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| The Art Of George Wilson - Book 1 [proposed book]
(use the back button to return to book display) Let's get right to the captions - The biographical & introductory materials appear at the bottom of this page.
This might be the best place to gather together information on work by Wilson that isn't being collected in any of our proposed volumes. For instance, George Wilson is identified on its title page as having done the drawings for BUILDERS OF EMERGING NATIONS by Vera Micheles Dean (1961, Holt Rinehart and Winston). They prove to be almost 20 smallish pen-&-ink spot-drawings throughout the book spotlighting the disembodied heads of many of the heads-of-state of that time. Also, Wilson has been credited with executing some of the hand-drawn frontispieces for the more modern HARDY BOYS editions (namely, numbers 15, 18, 20-23, 25, 26, 28-37, 48-51), but having looked at a handful of them and thought them to be pretty simplistic, I've not made an effort to collect them.
This might be a good point at which to share that due to this commercial realm that acted as the artistic patron, most often his paintings were required not to have his signature on them. He also admitted that that became so ingrained in him, he frequently forgot to sign commissioned paintings where he could have done so if he had wanted. So, the identification of all the various covers & images now existant can be a contentious enterprise. I've depended on a number of sources to ID what I've gathered together. The examples of original art available out there usually carries an identification from the owner, though one might imagine that, in some cases, the true provenance might still be a bit sketchy. Many of those have been marketed through the very knowledgeble Heritage Auctions institution, but amid their incredible volume of artwork I have seen it opined that there is an tendancy to ascribe Gold Key paintings to Wilson, sometimes in error, since he's known to have done so many. The Grand Comics Database has been an invaluable resource, but there is a sense that, for this artist, there still needs to be a significant dependance on the contributors' personal opinions. One of their contributors is Alberto Becattini, who has made a particular effort to round up information on the artist and make his own evaluations on works that would otherwise just be marked 'unknown'. Dark Horse Publications & Hermes Press have both printed a great number of compilations of Dell & Gold Key comics, additionally reproducing their covers, many of which would have to be Wilson's, but in their efforts to identify all of them, I feel clear errors have ultimately been detected in the years since. Finally, I would want to include on my list the Internet Speculative Fiction Database which seems particularly diligent in regards to having confirmed attributions when it can provide them. In overview, I've probably erred on the side of inclusion rather than the alternative.
There are some particular artist confusions worth commenting on. Another significant Dell/Western cover artist, Morris 'Mo' Gollub, contributed to many of the same comic series that Wilson did. Now, when both men were in their 'groove', their styles seem pretty distinctive from each other, but one imagines that so much of this work had to be done speedily and I think that in that rush, they both moved 'towards the middle', leaving us with a number of examples where opinions are split as to who was responsible for them. A good example of this would be Gold Key's MIGHTY SAMSON series, the early covers for which were long thought to have all been executed by Gollub (a creditation appearing in Dark Horse's comic collections of them), but I've read where a collector of Gollub's work reported that that artist had stated to him that he had done only the 1st & 3rd covers, which leaves us the rest of them to then be identified as Wilson's. Additionally, there sometimes seems to be some confusion with another artist named George Wilson (1919-2007) who was said to be a close friend of detective-writer Mickey Spillane's.
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George Wilson, THE GIRLS WHO CRIED GHOST, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 38) - "The Girls Who Cried 'Ghost!' - Revenge Of The Red Spirit - Zina's Friend - The Ghost Who Would be King" - Taking the name from the 'brand' of curiosity-anecdotes then appearing as panels in the newspapers, or their own paperback collections, the Ripley's comic-book was another exercise in anthology horror publications.
George Wilson, THE QUEEN IS DEAD - LONG LIVE THE QUEEN, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 3) - "A scientist lured to his doom by a centuries-old Eygptian painting !" - The Twilight Zone was a fantastical anthology television series created and hosted by writer Rod Serling. The comic series was long lived at the same time the television series took on an iconic status and has since seen several revivals.
George Wilson, LAND BENEATH THE SEA, (CAPTAIN VENTURE # 1) - "U.S. space probe pilots struggle to survive while stranded in the depths of a strange planet !" - This comic collected together the short chapters of this original story then appearing as a back-up feature in the SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON books. The next issue would be a new book-length story, but no others would be produced and it's tenure ended as well in the main comic. The tales followed two astronauts who had become stranded on a waterworld with a seemingly endless number of caverns & pocket civilizations below, in the planet's crust.
George Wilson, FALL FAR...FALL DEEP, (CAPTAIN VENTURE # 2) - "Controlled creatures capture Rex and Scotty in the weird underworld of planet Plantis !"
George Wilson, THE GAME, (THE PHANTOM # 1) - "The Phantom races through seven deadly obstacles to play a fiendish game !" - This was the first issue of Gold Key's stories of Lee Falk's newspaper-strip icon. The Phantom was a costumed hero character, who was actually a lineage of men & their sons covertly taking on the same mantle, so as to create a legend of a seemingly immortal demi-god giving each successor a leg up in protecting his land and its residents.
George Wilson, DOOMSDAY MINUS ONE MINUTE, (DOCTOR SOLAR # 15) - "Back in time, Solar relives the incredible events that made him The Man Of The Atom !" - Doctor Solar had a pretty traditional superhero origin and fought menaces & villains utilizing a supreme understanding of chemistry & physics and how they manifested in his newly irradiated body.
George Wilson, FORGET ME NOT, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 55) - "His poor memory condemned two wives - but it didn't stop there !"
George Wilson, WHEN HANDS REACH OUT, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 69) - "The hands that haunt !"
George Wilson, HAMILTON'S CREATURE, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 8) - "A strange compulsion drives a scientist to seek an incredible creature in the forbidding mountains of Tibet !"
George Wilson, X, THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES - "He dared to look beyond man's vision and saw more than his eyes could stand !" - This was a one-shot production of Gold Key adapting the movie of the same title.
