Brush with Passion: The Art and Life of Dave Stevens
This work offers an introduction to the first retrospective popular comic film illustrator David Stevens. "Brush with Passion" charts the career of beloved and influential artist David Stevens. Encouraged by legendary creators like Jack Kirby, Milton Caniff, and Burne Hogarth, Stevens talks about his work as a storyboard artist for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video and Steven Speilberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark", his days drawing comics, and the trials and tribulations of bringing his character to the big screen in the 1991 Disney film, "The Rocketeer". Renowned for his wink-and-flirt pin-up art, Stevens is credited with revitalizing interest in, championing the rights of, and befriending the reclusive 1950s model Bettie Page and he recounts their first meeting and subsequent adventures together - including a trip to the Playboy Mansion.Featuring a wealth of iconic paintings and previously unpublished art, "Brush with Passion" also features commentary by comic book greats Todd Schorr, Richard Hescox, Michael William Kaluta and William Stout.
Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic
Flash Gordon, introduced as a Sunday newspaper comic strip by King Features Syndicate in 1934, remains after more than 70 years, one of the best-known and most beloved epics of heroic fantasy produced in America. Initially envisioned and drawn by the brilliant Alex Raymond, the strip’s mélange of alien wonders, beautiful damsels, interplanetary evil and peerless derring-do remains potent today, as witness its many adaptations in print, motion pictures and television. It has been cited by no less a popular fantasist than George Lucas as a primary influence on his Star Wars series. Beyond the lasting impact of the strip’s heroic themes, the drawing skills of Raymond inspired a small army of succeeding cartoonists to take up his illustration-based stylistic mantle. Al Williamson is arguably the foremost of these acolytes, widely acclaimed as the artist who best exemplifies the original spirit of Raymond’s creation, as well as being the most distinctive and lyric. His vision of the character, formed in childhood and deeply personal, captured the hearts of Flash Gordon readers like no other. Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic, collects all the major works of the artist featuring the character. At 256 pages, it encompasses Williamson’s three stints of depicting Flash in comic book format: the legendary King Comics stories from the 1960s, the 1980 adaptation of the Universal Flash Gordon motion picture, and the Marvel Comics miniseries of 1994. In addition to these classics of sequential storytelling, Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon features Williamson’s Flash drawings done for commercial illustration and prints, his assists on the Flash Gordon comic strip, a variety of Flash images contributed to amateur publications, and a selection of largely unpublished images spanning his interest in the character from childhood to the conclusion of his career. With an introduction by Sergio Aragones, text by Mark Schultz, and images reproduced directly from the artist’s original drawings, this long-overdue collection of evocative artwork documents the lifelong impact that Flash Gordon had on Williamson and the particular impact that Williamson had on Flash Gordon.
The Don Rosa Library Volume 1: 1987-1988
This is it! Duck fans worldwide, wiggle your webbed feet for joy - the complete, chronological Keno Don Rosa collection is here! Uncle Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie headline a cast of classic Carl Barks bit-players, reinvigorated in fighting trim for Don's first 1987-1988 triumphs: "Son of the Sun," "Nobody's Business," "Mythological Menagerie," "Last Sled to Dawson," "Metaphorically Spanking" and more. Restored, recolored, and furnished with numerous editorial features, here's the first in a cracking, wakking Gemstone multi-volume series!
Frazetta: The Definitive Reference
The work of Frank Frazetta, the greatest fantasy artist of all time, has influenced generations of artists, fans, designers, and movie directors. Now, collected in Frazetta, The Definitive Reference, are essays and illustrated data in a one-of-a-kind volume tracing the entire arc of Frazetta’s career with more than 800 of his unforgettable images. From his early 1950s comics, to Tarzan, Pellucidar, and John Carter of Mars book covers; to his 1960s monster mags, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella; to his major movie posters, including After the Fox and What’s New Pussycat; to, of course, his revolutionary Conan paintings--it’s all here. Frazetta overflows with fantastic images, insightful commentary, and the most complete index of artwork ever compiled on this fantastic icon.
