Tales From The Crypt # 31 " The Thing in the Glades"

Alfonso 'Al' Williamson was the youngest member of the "EC family." He was only 21 years old when he joined the company in 1952, where he was considered "the kid brother," since most of his colleagues were family men. He especially loved doing pencil work, but was "deathly afraid" of inking, so Frazetta undertook that task for him. Williamson's style is fluid and almost cinematic. In this regard, the influence of Alex Raymond's 'Flash Gordon' was clearly to be seen. Eventually, Williamson worked on that very same character in the 1960s. Williamson is known for his collaborations with a group of artists including Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, Angelo Torres, and George Woodbridge, which was affectionately known as the "Fleagle Gang". Williamson has been cited as a stylistic influence on a number of younger artists, and encouraged many, helping such newcomers as Bernie Wrightson and Michael Kaluta enter the profession. He has won several industry awards, and six career-retrospective books about him have been published since 1998. Living in Pennsylvania with his wife Corina, Williamson retired in his seventies. Williamson was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2000.