I read William Gibson's Neuromancer back in high school. And I hated its, nearly the entire read through. But somehow, it got it's hooks into me -- I couldn't put it down. I struggled through, frustrated as hell. When, all of a sudden, I got it. And I LOVED it. The world Gibson created was so terribly believable, yet richly imaginative, it just fried my little teenage brain.
Of course, I instantly latched onto the character of Molly Millions, the street samurai who acts as the protagonist's stealthy muscle and casual lover. Molly's body is a futuristic shopping list of upgrades -- mirror-shade lenses for eye sockets, enhanched speed and agility, and 1.5" retractable razor claws. What's not to love?
I just reread Neuromancer. And I'm glad to say it holds up nicely.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
I was instantly a fan of The Transformers. From the first episode of the cartoon to the toys to the old Marvel comics, I was simply hooked. I mean, what could have been cooler to a small boy in the 80's, than super-fresh vehicles that change into giant robots that love to fight?!
Heroic as the Autobots were, I was always a bigger fan of the Decepticons. And, whoa-boy, did those bad metal bastards take their evil to a whole new level in Transformers: The Movie. Sitting in that theater with my Dad in 1986, I was blown-away by how brutal the Decepticons were. All charged-up on robot cocaine (aka Energon), they blasted murder holes in damn-near every popular Autobot. And all within the first 30 minutes of the movie! And Megatron was in rare form, killing any and every Autobot in his path. No mercy... no remorse.
Of course, Optimus Prime showed up with The Dinobots and put a serious kibosh on the whole "bad guys seizing the day" moment. But I'll always have that pure robot massacre from the beginning of the movie, to soothe my villain-loving heart.
9 x 12" / mixed-media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
John Carpenter's remake of The Thing absolutely terrified me, as a child. And as an adult, it still gives me the EXTREME heebie-jeebies! I love the idea of a gruff-voiced Keith David and silken-mained Kurt Russell going toe-to-toe with a shape-shifting, dog-absorbing alien on a remote Antarctic research base. But the whole thing is just so tense and... moist. It can be hard to watch, at points. I guess that's a big part of what makes it one of my favorites. Even if I can only stand to sit through it once a year....9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol boardUpdate: SOLD!
C-3PO and R2D2 are the quintessential robotic duo. This mismatched pair are like a droid version of The Odd Couple -- Artoo's smoking cigars and leaving Playboy magazines lying everywhere, while Threepio bustles around cleaning and complaining. And love 'em or leave 'em, these two really are the protagonists of Star Wars: A New Hope. That is, until the more lippy, less-helmeted human characters show up.
I've always felt a little bad for R2D2. I mean, here he is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. And who's his road dog, but the most annoying, ridiculously prissy droid in the galaxy. Though it really isn't C-3PO's fault. He was programmed to be a fussy pain in the ass.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
Whether you've read the book, seen the film, or none of the above, you're probably familiar with George Orwell's sci-fi classic, 1984. At some point or another, we've all heard mention of the ominous phrase, "Big Brother is watching you," and instantly recognize the Draconian terror it inspires in one's heart and imagination.
I've been reading the book in small chunks here and there, for the past few years. And the further the protagonist strays from the path of a mindless drone, the more I keep expecting the Thought Police to kick down MY door and arrest me for reading the tale! I've never enjoyed a more paranoia-inducing piece of fiction.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
$200 (plus $5 for shipping in the US, $15 for international)
To purchase, email hiredmeat@gmail.com
When it comes to original, hard-hitting science fiction in American comics, I'm hard pressed to think of an equal to Phil Hester and Mike Huddleston's The Coffin. Both the story and art yank at your throat, leading you through a sequential nightmare of utter darkness and terrifying beauty.
My favorite character from the story has always been Keen, the henchwoman-turned death dealing undead. Though she's a minor player in the grand scheme, her character arc is brilliant. It also helps that she's a completely badass ninja woman, who goes toe-to-toe against an undead man-machine more than once, and hardly breaks a sweat.
* Phil Hester hooked me up with a copy of The Coffin: 10th Anniversary Edition (IDW) during C2E2. Sweet jeebus, is it a gorgeous book! I have to admit, flipping through it this weekend inspired tonight's post.*
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
$200 (plus $5 for shipping in the US, $15 for international)
To purchase, email hiredmeat@gmail.com
From the Decepticons to The Terminator, my childhood was packed tight with killer robots. But none inspired such fear as The Black Hole's deliciously mean Maximilian. He was big, brown and brutal. Maximilian all but pulverized the cute old B.O.B. robot. And he nearly fried V.I.N.C.E.N.T. before he was finally bested, during their David & Goliath-style battle.
But the rawest crime Maximilian pulled in The Black Hole, hands down, had to be when he used one of his rotating blades to bore a dinner plate-sized hole in Anthony Perkins' chest. It was insanely ultra-violent, especially for a movie with a PG rating! Say what you will about the old Walt Disney sci-fi/fantasy films. They'll always hold a special place in my nerdy heart.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
$200 (plus $5 for shipping in the US, $15 for international)
To purchase, email hiredmeat@gmail.com
Thanks to everyone out there who's made the third week of "Alphabet Attack!" such a fun success. I'm having a blast with these pieces, and it seems like a lot of you are too.
That being said, I hope you won't mind a short break in the series. Since I'll be out of town attending the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), there won't be any posts for today, Friday or Monday. But don't fret! I'll be back in my studio and delivering the visual stimuli yet again, starting on Tuesday, March 22nd.
In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend!
