Here’s a seldom-seen 1970’s Wally Wood treat: he concocted this irreverent alphabet for Plop! (1973-76), DC Comics’ surprisingly solid yet nearly forgotten gallows humour anthology — forgotten? oh, it’s the same old recipe: just let the material remain out of print for nearly half a century (and counting)*, fold in gradually the dust and grime of neglect, and let wither, uncovered, until utter oblivion is achieved.
While Plopular Poetry is minor ‘woodwork’, it represents some of the best produced by poor Woody at this late stage in his life.
Published in Plop! no. 18 (Nov.-Dec. 1975, DC).Published in Plop! no. 19 (Jan.-Feb. 1976, DC).Published in Plop! no. 20 (Mar.-Apr. 1976, DC).Published in Plop! no. 21 (May-June 1976, DC).Published in Plop! no. 22 (July-Aug. 1976, DC).Published in Plop! no. 23 (Sept-Oct. 1976, DC). According to his protégé Ralph Reese, this is Woody doing his own lettering on the poems. … and that was it. Plop! had run its course, cancelled with its 24th issue, five letters short of an alphabet. Published in Plop! no. 24 (Nov.-Dec. 1976, DC). Were the five final letters ever produced? I’ve been keeping my eyes open all these years… but I’m still waiting.
As a bonus…
Wood’s cover preliminary for Plop! no. 19’s cover boy, Smokin’ Sanford. Rendered in blue pencil on paper.A more refined version of Sanford, rendered in graphite over blue pencil.This is Plop! no. 19 (Jan.-Feb. 1976, DC), Wood’s fourth and final cover for the title, with sidebars and logo design by Sergio Aragonés; edited by his buddy from the EC days (and even earlier), Joe Orlando. Do I detect another, highly meticulous hand in the inking (Ralph Reese comes to mind, but he says he never worked on Plop!, and if one of us is wrong, odds are it’s me), or is Sanford’s wacky tobaccy messing with my mind?
And here’s a glimpse into the creative process! Note the disappearance, in the end, of Sanford’s threads and spectacles.
-RG
*aside from a pair of obscure digest reprints in the mid-eighties.
Sending my dollar bill off to Ansonia Station, New York, in early 1967 and receiving my copy of Witzend #2 was one of the high points of collecting!
That said, I stopped paying attention to aboveground comic books in the early ’70s and missed things like his work for DC! So, thanks for reprinting these pages.
Trust me, Neal, I hadn’t forgotten your fondness for ol’ Woody… I knew that I’d have at the very least a rapt audience of one for this particular piece!
And thanks for the kind encouragement, it’s always warmly appreciated!
Who's Out There? 
I love Wally Wood!
Sending my dollar bill off to Ansonia Station, New York, in early 1967 and receiving my copy of Witzend #2 was one of the high points of collecting!
That said, I stopped paying attention to aboveground comic books in the early ’70s and missed things like his work for DC! So, thanks for reprinting these pages.
Keep on keepin’ on!
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Trust me, Neal, I hadn’t forgotten your fondness for ol’ Woody… I knew that I’d have at the very least a rapt audience of one for this particular piece!
And thanks for the kind encouragement, it’s always warmly appreciated!
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