Dork Art: Howard The Duck & Man-Thing Puppet

This past weekend Guardians of the Galaxy officially became the highest grossing August film ever - it's not only the biggest film of this summer, but it's already made more money than last year's Man of Steel.  That is crazy.  Nothing to bring the crowd in besides an excellent trailer, and the Marvel brand.  Talking trees, rocket raccoons.  What's next?  Doctor Strange?  Black Panther?  How about Howard The Duck?  As we saw in the post credits tag of the James Gunn movie, Seth Green brought voice to a new Howard.  The first time I saw the film, the tag brought a few "Wha??"s & a couple "WTF??"s from the crowd.  Me?  A big fanboy grin.  I've always been a fan.  I dig the George Lucas flick.  It's a awkward whackjob flick, perfectly encapsulating the confusion of the 80s.  But I understand the disdain.  I just wish that disdain didn't block fanboys from exploring the original comic book.  However, now's the time folks.  Howard The Duck is cool again.

Created by Steve Gerber & Val Mayerik, Howard The Duck first appeared in the pages of Adventures into Fear #19 when Marvel's Man-Thing fell into the Nexus of Realities, encountering both Howard and The Peanut Butter Barbarian....yeah, you read that right, The Peanut Butter Barbarian.  Eventually Howard The Duck got his own title, and it allowed for Steve Gerber to write some scathing satire amongst the webslingers and fantastic families.  It's a goofy, weird, and immensely fun book.  If all you know about the character is the Lucas flop, then I encourage you to snatch up a few of those early issues.  They run fairly cheap at cons, but maybe not for long.  Do I expect Howard The Duck in Marvel's Phase 3 or 4?  Doubtful.  The James Gunn tag is pretty much a one-shot joke.  Still, it's possible that Howard pops up in Guardians 2 or some other cosmic outing.  Right now, Marvel's testing the waters.  They're re-releasing the omnibus in October, Funko is adding him into their Pop Vinyl line, nd artist Val Mayerik is finding himself in the spotlight once again.

On September 20th, coinciding with Fantastic Fest, Mondo will be holding their very first Posterpalooza dedicated to the art of the one-sheet - Mondo Con.  The typical Mondo artists like Jason Edmiston, Tyler Stout, and Jay Shaw will be on hand hosting panels & releasing new exclusives.  But there's plenty of new blood.  Mike Mignola, Tim Sale, Bernie Wrightson and Val Mayerik.  Seriously enjoying the inclusion of these comic book greats.  Mayerik recently did a signing at Austin Books, where he was selling the Howard the Duck/Man-Thing print seen all the way at the top of this post.  I've already hit up ebay looking for this beauty, but no luck so far.  I want it.  I need it.  Hopefully, Mondo will make it available to the public soon enough.  Whatever the case, the time for Howard the Duck is once again upon us.  And there's no George Lucas to muck it up.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mike Mitchell's Marvel Portraits

This afternoon Time Magazine unveiled another set of portraits from Mike Mitchell's Mondo Gallery Show (opening this Friday in Austin - the lucky bastards!), and they are absolutely & utterly perfect.  The Hulk is the tops for sure; Mitchell expertly captures that cromag forehead accentuating the green meanie's dim bulb rage.  But I also love Loki's contemptuous glazed expression, Doc Ock's maniacal grin, and Bullseye's psycho eyes.  Luke Cage?  He's all confidence & sideburns.  I really hope prints of these Avengers are available soon so that I can fight the internet into frustrated bliss as I click, click, click, click to no avail.  Seems like the only luck I'm having at scoring Mondo prints these days is on the secondary market.  An old story, but still it rankles.

Dork Art: Mondo Returns To Stark Trek

Wow.  I thought Mondo was done with the Star Trek license (their last collaboration was way back in August of 2012 with Todd Slater's The Corbomite Maneuver), but come tomorrow afternoon at some random time they'll be releasing not one, but TWO prints for rabid Trekkies everywhere.  My favorite is the above Matt Taylor print showcasing probably the most iconic Star Trek episode, "Arena."  It doesn't get much more entertaining than William Shatner vs The Gorn Captain, aka the second coolest rubber suited lizard man (even Trek must bow before Godzilla).  The Arena poster measures 20 x 36, is limited to 175 copies, and runs $45.  Good luck scoring one tomorrow; I fear I may have to buckle down and tackle the secondary market for this one.  The other print is from Kevin Dart and involves possibly one of my least favorite episodes, "What Are Little Girls Made Of." No matter how many stone dildos that ep features, I cannot get excited about Nurse Chapel's condescending tone.  The print measures 18 x 24, is limited to 175 copies (varient is 85 copies), and runs $40 (variant is $60).  Hopefully, this is just Mondo gearing up for a second wave of Trek goodies.  I'm still waiting on posters for The Search for Spock & The Final Frontier - come on, you know you want a Tyler Stout "Row Row Row Your Boat."

