5.31.2023

Collector's Gon' Collect: Arthur Adams

Yo, the homie Darrell D has been living his best friggin' life recently by expanding his impressive Richard Corben comic book collection (and taking us all along for the journey via weekly vlogs on YouTube). 

His passion towards this righteous effort has recently inspired me to do the same, but as it pertains to the comic book works of artist Arthur Adams

Oh, and no. Not to vlog (nah, not my thing...yet), but to go diggin' for the "weird, startling, uncanny" stuff that my collection is missing!



Although I have a few different artists who make my "favorites" list, Adams, who first made his splash in comics back in 1984, has probably been on my list the longest. I certainly have more of his work represented in my collection than anyone else, so I wanted to honor that by filling in some gaps in my already extensive Adams library. 

One of the biggest gaps has been Urban Legends #1, a black and white anthology comic produced by Dark Horse back in 1993 that somehow escaped my notice until fairly recently. The issue features a gorgeous 1-page submission by Adams documenting a once über popular urban legend about the 1966 film King Kong vs. Godzilla. (All of us kaiju geeks believed it was true.)

How this work by Adams slid by me is a friggin' Area 54-Level mystery. I mean, when it comes to comics and whatnot, Paco stays in these streets! So I'm utterly mystified as to how I missed out on it––and for nearly 30 years! [Que Twilight Zone theme]



Anywho, Adams is the man who, maybe more than all others, was born to draw kaiju (giant monsters). His comic books featuring Godzilla, in particular, make up some of the most treasured gems in my collection. So it was an absolute must that I begin this current foray filling in the Adams-related gaps in my stash with this book.

And the price was right, too, so you can't be that. 

Oh, ironically, Urban Legends #1 also feature cover art by Dan Clowes (Eightball, GhostWorld), whose name came up recently on one of Darrell D's related vlogs on underground comics. D isn't particularly a fan of Clowe's work, so I had to laugh to myself,  considering the timing of that vlog and this post.



So on that note, True Believers, if you're interested...click here to peep the homie's Darrell D's latest haul of Underground COMIX, or click here to follow his wondrous journey into the world of Richard Corben comics. 

And if you, like I, are an Art Adams fanboy who missed out on Urban Legends #1, look for your copy wherever fine comics are sold. 


5.06.2023

Wild Style Revisited: My graffiti art records covers joint deserved better, so...


Credit: Animal Records

After some seven years (or so) of an older piece that I wasn't totally satisfied with just eating at me, I finally gave the work the 'level up' it deserved. 

The original version of this record cover art listicle (2016) was one of my earliest attempts at exploring the then new direction of online content creation: listicles. 

And I had a lot to learn. 

This promptly became apparent when I started writing for MoviePilot (and then CBR), which taught me the fine art of listicle making and gave my online writing the creative boost that I was looking for. 

So...without any further delay or ado, the revised, remixed, and remastered version of an older blog post that ya didn't know ya needed. 

Enjoy. (Click here)