Archive for July 2012

Weird Tales, May 1929

Since I missed the "Planet Pulp" art exhibit at Gallery Provocateur last weekend, I feel like lamenting some more on the lost art of pulp mags. I really love the cover art on stuff like Weird Tales and The Shadow. Then again, who doesn't?

I consider the old pulp mags a great source of inspiration. For instance, check out this May 1929 cover art of Weird Tales. Is it not amazing?!?! Women, monsters (in this case, a 'gator), and madmen. All objects are strategically placed to instantly capture the eye's gaze. The colors stand out, and it's got the vibe of a wild action scene put on pause, just so we can get a glimpse of the insanity going on. These are the kinds of scenes that influence people to buy this stuff. Sometimes, I don't even CARE what's inside the mag. I just want that damn cover to stare at!

One Weird Tales artist I really like is Lee Brown Coye. His work was really strange and carried a pretty creepy vibe. He did some great black and white illustrations called "Weirdisms" that were stand-alone art inside Weird Tales. Check out this one below with the eerie little story at the bottom.

Someday, I'll take a stab at this never forgotten art, as I do have an idea brewing for an illustrated pulp story. But for now, I am mostly focused on painting movie monsters. It's probably going to be an ongoing series!

Thought I'd post this awesome mention I got from my friend Brian Kirst in his killer blog,

BigGayHorrorFan.com. He did a write-up of Terror in the Aisles, filled with great photos from

the night, which includes a photo and blurb about yours truly, along with other Chicago-area

horror friends rocking the scene. I love the photo taken of me with Nightbreed star Anne Bobby!

It was great talking with her. I especially loved Brian's description of my work:

"Chris' pieces seem to breathe with a liquid intensity."

I hope everyone checks out this post of his recap! Check it out HERE!

Since we're on the topic of mentions, I got another one by my friend Aaron Christensen on his

movie blog, Horror 101 with Dr. AC. He did this INSANELY huge write-up on his very first trip

to G-Fest, which we happened to be attending last weekend as well. It was a blast, and as you can

see from AC's post, he had a fantastic time, too! Thanks to AC for the shout-out, and I really

recommend giving that gigantic, monster-filled post a read. If anyone knows me, they know how

much of a Godzilla fan I am. The photos alone are enough to sway anyone to go next time!

Read it HERE. Movie fans might want to check in to it to catch his recaps as he experiences

Fantasia Fest!

Being on the road so often for conventions is amazing, but it usually means missing great

movies that people get to tell me was good. I was able to catch a viewing of Exit Humanity

and loved it, so I'd like to spread the word about it. There are a few familiar faces in the

cast, like Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, and Brian Cox. It didn't have a big budget, but for a

Civil War zombie film, they really outdid themselves. The zombie makeup was great, and

the thing that REALLY stood out for me was the inclusion of animation! How often can

that not end up corny? Everyone behind this film clearly had a passion for it, so their talent

and drive really did it justice. I love that they did such a great job meshing live action with

animation, making it a standout in recent zombie films. It's nice to be inspired by a zombie

film in an age where they are more than a dime a dozen.

Official Trailer HERE.

Another zombie film that recently impressed me was The Dead. It has that bleak, hopeless

and pretty much apocalyptic feel as a classic Fulci flick.

Check out the trailer!

But back to Exit Humanity! I found out a little more about the artist behind the animation,

Snezhan Bodurov, and wanted to share this neat video of animated sequences he did for

the film. These are illustrations of stories told in Edward's journal.

Exit Humanity Animation from Snezhan Bodurov on Vimeo.

We had the opportunity to attend the Terror in the Aisles at the Portage Theater Friday and Saturday night.  We were excited to see Anne Bobby, one of the Stars of Nightbreed, and Russell Cherrington, the restorer of the Nightbreed Cabal cut film.  It was a fantastic weekend getting to meet some amazing horror fans and was thrilled to get to hang with many of our Chicago friends.  Rusty Nails continues to put on a great show and this past weekend was no exception.  We also had the opportunity to view the upcoming "Devil in my Ride"  and it was amazing.  Be sure to grab a copy as soon as it's available.