George Wilson, THE ENCHANTED CITY, (FLASH GORDON # 27) - "Magic is the ultimate weapon in the mystic city of Illusia !" - Filmed space-opera may have arguably begun with the Flash Gordon adventure serials. Licensing for the iconic science-fiction character ping-ponged between a few of comic producers and was here being handled by Gold Key. Wilson would be tapped to also paint the covers for a popular series of popular Flash Gordon novels.
George Wilson, THE TIME TRAP OF MING XIII, (Avon's FLASH GORDON # 4) - This was another Avon release in this sci-fi action-paperback series.
George Wilson, GOLD LEDGE GOLD DIGGERS, (SPUR # 41) - Another Leisure Books release in this adult-western-paperback book series by 'Dirk Fletcher' (Chet Cunningham).
George Wilson, FREE PRESS FILLY, (SPUR # 38) - Another Leisure Books release in this adult-western-paperback book series by 'Dirk Fletcher' (Chet Cunningham).
George Wilson, CREATURES ON CANVAS, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 9) - "An artist's paintings witness a murder and he tries to discover their secret in them !"
George Wilson, THE LOST COLONIE, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 2) - "Under the sidewalks of New York a repairman finds a colony lost for three hundered years !"
George Wilson, OPERATION DEEP-FREEZE, (M.A.R.S. PATROL TOTAL WAR # 4) - "Invasion at the Artic Circle !" - While the first two issues of this series carried the title TOTAL WAR, starting with the previous issue, they were headlined by the name of the featured crack U.S. military unit (with representatives from each branch) who lead the fight against mysterious foreign invaders who were subsequently revealed to be aliens.
George Wilson, SINGAPORE - "A baffling case of murder and international intrigue summons the brilliant black detective from the streets of Pasadena to the sordid underworld of the Far East." - The PaperJacks release in John Ball's Virgil Tibbs paperback mystery series. This is known to be a Wilson painting.
George Wilson, THE WORLD WAR III GAME, (ABLE TEAM # 22) - "Able Team storms a top-secret U.S. facility to stop a deadly threat" - Another release in Gold Eagle's Able Team action-paperback series, spun-off from the EXECUTIONER franchise, by "Dick Stivers" (this one actually by Tom Arnett). This is known to be a Wilson canvas, and his signature is clear.
George Wilson, RAIN OF DOOM, (ABLE TEAM # 16) - "Able Team drives deep into a three-way war in progress !" - Another release in Gold Eagle's action-paperback series by "Dick Stivers" (this one actually by G.H. Frost). This painting is part of the permanent holdings of the Society Of Illustrators, signed by, and credited to, Wilson
George Wilson, CREATURE OF THE SWAMP, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 28) - "It's alive . . . growing . . .deadly !" - This Gold Key anthology horror comic series began during the two-season run of THRILLER, an anthology horror/suspense television series hosted by the renowned actor Boris Karloff, who was a natural, as he was known best for his appeareances in so many horror movies. The comic-book far outlived both the actor and the series, continuing through its 18th year.
George Wilson, MYSTERY IN BLACK, (JUNGLE JIM # 19) - "He tracked a freak of nature . . . the Mystery In Black" - 'Jungle Jim' was newspaper comic-page fixture for some time, had seen a film-serial & a series of movies, and was gearing up for a short-lived televison-series as the Dell-Western operation gained the license to produce their own comic-books about the Southeastern-Asia adventurer/hunter.
George Wilson, THE HUMAN MICROSCOPE, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 52) - "His eyes played tricks on him - with Nature adding an extra twist !"
George Wilson, THE THING THAT HOWLED, (THE OCCULT FILES OF DR. SPEKTOR # 2) - "From the files : The Thing That Howled - The Painter Of Doom" - Meant to be just another horror anthology host, writer Don Glut was able to create stories where this occult researcher could star. - At this writing, none of my trusted sources have assigned this painting to Wilson, but a montage of small vignettes and a big head (in this case, the dog) against an abstract streaky background, was a compostion template he returned to again & again. Plus the figures are not out of keeping with his at all. From my amatuer perspective. I'm very confident in calling this a Wilson work.
George Wilson, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, (CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED # 29) - A comic adaptation of Samuel Clemens' (Mark Twain's) story for Gillberton's CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED series.
George Wilson, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, (CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED # 76) - Gilberton's adaptation of Anthony Hope's novel.
George Wilson, THE JONAH CRUISE OF THE SEAVIEW, (VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA # 3) - "Like a man possessed, Admiral Nelson sets the Seaview on the ill-fated course of a phantom ship !" - Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea was first a movie about an adventure involving the distinctive futuristic submarine Seaview (for which Dell published a comic adaptation). Then a television series was developed and Western Publishing licensed it and created original stories as content.
George Wilson (my own attribution), THE OVERLAND TRAIL, (VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA # 6) - "Land-locked, the Seaview becomes an open target as it battles its way to water !" - At the time of this writing, I've not seen anyone crediting Wilson for this dynamic painting, but when I study the patchy sky, the detailed action in the far-background and the hero's fisticuffs, I'm able to mark off several 'hallmarks' that Wilson had used in his artworks. When I add to that the fact that the villain's defeated figure is very very similar to those found in the artist's authoritatively confirmed paintings THE NEW MAN OF THE ATOM (for Doctor Solar #5 ) and FLYING BEASTS OF PREY (for Turok # 104), I become extremely confident, from my amatuer perspective, to count this as a Wilson work.
George Wilson, [title unknown] - The speculation around this piece is that it was in service of a paperback espionage novel seemingly set during the 'Cold War' with the U.S.S.R., or perhaps the Korean conflict. Perhaps it was not used, as I've yet to identify such a book. Having said that, I later discover an American Legion Magazine feature, about prisoners-of-war, that utilized an exteremly similar ink-wash executed by Wilson.
George Wilson, NO QUARTER GIVEN, (SHARPSHOOTER # 8) - Another release in this Leisure Books action-paperback series, all written under the house-name of "Bruno Rossi" (this one thought to be actually by Russell Smith and an unknown collaborator). At this time, I can't tell if Wilson did any of the other covers for the series.
