The Spawn Of Venus And Other Stories

by Wallace Wood, Al Feldstein, Ray Bradbury

This mouth-watering collection features the finest (and rarest!) science fiction stories Wallace Wood ever drew — more than two dozen! Wood’s meticulously detailed, genre-defining brushwork introduces you to breathtaking planetary vistas, terrifying aliens, and sleek rocket ships surging with the power to conquer the stars.Our title story is a rarity that never appeared in any EC comic. Written and drawn for a 3-D comic that was canceled before it could be printed, we present it here in easy-on-the-eyes 2-D. Then, Wood’s most iconic story, “My World” is a stunning showcase of the preternatural talent and technique he brought to all his stories. Also included are his trilogy of Ray Bradbury adaptations — “Home to Stay,” “There Will Come Soft Rains…” and “Mars Is Heaven!” — plus “He Walked Among Us,” a “what if…?” variation on Bradbury’s “The Man” from The Illustrated Man.But that’s not all! An incredible science fiction Al Feldstein wrote many stories of people reaching from the beyond to right a wrong, but with this volume, in a twist worthy of the best of EC, he does the same himself! In 1955, the Comics Code rejected the second page of “You, Rocket” and forced EC to completely rewrite and redraw it. When the original art for that rejected page was rediscovered, one panel was missing. But Feldstein, in a middle-finger gesture to the Code and its heavy-handed censorship, wrote a new panel, restoring “You, Rocket” to what it was always meant to be. Sadly, he passed away before his final EC writing assignment was published. But here it is now, for the first time anywhere. Justice from beyond the grave.26 stories in all, most scripted by EC legend Al Feldstein, plus in-depth commentary by EC experts Thommy Burns, Grant Geissman, and Jon Gothold. The Spawn Of Venus And Other Stories is the ultimate EC Wallace Wood science fiction collection.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he claimed to dislike. Within the comics community, he was also known as Woody, a name he sometimes used as a signature.

He was the first inductee into the comic book's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, in 1989, and was inducted into the subequent Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame three years later.

In addition to Wood's hundreds of comic book pages, he illustrated for books and magazines while also working in a variety of other areas — advertising; packaging and product illustrations; gag cartoons; record album covers; posters; syndicated comic strips; and trading cards, including work on Topps' landmark Mars Attacks set.

For much of his adult life, Wood suffered from chronic, unexplainable headaches. In the 1970s, following bouts with alcoholism, Wood suffered from kidney failure. A stroke in 1978 caused a loss of vision in one eye. Faced with declining health and career prospects, he committed suicide by gunshot three years later.

Wood was married three times. His first marriage was to artist Tatjana Wood, who later did extensive work as a comic-book colorist.

EC editor Harvey Kurtzman, who had worked closely with Wood during the 1950s, once commented, "Wally had a tension in him, an intensity that he locked away in an internal steam boiler. I think it ate away his insides, and the work really used him up. I think he delivered some of the finest work that was ever drawn, and I think it's to his credit that he put so much intensity into his work at great sacrifice to himself".

EC publisher William Gaines once stated, "Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant".

Reviews

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This is for the HARDCOVER edition, not the Kindle one ... the hardcover one on Goodreads has the wrong cover; this is the correct cover.)

Here’s my dirty little secret about EC Comics: I love the art, hate the writing. This is the only EC Artists Library book I own, even though this lovely little series has been in existance for over 10 years and is a great way to collect almost the entire line (I believe this is volume 38). I love Wallace Wood’s work (he hated being called “Wally” and I respect that when I write about him), and this is an great book, once again filled with incredible Wood science fiction art from Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science-Fantasy, and Incredible Science Fiction (I think this is the fifth or sixth featuring Wood art). EC publisher Bill Gaines said they were proudest of their SF books, even though they didn’t make any money (that came from the horror books and eventually MAD, after the comics went away), and Wood is certainly the epitome of that line. This volume has numerous historical articles, plus some special features, but these books make up one of the most elegantly designed comic reprint series currently being published. I love the artist-centric format, but I just can’t read Al Feldstein’s (who wrote most of the stories across the EC line) verbose, over-the-top scripts, no matter how great the art is. I guess what I’m saying is I love the history and art of EC much more than the actual comics. Still, this collection—the pinnacle of Wood art for the line—gets 5 stars from me.

[Ed Erwin]

Too much text per page. I don't have time for that!

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains tons of sci-fi shorts, each 8-15 pages or around there. All expertly drawn by Wallace Wood, and all in black & white.

You'd think the page count isn't enough for a meaningful story in the comic format. However, there is so much text per page that it almost resembles a novel more than a comic. This is both good and bad. It's bad in the sense that it doesn't allow for Wallace's art to truly shine, but good in that they are able to wrap up stories with decent meat on the bone.
The writing is good throughout, and the stories are enjoyable and inventive. Sure, as a 2025 reader you may have seen similar takes once or twice before in some cases, but even the ones that you can predict well ahead are enjoyable enough. It's a treat to read something from EC that isn't full of modern, shallow political signalling.
Wallace Wood's style is modern, and I would have loved to see these in a larger format and with a good colorist.
Much better than expected and recommended for any sci-fi nerd

[Beowulf26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wood is a giant in the world of comic books and here is some of his best work. He was as much a great science fiction illustrator as a great comic book artist. His aliens are both terrifying and hilarious to look at. His futuristic settings are convincing; his spaceships put other artists to shame. The detail and imagination on display is incredible. The stories here are good; that said, most are overwritten and could be cut without harm, but Wood’s art is triumphant. Some nice sf adaptations here. I’ve bought a number of these Fantagraphics/EC archives and this is another winner.

[Bob Fish]

Lo and behold… the undisputed master of sci-fi.

https://youtu.be/LwMLkknhpjo