Artist Spotlight: The Art Of . . . John Guydo

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; fantastical and imaginative realism; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of John Guydo.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Return To Firetop Mountain' by Les Edwards

Cover art by Les Edwards for the Puffin Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'Return To Firetop Mountain', written by Ian Livingstone.

#CoolArt: 'Spider-Verse' & 'Captain Marvel' AP Edition prints by Andy Fairhurst

'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' and 'Captain Marvel' by Andy Fairhurst.

18" x 24" giclee prints in signed and numbered AP edition for £35 each.

On sale Friday August 30 at 7pm UK (2pm ET) from Andy's website.

#CoolArt: 'Mu Pan's Fried Rice Western' print by Mu Pan through Static Medium

'Mu Pan's Fried Rice Western' by Mu Pan, a new print release through Static Medium.

16" x 24" Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle Bamboo 290gsm paper, in a signed and numbered limited edition of 20 for $300.

Part of Static Medium's latest project: '20 For Change', where they'll be collaborating with their favourite artists to bring you a new print edition in a limited edition of 20, with 20% of the full sale price being donated to a charity of the artist's choosing.

This month, the 20% donation will go towards supporting the Rainforest Foundation.

The Rainforest Foundation works on-the-ground to secure land rights for indigenous people. They strengthen indigenous land security and train indigenous communities to use technology to protect their forests. By investing directly in indigenous communities, they connect people who are deeply motivated to conserve their ancestral lands with the tools, training, and resources necessary to protect their rainforests

On sale Friday August 30 at 1pm PT from the Static Medium website.

#CoolArt: Cyclops Print Works D23 Remaining Prints Release

Cyclops Print Works are releasing the remaining limited edition prints they released during this year's D23 Con.

Orders will ship with ONE random 'Frozen 2' Handbill and orders above $150 will receive a FULL SET while supplies last!

On sale now from the Cyclops Prints website

'Sleeping Beauty' by JC Richard

'Iron Sky' / 'Iron Sky: The Coming Race' Exclusive Glow In The Dark Bluray Steelbook from Zavvi

'Iron Sky' / 'Iron Sky: The Coming Race' exclusive Glow In The Dark bluray steelbook for £18.99 from Zavvi.

Available for pre-order Sunday September 1 at 6pm UK from the Zavvi website.
(Release date September 27 2019)

'Toy Story' 4K UHD Bluray Steelbook Exclusively from Zavvi

'Toy Story' 4K UHD bluray steelbook exclusively from Zavvi for £27.99.

Features include:

• Toy Story 3 Trailer
• Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off
• 3 Animated Studio Stories
• Buzz Takes Manhattan
• Making Toy Story
• Filmmakers Reflect
• Deleted Scenes & Design Galleries
• And Over 90 Minutes of more bonus features!

A bundle including a 'Toy Story' T shirt for £34.99, or separately for £14.99, is also available.

Available for pre-order Saturday August 31 at 6pm UK from the Zavvi website.
(Release date October 21 2019)

'Stanley Kubrick' Limited Edition Collector's Edition Boxset from Zavvi

'Stanley Kubrick' limited edition collector's edition boxset for £99.99 from Zavvi.

Includes a 20-page exclusive booklet, and a collection of beautiful art cards.
The movies:

• Lolita (Blu-ray)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray)
• A Clockwork Orange (Blu-ray)
• Barry Lyndon (Blu-ray)
• The Shining (4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray)
• Full Metal Jacket (Blu-ray)
• Eyes Wide Shut (Blu-ray)
• Stanley Kubrick A Life in Pictures (Documentary on DVD)

Available for pre-order now from the Zavvi website.
(Release date October 21 2019)

#Coolart: New 'Star Wars' prints by Barry Blankenship & Brent Woodside through Dark Ink Art

New officially licensed 'Star Wars' prints by Barry Blankenship and Brent Woodside through Dark Ink Art.

• 'Just Like Back Home' by Barry Blankenship. 18" x 24" Glow In The Dark lithograph print, in a numbered limited edition of 250 for $40

• 'A Master of Evil"by Brent Woodside. 11" x 36" lithograph print, in a numbered limited edition of 250 for $40

On sale now from the Dark Ink Art website.

'Just Like Back Home' by Barry Blankenship

'Just Like Back Home' by Barry Blankenship (Glow In The Dark ink layer)

'A Master Of Evil' by Brent Woodside

#CoolArt: 'Wonder Woman' prints by Jenny Frison through Cadence Select

'Wonder Woman' by Jenny Frison, a new print release through Cadence Select, based on the Variant cover art for 'Wonder Woman' issue #72, published June 2019 by DC Comics.

18" x 24" 5 colour screen print with metallic inks, on Cougar Natural Cover Paper, in a signed and numbered Gold edition of 80 for $80, a signed and numbered Silver edition of 40 for $100, and $160 for the set of 2 prints.

On sale now from the Cadence Select website.