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo in 2014

I acquired only four prints from Mondo in 2013.  I magically won Tyler Stout's Shaun of the Dead at The Alamo screening of the Cornetto Trilogy.  I forked over big bucks at Comic Con for Drew Struzan's Dark Tower.  I was one of thousands who ordered the timed edition Martin Ansin's Man of Steel.  And I clicked at the right second for Francesco Francavilla's Black Beetle.  It's an old story, but eight years ago I could snag a Dirty Dozen or Bad Lieutenant poster months after release.  These days if you're not one of the lucky few to click the link at the right second then you're out of luck.  Such manufactured limited editions have caused quite a bit of backlash.  I get it.  I want the William Stout King Kong as much as you do, and I can't afford to pay the ebay prices.  It's the nature of the beast.  But I'm not gonna crap on these guys.  I love their work.  And when Hollywood chooses cheap high school photoshop over illustration 9 times outta 10 then I'll choose the hipster option every time.

If we're judging them on their first three prints of the year, then 2014 is going to prove hotter than ever for Justin Ishmael and his Mondo Team.  Released just yesterday, Rockin Jelly Bean's Kill Bill print went for $55 and now sells for $140 (average) on ebay.  Dave Rapoza's Clash of the Titans print will currently set you back $74.  But the real story is Francesco Francavilla's Clash of the Titans = $165.  Obviously, we're massive Harryhausen fans here at ITMOD, but we're not the types to bow down to Titans.  In fact, if you twisted our arms Matt & I would admit a fondness for the remake and it's God War sequel.  That being said, the Francavilla print is absolutely gorgeous, and the idea of him tackling other Harryhausen films like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad or - gulp - Mysterious Island brings butterflies to my stomach.  Francavilla is a helluva get for Mondo and together they slayed 2013.  Can't wait to see what the two cook up in the New Year.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo's Vinyl Halloween

In the last year or so, Mondo has been trickling out a rather varied array of vinyl releases.  Stuff like The Deadly Spawn, Oblivion, the recent Maniac, and Drive have all seen their soundtracks blessed with the Mondo exclusivity treatment.  I haven't bothered in the past, but I may make an exception for their upcoming release of John Carpenter's Halloween.  Apparently this is the first time the entire score has been provided on vinyl, and considering it's a masterpiece of simplicity akin to John Williams' JAWS, I'm shocked by that very notion.  Naturally, the record will hit the internet on October 31st.  The art is supplied by Phantom City Creative, We Buy Your Kids, and Jeff Proctor.  It's doubtful you'll be able to score one from Mondo, but I'm sure ebay will have them for a few hundred dollars seconds after Twitter announces the random sale time.  If you want a more detailed rundown, check out GQ.  Yes, Mondo is so popular now that GQ writes about their releases.  So bizarre.

--Brad

Dork Art: More Mondo Comic Con

For some of their new prints, Mondo is working a new method this year at Comic Con; these posters will actually be going on sale tomorrow through their website, but can only be be picked up at the San Diego Convention Center next weekend.  I like this in theory.  Especially for a high ticket item like the above Dark Tower print from Drew Struzan ($275).  Curious to see how fast these go - the usual ten seconds?  Or will we lucky Comic Con few be given five or ten minutes to score our copies?  I won't hold my breath, but I will be in the queue tomorrow.  Martin Ansin's Conan The Barbarian is pretty killer too, and much more reasonable at $50.  I dig the Olly Moss Miyazaki prints, but I could not care less about those movies.  Sorry nerds.  Mondo will still have other surprises at their booth this weekend, but if you want these prints you better pay attention to Twitter tomorrow morning.