George Wilson, THEY ARE ALREADY HERE, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 36) - "Warning: they are already here !"
George Wilson, QUESTAR - This is a non-specific representational cover for Western Publishing's second volume of QUESTAR which was never published. The first volume had been a thick collection of a good number of stories reprinted from the company's 4-issue STARSTREAM science-fiction comic series."
George Wilson, KING KONG - "The greatest adventure of all time ! - Authorized edition created by Marion C. Cooper" - This was a one-shot production of Western/Gold Key in a super-sized format. You will sometimes hear of it being a movie adaptation, but there was no such project at that time, rather this was 'sold' to the publisher as an adaptation of the novelization of the original film. There was also a Whitman coloring book using the same art on its cover. Our particular art-piece reproduction may be from the back cover of that coloring book.
George Wilson, [title unknown], (MYSTERY COMICS DIGEST # 2) - In the 1970s, the company started reprinting, in digest form, tales from their horror collections which sometimes spurred new covers. Those that were collected under the Boris Karloff Tales Of Mysery banner usually exclaimed "Spine-tinglers is the Karloff tradition !"
George Wilson, SABOTEURS IN A-1, (PERRY RHODAN # 115/116) - This American release from the European Perry Rhodan series was an Ace 'double-book' including two novel-lenghth stories, Saboteurs In A-1 (by Kurt Brand) and The Psycho Duel (by Willam Voltz).
George Wilson, THE EMPEROR AND THE MONSTER, (PERRY RHODAN # 107) - This was another Ace American release from the European Perry Rhodan series, this volume by William Voltz.
George Wilson, THE BEGINNING OF THE AFFAIR - Harlequin's paperback release of Marjorie Lewty's romance. This is known to be a Wilson canvas.
George Wilson, RIP KIRBY - I've not yet seen why this work was created, but the speculation is that it was possibly for a Western Publishing project that didn't come to fruition, though the amourous clinch (and his signature) would seem to make that less likely to me.
George Wilson, CAPTIVES OF THE MIRAGE, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 6) - "Across the trackless desert, a downed bomber crew follows a magic amulet to treachery in a strange oasis !"
George Wilson, ADVENTURES IN SCIENCE, (CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED SPECIAL ISSUE # 138A)
George Wilson, THE THING CALLED ILLONA, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 25) - "The Thing Called Illona - also Death Is The Hunter - The Metamorphs"
George Wilson, SOMETHING FROM THE PAST, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 4) - "Fear stalks the ruins of an old neighborhood as a woman searchs for Something From The Past !"
George Wilson, TOBY TYLER, (TOBY TYLER OR TEN WEEKS WITH A CIRCUS) - A later edition of James Otis' classic children's book. Actually noted on the cover as 'Illustrated by George Wilson'.
George Wilson, THE HOUSE BY THE RIVER, (STEVE & SIM / MILL CREEK IRREGULARS # 7) - This was the dustjacket for another release in this hardback series of juvenile mystery thrillers written by August Derleth. Wilson is credited inside for it's design.
George Wilson, TENT SHOW SUMMER, (STEVE & SIM / MILL CREEK IRREGULARS # 5) - This was the dustjacket for another in this hardback series of juvenile mystery thrillers. Wilson is credited inside for its design.
George Wilson, KENT BARSTOW AND THE COMMANDO FLIGHT - Duell, Sloan and Pearce's 1963 release of Rutherford Montgomery's adventure (Wilson is credited with the accompanying 'Kent Barstow and the Dyna Soar' as well).
George Wilson, THE SUMMONING, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 35) - "In this issue: The Summoning - The Wrath Of Xataplan - House Of Horrors - The Living Bones"
George Wilson, THEY CAME FROM THE DEEP, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 32) - "From the depths of the sea arise the living dead !"
George Wilson, STATION G-H-O-S-T, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 10) - "The ghostly image on the screen is death starring in a TV special !"
George Wilson (only my own attribution), PRISONERS OF INDRA, (THE FANTASTIC VOYAGES OF SINDBAD # 1) - "Sindbad's vessel vanishes from a remote sea and his crew become the enslaved victims of Indra !" - There were only two issues of this new fantasy series from Gold Key. None of my trusted sources speak of Wilson working on either of these books, but the small figures and the distant village look like his, but more convincingly, our whimsical beastie has two extremely similar siblings in TERROR OF THE DREAM (for Turok #62) and MONSTERS OF THE LEGEND (for Turok #55).
George Wilson, TWO KILTED SCOTSMEN, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 77) - "The storm-lashed bay is haunted by the ghosts of - two kilted scotsmen !"
George Wilson, TREACHERY BELOW, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 15) - "He discovered the secret of the death ship - and now it was his turn to die !"
George Wilson, THE MICRO-GIANTS, (MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER # 25) - "Unnoticed specks suddenly become mile-high robots . . . The Micro-Giants" - At the time of this writing, my trusted sources cannot definitively ascribe this work to Wilson though they want to attribute it to him. One can see that the cowering girl is apparently an identical figure to the one appearing in Wilson's credited painting, PREHISTORIC PLANET (for Space Family Robinson # 4). From my amatuer perspective, I'll call it a Wilson work. Another interesting feature is that when this story was reprinted as issue # 46, a slightly different version of this cover is used, changing the cowering Leeja to a awkwardly fleeing Leeja (in a separately collected painting I'll name THE MICRO-GIANTS ALTERED).
George Wilson, PLANET MECHANICA, (PERRY RHODAN # 111/112) - This was a 'double-book' of the Ace English-translation paperback releases from the European Perry Rhodan series, containing two novel-length stories, Seeds Of Ruin (by William Voltz) and Planet Mechanica (by K.H. Scheer).
George Wilson, PREHISTORIC PLANET, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 4) - "Captured by cave men on a primitive planet, the Robinsons must battle a prehistoric beast to escape !"
