Official Press Release

Glenn Wood brother of cartoonist Wally Wood and J. David Spurlock

compiler of the Wally Wood Sketchbook, announce that a scholarship

fund has been set up in Wally Wood's name at the School of Visual

Arts in Manhattan.

"This fund is intended to perpetuate Wally's profound and long-

lasting influence on the comic-book art medium as well as the field

of commercial illustration," said Wally's brother Glenn, a retired

engineer living in Connecticut.

WALLACE (Wally) WOOD was one of the most important comic book

creators of the '50s & '60s and continued to produce inspired work

until his death in 1981. He was born June 17, 1927 and later studied

at the Minneapolis School of Art, and at the Cartoonists and

Illustrators School (now known as the School of Visual Arts).

Wood entered the comics field as a letterer, inker and background

artist on Will Eisner's the Spirit in 1949. He went on to illustrate

crime, romance, science fiction and horror stories for many of the

top comics and pulp magazine publishers.

In 1950, Wood's talents blossomed at William Gaines' EC Publications,

and it was here that he became Mad magazine's first star cartoonist.

Wood's work for Tales From the Crypt and Weird Science comic books

also led to him being considered one of the greatest science fiction

artists of all time. He assisted Dan Barry on the Flash Gordon daily

strip, and George Wunder on Terry & the Pirates. Wally also worked

with Jack Kirby on the Sky Masters strip and DC Comics' Challengers

of the Unknown.

In 1965, Wally Wood revolutionized Daredevil for Marvel Comics before

going on to create the beloved T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents for Tower.

An award-winning member of the National Cartoonist's Society, Wood

was instrumental in the creation of the Mars Attacks property for the

Topps company. Mars Attacks started as a revolutionary series of

Bubble Gum Cards and went on to be developed as toys and a major

motion picture. Wood pioneered adult comics and self-publishing with

Sally Forth, Cannon, Vampirella, Witzend and his Wizard King graphic

novels.

Originally founded in the late '40s by Silas Rhodes and Burne Hogarth

as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, the School of Visual Arts

has grown to be one of the foremost art colleges in the world. SVA

alumni include Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Angelo Torres, Barron

Storey, MAD magazine editor, Nick Meglin, Flash co-creator and DC

publisher, Carmine Infantino and of course, Wally Wood. The college

has had a distinctive teaching history. The list of prestigious

artists who have taught at SVA include Burne Hogarth, Milton Glaser,

art spiegleman, Will Eisner, Barron Storey, Harvey Kurtzman, Marshall

Arisman, Carmine Infantino, J. David Spurlock, Angelo Torres, Joe

Orlando, Nick Meglin, Robert Weaver, Klause Janson and Walt Simonson.

Glenn Wood explained, "I was thrilled when Vanguard released the

Wally Wood Sketchbook and was discussing other options to further

Wally's legacy with J. David Spurlock. When I mentioned the

possibility of a scholarship fund, David reminded me, how many of

Wally's friends and colleagues had attended and taught at SVA. David

convinced me that the School of Visual Arts was the perfect college

for the Wally Wood Scholarship Fund."

Your support of this effort to show appreciation for Wood's important

legacy to the comic book artform is now being sought. Wally Wood fans

can join early donators Glenn Wood, Vanguard Publisher J. David

Spurlock and long-time Wood associate and Witzend publisher Bill

Pearson in this tribute to one of the all-time comic art greats.

All tax deductible checks should be made payable to the:

WALLY WOOD SCHOLARSHIP FUND and sent to:

Visual Arts Foundation

15 Gramercy Park South

New York, New York 10003