#CoolArt: 'Wavewatcher' print by Kaysha Siemens

'Wavewatcher' by Kaysha Siemens

12" x 16" fine art print on acid-free heavyweight paper, in a hand-signed edition for $25

On sale now from Kaysha's website

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Talisman Of Death' by Peter Andrew Jones

Cover art by Peter Andrew Jones for the Puffin Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'Talisman Of Death', written by Jamie Thompson & Mark Smith.

'The House Of Hitchcock' Limited Edition Collector's Edition Boxset from Zavvi

'The House Of Hitchcock' limited edition collector's edition boxset for £99.99 from Zavvi.

Includes 18 Discs and 15 hours of bonus material and collectible memorabilia

The Movies:

• SABOTEUR
• SHADOW OF A DOUBT
• ROPE
• STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
• DIAL M FOR MURDER
• REAR WINDOW
• TO CATCH A THIEF
• THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY
• THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
• VERTIGO
• NORTH BY NORTHWEST
• PSYCHO (1960)
• THE BIRDS
• MARNIE
• TORN CURTAIN
• TOPAZ
• FRENZY
• FAMILY PLOT

Bonus features:

• DOCUMENTARIES
• EXPERT COMMENTARIES
• INTERVIEWS
• SCREEN TESTS
• STORYBOARDS
• AND MUCH MORE!

Plus:

• ORIGINAL LETTERS, STORYBOARDS, BLUEPRINTS AND MORE...

Available for pre-order now from the Zavvi website.

(Release date October 14 2019)

#CoolArt: 'The Karate Kid' 35th anniversary print by Paul Shipper through Sideshow Collectibles

'The Karate Kid' by Paul Shipper, a new officially licensed 35th anniversary print release through Sideshow Collectibles.

18" x 24" giclee print on 100% archival heavyweight 300gsm rag art paper, in a signed and numbered Framed limited edition of 200 for $260.

On sale for pre-order Friday August 30 between 12pm-3pm PT from the Sideshow Collectibles website.

Any remaining copies will be available for Pre-Order in an unframed edition for $95 on Tuesday September 3 between 12pm-3pm PT.

#CoolArt: 'Over The Garden Wall' print by Erica Williams through Mondo

'Over The Garden Wall' by Erica Williams, a new officially licensed print release through Mondo.

18" x 24" screen print in a numbered limited edition of 200 for $45.

On sale at a random time Thursday August 29 from the Mondo website. (US only)

Follow Mondo on Twitter @mondonews for the on sale announcement.

#CoolArt: 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - Dark Rey' by Eto Gabashvili

The Japanese Ukiyo-e / 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' inspired 'The Dark Warrior' by Eto Gabashvili.

Available on merch on Eto's Redbubble and Teepublic stores.

#CoolArt: 'Tron Legacy' AP edition print by Chris Thornley (Raid71)

'End Of Line' by Chris Thornley (Raid71), inspired by 'Tron: Legacy'

36" x 24" 8 colour screen print with Blue Glow in the Dark Ink, Fluorescent Inks on French Pop-Tone Whip Cream Paper in an AP edition of 93 for £80.

On sale Friday August 30 at 6pm UK (1pm ET) from his website

Glow In The Dark ink layer

#ArtOfTheDay: 'House Of Hell' by Ian Miller

Cover art by Ian Miller for the Puffin Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'House Of Hell', written by Steve Jackson.

#NewComicBookDay: My Comics Pull List This Week

My comics Pull List this week.

• 'The Sandman Universe: Books Of Magic' #11 (Vertigo Comics)
• 'Ascender' #5 (Image Comics)
• 'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' #5 (Marvel Comics)

'The Sandman Universe: Books Of Magic' #11 (Vertigo Comics)
Cover art by Kai Carpenter

'Ascender' #5 (Image Comics)
Cover art by Dustin Nguyen

'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' #5 (Marvel Comics)
Variant cover art by Luke Ross

#CoolArt: 'Mowgli' Original Art by Jason Mowry for Every Day Original

'Mowgli' by Jason Mowry for Every Day Original.

22¼" x 13½" original artwork on Arches watercolour paper for $600.

On sale Wednesday August 28 at 12.30pm ET from the Every Day Original website.

#CoolArt: 'Mother Of Coral' print by Tatiana Suarez through PangeaSeed

'Mother Of Coral' by Tatiana Suarez, a new print release from PangeaSeed, part of their 2019 print series 'In Peril', with proceeds raised through the sale of this print going to support PangeaSeed's ongoing effort to help save our seas through ARTivism.

16" x 20" giclee print, full bleed with hand deckled edges, in a signed, numbered and hand embellished limited edition of 50 + 10 APs for $75.

On sale Wednesday August 28 at 12pm PT from the PangeaSeed website

For more information on how you can help save our seas, please visit pangeaseed.foundation.

#CoolArt: Vintage Marvel Comics Cover Prints available through Grey Matter Art

Officially licensed prints of vintage Marvel Comics covers, featuring the first comics appearances of Spider-Man, The X-Men and Wolverine, available through Grey Matter Art.

16" x 24" screen prints, in numbered limited editions of 125 for $40 each, or $110 for the matching numbered set of 3 prints.