George Wilson, DUKE OF THE K-9 PATROL, (DUKE OF THE K-9 PATROL # 1) - "Duke pits his keen senses against the cunning of the masquerade bandits !" - Only one issue was produced of this dog-centric series. - Heritage Auctions wants to attribute this painting to Wilson and I have to confidently agree - for instance, I find the dog nearly identical to the one Wilson employed for THE CURSE OF THE TWO HEADED BULL (for the Phantom paperback).
George Wilson, WORLD AGAINST TIME, (STAR TREK # 42) - "The hourglass spins backwards !"
George Wilson, PLANET OF NO LIFE, (STAR TREK # 50) - "Kirk must die for the Evictors to survive !"
George Wilson, SIRENS AND SPIES - "Miss Fitch isn't who you think she is" - Collier's paperback release of Janet Taylor Lisle's juvenile-thriller.
George Wilson, THE MAN WITH TWO FACES, (PERRY RHODAN # 104) - A paperback cover for another American release in the PERRY RHODAN spaceman sci-fi series (this one by Kurt Brand)
George Wilson, MONSTER ON MY BACK, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 39) - "The monster drew strength from the human he was slowly killing !"
George Wilson, THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS, (THE MICROBOTS # 1) - "Doctor Micron's fantastic creatures help two boys face the primitive world of the future !" - This series about two young boys having to roam a post-apocalyptic world with a band of specialized robots did not continue beyond this first issue.
George Wilson, FALL BACK AND KILL, (ABLE TEAM # 23) - "Only Able Team can prevent the President's assassination" - Another Gold Eagle's release in their Able Team action-paperback series by 'Dick Stivers' (this one actually by Chuck Rogers). This is known to be a Wilson canvas, and his signature is clear.
George Wilson, SHOT TO HELL, (ABLE TEAM # 20) - "Able Team erupts in a two-fisted quest for justice." - Another Golden Eagle release in the action-paperback series by 'Dick Stivers' (this one actually by Chuck Rogers). The image here is not the best, but I feel that, to what extent it can be made out, the bottom-right signature suggests Wilson's usual one.
George Wilson, THE FORMLESS FOE, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 29) - "The Formless Foe ! A moving monstrous thing that devours all living beings it encounters !"
George Wilson, ATTACK OF PLANT CREATURES, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 30) - "Tim and Tam wage a battle of survival aboard a distressed space ship . . ."
George Wilson, THE THING WITH CLAWS, (MYSTERY COMIC DIGEST # 1) - New cover produced for this digest-sized volume of reprinted stories that had appeared before in RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
George Wilson, THE DOOMSDAY EXPRESS, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 32) - "The Doomsday Express - The Weeping Ghost - Phantom Hands Of Dartmoor - The Woodchopper"
George Wilson, THE TREASURE OF THE GHOST QUEEN, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 13) - "Treasure Of The Ghost Queen - Curse Of Four - The Gray Angel - The Phantom Pallbearers"
George Wilson, [title unknown] - This painting is part of the permanent holdings of the Society of Illustrators and credited to Wilson. They feel it was used as a paperback cover, but if so, that publication has not yet been identified.
George Wilson, HELLFIRE, (DARK SHADOWS # 13) - "An innocent girl is hypnotized by the flames of the dark pit !"
George Wilson, CREATURES IN TORMENT, (DARK SHADOWS # 9) - "She who cannot rest seeks a victim - Barnabas ? Quentin ?"
George Wilson (only my own attribution), THE COLLECTOR, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE (second titled release after two appearances in FOUR COLOR)) - "A big game hunter searches for his greatest trophy . . . in another world !" - My sources don't all agree with ascribing this painting to Wilson, but from my amatuer perspective, I'm comfortable doing so, seeing how the montage motif and that of a large spectral figure looming over the shoulder of the hero were widely used by him. This visage of the water buffalo head can be found duplicated in a couple other of his paintings, and the featured hunter would not be out of keeping with similar figures that he's depicted.
George Wilson, THE PHONE TO THE PAST, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 14) - "A frantic phone call - and voices long dead reveal their secrets of power and destruction !"
George Wilson, CEMETERY SCENE, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 36) - "A phone call from the grave leads a widow to a haunted rendezvous !"
George Wilson, [title unknown] - Not sure to what use this painting was put - it was one of the late-career canvases that the artist's estate gave over to the Society of Illustrators's permanent collection holdings. I'm guessing a paperback thriller, but if so, it hasn't been identified yet.
George Wilson, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 32) - "The attack of the Amphibian Fish Creatures !"
George Wilson, CRASH COURSE WITH PLANET THREE, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 36) - "Tim Robinson attempts a mid-air rescue while on a Crash Course With Planet Three !"
George Wilson, MAGNUS - ROBOT FIGHTER, (MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER # 1) - "From the sea comes Magnus to fight the evil robots who are the masters of men !" - I've seen it said definitively that Russ Manning did the layout for this image, then painted by Wilson.
George Wilson, OPERATION TIME-SHIFT, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 22) - "A crash landing traps the Robinsons in the depths of a strange and hostile sea . . . Operation Time-Shift !"
George Wilson, THE WEREWOLVES OF POLIGNY, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 7) - "Strange ! Shocking ! The Werewolves Of Poligny"
George Wilson, THE SERPENT'S CLUTCH, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 70) - "The Serpent's Clutch and other thrillers !"
George Wilson, THE SPELL OF THE HAT, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 57) - "A child summons monsters from beyond - then forgets the magic to make them disappear !"
George Wilson, OUTLAW GULCH, (CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE # 125) - Another Batam release in this game-paperback series, this one by Ramsey Montgomery. This is know to be a Wilson canvas, his signature is clear, and I think he's credited in the book.
George Wilson, LOST IN TIME, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 44) - "The Robinsons journey back into prehistoric days . . . Lost In TIme"
George Wilson, THE DUPLICATES, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 6) - "A ruthless outcast with a fantastic duplicating machine captures Tim Robinson and creates an 'army' for the conquest of space !"
