Interesting that Williamson and Infantino had their stock company of aliens. I wonder how many other artists do that?
Considering how fast artists had to draw comics it wasn’t unusual that they found shortcuts. Though I can’t remember having read anywhere that they actually kept stock background characters, though it would make sense.
And from what I’ve been able to find out about Al Williamson, he simply enjoyed drawing lizards and mushrooms:
RINGGENBERG: “What do you like to draw the most, given a choice?”
WILLIAMSON: “Lizards. Mushrooms? Rocks.”
-Al Williamson Interviewed by Steve Ringgenberg in 1984
In Infantino’s case however, I’d say scaly humanoids with pointy noses and fin-ears (like this guy) was just how he drew generic aliens when he didn’t have time to think up anything too specific. A sort of mental “shorthand” I suppose.
I would expect the regular run to have to invent some aliens. Otherwise, we’d be seeing the same Cantina fellows every time and everyplace! And I was thinking of The Wheel storyline in particular before I clicked on that link. 😉
Infantino did actually re-purpose some Cantina aliens during the Wheel story-line. And once more in “Return of the Hunter”. The only other time he did this, as far as I can remember, was when they actually returned to Tatooine.
