This is no mystery club thriller, but the gut wrenching illustrated biography of legendary cartoonist-illustrator Wallace Wood who died an early death on the outskirts of Hollywood. Within the world of pop-art, Wood was revered as a rebel genius who inspired a generation, including "underground" cartoonists Robert Crumb, Bill Griffith, and Art Spiegelman. Wood rose to the pentacle of pop-culture stardom as one of America's top humorists, and MAD magazine's first star artist. Wood was also sought out to collaborate with pop-art maestro Peter Max; animated filmmaker Ralph Bakshi; Marvel comics creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; and Pulitzer Prize winner Jules Feiffer, among others. Journalist Steve Starger and historian J. David Spurlock tell a concise but sweeping tale of Wood's life and times, supply critical examination of Wood's work, publish never-before-seen Wood drawings and photos, and offer a brisk and colorful history of the comic book industry and the American century from the Depression through the early 1980s. SC, 192pgs, FC.