George Wilson, SNEAK ATTACK !, (TOTAL WAR # 2) - "The M.A.R.S. patrol races to Niagra Falls . . . to combat another strike by the mysterious invaders !"
George Wilson, THE RETURN OF WULFSTEIN, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 75)
George Wilson, COWBOY'S REVENGE, (ABLE TEAM # 33) - "'It's war in our own backyard'" - Another Golden Eagle release in the action-paperback series by 'Dick Stivers' (this one by Ron Renauld). This painting is part of the permanent holdings of the Society of Illustrators and credited to Wilson.
George Wilson, CLEAR SHOT, (ABLE TEAM # 34) - "A movie set becomes a battleground for America's future" - Another Golden Eagle release in the action-paperback series by 'Dick Stivers' (this one by Ron Renauld). This painting is part of the permanent holdings of the Society of Illustrators and credited to Wilson.
George Wilson, FROZEN IN HIS TRACKS, (UFO FLYING SAUCERS # 12) - "Do alien explorers hold Earthlings in their grip ?"
George Wilson, [title unknown], (UFO ENCOUNTERS # 1) - "More than 60 true stories of sightings - evidence - contact !" - These larger books would seem to be compilations of reprinted stories from the two series of UFO comics.
George Wilson (only my own attribution), THE AUCTION, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 12) - "The next item up for bid was the auctioneer himself - and death was the high bidder !" - At this writing, none of my trusted sources have assigned this painting to Wilson, but since overlaying his backgrounds with streaks of green & red was frequently seen from him, I feel confident, from my amatuer perspective, in calling this a Wilson work.
George Wilson, LONG LAUGH THE KING, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 41) - "The jester made the king laugh a thousand times . . . the last laugh was a fools delight !" - Heritage Auctions attributed this too a different indivdual who had done other covers for Gold Key apparently because the man's name was signed in the production area of the canvas. I've seen it speculated that the man was working as the company's art director at the time and was signing to approve it's moving on to processing. Anyway, at least one other trusted source had ascribed it to Wilson.
George Wilson, THE MEDIUM, THE DEATH BELL AND THE SLEEPING DRAGON, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 20) - "The Medium - The Death Bell - The Sleeping Dragon" - I'd say this art was meant to be representational of the mysterious themes of all three short-stories found inside the comic book.
George Wilson, THE CATCH, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 47) - "Fishermen boast of the monster that got away - this fisherman caught it !"
George Wilson, THE MAGIC PILLOW, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 16) - "He had a thousand lives to live - but squandered them on murder !"
George Wilson, CAPTIVES OF THE CAMERA, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 15) - "A click of the camera - and a honeymoon trip turns into an album of horror !"
George Wilson, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, (FOUR COLOR # 794) - "His fortune pledged to justice !" - The Dell adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel (with the latter half of the comic book being a pastiche story continuance).
George Wilson, BEGGAR WOMAN OF LOCARNO, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 52) - "All she wanted was a little food and shelter . . ." - At least one trusted source wants to attribute this painting to Wilson and I've also heard other voices say 'no'. I can understand those that want to deny the identification. While some people take awkward stances in Wilson's composition's, the hero here is particularly so. Among the canon of work clearly identified as Wilson's, I could find no other figures like this one, nor the bystander who happens to be more subdued than is our artist's inclination. But then I started to examine other elements that I think you can find in other Wilson paintings. The very yellowish fire is not usual, but you can see the same thing in THE NEW MAN OF THE ATOM (for Doctor Solar #5), albiet originating from a flame thrower, not to mention its resemblance to some of the abstract streaky yellowish backgrounds he has utilized. Also, non-volcano flames billowing up into to thick choking black smoke was seen in WAGOGO WARRIORS OF THE GREAT SWAMP (for Tarzan #150), and finally, I think the generally unfamiliar 'feel' of the painting can be found somewhat duplicated in the Wilson painting HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS (for Grimm's Ghost Stories #41) with the wispy spectral maiden raising up into a yellow sky with black clouds.
George Wilson, SATAN'S SWARM, (THE PENETRATOR # 49) - "Mark Hardin races against time to stop a mad plot to unleash a plague of insects on the U.S." - This was another Pinnacle release in this action-paperback series by "Lionel Derrick" (this one actually by Mark Roberts).
George Wilson, BLACK MASSACRE, (THE PENETRATOR # 35) - "Mark Hardin tracks down a deranged scientist who has developed a formulas for sudden death" - This was another Pinnacle release in this action-paperback series by "Lionel Derrick" (this one actually by Mark Roberts).
George Wilson, PRINCE TRAITOR, (STAR TREK # 44) - "On Planet Fayo, Kirk is the pawn in a palace revolt !"
George Wilson, THE EVICTORS, (STAR TREK # 41)
George Wilson, ASSASSINATION FACTOR, (THE PENETRATOR # 40) - "Mark Hardin directs his deadly aim toward a crazed political killer." - This was the 40th release in the Penetrator action-paperback series by 'Lionel Derrick' (this one actually by Chet Cunningham).
George Wilson, COMET CRASH, (CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE # 144) - Another Bantam release in this game-book series, this one by Edward Packard.
George Wilson, THE BLACK MONKEY, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 46) - "The Black Monkey - Fed by hatred as he pursues his master's killer !"
George Wilson, DREAM OF THE DEVIL, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 46) - "His nightmares were too real for sleep ! Dream Of The Devil ! and other supernatural tinglers !"
George Wilson, SPACE GIANTS, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 35) - "A emergency landing plunges the Robinsons into the grasp of space giants !" - This original Gold Key series started as more of a sci-fi take-off of the marooned Swiss Family Robinson, but was soon overshadowed by the new popular television series Lost In Space. As Western Publishing did not want to lose the lucretive television licenses it had access to, it assiduosly kept the peace by eschewing finger-pointing about the similarity between the two creations and tacitally agreeing to the idea of parallel development. They even capitialized on the neighborly agreement that arose by utilizing the Lost In Space title in their cover logo as well. This Robinson family was fated to wander the galaxy in their lost space-station, with only intermittent contact with Earth, though through various pretenses were able to visit it in past time-periods repeatedly.
