Cons de Fée: The Erotic Art Of Wallace Wood

by Wallace Wood

Fantagraphics has painstakingly assembled the most complete collection of Wood’s erotica. This book collects his early gag cartoons for men’s magazines; his wicked takes on Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz ; and his slyly sexy fairy tales The Frog Prince, Cinderella , Sleeping Beauty , and Hansel and Gretel ― plus his raunchy version of Snow White . Wood, who garnered international fame as a premier parodist for Mad , also takes aim at comic-book and -strips icons in such stories as “Prince Violate,” “Stuporman Meets Blunder Woman,” “Flasher Gordon,” “Starzan,” and even his own character, Sally Forth. Wood’s cartoon commentaries on sex and society are included, such as “The Sexual Revolution” and “Brave Nude World.” Other rarities include “The Marquis de Sade Coloring Book,” “Dragonella,” and the complete run of all of his covers for the infamous Screw magazine. Black & white illustrations with some color.

Genres: Comics, Art, Graphic Novels, Erotica

200 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2019

About the author

Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he claimed to dislike. Within the comics community, he was also known as Woody, a name he sometimes used as a signature.

He was the first inductee into the comic book's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, in 1989, and was inducted into the subequent Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame three years later.

In addition to Wood's hundreds of comic book pages, he illustrated for books and magazines while also working in a variety of other areas — advertising; packaging and product illustrations; gag cartoons; record album covers; posters; syndicated comic strips; and trading cards, including work on Topps' landmark Mars Attacks set.

For much of his adult life, Wood suffered from chronic, unexplainable headaches. In the 1970s, following bouts with alcoholism, Wood suffered from kidney failure. A stroke in 1978 caused a loss of vision in one eye. Faced with declining health and career prospects, he committed suicide by gunshot three years later.

Wood was married three times. His first marriage was to artist Tatjana Wood, who later did extensive work as a comic-book colorist.

EC editor Harvey Kurtzman, who had worked closely with Wood during the 1950s, once commented, "Wally had a tension in him, an intensity that he locked away in an internal steam boiler. I think it ate away his insides, and the work really used him up. I think he delivered some of the finest work that was ever drawn, and I think it's to his credit that he put so much intensity into his work at great sacrifice to himself".

EC publisher William Gaines once stated, "Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant".

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this is about the fanciest Tijuana bible I've ever come across.

As in those little underground booklets from the 1930s, the stories here mostly feature well-known comic strip characters having extremely explicit sex. In addition to Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant, Li'l Abner, and Superman, Disney is represented with Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and a two-page Disneyland orgy with Mickey and all his friends. The Wizard of Oz and a few fairy tales get thrown in for good measure. (About half of the book is taken up with reprints of stories from the first two issues of Wood's . . . ahem . . . Gang Bang series from the early 1980s.)

The art is rather arousing if you are just flipping through the book, but I made the mistake of actually reading all the words from cover to cover, and the stories are just subpar Mad magazine parodies loaded with misogyny, male fantasy wish fulfillment, and offensive portrayals -- you don't want to know what Wood renamed Dopey in the "So White and the Six Dorks" story.

Wood is a major figure in the history of comic books, but this is far from his best and most representative work. At best it's a novelty or curiosity.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:

All art by Wallace Wood unless noted

• Illustration (originally published in Naughty Knotty Woody, March 1998)
• Frontis art (originally publshed in France in Cons De Fée, October 1977)
• Wood Uncovered / essay by J. David Spurlock

1950s

• Prank EC Comics panel (drawn 1952, published in Woodwork: Wallace Wood 1927-1981)
• Good morning, Ed (Dude, May 1957)
• At last! A human face! (Dude, July 1957)
• The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain (Dude, September 1957)
• He drew it from memory (Gent, August 1957)
• Not much. Who's new with you? (Gent, August 1957)
•The rabbit died? (Gent, August 1957)
• Balancing Act (Nugget, October 1958)

1960s

• We could give them something else to think about (Nugget, February 1963)
• Marquis de Sade Coloring Book (Laff, July 1965)
• Pussycat (Male Annual #3, 1965) / Gabe Guttman, script; Wallace Wood, art
• Far-Out Fables: The Disenchanted Prince (Calvacade, January 1965) / Seymour, script; Wallace Wood, art
• Far-Out Fables: The Story of Cindy Eller (Calvacade, February 1965)
• Far-Out Fables: Slipping Beauty (Calvacade, January 1967)
• Far-Out Fables: Handsel and Feetsel (Calvacade, April 1967)
• The Disneyland Memorial Orgy (The Realist #74, May 1967)
• Dragonella (originally published in color in Heroes, Inc. #1, 1969; black-and-white toned version dated 1975) / Wallace Wood and Ron White, script; Wallace Wood, art