--Brad

Dork Art: Pacific Rim Owns The Internet

Tomorrow is the big day.  It's been five years since the last film from Guillermo Del Toro.  I was not a Hellboy II fan.  As an ubergeek of the comic, I found the Del Toro tone not quite right for the material. Looked great, but just not what I wanted.  But big robots vs. big monsters?  Robot Jox - The Blockbuster?  Hell yeah!  Can't go wrong, right?  Gosh, I sure hope not.  I've got my Alamo tickets already lined up; I'm pumped to bask in the Kaiju destruction.  And it certainly doesn't seem like I'm the only one.  The marketing machine is working in overdrive.  I can't click on a site without some sort of Pacific Rim imagery hurling at me.  Of course, my favorite bits of dorkery are the band posters - the blueblood Mondo prints are belting out their siren song, "Buy Me Brad, Buy Me..."

At the tippy top is Kevin Tong's 24 x 36 soon-to-be classic battle between Gypsy Danger & Leatherback.  It's a real beauty, but Ash Thorp's duel posters featuring the same clash of the titans seen just above this paragraph are the real winners.  I'll crush many a nerd to get my hands on those.  Just below is Per Colorway's rorshach image.  Nice & clever, but Thorps colors refuse to be ignored.  All three prints will be on sale next week at the San Diego Comic Con.  If last year was any indication, I have no chance in hell of scoring one, but that doesn't mean I won't give it the good ol' college try.

Also landing online today is the below highlight reel from Sideshow Toys revealing a couple of killer Statues.  These might be a little easier to acquire than a Mondo print, but they'll set you back several hundred dollars nonetheless.  Just appreciate them from afar folks.  They make for nice jpegs.

And finally, Odd City Entertainment has unveiled the next artist in their Pacific Rim line...Graham Erwin.  I dig it.  Focusing on the Jaegers, Erwin's print will certainly be easier to obtain than those pricey Mondos...but I wouldn't twiddle my thumbs either.  The below poster measures 36 x 12, and will cost you 50 bucks.  It goes on sale tomorrow at the Odd City website.

--Brad

Dork Art: Jason Edmiston's They Live

2013 is going to go down as the year I rediscovered They Live.  It's not like the film ever really left me, but the combination of the Scream Factory release and The Alamo Draft House screening resurrected John Carpenter's pop culture satire as one of my All Time Favorite Films.  I've been thinking about it constantly, and it looks like the internet is right there with me.  Dork Artist Jason Edmiston will be having a Mondo Gallery show in Austen, TX from August 23rd to September 14th.  As usual, I'll be weeping from afar and enjoying the jpegs that come my way.  One of my San Diego Comic Con hopes is that Edmiston will have this print available on the sales floor.  Fingers crossed.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo Man of Steel!

Here's some good news for Mondo fanatics!  Tired of loosing out just seconds after the online sale?  Well, at least for the above Martin Ansin print, Mondo will give you three days to score this seriously bitching Man of Steel print.   Similar to their Dark Knight Rises Olly Moss poster, from 12:01 AM on Friday through 12:01 AM on Monday, the print run will be as large as the demand.  Measuring 24 x 36 and costing $50.  There will be a variant print lasered into sheet metal that will set you back $300, but don't worry, you don't have a chance in hell of acquiring it anyway.  There is also a nifty Ken Taylor print going on sale this Friday.  Limited to 300 copies, the regular edition is also $50 while the 150 variant costs $75.  I dig the Taylor, but I'm seriously in love with the Ansin.  It will be mine.  Nice to know that I can actually make it happen.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo Does Francavilla!

Here is some fascinating news for both comic book & Mondo fans: this weekend at the Heroes Con in North Carolina, Francesca Francavilla will be selling this $75 print showcasing his Dark Horse comic series, The Black Beetle.  More details can be found over at Comic Book Resources, but there is no word yet as to when the Regular 24 x 36 print will go on sale online.  Chances are you'll only have seconds to score one like every other Mondo print.  They're so hard to purchase these days that I don't even bother getting excited anymore.

--Brad

Dork Art: Randy Ortiz's The Thing

We're too little too late on this one.  Randy Oritz's Mondo Thing print went on sale yesterday and sold out in the typical seconds.  So we'll  either have to hit ebay and spend far too much damn money, or just enjoy the jpeg.  It's a real beauty, and I'm always pleased to see artists put their own spin on my favorite Carpenter flick.  I'm real dang sad that DC didn't get it's Alamo until this year, cuz I would have loved to have seen The Thing on the big screen as it was part of last year's Summer of 82.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll check it off my big screen bucket list some day.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo's Evil Dead 2

You've got 24 Hours to prepare yourself folks.  Mondo's latest impossible get will be this gorgeous Evil Dead 2 print from Jason Edmiston.  That man just knows my juju.  The Deadite woods wrapping and ripping through Ash.  Badass & Beautiful.  Just like Bruce Campbell.  The poster measures the typical 24 x 36 and runs $45.  Good luck.