George Wilson, PLANET OF DOOM, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 19) - "Tim and his friends face instant destruction from fierce robots on the Planet Of Doom !"
George Wilson, THE BRAIN SHOCKERS, (STAR TREK # 11) - "Vulcan Furies overtake the Enterprise crew !" - Gold Key owned the first comic license to STAR TREK's original manifestation and these new stories were among the most popular sci-fi work for the company, lasting long after the show's three-year run was over.
George Wilson, DWARF PLANET, (STAR TREK # 25) - "Miniature people under a strange sun threaten the lives of the Enterprise crew !"
George Wilson, FIREBRAND, (TANK WAR # 4) - Another Berkeley paperback release in this furturistic combat series by Larry Steelbaugh. This is known to be a Wilson canvas, and his signature can be made out.
George Wilson, EICHMANN-MASTERMIND OF THE HOLOCAUST - "He maimed, mutilated, and murdered millions !" - Zebra's paperback release of John Donovan's Nazi profile. This is known to be a Wilson canvas, and his signature can be made out.
George Wilson, THE CONQUERORS, (THE TIME TUNNEL # 2) - "D-Day 1944 ! The Nazis get a second chance - this time with weapons from the future !" - This short-lived series presented new stories patterned after the television series of the same name.
George Wilson, THE LAST SURVIVOR, (VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA # 1) - "Man made tidal waves bait a trap for Submarine Seaview in the undersea fortress of mysterious Doctor Gamma !" - The first of Gold Key's new stories based on the television show 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.'
George Wilson, SOMETHING NEW IN TOWN, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 47) - "There's something new in town - but nobody's taking !"
George Wilson, MY MONSTER'S KEEPER, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 31) - "His best friend - a killer monster !"
George Wilson, THE EVIL ARK OF DR. NOEL, (MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER # 13) - "Leeja's telepathic cry for help causes Magnus to risk the Sun's fiery destruction as he attacks The Evil Ark Of Dr. Noel !" - An original Gold Key series where Magnus was raised secretly by a benevolent higher-order robot, to protect humanity (most importantly from its own dependance on robots themselves). You can see that several years later, a British publisher copied most of the piece for their cover for SUPERMAN STORY BOOK ANNUAL 1967.
George Wilson, MENACE FROM URANUS, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 23) - "A forced landing ! A fierce Golick ! A fight for life ! - Menace from Uranus !"
George Wilson, THE DOUBLE BRIDES, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 5) - "When she tried on her wedding dress, the mirror reflected a dead bride !" - Another of the anthology horror series that was created under the Gold Key label, this one hosted by an aged crone.
George Wilson, THE DEVIL'S STAFF, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 39)
George Wilson, TARGET: EARTHLINGS, (UFO FLYING SAUCERS # 9) - "Is Earth their laboratory ? Are we their specimens ?" - Gold Key also built a couple of books or series around America's enduring UFO craze. Once again these were anthology features focused on sightings, encounters & abductions. Don't make the mistake of assuming that scholarly research into the strange goings-on was being conducted in the background. Most material was just made up.
George Wilson, THE RENEGADE ISLAND, (VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA # 13) - "Blasted into the depths of time, the Seaview is menaced by mutant monstrosities !"
George Wilson, ON BORROWED BLOOD, (DARK SHADOWS # 24) - "Barnabas, beware ! When your image is completed by the Sorceress in sand, your soul is doomed !"
George Wilson, THE MAIL-ORDER MONSTER, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 65) - "Mail-Order Monster !"
George Wilson, CAPTIVE PLANET, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 10) - "Tim and Tam Robinson seek help for their injured father in a city ruled by sinister metal-headed men !"
George Wilson, PLANET OF MONSTERS, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 45) - "The Robinsons rescue a space boy stranded on the Planet Of Monsters !"
George Wilson, THE WAND, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 2) - "The apparition commanded the greedy young man - 'Wave the wand and untold wealth is yours !'"
George Wilson, THE FACE IN THE FLAME, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 13) - "Emile Langsbury returns from the grave to wreck vengeance on those who sent him there !"
George Wilson, THE MISSISSIPPI MYSTERY, (UFO FLYING SAUCERS # 4) - "Are they trying to tell us something ? Exciting reports of recent encounters !" - The piece here seems to be a preliminary of some sort as you can see a number of details are different throughout.
George Wilson, WHAT ARE UFOS ?, (UFO FLYING SAUCERS # 10) - "The UFOs: Living creatures, machines or alien hybrid ?"
George Wilson, [title unknown] - Not sure to what use this painting was put - it was one of the late-career canvases that the artist's estate gave over to the Society of Illustrators's permanent collection holdings. I'd guess if it's a gothic-romance paperback cover, but if so, which one hasn't been identified yet.
George Wilson, STRIKE TEAM, (ABLE TEAM # 35) - "Two down and the guns are loaded" - Another Golden Eagle release in the action-paperback series by 'Dick Stivers' (this one by Ron Renauld). This painting is part of the permanent holdings of the Society of Illustrators and credited to Wilson, and his signature can be made out.
George Wilson, VOLCANO !, (FLASH GORDON # 25) - "Ming pursues Flash in the slumbering volcano of the Lavamen !"
George Wilson, ROCKY MOUNTAIN KILL, (MOUNTAIN JACK PIKE # 2) - Another Pinnacle release in this adult-mountain-man series by 'Joseph Meek' (Robert J. Randisi). This is known to be a Wilson canvas.
George Wilson, CITADEL, (FLASH GORDON # 20) - "Flash and Dale face the wonders and terrors of Ming's city of science - Citadel !" - Filmed space-opera may have arguably begun with the Flash Gordon adventure serials. Licensing for the iconic science-fiction character ping-ponged between a couple of comic producers and was here being handled by Gold Key.
