Things I didn't blog about in 2023: Awesome Artwork

It's apparently a new year, so of course that means I'll start posting all the stuff I was too lazy or disorganised to post in the last year. I'll start with ( as the blog title implies ) some amazingly awesome artwork. First of all, here's a Pulp-inspired piece by the hugely-talented Mark Reynolds, whose work can be found at Stuff By Mark. He produces some cracking Pop art, drawing on influences from old movie posters and classic songs. And, unlike, many chancers who basically steal "vintage" artwork and reproduce it as their own, Mark is an imaginative, accomplished artist with a keen eye and a dry wit. After the phenomenal Pulp gig in Manchester last Summer, it was a no-brainer for me to buy this limited-edition print and give it to Sarah for her birthday. She loves the song Common People ( and Pulp songs in general ) so she was more than happy with this representation of what is possibly Jarvis Cocker's greatest line. I don't own the artwork below ( unfortunately ) but it's another of Mark's pieces, a cheeky interpretation of Pulp's Disco 2000 as an Archie comic. Isn't it great?

Casting my ancient and twisted mind further back in time, I find myself in balmy Bedford back in September 2023. Here, at the awesome NICE comics con, I bought the lovely warrior woman print below from the equally lovely Liam Sharp...

I bent Liam's ear at some length about his stupendous Starhenge comic, and how I thought it was one of the most fab, groovy and cosmically-aware mags I'd read since the halcyon days of Heavy Metal. He seemed suitably happy with that and we also chatted about his recent move back to Brexit Island after years in the States, and about his old mucker, the late, lamented Steve Dillon...

Bedford's premier comic shop, Close Encounters, was showcasing some of Dillon's original artwork, to coincide with NICE con, which they organise. After leaving the con, I literally had half an hour to spare before meeting Sarah so I hot-footed it ( as best I could at the time, with a dodgy back ) to Close Encounters to check out the awesome artwork. ( Hey! Good name for a blog post! ) The gallery was a real treasure-trove of wonders, featuring iconic pages from 2000 AD, Warrior, Preacher, Doctor Who Weekly ( as was ) plus many more pulsatin' publications. It really showed what a loss to the world the passing of the great Steve Dillon was...

Finally, a completely different style of artwork: a beautiful, Aardman-inspired mural in Bristol, the home of Wallace and Gromit, Morph, Shaun the Sheep etc. etc.

Cracking cheese, Gromit!

30-Day Comic Challenge Week 2

Day 8  -  A gorgeous comic

Burne Hogarth's adaptation of Tarzan Of The Apes was one of the first attempts at a graphic novel
( although the phrase hadn't yet been coined ) and is one of the most beautiful comics ever published. Stunning line work, dazzling colours and, of course, apes. ( We all loved apes in the 1970s. )

Day 9  -  A comic that totally blew your mind ( man )

Heavy Metal ( December 1978 )
My first issue of HM and what an introduction! Behind the generic SF cover I found the works of Moebius, Corben, Bilai, Druillet, Alcala, Angus McKie... mind indeed blown!

Day 10  -  Favourite writer

Well, it's Stan Lee, isn't it?
Looking back on Stan's work it's obviously corny, sentimental and hardly as literate as many that came after him ( Gerber, Engelhart, Moench, Wolfman, Moore, Gaiman et al ). But Stan's voice spoke to me as a kid about heroism, tolerance and just doing the right thing.

Day  11  -  Old comic you love

Obviously I love a lot of old comics but it's not all nostalgia. Here's a classic from before I was even born  -  yes, that long ago! The legendary Eagle ( "The new national strip cartoon weekly!" ) featuring, among many other strips, Frank Hampson's iconic Dan Dare.

I've got some collected Dan Dare strips ( the old, constantly falling-apart Dragon's Dream editions ) but you can't beat the original copies. Here are a few from my very small collection. The colours especially are just wonderful and something modern hi-falutin' printing can't recapture.

Day 12  -  Comic character you feel you are most like ( or wish you were )

Not sure how to answer this one, really. Maybe somewhere between these two?

Day 13  -   Great plot twist

Watchmen no. 12 ( October 1987 )

( SPOILERS! obviously, but this is from one of the most well-known graphic novels, from 34 years ago, so I think most people here  -  if there are any people here  -  will know what happened. )
So, near the end of the saga, after all the heroes' posturing, this happens...

Bam!

Day 14  -  A comic you love that you'll never read again (?)

Again, I don't really understand this category  -  like fellow Twitterer David H said "Is this a trick question?" If I love a comic I'll surely read it again. Except...

Although I think it's a landmark of the comic form, there are huge stretches of Dave Sim's Cerebus that I'll probably never read again. ( Ironic given my Blogger handle, really. )

I've still got a great admiration for Sim's artistic talent ( and Gerhard's! ) and his monumental feat of self-publishing  -  300 issues!  -  but so much of the later stuff is (a) boring and (b) deeply problematical. To be honest i carried on until the end of the series more out of habit than anything else and only skimmed the last few volumes. One day I'll sit down and properly read Guys, Form & Void, Going Home etc.  -  maybe I'll wait for the next lockdown...

