Stout’s latest book, William Stout’s Comics & Stories – Volume One is now available from Flesk Publishing! It’s the first of a three-volume set collecting ALL of Stout’s comics-related art (except for his underground comix; those will be collected in a separate book coming from Last Gasp; don’t want to shock the moms out there).
The book comes in a beautiful trade paperback edition ($44.95) as well as a deluxe signed and limited (to just 1000 copies) hardcover edition ($69.95) that includes an extra Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired bound-in full-color plate. Believe me, like Fantastic Worlds, these gorgeous hardcovers will sell out fast!
The book’s 304 pages contain Bill’s early exposure to and his attempts to create and draw superhero comics; his years at America’s greatest art school (the Chouinard Art Institute); his apprenticeship under Russ Manning and Stout’s devotion to the novels written by Tarzan‘s and John Carter‘s creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs; and the complete collection of Stout’s work for Petersen Publications (including CYCLE-toons and CAR-toons), as well as all of Bill’s surprising amount of sports-related comics.
This volume’s chapters are mostly chronological. The text is pretty autobiographical (Bill has had an amazing life and has worked with some of the greatest comics creators in the world). The content of the two future volumes will be mostly based upon subject matter, i.e., mainstream comics, commercial comics work, advertising comics work, comics-style illustration, etc. The text for these last two volumes will also include Stout’s memories of what it was like to work with many of the comics world’s legendary giants and what they were like away from the drawing board as people.
Save ten bucks if you order the hardcover directly from the Flesk Publishing. Here’s a link to their website:
https://www.fleskpublications.com/books/p/william-stouts-comics-volume-1-signed-hardcover
This is a FANTASTIC book! It’s not an overstatement pointing out that you are THE American renaissance artist in skill, imagination, range, volume (do you ever take a day off?) and mediums. I’m glad this book has seen print and is in my hands and has a place on my shelf. Short of visiting your house, THIS is the next best thing. Thnak you also for putting so much of your individual Burroughs illustration and designs in the book. I wasn’t expecting those. You did a great job of compiling all this work. Thanks!