George Wilson, BLACKOUT, (UFO FLYING SAUCERS # 8) - "Who's blacking out our cities ?"
George Wilson, THE RUBY RING, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 37) - "The Ruby Ring - Green Eyes - Face At The Window - The Stone Angels"
George Wilson, RING OF FEAR, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 3) - "An ancient Aztec curse strikes through the centuries to trap five men in a Ring Of Fear !"
George Wilson, A TIME FOR HAUNTING, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 44) - "The awful moans came from the clock - a soul ticking away in torment !"
George Wilson], TREASURE ISLAND, (CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED # 64) An adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel for the Gilberton company
George Wilson, HOUSE OF CARDS, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 11) - "He marked the cards to be sure he'd win, but the cards marked him - for death !"
George Wilson, THE COMET WITH A CURSE, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 7) - "A comet screams out of the heavens to chase its discoverer to the ends of the earth !"
George Wilson, BY THE BONES OF SHASKESPEARE, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 25) - "'Cursed be he that moves my bones !' - Shakespeare"
George Wilson, HORROR MOVIE, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 90) - "There's no place to hide - in the hall of mirrors !"
George Wilson, THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD, - This was Dodd,Mead & Co.'s release of this entry in the Julian Quist mystery series by Hugh Pentecost (pseudonym of Judson Pentecost Philips). Interestingly, an identical tipsy female figure appeared in SHOWBIZ WIPEOUT (for the action-paperback series The Penetrator #32).
George Wilson, THE ANIMAL SPIRIT, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 35) - "When a man is murdered, his spirit seeks vengeance !"
George Wilson, GUARDIAN OF THE MOUNDS, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 10) - "Barbaric riders, dead for centuries, come alive to spread panic in modern Peru !"
George Wilson, TALL TIMBER, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 30) - "The fire raging through the forest was his sentence of death from the past !"
George Wilson, THE HIDDEN HANDS, (DOCTOR SOLAR # 3) - "Solar fights with fire and ice to uncover the secret of the hidden hands !"
George Wilson, THE THOUSAND FACES OF FEAR, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 8) - "In this issue: The Thousand Faces Of Fear - The Mystagogue"
George Wilson, SLEEP NO MORE, SIR THOMAS, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 18) - "An emergency landing on a war-torn planet brings the Robinsons their strangest experience in space !"
George Wilson, THE PIT OF DOOM, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 13) - "On a fiery cloud island in space, June and Craig Robinson risk their lives to rescue their son from The Pit Of Doom !"
George Wilson, CULT OF THE VAMPIRE, (THE OCCULT FILES OF DR. SPEKTOR # 1) - "The grave opens . . . a condemned soul returns to lead the Cult of the Vampire" - As of this writing, I've seen at least one of my trusted sources ascribe this work to Jesse Santos (perhaps because Santos executed a line-drawing copy of this painting for the cover of the last issue of this series where the original story was reprinted). It doesn't really look much like any of Santos' other paintings and, indeed, Wilson can be found using the same figure of the awkwardly-fleeing-female-with-one-hand-at-mouth in two other of his paintings, THE WARRIOR QUEEN (for Korak # 40) and one that's been entitled in these proposed collections THE MICRO-GIANTS ALTERED. From my amatuer perspective, this is clearly a Wilson work.
George Wilson, THE SNOW SOLDIERS DIE LIKE THIS, (SEE FOR MEN Jan-1961) - "The Snow Soldiers Die Like This, on page 44, a shocking book-lengther of World War II - Butchery!, by Nelson Algren, author of 'The Man With The Golden Arm' - Brother 12's Prescription: Beds, Barbed Wire, and Babes - Beat the tax racket !, a congressman's new scheme" - This was the cover for a magazine that had originated as a LIFE-wanna-be and several years before this had transitioned to become a men's adventure magazine. The magazine is now discussed as being called SEE FOR MEN, but you are just as likely to find simply the shortened SEE on the cover instead. (You have to wonder, with the shadow of the plane hidden under the title-logo, if some last-minute emergency forced an editor to use instead an *interior* illustration by Wilson. I certainly haven't seen yet any other men's-magazine cover attributed to Wilson.)
George Wilson, THE MICRO-GIANTS ALTERED, (MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER # 46) - "Unnoticed specks suddenly become mile-high robots . . . The Micro-Giants" - The comic was a reprint of the earlier issue # 25. For unknown reasons, the image used on the original was altered, or recreated, and this painting was the result. At the time of this writing, my trusted sources cannot definitively ascribe this work (nor the original) to Wilson, though they want to attribute it to him. From my amatuer perspective, I had already concurred that the original was Wilson's due to the use of an identical figure from another painting uncontroversially his. Seeing so much exactitude in this version, I will extend my concurrance to it as well.
George Wilson, THE BLACK FIRE, (FANTASTIC VOYAGE # 2) - "Entering a world below via the roots of a strange plant, the minaturized voyager encounters The Black Fire !" - This short-lived comic series created new stories in continuation of adventures seen on the short-lived original animated T.V. series, FANTASTIC VOYAGE, which in turn was an elaboration on the film of the same name (author Isaac Asimov had adapted the script of that into novel form). Note that our presented image here was re-worked from the comic's back 'pin-up' and that Wilson's original painting is damaged from fading and would be unusable for getting clear reproduction.
George Wilson, TERROR OF THE BLACK PEARL, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY STORY DIGEST MAGAZINE) - only one of ths title was released.
George Wilson, THE WITCH IS DEAD, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 49) - "Beware the power of a dead witch !"
George Wilson, THE MYSTIC SANDS, (BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY # 17) - "A tormented sculptor molds volcanic sands into works of art - and terror !"
