Sci-Fi Art Now Covers Revealed

ILEX Press have released the covers for their UK and US editions of SciFi Art Now - and they look superb.

The UK cover, above, is by the brilliant World Fantasy Award winner and Hugo Award-nominated artist John Picacio. This art was first seen gracing the cover of Pyr Books brilliant SF anthology Fast Forward 2, but you'll have seen his art on many book covers for a huge range of publishers including Subterranean Press, Golden Gryphon Press, Pyr, and Star Trek novels for Pocket Books. (The tryptych he did for their Terok Nor trilogy back in 2008 is just knockout).

John tells me he's honoured to be on the cover and likewise, I'm grateful to Pyr Books editor Lou Anders for putting me in touch with John: I've admired his work for ages, and I'm very grateful he gave us permission to use his work.

The US cover is artwork created specifically for SciFi Art Now by Brighton-based artist Steve Sampson, who I first encountered back in the 1990s when he provided me many covers for the Marvel UK weekly comic, Overkill.

Working with Ghy Kurabayashi, Steve is well known for combining their illustration and graphic design skills with their love of colours, manga, games, vinyl toys, comics, music, pop, urban art and all things Japanese!

Also known as Sampson Art, their clients include ILEX Press, Barnes & Noble and Brazil's Editora Abril. Their manga illustrations are sold worldwide through Getty Images.

"I'm almost lost for words," Steve told me on learning his art, titled Stone Fish, was being considered for the book's cover. "That's stunning news and a great honour – I couldn't be more excited!

"I really enjoyed doing the image and it was well worth taking the time and thought to do something
specifically for the book."

• SciFi Art Now is on course for publication in October 2010.