Blue Moon Rising

Don’t Miss This Surprisingly Spectacular Spider-Man

Jeff — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:39:26 +0000

Ever since The Batman was canceled early this year, I’ve ignored Saturday morning cartoons. A few weeks ago, however, I woke up early and paid little attention to my daughter’s channel surfing until I caught sight of an old familiar web-headed friend. I quickly realized that The Spectacular Spider-Man was something I should have been paying attention to all along.

This incarnation of Peter Parker and friends is certainly new, but it also offered a surprising number of nostalgic touches that I haven’t seen in decades. Who thought I would have missed gadget-based web shooters, vestigial web wings and a spidey-faced sunset? As I quickly caught up with this first 13-episode season, I saw a veritable parade of classic villains with the same retro-future vibe, including the oft-overlooked Lizard and Rhino, as well as the more cinematically favored Green Goblin, Doc Oc and Sandman.

While Spidey is the star, there is plenty of screen time for Peter Parker as well. We see our hero struggle to balance school, work, family and friends along with his newly acquired taste for super-vigilantism. Like the rest of us, he doesn’t always succeed, but thankfully learns from his mistakes.

For those who missed this engaging first season of The Spectacular Spider-Man, one easy way to catch up is being offered in the form of three-episode DVDs, which are just starting to hit the streets. You have until March 2009 to prepare for the second season premiere on the CW. Now — like yours truly — you have no excuse to miss this excellent retelling of Spider-Man’s tale.

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Patricio Marcelo Balanovsky

Jeff — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:44:52 +0000

They could be the most whimsical horrors to ever see the light of day, or perhaps they’re simply maniacal cartoons gone terribly wrong? Either way, Patri Balanovsky’s eclectic collections of character designs are truly unforgettable.

A constant, deadly parade of muscular men, weapon-slinging women, and voracious aliens spring forth from Mr. Balanovsky tortured imagination, but they all possess a clarity of purpose and a thin, shining thread of childlike innocence. These moody characters hail from all dark walks of life, but seemingly share a powerful desire for combat and conquest.

Whoever appears next in Patri’s panoply of peculiarities, rest assured that he, she or it will be both playfully wicked, and grimly amusing.

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Laura Pelick

Jeff — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:49:22 +0000

The hidden history of the world is a story of powerful feminine forces, long expunged by the patriarchy. Laura Pelick is working to help reclaim this lost knowledge with her portraits of archetypal female power.

Goddesses, elementals, and fairies hold a stately court in Ms. Pelick’s kingdom of imagination, presiding over deep forests, desert plains, and snow-swept fields. These mythological forces given form are most often confident and serene, but some are tormented by unseen forces or unexplained situation and chose to hide their true faces behind elaborate masks.

Whatever their disposition, Laura’s figures are rendered with varying levels of abstraction, but they always maintain their dignity, femininity, and humanity.

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Olivier Ponsonnet

Jeff — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:52:06 +0000

Fantasy character creation is a delicate balance between reality and unreality. Too few fantasy aspects in a portrait can result in a drab, mundane creation, whereas too few familiar traits can render the work unapproachable and abstract. Olivier Ponsonnet exhibits masterful skill in avoiding these pitfalls while continuously exploring the interplay between imagination and realism.

His mysterious, introspective creations run the gamut from slightly askew to excitingly exotic, yet are always lavished with the intricate details required to imbue even the most extraordinarily implausible vision with weight and authenticity. Olivier’s seemingly ordinary character portraits are subtly otherworldly, while his fairies and spellcasters are as real as ourselves.

Mr. Ponsonnet provides no easy answers with his works, only beautiful questions.

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Six Answers from Doug Kovacs

Jeff — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:24:28 +0000

It’s only fitting that Doug Kovacs kick off our new interview format. His multifaceted, deeply-considered conversation was the inspiration for this feature. His six answers here are as thought-provoking as ever.

What was one of your earliest fantasy experiences?

My mother read “The Chronicles of Narnia” to me when I was young, and …..there was the Bible. I could say quite a bit more about the distinction between fantasy and reality (or truth and falsehood for that matter) here, but I think the first sentence pretty much lays out where I stand on the matter.

How did you become a professional artist?

Professional? Artist? I guess, that is when a person does nothing else but art for money. Let’s take it apart.

Artist. I’ve called myself an artist since I was a teenager so that made me one. Additionally, I’ve never got a very good argument out of anyone that I’m not an artist. If you don’t buy any of that, I also happen to spend the majority of my time producing art each day. How did that happen? Nobody managed to stop me.