George Wilson (only my own attribution), THE SABOTAGED SUB, (SUPERCAR # 2) - "Mike Murphy faces the challenge of his career as Supercar tries to free a nuclear submarine from the Polar Icecap." - SUPERCAR was a Gerry Anderson produced British television series using puppet animation. While issue #1 & #3 are clearly credited to Wilson, none of my trusted sources will do so for this in-between issue. Indeed, the Artic icefield makes this a rather spare image and the few human features there are aren't significantly recognizable as repeated in his paintings. With that said, I've ascribed this work to Wilson here because it does not look out of place when placed among his paintings and I can't identify a better candiate from the Gold Key cover artists we know of.
George Wilson, THE STOLEN SPACE CAPSULE, (SUPERCAR # 1) - "Mike Mercury follows the trail of a stolen space capsule!...Under the oceans or high in the sky...it travels anywhere ! on land on sea...it's the marvel of the age!" - SUPERCAR was a Gerry Anderson produced British television series using puppet animation.
George Wilson, THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 33) - "A hunter makes his first kill and pays dearly for the reward he expects !"
George Wilson, SOLDIER OF DEATH, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 91) - "How many times can a soldier kill the same man ?"
George Wilson, WAR IN SPACE, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 46) - "Prisoners of bird men, Tim and Tam witness a War in Space"
George Wilson, PLAGUE SHIP, (SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON # 50) - "Epidemic on Earth - and a fight for survival aboard the Plague Ship !"
George Wilson, TILL DEATH DO US JOIN, (RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! # 76) - "Spurned in life, her spirit demanded vengeance !"
George Wilson, THE DAY OF THE PALIO, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 42) - "He'd win a fortune if he threw the race - so what was there to lose ?"
George Wilson, COMING ATTRACTIONS, (THE TWILIGHT ZONE # 61) - "A movie fan sees a preview of a coming attaction - himself !"
George Wilson, COME DIE - AND BE MY LOVE, (GRIMM'S GHOST STORIES # 19) - "Only in death could he be with his ghostly love !" - Note how close the falling figure here is to the one Wilson would much later use for THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
George Wilson, LONGARM IN NO MAN'S LAND, (LONGARM # 58) - "Longarm rustles up a lethal swindler - and some prairie petticoats !" - A cover for the Jove paperback release in the long-running adult-western series by 'Tabor Evans'.
George Wilson, LONGARM AND THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, (LONGARM # 57) - "Longarm meets a man who murders in the name of the law, and loses his head to a heavenly 'celestial' !" - A Jove paperback release in the long-running adult-western series by 'Tabor Evans'. (Note that book #187 of the series bears the exact same title, though apparently a different story).
George Wilson, KILLINGER - "He likes his wine good, his women bad, and his enemies dead." - Killinger was initially a two-book Pinnacle adventure 'series', by P.K. Palmer, using a different artist on the covers, in a slick slash design - the first one being titled THE TURQUOISE / YELLOW CASE, but six year's later, the same publisher re-released just that first tale, carrying simply the character's name, and now adorned with Wilson's more straightforward illustration (he is credited on the indicia page).
George Wilson, DEATH'S DEMAND, (PERRY RHODAN # 113/114) - This was an Ace 'double-book' of the American releases from the European Perry Rhodan series, containing two novel-length stories, Heritage Of The Lizard People (by Clark Dalton) and Death's Demand (by Kurt Mahr).
George Wilson, THE STOLEN SPACEFLEET, (PERRY RHODAN # 109/110) - This was an Ace 'double-book' of the American releases of the European Perry Rhodan series, containing two novel-length stories, The Stolen Spacefleet (by Clark Dalton) and Sgt. Robot (by Kurt Mahr).
George Wilson, THE DANGEROUS TRESPASSERS, (MARCH OF COMICS # 234) - A Smokey the Bear adventure.
His full name would be styled George Davis Wilson, Jr. and he was born August 1921 in Buffalo, New York, to George & Franche Carlisle (Teller) Wilson. He lost his mother at the age 16 and was soon thereafter living with his older sister and her husband in Richmond, Virginia and begining his art studies before moving to New York City for more. They were interupted by World-War II, taking him to in Europe, part of the then-secret military-engineering operation called 'The Ghost Army'.At war's end, he returned to his studies, now paid for by the 'G.I.Bill'. The father died when Wilson was 33. That previous year, 1954, I seem to see the earliest published illustration that is credited to Wilson, FAREWELL, MY GENERAL, the cover for a Lippencott published book. Soon thereafter, in 1955, we see THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER for one of the series of Classics Illustrated and by the following year, he had begun with the Dell/Western-Publishing partnership with MILTON CANIFF'S STEVE CANYON (Four Color # 737). In the early 1970s, he moved into New York's area of Yonkers (his last residence ultimately being a three-bedroom apartment in a community there called Hastings-On-Hudson). The last project he did for comics might be the painting he executed for TWILIGHT ZONE # 91 in June 1979. It appears that during all his Western Publishing career, he had always hustled and found complimentary work doing covers for paperbacks, dust-jacket designs for hardbacks and interior illustration for books, as well as men's adventure magazines, and as work painting covers for comics dried up, he depended on those other kind of gigs for his living. He reported working on the covers for Harlequin's Silhouette romance novel series from 1982 to the early 1990s. So, in 1992 you can see he was continuing to work steadily beyond the traditional retirement age and that year his sister died in nearby Suffolk County. His last years saw him continuing to illustrate for World War II and Western magazines. In November 1998, Ed Rhoades & Pete Klaus had tracked him down and their resulting dinner & conversation with him comprised the only interview I've seen (written up for THE FRIENDS OF THE PHANTOM newsletter and published years later in the magazine COMIC BOOK ARTIST # 22). During that meal, he relates living a life that sounds somewhat comfortable, fulfilling and happy, though he doesn't mention any family other than being close to his sister's daughter. He delivered to his two interlocutors a painting that Mr. Klaus had commissioned of the comic-strip hero The Phantom, which must have been among his last works, as he died the next month at the age of 77 (he is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx). After his passing, his estate gifted the Society of Illustrators Permanent Collection with nearly 200 of the late-career paintings that Wilson still possessed at the end.