On sale Thursday August 29 at 1pm ET on the Grey Matter Art website.

'Amazing Fantasy' #15 cover art by Jack Kirby

'The X-Men' #1 cover art by Jack Kirby

'The Incredible Hulk' #181 cover art by Herb Trimpe

#CoolArt: 'Judge Anderson' print by Tula Lotay

'Judge Anderson' by Tula Lotay, originally used as cover art for '2000AD' Prog 2137, published June 2019 by Rebellion, and was available during San Diego Comic Con.

16.5" x 23.4" fine art print on Crane's lettra stock, in a signed and numbered limited edition of 50 for £45.

On sale Friday August 30 at 5pm UK from Tula's Website.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Caverns Of The Snow Witch' by Les Edwards

Cover art by Les Edwards for the Wizard Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'Caverns Of The Snow Witch', written by Ian Livingstone.

#CoolArt: 'Nuuma' Original Art by Vanessa Lemen for Every Day Original

'Nuuma' by Vanessa Lemen for Every Day Original.

7" x 5" oil on panel original artwork for $650.

On sale Tuesday August 27 at 12.30pm ET from the Every Day Original website.

#CoolArt: 'Purgatorio Portfolio' by Gabriele Dell'Otto exclusively through Kirby's Comic Art

'Purgatorio Portfolio' by Gabriele Dell'Otto, exclusively through Kirby's Comic Art, featuring art from the new Italian edition of the classic Dante's Inferno, published October 2018 by Mondatori.

Set of nine 24cm x 34cm lithograph prints, collected in a 28cm x 38cm green case, with the preface paper signed and numbered in a limited of 80 for £125.

On sale Tuesday August 27 at 8pm UK (3pm ET) on the Kirby's Comic Art website.

Book Review: 'His Dark Materials: Book 2 - The Subtle Knife' by Philip Pullman

Cover art by Chris Wormell

Re-reading the entire series before the new book (The Secret Commonwealth) and BBC - HBO series come out. Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series continues with book 2, 'The Subtle Knife', with Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon on the search for her father.

It very much feels like the middle book of a series, building upon what happened in 'Northern Lights' and still taking the series forward, which is does really well, but with a noticeable shift in tone too, a sense of darker maturity that almost feels separate from the previous book. Pullman explores the nature of religion here a bit more than what was hinted at in the first book, and doesn't hold back with not so much an attack on religion itself, but more on an exaggerated authority that does seem familiar. There wasn't as much of the action or fast pacing of the first book, as it seemed more of a case of setting up the pieces on the board and getting to where the story needed to be for the conclusion in the next book. But even with that, there was still enough goings on to propel the narrative and keep things interesting, which says a lot about Pullman's expertise at crafting a story.

As well as expanding the story beyond one setting and into travelling to different worlds, the story also moves away from the Lyra centric viewpoint of the first book (which probably also explains the shift in tone), with POVs most notably from Serafina Pekkala, Lee Scoresby, as well as Will Parry, a new protagonist from 'our' world, who we're introduced to straight away, who helps Lyra on her quest. Initially wary of each other when they first meet, they soon develop a friendship and soon their futures become entwined as the beginnings of a rebellion starts to take seed and bloom around them. The introduction of Will, does take away the narrative from Lyra in this book as it's mostly his arc throughout, so if you enjoyed Lyra from the first book and expected more of the same, you might be a bit disappointed with her lack of 'screen time'. We're also introduced to Dr Mary Malone, a scientist who helps Lyra, but it's only a cameo appearance of sorts as she will play a larger role in the next book. 

The book is a more slower paced adventure story full of danger, intrigue, a macguffin - the Subtle Knife of the title; a knife so sharp that it can cut through anything including slicing open portals in between worlds, memorable characters and brilliant world building. It has a bit of a cliffhanger ending but sets things up for the conclusion in the next book nicely, and I can't wait to read how the trilogy ends!

Available from:

#ArtOfTheDay: 'Island Of The Lizard King' by Ian McCaig

Cover art by Iain McCaig for the Puffin Books edition of the Fighting Fantasy Adventure Gamebook 'Island Of The Lizard King', written by Ian Livingstone.

#CoolArt: 'Metallica at Mannheim, Germany' AP Edition prints by Mark Gibbons through Nakatomi Inc

'Metallica at Palastzelt Maimarktgelände, Mannheim, Germany' by Mark Gibbons.

18" x 24" screen print in a Regular AP edition of 50 for $50, and a Glow In The Dark AP edition of 50 for $100.

On sale Monday August 26 at 2pm CT from the Nakatomi Inc website.

Regular Edition

Glow In The Dark Variant Edition

Glow In The Dark Variant Edition (Glow in The Dark ink layer)

#CoolArt: 'Snoopy In Space' print by Joshua Budich

'Snoopy In Space' by Joshua Budich, originally commissioned as an original ink and watercolour illustration to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 10 mission.

12" x 16" 4 colour screen print, in a signed and numbered limited edition of 50 for $35.

On sale now from his website.