Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 15, 2025 | 8 comments

A brilliant artist finally gets his due…

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Note from Dan: I’m a huge fan of George Wilson, the prolific cover artist for Dell and Gold Key in the Silver and Bronze Ages. If he’d worked for Marvel or DC, everyone would know his name. Instead, he’s long been something of a mystery, with very little information available about him. That’s changing. Historian Anthony Taylor’s highly anticipated coffee-table book, The Art of George Wilson, will be released March 18 by Hermes Press. (UPDATED: This has been delayed until May.) We invited Anthony to pick 13 ESSENTIAL COMIC BOOK COVERS BY GEORGE WILSON.

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By ANTHONY TAYLOR 

George Wilson’s painted cover art for Dell and Gold Key Comics from the 1950s through the 1970s is the stuff of legend. While publishers like DC, Marvel, and Charlton offered covers with line art and mechanical four-color process coloring with little shading, Wilson’s brush strokes soared above the competition on spinner racks to grab the eyes of young readers. For many years, parent company Western Publishing’s books outsold Superman, Batman, and many of the other popular characters offered by the leading publishers.

My new book The Art of George Wilson from Hermes Press — out March 18 — explores George’s visual magic through more than 200 reproductions of his work scanned from the original paintings, as well as insights by fellow artists like Brian Stelfreeze, Gregory Manchess, Bob Eggleton, Ken Steacy, and Mike Mignola.

A posthumously (1921-1998) decorated World War II veteran, Wilson was part of the “Ghost Army,” a brigade of artists and designers that kept Allied Forces safe in occupied Europe by confounding the Nazis with disinformation and glorious artifice using such tricks as inflatable tanks and “phantom” (i.e. high-fidelity stereo recordings) troop movement sounds. The Ghost Army soldiers received the Congressional Gold Medal in March of 2024 for their exemplary service.

George’s illustrations reliably reflected his personal flair, an impeccable sense of color and design, and they were always—ALWAYS—handed in on time. His “under-promise, over-deliver” work ethic made him popular with art directors and clients, and his gorgeous imagery endeared him with readers. A quiet and unassuming fellow, he let his work speak for him.

And it spoke volumes.

It’s hard to choose just 13 covers to talk about, but here goes…

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Space Family Robinson #1 (Gold Key, Dec. 1962). George was there to provide art for the first issue of Gold Key’s Space Family Robinson, which preceded producer Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space television series by several years. The original painting brought a whopping $84,000 at auction in 2024.

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Dark Shadows #11 (Gold Key, Nov. 1971). This piece showcases George’s excellent portraiture skills as well as his dynamic sense of composition. The likeness to Dark Shadows star Jonathon Frid is perfect, and I appreciate that he included the signature wolf’s head cane carried by Barnabas Collins on the show.

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Supercar #1 (Gold Key, Nov. 1962). It’s the Marvel of the Age! Disappointed by the way the puppets looked walking around in their earlier shows like Four Feather Falls, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson decided they needed some kind of a vehicle to carry the characters around in for their next outing. The pair’s first sci-fi Supermarionation series continues to resonate with viewers of a certain age even today. Full Boost Vertical!

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The Phantom #8 (Gold Key, Aug. 1964). The Ghost Who Walks! Lee Falk’s venerable comic strip preceded Superman into the pantheon of costumed heroes by two years, and remains popular worldwide today. George’s painting is distinct not only for the sense of action he conveys, but because he used himself as the model for the thug following the Phantom out the window.

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Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! #45 (Gold Key, Feb. 1974). Robert Ripley’s comic panel never actually stated whether the stories it parlayed were true; it invited the viewer to decide for themselves (SPOILER ALERT — many were not true!). Ripley himself delighted in being called a liar, writing, “I feel flattered. That short and ugly word is like music to my ears. I am complimented, because it means that my paragraph that day contained some strange fact that was unbelievable—and therefore most interesting.”

