In 1999, while working for an Albany, New York radio station, I contacted Barry Windsor-Smith's studio to inquire about possibly interviewing the artist about his then-new hardcover art book Opus. I had been amazed by the quality of the book, and knowing Windsor-Smith's studio was only an hour's drive away, I was able to arrange an in-person interview at his studio. It goes without saying this was one of the most exciting moments of my life, but as I talked to Barry about comics amid the thousands of dollars in amazing originals that hung on his studio walls, it dawned on him that I knew more about the subject than the average radio news guy probably would. As the lightbulb metaphorically popped on over his head, he said to me, more than a little tongue-in-cheek, "My God, you're a fanboy!" When it comes to the art of Barry Windsor-Smith, I plead guilty.

Think of all that he has contributed to comics art since he entered the field in the 1960s: Grace. Beauty. Elegance. Wit. Intelligence. And constant growth as a creator.

Windsor-Smith's art first gained attention in the U.S. when he began drawing for Marvel Comics in the 1960s. He started out as an energetic and convincing student of the Jack Kirby style, but quickly evolved, and on his best and most singular effort at Marvel, Conan the Barbarian, he paradoxically took on the chores of adapting the decades-old tales of a pulp fiction writer and created within that context one of the most visually arresting and personal works Marvel has ever published.

"Red Nails" is rightly celebrated as a highwater mark for Windsor-Smith's run on Conan; as he recounts in the art book Opus, his life underwent monumental changes during the creation of the story, and from its beginning to its end you can almost see Barry's style begin to evolve, becoming ever more complex and intricate, ever more gorgeous and seductive, ever more evocative of a time that never really was but should have been. Most significantly of all, you can see him let go of the comics traditions he had been following, and you can see the very beginning of his growth into one of the most recognizable and inimitable comics artists of the past forty years.

He's done so much to revolutionize comic book artwork that it's hard to know what, exactly, to focus on. I personally think the most personal and affecting expression of Windsor-Smith's art and soul was on the tragically cut-short series BWS: Storyteller. Within its pages he took free reign to tell the stories he wanted to tell, in precisely the way he knew they should be told. High comedy, eerie, off-kilter science fiction and high adventure were all to be found within each and every issue of the series; Barry did virtually everything on the book, and what he didn't do, he closely oversaw to make sure it met his exacting standards. His willingness to experiment within the three features the book carried was something to behold. One issue saw a lead character move into The Jetsons' living room. In another story, the plot wasn't working out, so BWS injected himself as a character and talked it over with the cast until things were settled more in the right direction.

The oversized pages of Storyteller were the perfect showcase for Windsor-Smith; any artist would be envious of the generous, ad-free format and thick, glossy paper stock. Barry used it to full advantage, creating vivid worlds of wonder across which his characters romped, stomped and wised off.

You can experience a little of the thrill of Storyteller in the hardcover collections Young GODS and Friends and The Freebooters, both published by Fantagraphics, collecting features from the series along with notes and previously unseen artwork. Storyteller died before its time because of the ignorance and intellectual laziness of the marketplace as it existed at that time, and because of a lack of commitment by its original publisher. The Fantagraphics collections are a great step forward in remedying the loss of the series, and they stand in defiance of the stupidest instincts of the comics industry. They proclaim their creator's continued, unwavering dedication to doing things his way; because when you're an artist in the way that Barry Windsor-Smith is an artist, there simply is no other way.