While Ward is often celebrated for his work in Playboy , Humpty Dumpty Magazine (yes, really), and his legendary Toro comics, there is a specific, fantastic corner of his career that deserves a fresh look: The Girl from A.U.N.T. Before we talk about the art, we need to talk about the venue. In the early 1960s, publisher Robert Harrison—the king of the "girlie" magazine—launched A.U.N.T. (often said to stand for "All U Need is..."). It was a men’s adventure/humor magazine designed to compete with Playboy and Esquire , but with a much looser, goofier, and more cartoonish sensibility.
Because these strips feature mid-century cheesecake art, original pages are expensive. But the magazines are still affordable. You can often find a copy of A.U.N.T. Vol. 2, No. 4 on eBay for the price of a pizza. Final Verdict Sizzle (as I like to call the unnamed heroine) is more than just a pair of high heels and a tight pencil skirt. She is a time capsule. Sizzle the Girl from A U N T comic by Bill Ward
Sizzle and Smile: Celebrating "The Girl from A.U.N.T." by the Legendary Bill Ward While Ward is often celebrated for his work
She represents a moment in American culture when sex was funny, not serious. When a woman could be both a damsel in distress and the smartest person in the room. When the art of the cartoonist was measured not in pixels, but in how well you could draw a surprised expression when the couch collapses. (often said to stand for "All U Need is
If you need a smile, or if you want to see what "effortless cool" looks like with a pen, look up Bill Ward’s The Girl from A.U.N.T. .
However, several high-quality reprint houses (like Fantagraphics or Taschen) have included Bill Ward’s A.U.N.T. strips in their retrospective collections. If you search for "Bill Ward Sizzle" or "The Art of Bill Ward," you will find these gems.
And who did Harrison hire to draw the star feature? The Character: The Anti-Secret Agent In the early 60s, the world was obsessed with secret agents (think James Bond and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ). Ward and the editors at A.U.N.T. brilliantly parodied this trend.