EXTRACTS: Illustrators Crime Comics Special © 2020 Book Palace Books (144 pages in full edition)

110 they found Wood stripped to his shorts, with his blood spattered suit lying on the bed. Securing a pair of trousers from the hotel concierge, the detectives hauled Wood off for further questioning. The story that ensued revealed that Wood and Mrs Phillips had spent the previous eleven days holed up in their suite at the Irving, where the couple had spent their time imbibing the amber nectar, while Mrs Phillips had unsuccessfully petitioned Wood to make an honest woman of her. The back story to the relationship was that Mrs Phillips had been married to one of Wood’s colleagues, who she eventually divorced, in the naive hope that their liaison which had developed over the previous ten years would be formalised. Wood, stressed out of his skull, had finally snapped, and grabbing an electric iron had bludgeoned the unfortunate woman to death. Somewhat surprisingly Wood got off comparatively lightly; offered a plea bargain, he pled guilty to the charge of first-degree manslaughter. The judge in his summing up, indulgently laid the blame at the door of the ABOVE & RIGHT: As the years wore on and the spotlight of public opprobrium was cast over the gore- soaked contents of Gleason’s crime comics, covers and interiors were toned down. More emphasis was placed on the heroic actions of law enforcement officers, and covers reflected this editorial shift as in this example from 1954 by George Tuska. Also worth noting that with issue 131 Wood’s involvement with Gleason had been effectively terminated and his name removed from the cover credits. FACING PAGE: The contrast with the halcyon days of Crime Does Not Pay could not have been more apparent with this delightfully macabre cover by Charles Biro. Imaged by Heritage Auctions (HA.com)