Thursday, August 31, 2017

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: The 1950's


Here's some classic 1950's covers for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. They are all for sale in my eBay store.


February 1952, cover art by Chesley Bonestell.


June 1952, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


May 1953, cover art by Jack Coggins.


July 1953, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


September 1953, cover art by Jack Coggins.


October 1953, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


January 1954, cover art by Fred Kirberger.


February 1954, cover art by Chesley Bonestell.


March 1954, cover art by Fred Kirberger.


May 1954, cover art by Jack Coggins.


July 1954, cover art by Fred Kirberger.


January 1955, cover art by Nick Solovioff.


August 1955, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


September 1955, cover art by Frank Kelly Freas.


November 1955, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


May 1956, cover art by Ed Emshwiller.


July 1956, cover art by Chesley Bonestell.


October 1956, cover art by Frank Kelly Freas.


November 1956, cover art by Frank Kelly Freas.


December 1956, cover art by Frank Kelly Freas.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Jack Kirby Centennial


Jack Kirby, August 28, 2017 - February 6, 1994.


The Avengers #12, January 1965.


Boy Commandos #3, Summer 1943.


Captain America, 1966.


The Demon #4, December 1972.


Devil Dinosaur #2, May 1978.


The Fantastic Four #29, August 1964.




The Forever People #6, January 1972.


The Incredible Hulk #5, January 1963.


Thor pinup, from Journey Into Mystery #110, November 1964.


Justice Traps the Guilty #1, October 1947.


Kamandi #1, November 1972.


Marvel Mystery Comics #12, October 1940.


New Gods #10, September 1972.


Stuntman #2, June 1946.


Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #138, June 1971.


X-Men #17, February 1966.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Goodbye Booksteve's Library


After twelve years of blogging, Booksteve's Library is calling it quits. You can read his final post here. I have enjoyed this and his other blogs. I've learned a lot about comic books, comic book artists and pop culture. Even though we've never met, he's shared personal stuff online and we've interacted online several times and I feel like I can call him a friend I just haven't met yet.

Steve's put together and annotated collection The Best of Booksteve's Library and it is available on Amazon.



See you in the funny papers Steve!

Friday, August 11, 2017

Robert E. Howard Illustrations by Gary Gianni



Bran Mak Morn the Last King. Print, 2000.


Conan illustration, 2002.


Illustration for The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, 1998.


Illustration for The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, 1998.


Illustration for The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, 1998.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Reed Crandall Treasure Chest Covers


Treasure Chest was a Catholic comic book produced from 1946 to 1972. Some top comic artists worked drew for the comic, including Graham Ingels, Murphy Anderson, Joe Sinnott and Reed Crandall. Here are three covers by Reed Crandall.


Treasure Chest Vol. 18, No. 7. December 6, 1962.


Treasure Chest Vol. 19, No. 4. October 24, 1963.


Treasure Chest Vol. 19, No. 19. May 21, 1964.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

The Art of Joe Jusko

Weighing in at four pounds and 328 pages, The Art of Joe Jusko is a tribute to a wonderful artist and a template on how to do an "art of" book.

Jusko began his career in the late 1970's doing covers for Heavy Metal magazine and Marvel's black and white magazines. He has gone on to produce scores of magazine covers, comic book covers, trading cards and commercial art. Jusko produced what many consider iconic versions of Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan, Vampirella and many other fictional characters.

The book begins with a biographical essay by the artist. Then each chapter is divided up by subject matter. Chapters include: Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Horror, and Trading Cards just to name a few. Dozens of his covers are reproduced full page without the trade dress and logos. Also included are some preliminary drawings and a healthy helping of unseen private commissions. What really makes this book, aside from the beautiful artwork, is the artist's running commentary on almost every piece. Jusko points what he believes works well in the paintings and sometimes things where he now feels he could of done better. He also provides technical details about his technique and tools he uses to achieve some of the effects in his paintings. The Art of Joe Jusko offers a fantastic treat for the eyes and great insight into his process and approach to art. He comes across as an artist who holds himself to very high standards and is constantly trying to learn and challenge himself. The only complaint about this book is the binding does not seem to be very solid and it requires careful handling.

I was fortunate to buy a signed and numbered copy (pictured above) of this from the artist at his appearance at the Heroes Aren't Hard to Find convention in Charlotte, NC in June 2017. It looks like it is sold out from the publisher, but there are some copies of the regular hardcover available on Amazon.



Wednesday, July 26, 2017

A TRIBUTE TO BERNIE WRIGHTSON: HEROESCON 2017


Bernie Wrightson Tribute panel at the Heroes Aren't Hard to Find Convention in Charlotte NC, June 2017. Participants are John Totleben, Jason Moore, Tom Yeates, Scott Hampton and Joe Jusko.

Richard Corben Warren Magazine Covers



Creepy #146, Summer 1985.


Eerie #77, Sept. 1976.


Eerie #86, Sept. 1977.


Eerie #90, Feb. 1978.