Basil Wolverton, Naked!

For Christmas, my wife hooked me up with a classy Basil Wolverton art-book. It basically traces his career from the earliest stuff he published, back in the 30s or 40s, up through his 'peak' years of the 50s and 60s. I haven't really had a chance to read much of it yet, other than the few pages I flipped across on Christmas Day. I was really excited to get it, and seeing his stuff collected like that was a real treat. I had never even heard of this book, and really only know Wolverton's work from the different reprints, and one collection from the 80s.
Having said that, I am not a huge Woverton fan. I mean, I really enjoy his work and appreciate it much more than the average comic fan probably does, but he never really reached that "upper tier" with me. I think the fact that, at least in my mind, he's primarily known for spot-illustrations (as opposed to sequential stories) somehow lessons his value to me. His pictures of grotesque humans really are great, though.
Glancing through the book a second time (it's called "The Original Art of Basil Wolverton), I notice there is quite a bit of sequential stuff, but most are six panel gag strips or the like. Some of the full-page illustrations are completely surreal, and are far more reminiscent of Dali or Picasso than Kirby and Lee. Wolverton seems to have much more in common with the underground movement of the sixties than Kurtzman, but Harvey always seems to get all the credit. I recommend getting this book. I even more strongly having your wife get it for you. It's available right from the publisher, Last Gasp.