1970s

• My Word (reproduced from the original art, circa 1975, Big Apple Comix October 1976)
• Brave Nude World (black-and-white version, drawn circa 1976-77, Wallace Wood's Horny Toads #1, November 1993)
• Brave Nude World (color foldout, drawn circa 1976-77, Someday Funnies, 2011)
• Super Cosmic Comic Creator Comix (drawn 1974-76, Slow Death #11, 1992)
• Patriotic Duo (cover illustration, Screw #383, July 4, 1976)
• Crotch Shot (cover illustration, Screw #398, October 18, 1976)
• Carnal Catch (cover illustration, Screw #405, December 6, 1976)
• Paradise Pondered (cover illustration, Screw #414, February 7, 1977)
• Super Recreation (cover illustration, Screw #418, March 7, 1977)
• Where No Man Has Gone Before (cover illustration, Screw #437, July 18, 1977)
• Locomotive Plunder (cover illustration, Screw #476, April 17, 1978)
• Treading Incentive (cover illustration, Screw #479, May 8, 1978)
• Split Decision (cover illustration, Screw #485, June 6, 1978)
• More Fun on a Pablo (cover illustration, Screw #491, July 31, 1978)
• Fabulous Freestylin' (cover illustration, Screw #535, June 4, 1979)
• Pilgrim's Progress (unused Screw cover illustration, Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Venus Fly Trap (Wally Wood's Weird Sex-Fantasy Plate #2, black-and-white version, 1977)
• Malice in Wonderland, Part 1 (National Screw #1, November 1976) / Wallace Wood and Al Sirois, script and pencils; Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, inks; Al Sirois and Paul Kirchner, color
• Malice in Wonderland, Part 2 (National Screw #2, December 1976) / Wallace Wood, script and art; Paul Kirchner, ink assist and color
• Malice in Wonderland, Part 3 (National Screw #3, February 1977) / Wallace Wood, script and art; Paul Kirchner, ink assist and color
• Malice in Wonderland, Part 4 (National Screw #4, March 1977) / Wallace Wood, script and art; Paul Kirchner, ink assist and color
• Flasher Gordon Meets Women's Lib! (National Screw #6, May 1977)
• Cover illustration (The Magazine of Mail Order Collector's Press Newsletter #16, December 6, 1979)
• Snorky and Sally Forth (original art, 1976, publication status unknown)

1980s

• The Wizard of Ooz, Part 1 (Puritan #4, March 1979) / Wallace Wood, script and art; Paul Kirchner, ink assist and color
• The Wizard of Ooz, Part 2 (Puritan #6, 1980)
• The Wizard of Ooz, Part 3 (Puritan #7, 1981)
• The Adventures of Mighty Masher (unfinished story pencil roughs, Naughty Knotty Woody, March 1998)
• Cover illustration (Gang Bang #1, 1980)
• Sally Forth - 1 (Gang Bang #1, 1980) / Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, art
• Lil an' Abner (Gang Bang #1, 1980) / Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, art
• So White and the Six Dorks (Gang Bang #1, 1980) / Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, art
• The Farmer's Daughter (Gang Bang #1, 1980) / Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, art
• Perry and the Privates (Gang Bang #1, 1980) / Wallace Wood and Paul Kirchner, art
• Cover illustration (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Prince Violate (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Sally Forth - 2 (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Stuporman Meets Blunder Woman (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Flasher Gordon (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• The Sexual Revolution (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Starzan (Gang Bang #2, 1981)
• Cover illustration (Gang Bang #3, 1990 - 3rd printing)
• Wallace Wood / essay by J. David Spurlock
• Illustration (excerpt from Chapter Three, The King of the World, 1978) / Wallace Wood, art; Tatjana Wood, color
• Wood Books [advertisement]

[Pavel Pravda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wally Wood je v České Republice prakticky neznámý autor. Přestože dělal na řadě komiksů, mimo jiné i pro DC a Marvel, tak podle české komiksové databáze od ně v ČR doposud nic nevyšlo. Já jsem jej znal z internetu především díky jeho pulp sci-fi ilustracím. Kvůli těmto ilustracím a komiksům s vnadnými astronautkami jsem si pořídil knihu Cons De Fee: The Erotic Art Of Wallace Wood. A právě tyto pulpové sci-fi obrázky v knize nejsou…

