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Gahan Wilson's America
A collection of ghoulish cartoons conducts an irreverent tour of such American institutions as teenage dating, Las Vegas, automobiles, New England Calvinism, and witchcraft
143 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
23 people want to read
About the author
Gahan Wilson
285 books50 followersGahan Wilson was an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations.
Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams's cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross, and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters, and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams's work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.
His cartoons and prose fiction have appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. For the last he also wrote some movie and book reviews. He has been a movie review columnist for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a book critic for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
His comic strip Nuts, which appeared in National Lampoon, was a reaction against what he saw as the saccharine view of childhood in strips like Peanuts. His hero The Kid sees the world as a dark, dangerous and unfair place, but just occasionally a fun one too.
Wilson also wrote and illustrated a short story for Harlan Ellison's anthology Again, Dangerous Visions. The "title" is a black blob, and the story is about an ominous black blob that appears on the page, growing at an alarming rate, until... He has contributed short stories to other publications as well; "M1" and "The Zombie Butler" both appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and were reprinted in Gahan Wilson's Cracked Cosmos.
Additionally, Gahan Wilson created a computer game titled Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House, in conjunction with Byron Preiss. The goal is to collect 13 keys in 13 hours from the 13 rooms of a house, by interacting in various ways with characters (such as a two-headed monster, a mad scientist, and a vampiress), objects, and the house itself.
He received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Gahan Wilson is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.
Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style, and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams's cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross, and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters, and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams's work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.
His cartoons and prose fiction have appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. For the last he also wrote some movie and book reviews. He has been a movie review columnist for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a book critic for Realms of Fantasy magazine.
His comic strip Nuts, which appeared in National Lampoon, was a reaction against what he saw as the saccharine view of childhood in strips like Peanuts. His hero The Kid sees the world as a dark, dangerous and unfair place, but just occasionally a fun one too.
Wilson also wrote and illustrated a short story for Harlan Ellison's anthology Again, Dangerous Visions. The "title" is a black blob, and the story is about an ominous black blob that appears on the page, growing at an alarming rate, until... He has contributed short stories to other publications as well; "M1" and "The Zombie Butler" both appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and were reprinted in Gahan Wilson's Cracked Cosmos.
Additionally, Gahan Wilson created a computer game titled Gahan Wilson's The Ultimate Haunted House, in conjunction with Byron Preiss. The goal is to collect 13 keys in 13 hours from the 13 rooms of a house, by interacting in various ways with characters (such as a two-headed monster, a mad scientist, and a vampiress), objects, and the house itself.
He received the World Fantasy Convention Award in 1981, and the National Cartoonist Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Gahan Wilson is the subject of a feature length documentary film, Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird, directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 20, 2021
This is Wilson's look at America, told laconically with much dry and wry humor and considerable irony, and lavishly illustrated with his wonderful cartoons. The book is divided into twenty thematic sections, ranging from Made in Hollywood, Urban America, and Electronic America to How It All Began, The Wild West, and Eating Out, with side trips to topics including Religion, Sports and Fitness (though there are no baseball cartoons, as mentioned in the introduction), and Dating and Marriage. (In the How It All Began section there's the iconic pose of the father of the country standing in the boat, but there's a black-clad witch on a broomstick with a black cat and a pointy hat hovering over him saying: "We've scouted the Delaware and it's safe for your crossing, General Washington!") I didn't like this book quite as much as the ones that just collected cartoons; I didn't think the punch lines really needed context or enhancement. The reproduction isn't as fine as as I Paint What I See or And Then We'll Get Him; the large ones that originally appeared in color seem a little muddy and it's not possible to read the interior lettering on signs. Still, it was a wonderful collection of dark humor, still as true and funny as ever.
November 23, 2019
A reflection upon the passing of Gahan Wilson, growing up, I enjoyed looking for the bunny cleverly hidden on the cover of my Dad's monthly issue of Playboy, then eagerly turned the pages looking for the Gahan Wilson cartoon. Wilson's macabre drawings were certainly the equal of those by Charles Adams. Many may be found here in this collection. I found particular enjoyment with Wilson's chapter, "Strange Beliefs of Children" All of us kids knew if you swung up and over the swing bar you would turn your insides out and if you pricked your skin with a pencil you could die of lead poisoning. Think not? Just try it and see.
June 29, 2014
Here are some of my favorite cartoons from one of my favorite cartoonists, illustrated cartoon essays in twenty chapters, many of which saw print in earlier forms.
I myself purchased Gahan Wilson's work every chance I could, starting on a Spring trip to Savannah in 1973 and a Summer camp later that year, both times finding his illustrated work in the National Lampoon. One series or essay is reprinted in one chapter here, "Strange Beliefs of Children," an example of why I can never stop laughing at this man's work.
One caveat: in this compilation from 1980s, no real archival care is taken with printing in B&W. Much that was in color is here in B&W gray tones, a little muddy. Some cartoons are shrunken and others are blurry. Never fear. The gags and illustrations are so funny.
As a cartoonist of the macabre, I've always found hound Wilson even funnier than Charles Addams. As an observer of the sentimental and contradictory everday, he's also the best. Seek out his coming of age series, titled "Nuts." Seek out his work wherever you may, in the New Yorker and Playboy most of all. See if you can find me a copy of that recent reprint the Complete Playboy Gahan Wilson, too...
And nominate this man for an award as a national treasure.
My highest recommendation.
I myself purchased Gahan Wilson's work every chance I could, starting on a Spring trip to Savannah in 1973 and a Summer camp later that year, both times finding his illustrated work in the National Lampoon. One series or essay is reprinted in one chapter here, "Strange Beliefs of Children," an example of why I can never stop laughing at this man's work.
One caveat: in this compilation from 1980s, no real archival care is taken with printing in B&W. Much that was in color is here in B&W gray tones, a little muddy. Some cartoons are shrunken and others are blurry. Never fear. The gags and illustrations are so funny.
As a cartoonist of the macabre, I've always found hound Wilson even funnier than Charles Addams. As an observer of the sentimental and contradictory everday, he's also the best. Seek out his coming of age series, titled "Nuts." Seek out his work wherever you may, in the New Yorker and Playboy most of all. See if you can find me a copy of that recent reprint the Complete Playboy Gahan Wilson, too...
And nominate this man for an award as a national treasure.
My highest recommendation.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews