Wilson McCoy
Encyclopedia
Wilson McCoy was an American illustrator and painter best known as the second artist on the (still running) The Phantom
comic strip
.
Wilson McCoy is well known for his unique, naive style of drawing. He always drew with tremendous attention to details, and used photographic references for every drawing, having his family and friends pose for him and act out the different situations happening in the stories he worked on.
Like Phantom-creator Lee Falk
, Wilson McCoy was a world traveler with an adventurous spirit. He frequently visited far off jungles, and visited several native
tribes, among them the Ituri
tribe, consisting of pygmies, much like the Bandar tribe in the Phantom strip.
Wilson McCoy studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The American Academy, and Washington University's School of Fine Arts, where he later served on the faculty. Working as a commercial artist, he made paintings for Liberty Magazine covers, calendars, prints, pin-ups and advertisements for major companies. When his friend Ray Moore
served in the military during WWII, McCoy took over the responsibilities of illustrating the syndicated newspaper strip, 'The Phantom'. His wife, Dorothy, did the lettering. McCoy continued drawing the strip until his death in 1961, after which it was continued by Bill Lignante for a short while, and then Sy Barry.
Born one of seven children in Troy, Missouri
on April 6, 1902, Robert Wilson McCoy always went by his middle name and signed the Phantom strip as "Wilson McCoy", but his original artwork was signed "R. Wilson McCoy." McCoy died on July 20, 1961 after a heart attack. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and two children, Robert Wilson Jr. and Carol.
His Phantom stories are occasionally published in the Australian Frew Publications
Phantom comic, and the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish Phantom comic books, and also in hardcover editions.
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
.
Wilson McCoy is well known for his unique, naive style of drawing. He always drew with tremendous attention to details, and used photographic references for every drawing, having his family and friends pose for him and act out the different situations happening in the stories he worked on.
Like Phantom-creator Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
, Wilson McCoy was a world traveler with an adventurous spirit. He frequently visited far off jungles, and visited several native
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
tribes, among them the Ituri
Ituri
Ituri may refer to:* Ituri Interim Administration, an interim administration in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo* Ituri Province, a proposed province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo* Ituri Rainforest* Ituri River...
tribe, consisting of pygmies, much like the Bandar tribe in the Phantom strip.
Wilson McCoy studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The American Academy, and Washington University's School of Fine Arts, where he later served on the faculty. Working as a commercial artist, he made paintings for Liberty Magazine covers, calendars, prints, pin-ups and advertisements for major companies. When his friend Ray Moore
Ray Moore (comics)
Raymond S. Moore, better known as Ray Moore, was the co-creator, together with Lee Falk, and first artist on what would grow to become the world's most popular adventure comic strip, The Phantom, which started in 1936...
served in the military during WWII, McCoy took over the responsibilities of illustrating the syndicated newspaper strip, 'The Phantom'. His wife, Dorothy, did the lettering. McCoy continued drawing the strip until his death in 1961, after which it was continued by Bill Lignante for a short while, and then Sy Barry.
Born one of seven children in Troy, Missouri
Troy, Missouri
Troy is a city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,540. It is the county seat of Lincoln County.Troy is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area...
on April 6, 1902, Robert Wilson McCoy always went by his middle name and signed the Phantom strip as "Wilson McCoy", but his original artwork was signed "R. Wilson McCoy." McCoy died on July 20, 1961 after a heart attack. He was survived by his wife Dorothy and two children, Robert Wilson Jr. and Carol.
His Phantom stories are occasionally published in the Australian Frew Publications
Frew Publications
Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's The Phantom. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation Mandrake the Magician...
Phantom comic, and the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish Phantom comic books, and also in hardcover editions.