Kniha je kolekcí jeho erotických ilustrací, obálek a krátkých komixů z ‘50 až ‘80 let, které vytvořil pro různé undergroundové magazíny. Jeho tvorba je v knize řazena chronologicky a je na ní vidět, jak se vyvíjela jeho kresba a vlastně i styl vyprávěných příběhů, které dělal. Jde především o erotické parodie pohádek, ale také o různé další parodie, jako například špionážní “Pussycat”. Najdete zde ale také popis toho, jak se zvrhla sexuální revoluce - “Brave Nude World”. Komixy z ‘60 a ‘70 let jsou plné nadhledu a humoru. Na konci ‘70 let Wood vážně onemocněl a v roce 1981 zemřel. Přesto kniha obsahuje celou řadu komixů z let 1980 a 1981. Ty už jsou ale úplně jiné než ty z předchozích let. Jejich jediným cílem je ukázat sex a v tom jsou hodně přímočaré. Wood se zde často opakuje a tak opět vidíme popis sexuální revoluce (“The sexual revolution”), ve které překreslil některé své obrázky z dřívějších komixů “Brave Nude World” a “My Word”. Je zde například i nová verze Sněhurky z roku 1980, která už ale zdaleka není tak zábavná jako ta z roku 1967.

Přes veškerou mou kritiku musím říct, že jsem se bavil. Zvláště u komixů z ‘60 a ‘70 let.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though, as always, Wood's art is amazing, the stories are thin, exclusively jokey (made within the "gosh, women enjoying rape is funny!" era, a trope that's repeatedly used), and swipe a few gags from 30s Tijuana bibles. Also, the fact that almost all of Wood's stories are pornographic parodies of children's stories and comic strips is a bit creepy when taken as a whole. Still, though, this is Wallace Wood, and his art throughout is impressive.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wallace Wood, one of the most influential artist to come out of the Golden/Silver age of comics, part of the legendary EC/Mad stable, did a bunch of porno comics. This, to my knowledge, collects most of it and it's really pretty great. the 50's-60's work is a lot of fun, running the gamut from Playboy style gags to underground comix strips. The 80's material is just flat out hardcore porn using newspaper strip characters as satire. The intro talks about how sad these strips are, Wood was dealing with numerous health issues and the art takes a bit of a hit but it's not the disaster some say it is. Sure, it's not as good visually, and it's certainly takes a hit narrative-wise from his hey day but in the realm of work for hire/collecting a pay cheque porn strips it's still pretty good. I think the idea that an all-time great was "reduced" to doing porn before taking his own life might be getting built up as more of a tragedy. Looking at the progression, I think Wood was still getting some fun out of this stuff, though I haven't seen an interview or anything to verify that. The suicide ending is terrible, but this collection does a good job of putting this side of his work into context with his history. Worth checking out.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wally Wood has earned his respect as one of comics' great illustrators. His EC and MAD work are superb. The book, collecting work he did for adult magazines and underground publishers, starts off with risque images and double-entendres and then shifts in progressively more explicit directions. By the latter part of the 70s, Wood's failing eyesight and other physical ailments have robbed his art of its detail and precision, but most of this book is filled with exceptional artwork - often in the form of a majestic impression of other famous cartoonists (Al Capp, Hal Foster, Milton Caniff, etc.). The stories are ... well, there are some fun puns and double-entendres in the early part of the book and you don't really need to read the words in the back half. But you're here for Woody's artwork, his playful perversity, and raunchy cartoon sex - and those are here in spades.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this because I'm a fan of Wally Wood's work from EC Comics (as well as all the EC artists). When I came across this I thought it'd be mostly pinup artwork he might've done, BUT how wrong was I!!! The majority of this is straight up porn!!! Some of the stories are disturbing, but some are pretty funny. Many of them are pop culture parodies. I'm not a porn historian, but I think these pre date porn on film (maybe???) which I think porn on film/video has always been popular with their parodies.

Anyway, love the artwork. Also, there's a scene of woman empowerment that made me smile, although it wasn't consensual the male character gets his comeuppance very much like characters in all the EC comics did! :)

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a product of its time. I feel like I missed a lot of the satire, too. But very interesting to read through, nonetheless.

[Al McCarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe I checked this smutty book out from the library!