Comic-Con Update #2: Tori, Art and More…
I know, I know. It is almost 2 weeks after Comic-Con and I am just getting around to posting this. Let’s just say that it was sensory overload and I needed recovery time to truly digest it all.
I am still processing it all, but wanted to post a quick *hot* list focused on some of the coolest art and graphic novel news (the other 2 reasons beyond entertainment that make Comic-Con my “must attend” event of the year.
Tori Amos and COMIC BOOK TATTOO
Seeing Tori Amos at Comic-Con. First of all, that was huge for me.
As a fan of Tori’s music for the past 10 or 15 years, this is an amazing convergence of my favorite things.
I had the chance to meet Rantz Hoseley (executive editor) who had the idea to create a collection of artwork in a book inspired by Tori’s songs.
Image Comics has published COMIC BOOK TATTOO as a result of the collaboration and it is BEAUTIFUL!
Like me, Amos is a big fan of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN saga (she even wrote the introduction to his Death The High Cost of Living).
For COMIC BOOK TATTOO, the contributors took a song by Tori and created a story “inspired by” it. There are nearly 50 individual stories in the book – all featuring different artists with stories inspired by a Tori song..
COMIC BOOK TATTOO is a fantastic experiment…but not surprising as Tori’s music and her avante garde lyrical stylings are truly a shining beacon for creative minds!
Some other artists that I am watching right now:
Eric Powell’s THE GOON
The big news for Eric Powell’s awesome comic series THE GOON is that – drumroll please – there is a movie in the works!!
I had a chance to sit down with some of the folks from Dark Horse Comics and learned more about where the series is going. A dark comedy set in an alternate universe where street thugs and monsters coexist and battle, THE GOON is one of the most original comics out there. The comics have paranormal and humorous elements, featuring ghosts, zombies, mad scientists and “skunk apes.”
Apparently, FIGHT CLUB director David Fincher is set to turn his eye to to the cult comic with animation house Blur Studios for the project, which follows the adventures of a muscle-bound brawler who claims he is an enforcer for the mob.
TARA MCPHERSON
Another artist that I am watching is Tara McPherson.
McPherson is an American painter, poster artist, freelance illustrator, comic book artist, and teacher based out of New York City.Her art has most recently been featured in JUNO, VERONICA MARS and even Guitar Hero…and she has done some fantastic collaboration for painted vinyl figures for KidRobot.
A recurring motif in her work is a person with a stylized heart-shaped hole through his chest in the place of an actual heart. I purchased and had Tara sign this print at the show this year:
Tara McPherson is now reportedly working on a new painted graphic novel for Vertigo Comics.
Brandon RAGNAR Johnson
Those of you who know me, know that I am a HUGE fan of Lowbrow art.
I adore artists like Tim Biskup and SHAG and discovered RAGNAR just a short while ago…
While RAGNAR is definitely more on the illustrator side versus the lowbrow art side, his work is oozes with vintage pin-up dames, dripping with noir…and his color-selection sets a distinct mood and tone for each piece.
Brandon Ragnar Johnson has been a development artist for Disney, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers and Nickelodeon as well as others. His work can be seen in his books Chromaphile, Got Your Nose, Izzy’s Very Important Job and Kings Of The Road.
Here is an image from his upcoming Big City project which feature more mechanical illustrations (robots, spaceships, etc.). Looks cool….
I was a particular fan of this piece, THE QUITTING:
Just in case you can’t read the bottom, it says “Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to do nothing at all.” 🙂
FINAL NOTES FOR TODAY
Since I am a huge fan of Lowbrow art, other notables from the ‘Con were Tim Biskup and Gary Baseman. More on them in future posts.
I will also hopefully have time to write about another Dark Horse property by musician/artist/creator Gerard Way of the popular group MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, soon as it was another great comic property that I discovered at the show.
As Dark Horse describes, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY is about seven extraordinary, maladjusted indivudals and their plight to protect the planet. When the former team members become aware of a new world-ending threat, they must put their personal and inter-personal problems aside and unite the super group once more to do what they were born to do – SAVE THE WORLD!
Cool.
~ Calliope
Calliope in Outer Space 
Thanks for the comments! Your blog rocks. What part of Pittsburgh are you from? It’s funny how we flock to the ocean, yet refuse to go in it. Must be all those stories about what’s floating in the three rivers….
Thanks for your blog! Did you happen to check out Yoshitaka Amano’s book- Mateke: The Magic Flute, it’s pretty awesome, I met him at Comic Con
I did check it out. So cool that you got to meet him!!
Glad to see the info about the artists. I will look at their work that is on line.
It sounds as though you might have the makings of an art critic…
mom