I'm hardly anonymous on Bear Alley: it has my photo, it has my contact details, it has scans of many of my books with my name plastered all over the covers and the copyright notice is in my name.
An article on early cutaways by Leslie Ashwell Wood in the latest issue of Eagle Times has mined my article on Wood from 2007. It unfortunately misses the point that I made that everything you thought you knew about Ashwell Wood was wrong. The only known "fact" at that time was that he was born in 1913 – a falsehood repeated in the article – which isn't true. In fact, Wood was born (as I said on my blog at the time) in 1903.
The discovery by Brett Gooden of early artwork signed L.W. and L. Wood, in The Romance of the Nation (1934-35) and further contributions to The Popular Science Educator (1935-36) adds to the evidence that Ashwell was a later addition. However, this is not the first time early work has been discovered: as long ago as 2015, Jeremy Briggs looked at Wood's drawings for The World of Wonder, another Amalgamated Press title, from 1932-33. He, too, made the point that the work was signed L.W. and L. Wood.
He was born Leslie Wood in Kilburn, London, on 29 July 1903, the son of George Arthur Wood and his wife Grace (nee Green). George was a shop keeper, listed in the 1911 census as "oil and colourman", in the 1921 census as an assistant in an ironmongery shop, and shortly before the Second World War as a retired grocer. Grace died, aged 40, shortly after the 1911 census was taken. George survived until 1945, when he died aged 77. Leslie, living with his widowed father just before the war, described his occupation as "marine draughtsman".
Avoidable errors aside, it's nice to see more examples of Wood's early work.
Actually, this is a particularly good issue, with a fantastic opener from Richard Sheaf, who has managed to get hold of a rather battered sketchbook by 'Riders of the Range' artist Frank Humphries. The majority of the illustrations show Humphries' dedication to accuracy of guns, knives, saddles and clothing of cowboys and native Americans. It's an amazing insight into the artists' work and we're lucky that the book was rescued. One tiny error... figure 4 and figure 18 are the same. And one wish... Richard mentions the sale from which this sketchbook came also included a short, unpublished autobiography. Combined with the sketches, original artwork and his printed work, a definitive book on Humphries would be possible.
Steve Winders is, as usual, covering a broad range of topics. In this issue we have the fifth of his looks at the novels featuring Geoffrey Bond's 'Luck of the Legion'; a look at the short-lived Alan Stranks and Harry Linfield collaboration 'Mark Question'; an adventure of P.C. 49; and the final part of his look at the back cover strip 'The Great Charlemagne'. All solidly researched and well-written.
Jim Duckett has a number of short pieces looking at various aspects of the Eagle comic, while Peter Barr offers a look at some of the comics' sporting strip features, although this episode is more concerned with artist Alfred Mazure.
The quarterly Eagle Times is the journal of the Eagle Society, with membership costing £30 in the UK, £45 (in sterling) overseas. You can send subscriptions to Bob Corn, Mayfield Lodge, Llanbadoc, Usk, Monmouthshire NP15 1SY; subs can also be submitted via PayPal to membership@eagle-society.org.uk. Back issues are available for newcomers to the magazine and they have even issued binders to keep those issues nice and neat.
