Hans Waldemar Wessolowski

Hans Waldemar Wessolowski (August 19, 1894 – May 12, 1948) was a German-American artist best known under the pseudonym "Wesso" for his many cover illustrations for pulp magazines in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Hans Waldemar Wessolowski was born August 19, 1894,[1] in the city of Graudenz in the German Empire (now part of Poland).

Anxious to see the world, he joined the German merchant navy,[4] taking a job as a crew member on the SS Fürst Bismarck in May 1914.

His work accompanied the short story "The Apple Tree Sage" by Manuel Komroff in McClure's magazine.

[23] Wessolowski also drew covers for another Clayton Magazine effort, Strange Tales beginning in September 1931.

The proportions of his humans are oddly distorted, with sunken chests, peculiarly large thigh muscles, and elongated limbs.

[32] Along with Frank R. Paul, Howard V. Brown, and Leo Morey, he was considered one of the top four early pulp artists.

[33] Wesso ceased to work for pulps for a time after the collapse of Clayton Magazines in 1933, only returning in 1937 when he drew the cover for the June 1937 Astounding Stories (now owned and published by Street & Smith) and the August 1937 cover of Thrilling Wonder Stories (published by Better Publications).

[35][c] The company began publication of Captain Future magazine in winter 1940[36] (street date December 1939).

[39][d] Throughout his pulp magazine career, Hans Wessolowski continued to work as a freelance commercial artist.

[3] His output for sci fi and fantasy pulps dropped dramatically: Between 1937 and 1942, he drew only six covers for Astounding, three for Thrilling Wonder Stories, and one for Marvel Science Fiction.