Hans Wesso (Wessolowski) was a German-born artist who immigrated to the United States in 1912 by jumping ship in New Orleans and swimming to shore without entry papers. He became a U.S. citizen in 1913.

 

Wesso had done cartoon work in Germany and submitted his first science fiction artwork to the pulp magazine Amazing Stories in 1929 despite never having read a pulp fiction story before. He was a contemporary of Amazing Stories artist Frank R. Paul and would become his competitor in the field of pulp illustration. Wesso became the main illustrator of Astounding Stories magazine and was one of the most influential artists during the 1930s, with a particular ability to depict people and monsters with great skill