In memoriam – Al Williamson

From Mark Schultz:

Al Williamson, who for over fifty years drew for both comic books and comic strips, died June 12, 2010, at age 79. Williamson excelled at illustrating science fiction, adventure and western stories, pulling inspiration from both classic comic strips and motion pictures. He was highly regarded both popularly and critically for his peerless draftsmanship and dynamic storytelling. Most notably, Williamson was extraordinarily accomplished at rendering the human figure in motion. His classically proportioned characters twist and leap with a startlingly vivid illusion of movement in part evolved from his study of motion picture action choreography.

Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as an artist, Williamson deserves recognition as a veteran who often opened professional doors for many others starting their careers. An impressive number of comics contributors owe at least part of their success to Williamson's willingness to recommend and promote new artists and writers to his editorial contacts.

Williamson was also an avid collector of comics and illustration art, valuing the beauty of original drawings produced for comic books and strips long before the physical art created by commercial artists was popularly appreciated. He will be fondly remembered by those you knew him for his generosity, his indefatigable sense of humor and his great enthusiasm in sharing his love of comics, illustration, movies and music.

Al Williamson took inspiration from a legion of cartoonists, illustrators and motion pictures from the first half of the twentieth century and created works of timeless appeal—and then he passed that inspiration on to new generations of comics creators.

Here's to a great man, a brilliant cartoonist and a generous friend! He and his personal vision will be sorely missed.