Professional. As opposed to a laborer? Maybe its just because I was born middle class, kept my hands and eyes intact through my childhood and have developed the ability to write notes to myself, show up at conventions and respond to email.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Ah. This question. I’m not entirely sure. Inspiration seems like a necessary component to the daily work of an artist. I’ve got all kinds of art books and music to get me going in the right direction, plus I’m literate. It’s hard to say if the individual little tricks I use to rally my morale are actually inspiration in the true sense. I could say “coffee” too. Overall though, I think I have generally never been comfortable going any period of time without doing something creative, so in that sense, I’m not sure what it’s really like not to be inspired.

Is there a single message that you find yourself most drawn to?

No. There are a few, but I’m not sure about the hierarchy. Culture coexisting with nature is one for sure. Then there is the “ideal versus the real”. Mythology is ever present. I’m working on a third piece in a “red door” series,and they seem be about unknown roads, or possibly paths less taken.

If we talk purely about my illustration work, the themes tend to come from those that commission the work, and frequently contain little desire for subtext in the art in and of itself. Rather, the art is seen more as a necessary appendage of a larger work. For instance, with a game illustration the theme or idea is often “the game”, and less a focus on the artists ideas as an individual. The message in a picture of a dwarf can really just be: this is what a dwarf looks like.

Ideally there is room for both an aesthetic image and an idea in art beyond the most obvious. Unfortunately ideals are generally a place where you aim, and rarely the actual target hit. The pursuit of money often is driven by the fear of ideas. When it’s business versus art, somebody with a little power is going to have to champion the art …at least in the world in which I have lived. There are far too many unreflective sycophants, and gawking numbskulls flocking to oppose such champions, that good art prevails less often than I would like. Good art to me usually involves both craft and concept.

What has been your most challenging project?

Finding a place to exist in a culture that doesn’t necessarily seem to share my values. So far, I guess I’m doing okay with it, but I expect it will be a chore until die. It is like swimming through waters sometimes more, sometimes less viscous. Sometimes it’s downstream, and sometimes there is a ball and chain with manacles involved.

What are you working on now?

I’ve been working on many things at once for a while now. I’m always trying for a balance between accommodating deadlines for clients and producing creations that are an end in themselves. That is,images that would never be made unless I choose to make them. With a quick glance behind myself at the selves which hold works in progress, I can see: a couple of incomplete landscapes started during camping trips from my time in California, a “faerie” piece involving a nest and a weird bird, the third in my red door series, a pin-up style erotic clown, and Green Man plate #16.

As I write this I’m just taking a break from working on my 6th full set of interiors for Goodman Games, 4th edition Dungeon Crawl Classics. A couple of other things I’m developing are a type of card game, and a comic book, which I’ve been writing and Illustrating for a couple of years now. The later two are couple of many long term projects. Several crossover greenman/faerie vegetable women images are also in the works.

Learn more about Doug’s inspirations and his process from his website.

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Vitaly S. Alexius

Jeff — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:22:08 +0000

Throughout the history of civilization, its members have been fascinated with the end of civilization — the catastrophic collapse of human order and a return to cosmic balance. Vitaly S. Alexius has expertly captured our timeless attraction to the end of days in his dark, tortured urban land and skyscapes.

With his vibrant artistry, Mr. Alexius reveals broad, expansive vistas of dark, yet eerily illuminated skies and decimated cities, silently witnessed by the living and the dead. Rendered in angry, deliberate strokes of neon and stone, he shows us the dramatic, yet oddly beautiful closing of the book of history.

Should you find these visions too disturbing, consider this less likely, but ultimately more hopeful interpretation: compelling visual evidence of an ultimate evolution of humanity into beings of pure energy, no longer bound by the material plane, and wandering the cosmos is search of greater truths.

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Jeff Carlisle

Jeff — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:06:47 +0000

If he is to be believed, Jeff Carlisle began his storied career in illustration thanks to his undying love for the space fantasy epic Star Wars. Some of his best works have nothing to do with the films, however, as he’s spent much of his efforts on expanding the Jedi universe in role playing games and personal reflections.

Mr. Carlisle has also broadened his horizons to a wide variety of genre settings, from the adventure fantasy classic Dungeons & Dragons to Legend of the Five Ring’s feudal Rokugan. Over the years, many genre RPG magazines and games have been graced with Mr. Carlisle’s crafty characters, even if more than a few have borne a striking similarity to the artist himself.

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The Dark Knight Illuminates Heroism and Humanity

Jeff — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:00:58 +0000

Christopher Nolan’s latest vision of the Batman has been met with nearly universal acclaim for its gripping performances and grim depiction of Gotham under siege, yet in spite of it’s opening date and record-breaking revenue, The Dark Knight is anything but your traditional summer blockbuster.