- Dave, aka King Gum
The Predator is one of the roughest customers to hit the guerrilla warfare scene, since the Vietcong. With his trippy camouflage, atomic shoulder cannon and various serrated blade devices, it's no surprise this guy cleans up in the hunting trophy department. And nothing says "home sweet home" quite like a collection of skulls mounted over the mantle. Or in this guy's case, in a secret compartment just aft of the sleeping quarters in his funky space cruiser.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
$200 (plus $5 for shipping in the US, $15 for international)
To purchase, contact hiredmeat@gmail.com
What's worse than being a prisoner of the evil Empire, held in the dank dungeons of The Death Star? Being drugged and interrogated by a floating bowling ball with blinking lights, all under the direction of your own father! Now THAT sucks.
I'm almost grateful that the plot and characters of Star Wars are so thin. I mean, could you imagine the psychological drama that would have flooded the rest of The Trilogy, had there been any serious depth to work with? By Return of The Jedi, Leia would've been in therapy, Luke would have been on drugs, and Chewbacca would have been in AA.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
Thanks to my loving Mother, the "Alien" series has been near and dear to me my whole life. She saw Alien in the theater, while I was still in her womb. And when I was in the 4th Grade, my Mom kept me home from school one day JUST so I could watch Aliens with her. I seriously felt like the luckiest kid on Earth, as I sat there terrified, watching Hicks, Vasquez, Ripley and the gang go toe-to-toe with the teeming, nasty alien horde!
So today's drawing is in honor of my Mom, and mothers everywhere who take the time to teach their children about the ills of interstellar exploration, space marines and toothy monsters with acid for blood.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
Ya gotta give it up for Flash Gordon. This corn-fed jock escapes a killer meteor shower by hopping into a rocket ship with a mad scientist and a sexy reporter. They crash land in the middle of an intergalactic royal court. Ming The Merciless -- the BADDEST dude in the known universe -- makes a Middle Ages-style pimp move on the reporter. And what does Flash do? He proceeds to whoop the living hell out of Ming's best shock troopers, with nothing but some giant Faberge eggs and raw gridiron tactics.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
PS -- If, like me, you want to relive the "Football Fight" scene from Flash Gordon every day for a month, you can enjoy it right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNUcpXKiNZo
One of my favorite corners of science fiction is the one where the classics are tucked away. While there are plenty of oldies on my "need to read" list, I found time to read "Frankenstein" not too long ago. And it proved to be the perfect vacation book. I'd taken a small, dog-eared paperback copy with me on a trip to Central America. It was so pleasantly surreal, reading this bizarre story on foreign terrain. But even without the odd locale for reading it, the story was captivating from the first page. And to think, it was all contrived from a ghost story throw-down between Mary Shelley, her husband and their neighbors, while they waited out dreary weather.
9 x 12" / watercolors & ink on recycled bristol board
$200 (plus $5 for shipping to the US, $15 for international)
To purchase, email hiredmeat@gmail.com
Okay, okay... I realize that The Ewoks are on just about every fanboy's list of "Things That Ruined the Star Wars Franchise," usually right after Jar Jar Binks and George Lucas, himself. But I gotta show love for these furry, loin-clothed critters. When I was 5 years old and sitting in the theater, bewildered by all that Light and Magic, I didn't really care that Ewoks were cute or lame. I was too busy getting lost in a fantasy world, where savage teddy bears can triumph over scout walkers and blaster-proof armor with arrows and spears, twine and lumber.
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
I love, love, LOVE me some Dalek! I mean really -- what's more adorable than a pissed-off mutant race that's out to conquer the universe?? Absolute domination, without compassion, all from the seat of their throwback cybernetic-killer-robot-armor?!?
9 x 12" / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
It was only a matter of time before something Star Wars-related popped up in this series. So of course I started with the baddest brother in the galaxy, Lando Calrissian! I think The Trilogy would have been a lot sexier if it focused less on warlocks and monsters, and more on Lando's chocolate-covered, malt liquor-infused, galactic gambling escapades.
9 x 12 / mixed media on recycled bristol board
Update: SOLD!
Thanks to the collectors who snatched up the first two pieces, and to everyone who's been showing support for "Alphabet Attack!" in it's first few days. You make this endeavor totally worth it! I'm off for the weekend, but will be back on Monday with the next installment.
"Ya besta get'cha rest, cause the next day comin'!"
- Dave
I have vague memories of seeing Barbarella on late night TV, during my childhood. But it took on a whole new meaning for me when a friend bought me the DVD a few years ago. Wowzers! Not only is a smoking-hot Jane Fonda mostly naked during the whole flick, but the Barbarella character herself is insanely awesome! I mean, how can you not love an intergalactic federal agent who jaunts through the cosmos in a fur-lined spaceship, battles evil in the name of love, and shamelessly indulges her sexual fantasies with everything from a whip-wielding bear man to Duran Duran's tortuous pleasure machine!?
9 x 12" / mixed media on bristol board
Update: SOLD!
"A" is for "Akira's Awakening." Watching Katsuhiro Otomo's anime epic was pivotal in me maintaining my path toward becoming a professional illustrator, when I was just a teenage boy. And the manga of "Akira" drove the point home, when I devoured each volume during my sophomore year of college. Even now, I regularly go back and soak up all the creative manna I can suckle from both forms of Otomo's story and its monstrous scope. Truly inspirational stuff!
9 x 12" / mixed media on bristol board / Update: SOLD
I read William Gibson's Neuromancer back in high school. And I hated its, nearly the entire read through. But somehow, it got it's hooks into me -- I couldn't put it down. I struggled through, frustrated as hell. When, all of a sudden, I got it. And I LOVED it. The world Gibson created was so terribly believable, yet richly imaginative, it just fried my little teenage brain.