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Mighty Samson #30 (Gold Key, Dec. 1975). It’s hard not to love a cover as batshit crazy as this one! Samson—armed only with an umbrella—flies a reindeer balloon toward a guy on a Santa balloon in a wetsuit while both are about to be attacked by a giant, wolf-faced raptor? Sign me up. I can’t imagine that the story inside could possibly live up to the cover.

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Tarzan #204 (Gold Key, Oct. 1971). More dynamic action from George featuring the Lord Of the Jungle! Tarzan comic books started with Dell, which were created and packaged by Western Publishing. When Western and Dell parted ways in 1962, the Apeman switched to Gold Key, Western’s new imprint. In 1972, the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate awarded the coveted license to DC Comics.

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Classics Illustrated #133: The Time Machine (Gilberton, July 1956). Illustrator Gregory Manchess said, “Nearly every artist has a breakout painting. It’s an image that pulls all their experience and skills together at one point and establishes a direction.” This painting was George’s breakout image. It established him as one of the top artists in New York City and cleared a path forward for him as a master of his trade.

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The Lone Ranger #28 (Gold Key, March 1977). Being an effective illustrator takes more than a deft hand at portraiture; George was also adept at conveying emotion and action. This piece imparts aspects of what has already transpired in the story visually— the Ranger pursued the riverboat astride his horse Silver, who struggles to keep up in the background as the nearly exhausted hero pulls himself aboard to confront whatever villain awaits. The color, composition, and texture of this piece converge to make what comes next a compelling call to action: Buy this book!

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Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #6 (Gold Key, Nov. 1963). Reminiscent of a Kelly Freas painting, this cover for Doctor Solar has so much going on from an artistic standpoint that makes it visually arresting. I like the pose for Solar, almost certainly based on a photograph of actor/model Steve Holland who posed for many of George’s paintings. Holland was also the model for the Bantam Doc Savage paperback covers by James Bama in the early 1970s.

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The Twilight Zone #11 (Gold Key, May 1965). Another painting evocative of Freas’ work, as well as Weird-Ohs artist Bill Campbell. George’s composition pushes the diagonal in the piece to the extreme, and these gremlins mean business — the pilot is in visceral peril. Every time I see this painting, I hear the drone of the plane’s engine as it rushes toward the ground, as well as the flames licking at the engines.

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Giant Classic King Kong (Gold Key, Dec. 1968). The Eighth Wonder of the World! Kong is iconic, as is George’s painting of him for Gold Key’s adaptation of the movie that hit spinner racks in 1968. Wilson shows us a perspective that wasn’t feasable for the filmmakers in 1933, as well as portraying it in full, glorious color. Kong fights for life and love, and one glance shows us it won’t end well for anyone.

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Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #32 (Gold Key, Nov. 1970). George Wilson’s Walking (and Swimming) Dead! This cover is truly frightening to me — as close to an EC horror comic as Gold Key may ever have come. The staring, dead eyes of the zombie in the foreground are haunting, and the ghoul turning its attention to the protagonist in the background conveys a true sense of peril. Makes me shiver every time I see it.

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BONUS: The Twilight Zone #31 (Gold Key, Dec. 1969). A true favorite for me because this is another image where George used himself for the model. I’m a huge Twilight Zone and Rod Serling fan, and always happy to find an intersection where the things that give me joy converge. The works of these men fortified my childhood and inspired me to create my own worlds, as well as share theirs.

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MORE

— FINALLY! Illustrated History of Fabulous GOLD KEY Artist GEORGE WILSON Coming Soon. Click here.

— 13 GLORIOUS COVERS: A GEORGE WILSON Salute, by JOE JUSKO. Click here.

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The Art of George Wilson is 208 pages, featuring a foreword by artist Joe Jusko and an afterword by Ghost Army Legacy Project founder, filmmaker, and journalist Rick Beyer. The hardcover will be available online and at retail, in bookstores and comic-book shops everywhere. It lists for $75. Anthony Taylor’s website is GoAnthonyTaylor.com. ©2025 Anthony Taylor