Wally's World: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of the World's Second Best Comic Book Artist

It always amazes me that two authors and a publisher would go to all the trouble of producing a book, and then neglect to do even the most basic proofreading and editing. There are countless typos in this book. In addition, as the other reviewers have pointed out, the layout makes it difficult to read at times. And finally, someone really needed to go through Starger and Spurlock's prose and remove some of it, or at least get them to make clear why they felt it necessary, for example, to give us pages of Nordic mythology to introduce us to Wood's family history. That said, it is clear that the authors did their research, and have a lot to say about Mr. Wood's professional and personal life. Anyone interested in this master illustrator will learn a lot about the man, and his extraordinary, if troubled, career. I gave the book four stars because it contains so many fascinating details about Mr. Wood.

This well-written and entertaining biography offers an excellent overview of the life of Wallace "Wally" Wood. Including dozens of reproductions of Wally's art (comic books, illustrations, ads, animation and more), the book focuses mostly on Wood's early years, and the later-life circumstances which drove him to suicide. A greater emphasis on Wally's prime creative years (for EC, THUNDER Agents, Daredevil, Witzend, etc.) would have been welcome. A fascinating read, but it left me saddened. Why does genius often go hand-in-hand with despair?

Wally's World: The Brilliant Life and Death of Wally Wood, the World's 2nd-Best Comic Book Artist is a pick for any interested in cartooning history. His life reads like drama - and he was shot in 1981 on Halloween night in a rough neighborhood, ending his life and career - but in his time he was a rebel genius whose works and approach inspired a generation of underground comic artists such as Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman. Pack color cartoon examples throughout a biography which covers his politics, cartooning skills and influences and you have an essential pick no collection strong in graphic novel history should be without. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch