706 WOOD, WALLACE (WALLY)
behind the recent rise of action-oriented female heroes in television and fi lm, such as
the protagonists of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001) and Buff y
the Vampire Slayer (1996–2003). Moreover, as an ongoing image of feminine courage
and strength beginning in a time when there were few such images available in Ameri-
can popular culture, she has exercised an incalculable infl uence on generations of young
women in need of such powerful and positive role models.
Selected Bibliography: Beatty, Scott. Wonder Woman: Th e Ultimate Guide to the Ama-
zon Princess. New York: DK, 2003; Daniels, Les. Wonder Woman: Th e Complete History.
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004; Robbins, Trina. Th e Great American Super-
heroines. Palace Press International, 2010; Stuller, Jennifer. Ink-Stained Amazons and
Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology. London: I. B. Tauris, 2010.
M. Keith Booker
WOOD, WALLACE (WALLY) (1927–81). Born in Minnesota, Wood was one of the
greatest artists in the comics fi eld. Best known for his artwork for EC Comics and Mad
Magazine, Wood also illustrated book covers, science fi ction digests, men’s magazines,
posters, record albums and even the roughs for the Topp’s Mars Attacks! cards.
After Wood graduated from high school in 1944, he joined the Merchant Marines
and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946. He was hired by Will Eisner to do letter-
ing on Th e Spirit and then became an assistant to George Wunder on the newspaper
strip Terry and the Pirates. His fi rst professional comic book job was as a letterer for Fox
Publications in 1948. He then branched out drawing various romance titles in 1949.
“Th e Werewolf Legend,” in Va u l t O f H o r r o r #2, was Wood’s fi rst story for EC Com-
ics. Wood penciled and inked approximately 150 EC stories in various genres, many
now considered true classics. After the collapse of EC, the company’s most popular title,
Mad , was continued as a magazine for which Wood was a major contributor through
1964.
In 1958, Wood inked the pencils of Jack Kirby on the syndicated strip Sky Masters
of the Space Force and also worked with Kirby on Challengers of the Unknown.
Wood did stories and artwork for Warren Publishing’s horror magazines, as well
as for Charlton comics , Fox, Harvey, Atlas, and others. Wood also established Dare-
devil’s distinctive red costume for Marvel Comics during the Silver Age.
Wood’s dedication to his fi eld often resulted in expressions of resentment concern-
ing what he saw as exploitation of the artists (e.g., low pay, no benefi ts). So, in 1965
Wood enjoyed the opportunity aff orded by Tower Comics to create, write, and draw
his own superheroes. Th e result was T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Th e Higher United
Nations Defense Enforcements Reserves). He would hire many of his colleagues to
assist him in this enterprise. While the work is now highly prized, it would only last
for two years. In 1966, Wood launched the independent magazine witzend based on a
concept by Dan Adkins. Th e magazine’s philosophy was based upon Wood’s view that
artists should retain copyright to their own work. In a keynote address at the 1966
