Ralph Reese

Ralph Reese (born May 19, 1949) is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the Flash Gordon strip for King Features. Prolific from the 1960s to the 1990s, he is best known for his collaboration with Byron Preiss on the continuing feature "One Year Affair", serialized in the satiric magazine National Lampoon from 1973 to 1975 and then collected into a 1976 book.

Reese early in his career worked in the studio of Wally Wood, assisting on both mainstream and alternative-press comics and on trading cards. He went on to do mainly fantasy and horror illustrations for science-fiction magazines and black-and-white horror-comics magazines. He drew many fantasy, horror and science-fiction stories for Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Valiant Comics.

Early life

Born in New York City, Reese attended New York's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class as Larry Hama

Career

Early career

While still an art student in 1966, Reese began his career at age 16 as an assistant to artist Wally Wood,[2] who became a dominant influence on Reese's art.

Wally Wood studio

Reese contributed to various Wood projects, including Topps trading cards, DC Comics stories and Wood's independent comics. His first confirmed comics work is an illustration for a one-page text story, "...And Thereby Hangs A Tale...", in witzend #1 (Summer 1966). His first comics story was co-penciling and co-inking with Wood a 10-page science-fiction in Heroes, Inc. Presents Cannon (1969).[3] In 2001, Reese recalled his duties at the Wood's studio: "After a while, I got to keeping his files in order. His file was astounding! He must have had 30 file drawers of clippings, and I kept them in order. I also kept the place in order. When I first met Wally he had been working in the same room for 12 years, so there was a lot of clutter. The first time I saw his studio I couldn't figure out what was hanging from the ceiling. There were all these things with grey felt on them. They turned out to be hundreds of model airplanes on strings, covered with dust.[4]"

With the Wood Studio as a launching pad, Reese became a prolific freelancer. In 1969, he did a cover and numerous interior illustrations for Galaxy Science Fiction. For Robert Sproul's Major Publications, he was a regular 1969-70 contributor to Web of Horror, edited by Terry Bisson. His first confirmed solo comics story credit is as penciler-inker of Bisson's four-page story "The Skin-Eaters' in Major Publications' Web of Horror #1 (Dec. 1969).[3] He illustrated two Otto Binder stories in Web of Horror #2 (Feb. & April 1970).[3]

Comics and commercial illustration

During the 1970s, Reese's artwork surfaced in a wide variety of publications, from underground comics to slick magazines, including National Lampoon[5] and Esquire.[2] He sometimes collaborated with Larry Hama. In Comics Interview #37 (1986), Hama recalled working with Reese and Wood: "I guess in 1971 or thereabouts, I was living in Brooklyn and working with Ralph Reese, freelance stuff. I was penciling, and he was inking. We were doing a lot of jobs for National Lampoon. At the time, Woody was moving to Brooklyn, six to eight blocks from where I lived. In the process of helping him move, he said, 'Hey, are you interested in a semi-regular job?' I said sure.[6]"

Reese worked from 1972 to 1977 at Neal Adams' Continuity Associates studio at 9 East 48th Street in Manhattan.[2]

birth date	May 19, 1949
birth place	New York City, US
art	y
ink	y
awards	Shazam Award, 1973, 1974

Early life

Career

Early career

Wally Wood studio

Comics and commercial illustration

Awards

Bibliography

External links

References