The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels 1
The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels is the ultimate companion to the expanding world of the “literary comic book”. Written by comic industry insider Danny Fingeroth, it includes the mediums history, from sequential art in Egyptian tombs, through the superhero boom of the 1940s to the birth of the graphic novel movement and the latest online offerings. All you need to know about the best and rest with 60 must-read graphic novels, including the genre-defining Maus and A Contract with God, plus modern classics-in-the-making Fun Home and Alice in Sunderland. The guide profiles the movements legends including Harvey Pekar, Chris Ware, Denis Kitchen and other amazing illustrators, writers and publishers who’ve helped win respect for this once marginalised art form. And everything else you need to know from “how to make a graphic novel” to Persepolis and the lastest film and television offerings, manga, documentaries, conventions, books, magazines and websites.
Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film, and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom
From original beachcomber personalities like the Waikiki Beachboys to the rise of Venice Beach as a creative center for music, art, and film, this insightful chronicle traces the roots of the surf boom and explores its connection to the Beat Generation and 1960s pop culture. Through accounts of key figures both obscure and popular, such as Mike Dormer, Rick Griffin, the Trashwomen, and the Beach Boys, the book illustrates why surf culture is a vital art movement of the 20th century. The entire spectrum of pop culture is covered, including discussions of the advent of surf magazines and the immense popularity of the “beach” movies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.
Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts
In 1982, Lucasfilm wanted to branch out into other forms of entertainment and formed an agreement where videogame pioneer Atari provided $1 million in seed capital with only the vague directive of "see what you can make." The resulting two games sold 100,000 units, twice as many copies as had been projected, and were a critical and commercial success. In 2005, LucasArts' Battlefront II game sold 2.1million copies and generated an estimated $200 million in revenue. In the past 25 years, LucasArts has cemented its place in videogame history though a combination of the two strengths of its parent company: master storytelling and innovative technology."The Magic of LucasArts" reveals its illustrious history, including more than 250 samples of never-before-seen art, including storyboards, concept paintings, and character developments from its cherished games, as well as art from cancelled projects that were never announced to the public. George Lucas contributes a rare foreword on his vision for interactive entertainment. Original interviews with key team members past and present make this book a must-have for gamers young and old.
Fall Out: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Prisoner
The impact of The Prisoner upon society was explosive, transforming art, storytelling and popular culture like no other television programme before or since. Patrick McGoohan spearheaded the project in his role as an unnamed man, held against his will in a strange isolated Italianate village, tormented by a succession of individuals, each calling themselves Number 2, whose true motivations and intentions towards him remained a constant mystery.
The man, known only as Number 6, attempted escape, was befriended and betrayed, underwent hallucinogenic journeys, and experienced many strange revelations, before the series achieved its cathartic climax.
The Prisoner was ahead of its time, and in this book, Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore take on the task of debriefing the programme and attempting to make sense of the many interpretations and readings which have been placed on it. This is not the book with all the answers but it may help you ask the right questions.
The Best Music You've Never Heard 1
The Rough Guide to the Best Music You’ve Never Heard is a winning collection of amazing stories of tragic mavericks and unlucky contenders, with hundreds of lost classics and hidden gems. The guide traces the musicians that fell by the wayside from the bands that could have been The Beatles to the acts that were better than the acts that made it. Find out why David Ackles is the Elton John that never was (and why Elton John agrees). Whether they were psychedelic hippies, lost soul divas, geeky prog-rockers, hell-raising rockers or pop-star wannabes, they are all in this book for one reason: they made truly fantastic music. Frank and opinionated, the guide is packed with playlists, includes stylish archive photos as well as contributions from music industry insiders including Bat for Lashes. Clue-up on the infamous lost albums from some of rock’s biggest stars and discover the tails of the famous-name side-projects that got away, not forgetting the cult albums reviled at the time… that are actually really good. If you’re looking for great new music, this book will show it to you. If you think you’ve heard it all, it’ll put you to the test.