And that's Week 2 done and, by my calculations ( I'm cleverer than I look ), that's half of the challenge accomplished. Hooray! If anyone else reading this ( Hello? Hello? Is that an echo? Echo? ) would like to take part, then please drop me a comment. I'd love to hear about your comic faves.

Lockdown shelf porn ( not *actual* porn )

During this lockdown we've all become accustomed to seeing newsreaders, celebrities and the like on our televisions, broadcasting from their homes, often with some ostentatiously-positioned books on their bookshelves behind them. These bookshelves often look unbelievably tidy and organised and, in reaction, some ( ordinary ) people have taken to posting photos of their untidy, un-posed shelves too. Never one to miss a pointless trend, I've jumped on the shelf porn bandwagon and so here are just some of my books, with some random Doctor Who DVDs thrown in as a bonus.

Can you spot any of your favourites?

Things I haven't blogged about recently: Movies

Or, Of Reptiles, Rockets and a reduced Rudd...

I've seen a few films over the Summer which I haven't reviewed and which are all a bit old news now, frankly. So, I thought I'd just jot down ( blog down? post down? ) some quick thoughts about them before my ageing brain forgets them completely, starting with:
Ant-Man 
The latest stage in Marvel Studios' ongoing campaign for global cinematic conquest, starring him out of those sweary comedy films, him out of those pervy '80s films and her out of those Hobbit films. Well, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lillly to be precise. Ant-Man, while probably just a shadow of the movie it could have been had wunderkind Edgar Wright stayed with the project, is still lots of fun. There's a knowing admission that actually the concept of the teeny hero is pretty laughable, but not so much that the film tips over into parody. The action scenes are inventive and often hilarious, while there are many references to previous micro-world films such as The Incredible Shrinking Man. Paul Rudd always comes across as charming and likeable so the role of repentant-burglar-turned-superhero is perfect for his talents. The other leads are all fine although Corey Stoll's evil businessman is a stereotyped villain we've seen far too many times. So, not a classic by any means but a worthy addition to the MCU and one which will lead nicely into Captain America: Civil War next year.

Jurassic World
You'd be forgiven for thinking that we'd travelled back to the 1980s this Summer, what with reboots of Mad Max, The Terminator and the above dino-saga all crashing back onto the screens in a bombastic, need-for-speed, sunglasses 'n' big hair kind of way. Well, 2015 is the year that Marty McFly went back to the future...
The latest version of Michael Crichton's high concept ( Dinosaur theme park with real dinosaurs! ) is true to the spirit of the '80s, in that it's very flashy and superficial with very little under the surface  -  apart from the occasional mosasaurus. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard run about the jungle, snarling at each other without a single memorable line of dialogue, while trying to save themselves and a couple of bratty kids from giant lizards. This is fitfully entertaining but really nothing we haven't seen before. Oh, apart from something called Indominus Rex  -  a giant, hybrid dinosaur with almost-human intelligence and stealth capabilities. Really. On the plus side, there is a nice tribute to the late Richard Attenborough and it's good to see the T-Rex regaining its mantle as the ultimate dinosaur in the film's closing moments.

 

Tomorrowland: A World Beyond 

 Director Brad Bird's wonderfully old-fashioned, retro Science Fiction spectacular may have been one of the biggest box office disappointments of recent years but it has more ideas and invention in its first 20 minutes than Jurassic World has in its entire running time. Star-to-be Britt Robertson plays Casey, an idealistic teen who can't accept that humanity has turned its back on space exploration, and who hooks up with curmudgeon-with-a-secret-past George Clooney when she discovers a key to another world. Tomorrowland has some stunning visuals  -  obviously inspired by the brightly optimistic covers of Golden Age pulp Science Fiction magazines, along with head-spinning action scenes, and a refreshingly upbeat attitude after all the recent silver screen dystopias. Clooney is his usual charismatic self, switching effortlessly between grumpy and charming at the drop of a space helmet, while Robertson is sparky and vivacious, easily a match for her big league co-star. And our own Hugh Laurie turns up as a smooth-talking villain too! It's a real shame that this film wasn't a success as I think it's one of the best original Science Fiction films of recent years. I'll definitely be buying the Blu-Ray when it comes out to again step into this shiny, big-hearted other world...

Amy

In complete contrast to all the above megabudget fare I also saw this heartbreaking documentary about the sadly-missed Amy Winehouse. Told exclusively through TV clips and found footage, with voiceovers from friends and colleagues, the film traces Amy's rise and tragic fall  -  from the talented teen, messing about with her mates, through the years of slogging around jazz clubs, to the megastardom and the problems that brought. Although her father ( who comes out of this in a very bad light ) has publicly attacked this documentary for misrepresenting Amy's life, it does present a clear picture of a prodigiously talented singer who is constantly led astray by hangers-on and ripped apart by depression and substance abuse. Not an easy watch by any means  -  the fantastic music, rare footage and lovely scenes of the young, aspiring Amy make it worthwhile, but I came out of the cinema feeling shell-shocked...

Soundtrack: Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

                    "Remember when you were young? / You shone like the sun..."

Randomiser XI

More Pure Pulp Goodness

Some more wonderful pulp covers from Famous Fantastic Mysteries and Fantastic Novels, two classic fantasy magazines from the '30s and '40s. Artwork by Virgil Finlay and Lawrence Sterne Stevens.