Cristian Bale returns as the wealthy playboy with an expensive hobby, and again convincingly, projecting the heart of Bruce Wayne and the rage of Batman. This is still The Dark Knight’s film, and through his interaction with a stellar cast of characters, the film explores many lofty philosophical concepts, including the nature of Humanity and the many faces of Heroism.

The Joker — as manically animated by Heath Ledger — could very well be the Devil himself. With a peculiar mix of cowardice and reckless abandon, he strikes at the criminal and government establishments alike, hoping to ignite the fearful, selfish nature of Gotham’s citizens. His only goal seems to be revealing the darkest aspects of human nature. And through his dangerous antics, we are shown the true measure of Gotham’s citizens — for better or worse.

With the ascension of Harvey Dent as a tireless advocate of justice, Bruce Wayne sees a worthy successor to his dark alter ego, and works to support the idealistic District Attorney. Dent’s idealism and determination shine through Aaron Eckhart’s performance, evoking a “white knight” who lead by example and has no need hide behind a mask. But as the Joker intensifies his terror attacks, Harvey seems destined to “… die a hero or live long enough to [...] become the villain”.

The innate measure of good and evil in the human soul, and a comparison between the heroes we want and the heroes we need…. they may be weighty topics, but they — along with a complex cast of characters and complexly entwined storylines — are compellingly crafted in what may be the best superhero film to date.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Fiery Finale

Jeff — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:15:37 +0000

After three great seasons of trials and tribulations, Nickelodeon aired the final 10 episodes of Avatar: the Last Airbender over the previous week, culminating in a two-hour finale last Saturday night. Aang and his band of teens and tweens completed their quest to defeat the tyrannical Fire lord and unite all four elemental nations in peace.

For those mysteriously unfamiliar with this masterful fusion of Anime and western cartoons, there are only two options: You can experience the grand adventures of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the rest as the creators intended on DVD, or wait for M. Night Shyamalan to place his peculiar stamp on the tales in a trio of live action epics which begin filming next year.

We’ll be visiting Avatar Spirit regularly to learn more about this impending retelling of an already perfectly told tale.

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Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Concludes Tomorrow

Jeff — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:47:08 +0000

Will Dr. Horrible do whatever it takes to join the Evil League of Evil? Will Penny succumb to the charms of handsome, but intensely cheesy Captain Hammer? Hopefully we’ll all know tomorrow, when the third and final act of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is unveiled.

If you’re not familiar with Joss Whedon’s latest exploration of musical fantasy, run — don’t walk — to this web-only event and catch acts one and two. Neil Patrick Harris plays the introverted but committedly evil scientist Dr. Horrible, and Nathan Fillion hams it up as the superheroic and superficial Captain Hammer. Felicia Day innocently shines as Penny, a homeless advocate for whom the Doctor pines, and who is “saved” and wooed by the Captain.

After this weekend, this comicbook musical will no longer be offered for free on the site, but never fear… it’s destined for DVD in the near future. So don’t forget to support this quirky endeavor when you can, but run go watch it now!

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Hellboy’s Golden Army Shines

Jeff — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:01:12 +0000

Our favorite bringer of doom Hellboy returns to the big screen with a bigger cast, bigger budget, and surprisingly… a bigger heart. There’s a whole lotta love in this story, but there’s also no shortage of odd critters, horrible monsters and the obligatory feast of fantasy violence. Once again, Guillermo del Toro makes us care for the prince of Hell and his motley band of freaks.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an improvement on big Red’s first cinematic outing, with a more coherent script, more compelling adversaries, and more emotionally engaging performances from the principal players. Ron Perlman and Selma Blair discover more subtlety among the passion in their portrayal of the rocky romance between Hellboy and firestarter Liz. Even Abe Sapien – played by Doug Jones – has the opportunity to expand his emotional range while helping to save the world from certain destruction.

Of the story itself, suffice to say that as modern humanity voraciously consumes the last vestiges of the Earth’s untamed land, an ages-old truce is broken, and global warming becomes the least of mankind’s worries. Carnivorous fairies, a steampunk troll, a badass elf, and that titular Golden Army all stand ready to reclaim the world, with only the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense to stop them.

It’s all in a day’s work for Hellboy.

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Robert Scott

Jeff — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:13:28 +0000

One of the most challenging goals for a creator is to fully integrate one or more aspects of fantasy into the everyday world, with which their audience is intimately familiar. Robert Scott meets this challenge as a matter of course in his quirky, yet meticulous images. Through his work, he ponders the implications of the fantastic in our otherwise mundane lives.

