Bill Wenzel

William Michael Wenzel (January 22, 1918 – May 12, 1987)[1][2] was an American cartoonist best known as a widely published good girl artist for men's magazines.

Page of Wenzel original art. Cigarette girl: "$1.00 a pack ... $100 if you pick them up at my place after 2 a.m."

Biography

Bill Wenzel was born in Irvington, New Jersey and grew up in nearby Union Township.[3][4] His parents were from Hungary.[4] In 1941 Wenzel was drafted into the Army.[4]

His bawdy cartoon spot illustrations were published over the course of several decades, from such publications as Judge in the 1940s to Sex to Sexty in the 1960s and 1970s, and particularly for the Humorama division of publisher Martin Goodman's variously titled corporations.[5] Wenzel's work, which featured busty, big-eyed, yet innocently risque young women, was published in such magazines and digests as Gaze, Joker, Jest, Comedy, and Stare. Most captions were written by the artist himself.[5] In 1967 Wenzel drew illustrations for the book Coffee, Tea or Me? that, according to the author Donald Bain, "contributed significantly to the book's success".[6]

In 1979, after having lived almost 30 years in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, Wenzel and his family moved to Naples, Florida, where he died in 1987[2] of lung cancer.[1]

References
  1. Chun, Alex; Covey, Jacob (2005). The Pin-Up Art of Bill Wenzel. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books. p. 23. ISBN 1-56097-658-6.
  2. William Wenzel, Social Security Number 116-07-7883, at the Social Security Death Index via GenealogyBank.com, and via FamilySeartch,org. Note: Source gives only "May 1987" as date of death. Retrieved on January 31, 2014.
  3. Cahillane, Kevin. "ART; Nostalgia, Wearing Stilettos", The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed August 9, 2016. "He was born in Irvington in 1918, grew up in Union, married his high school sweetheart on his 24th birthday, had two daughters, served in World War II and spent 30 years in Atlantic Highlands."
  4. Chun, Covey, p. 16
  5. Douresseaux, Leroy (July 23, 2005). "The Pin-Up Art of Bill Wenzel". (review) ComicBookBin.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  6. Chun, Covey, p. 21


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