--Brad

Dork Art: Mondo's Iron Man 3

As they've done with every Marvel movie a week out, Mondo has unveiled their Iron Man 3 poster...or posters.  The above one comes to us from artist Martin Ansin, measures 24 x 36 & will set you back $50 (the variant running the typical $75).  The poster featured directly below is from Phantom City Creative, measures 24 x 36, and costs a pretty $45.  Frankly, I'm not in love with either of them.  In fact, I think the IMAX Midnight Release print seen at the very bottom has them both trumped.  The general problem with these pre-release posters is that the art stems only from the trailer imagery.  They feel more like teasers than full-on celebrations of the films.  You look at the prints Mondo did for The Monster Squad or Battle Royale, and those images encompass the whole film.  These are little more than press releases.

--Brad

New Release Tuesday!!! (4/16/13)

And New Release Tuesday is back!  With what is both a terrible and great day for releases.  Yes.  There are two essential purchases this week, but that's pretty much it.  I could stretch this column out with a couple of lame rentals, but why bother?  We all know that the only thing worth talking about today is Quentin Tarantino's Spaghetti Westernploitation (is that a redundancy? Not when you're dealing with QT).  The real question is which exclusive disc are you going to buy?  Target has a steelbook case with the 2012 Comic Con panel.  Best Buy has a slip case with a bonus disc featuring Django Around The World.  And Wal-Mart has the regular cover but with an extra disc featuring a Making Of doc.  I went with the Wal-Mart.

MUST BUY DVD OF THE WEEK!

Django Unchained:  My favorite film of 2012!  A violent, angry flick that succeeds not thanks to the gallons of Karo syrup supplied by KNB, but the romantic heroes quest driving the narrative.  This is an old school epic poem of a Western (or Southern as QT has dubbed it) and it's equally heartwarming as it is infuriating.  Much love has been given to Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel Jackson but Jaime Foxx does a bang up job as well.  Look at that campfire storytelling sequence or that eyeball showdown with DiCaprio just before the hounds are unleashed.  Tarantino brilliantly guides him from freed slave to badass blaxploitation hero, and when you hit that explosive climax you're on your feet cuz you've felt every punishing step.  So yeah, it's awkward, painful, and bloody.  But it all builds to an uplifting experience.  Frankly, I can't believe I haven't done the On Demand thing yet, but I've also been eagerly anticipating the High Def glow.  Looking at previews online, the HD shots are crackingly vibrant.

THE OTHER MUST BUY OF THE WEEK!

Repo Man (Criterion):  I haven't seen this film in a good decade, maybe longer.  Alex Cox's punk rock sci-fi follows two oddcouple repo men (Emilio Estevez & Harry Dean Stanton) who nab a car with the corpse of an alien in the trunk.  Things get...weird.  As you would expect from the man who dropped helicopters & Time Magazine into Walker's 19th Century Nicaragua.  Having recently watched Criterion's Kiss Me Deadly, I'm excited to see how that iconic noir influenced this 80s monstrosity.  And I'm simply stunned by Jay Shaw's cover art.  Mondo recently released it as one of their prints and it, of course, sold out in seconds.

BUY!

Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Presents:  I actually haven't seen The Mighty Peking Man, but I can attest that the other two films in this pack are excellent genre cinema.  Switchblade Sisters is Jack Hill trashy and nowhere near as good as either Coffy or Foxy Brown, but it's fun enough.  It follows a girl gang known as "The Dagger Debs" as they self destruct over men and knife fights.  Detroit 9000, on the other hand, is actually a rather gripping crime story.  Arthur Marks directed a bevy of Blaxploitation must-sees (Bucktown, Friday Foster, JDs Revenge, The Monkey Hustle), but Detroit 9000 is his finest effort.  When $400,000 is stolen from a political fundraiser, Detectives Alex Rocco (The Godfather) & Hari Rhodes (Shock Corridor) team-up to take down the thugs involved.  It's a straight up, Elmore Leonard kinda crime film.  Two guys bickering their way through the investigation, where the dialog is as exciting as the gun play.  Well worth the $10 price tag.

--Brad