A unique style that is born of the intricate aesthetics of hypereality, implemented with an exotic form of digital papercraft. Through this finely crafted lens, we see familiar subjects from new, and often unique angles. A thoughtful reimaginging of the Major Arcana, as a rediscovery of ancient energies in a modern city is perhaps the most compelling of Mr. Scott’s visions.

Like life itself, there’s magic to be found in Robert’s gallery, if you only know where to look.

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The Incredible Hulk’s Heroic Transformation

Jeff — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:49:24 +0000

Five years ago groundbreaking — and otherwise highly-acclaimed — director Ang Lee took our favorite gamma-irradiated icon and hyper-stylized and over psychoanalyzed him to ruinous effect in Hulk. His film was at best a quirky, arthouse take on comics, and at worst an elitist mockery of the genre.

Thankfully, Dr. Banner’s latest outing in The Incredible Hulk leaves the psychobabble and visual gimmickry behind, and delivers a solid, superheroic adventure much more faithful to the comic and television source material. In this Marvel reboot, the characters in general aren’t reduced to one-note performances, and even grow a little over the course of the the film. Edward Norton’s Banner find a great balance between frustration with his predicament and determination to find a resolution to it. There’s precious little angst to be found in this film.

Another excellent choice in the film is to return to the Oedipus-free origin story as depicted in the original 70’s television series. Other nostalgic touches include the return of Lou Ferrigno and the late Bill Bixby, plus the inevitable Stan Lee cameo. Other nods to the past include a young campus reporter named Jack McGee, and a pair of very large purple shorts.

Most importantly, The Incredible Hulk ultimately portrays the big green guy as an honest-to-goodness hero. Bruce Banner had previously been filmed as hapless victim, rage junkie, and everything in between. The Bruce we know, love, and see here is flawed, downtrodden, and even handicapped…. but ultimately a strong, moral person who accepts Stan the Man’s famous creed: with great power there must also come great responsibility.

Welcome back, Hulk. We missed ya!

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BLITEOTW 2008 Roundup

Jeff — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:25:45 +0000

First, I’d like to thank our fallen hero Steven Wilson for first warning the world about the Zombie Menace well over over a year ago, on his site My Elves are Different. Thanks also go to those survivors and honored dead who left messages here, and helped me personally endure with their sometimes uplifting, but always brutally honest accounts:

P@RIX, Misty, Mata, Patrick Nottingham, Neth, A Brand New Boom , Jeremy Ruhland, Naoko @ Geminian Eyes, Sylvan (Dave), David, M H Ayinde, Patrick Nottingham, ladyfox7Oaks, Dred Pirate Bunny, Christine, Cheshil, Kerry, Ryan V , Yaseanne, Phr3d, Jacky Tar, Di @ Magickal Realism, Sarah, Arthur, Lisa, Jade, Cheshil, Novander, The Storm Cellar, Ebony14, Danica Enjolras, Tenchi Kaze, Apryl Knight, and Ooka.

I’ll add to this list as I find other personal accounts of those who really did “Blog Like it’s the End of the World.”

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Dawn Greets a Zombie-Free World

Jeff — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:27:35 +0000

As dawn broke a few folks drove into town to confirm that the undead were now simply dead. They stayed to help the survivors, and we’ll be joining them shortly. I can still feel that squirrel bite, even though my hand is downstairs on ice in a cooler. But at least I was the only casualty here. Lucky me.

Once life gets slightly more normal, I’ll work on a master list of everyone who told their stories, and then maybe the truth can be told, in spite of the lies our governments will tell us. There’s already speculation about how this will influence the US presidential election, but now it’s time to mourn the dead and comfort the living.

detail of original photo EOD by Vivek Chugh

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Midnight Quiets the Undead

Jeff — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:59:20 +0000

It’ll be 1am soon, and the little monsters that made it into the ductwork are all dead… not jumping around gnawing at things dead, but just lying there slowly decomposing dead. A few minutes ago we took a quick look outside to find nothing remarkable: no zombie anythings shuffling around, and no strange lights in the sky.

Now that the skittering has quieted down, and the effect seems to have passed, it’s kind of funny, really. Last year, faced with a metropolitan sprawl full of undead the family survived unscathed. Now, holed up in the wilds of Kentucky, an undead squirrel took my hand.

It was a small bite — a scratch, really — but we all agreed that loosing a limb was better than going zed. Of course it hurt like hell, and most everyone’s eying me nervously, but I’m sure I won’t turn.

Well, pretty sure.

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