comicartville.com/flashgordon.htm "The Quest for Al Williamson's Flash Gordon #1"], Comicartville Library, 2002
*{{cite web|last=Mendez|first= Prof. A. E. |url=http://profmendez.tripod.com/html/corrigan2a.htm |title=The Rules of Attraction: The Look of Love: The Rise and Fall of the Photo-Realistic Newspaper Strip, 1946–1970 – The Man Who Would Be King: Al Williamson and Secret Agent X-9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720184920/http://profmendez.tripod.com/html/corrigan2a.htm|archive-date=July 20, 2007|url-status=dead}} Additionally,{{cite web|url=http://profmendez.tripod.com/ |title=''The Rules of Attraction'' |access-date=April 19, 2009 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720184845/http://profmendez.tripod.com/ |archive-date=July 20, 2007 }} ; {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709030044/http://profmendez.tripod.com/html/photo2.htm |date=July 9, 2007 |title="The Look of Love" }}.
*Hitchcock, John. [http://www.tvparty.com/comics/comicwill.html "Archie & Al"], TVParty.com, n.d.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110603233206/http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=34&s=265&ai=42812&ssd=3/8/2003&arch=y "Al Williamson: It Started With Flash Gordon"] (interview), Diamond Galleries ''Scoop'' (n.d.)
*[http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=164 Al Williamson] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
*[http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/namw20.htm#N171 Al Williamson] at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

{{EC Comics |state=collapsed}}
{{Inkpot Award 1980s}}
{{Authority control}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Al}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:American science fiction artists]]
[[Category:American horror artists]]
[[Category:American fantasy artists]]
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American people of Colombian descent]]
[[Category:Artists from New York City]]
[[Category:EC Comics]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team]]
[[Category:Golden Age comics creators]]
[[Category:Harvey Award winners]]
[[Category:Inkpot Award winners]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics people]]
[[Category:Silver Age comics creators]]
[[Category:Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]