Telos Publishing regenerates with new site, and new titles on way

After 14 years of business British independent publishers Telos have regenerated their website, a move coinciding with several new title announcements.

"It was time for a change," explains Publishing Director David J Howe.

Telos Publishing specialises in horror and media titles. Recent books include The Abominable Snowman by Robert Rankin, featuring the return of Barry the Time Travelling Sprout; and Jinx Town by Sam Stone - an epic sci-fi horror novel from this favourite author.

"The original site had served us well for many years," David continues, "but the world of online sales has moved on and we needed to catch up!"

The new site combines a simple interface with details of all Telos' catalogue of titles, and even allows for flash sales and discounts to be made available.

"One of the issues with the original site was that we couldn't easily offer discounts without extensive coding work," says David. "But the new site allows us to be flexible and to present sales and offers across our range, whenever we want."

Telos' catalogue has grown since the company's inception to now feature over 140 titles. They specialise in guides to a variety of cult television and film series, but also have a growing fiction catalogue, including works from authors such as Simon Clark, Graham Masterton, Mike Ripley, Hank Janson, Andrew Hook, Sam Stone and many others.

New titles for 2014 include an extensive guide to The Avengers television series, Crime novels from Priscilla Masters, Horror and fantasy fiction from Helen McCabe, Rhys Hughes and Sam Stone, and the new The Abominable Showmannovel from Robert Rankin. They even have some Erotica and Romance titles in the mix, so there really is something for everyone.

The Telos site can be found at www.telos.co.uk, and there are sale offers across all the ranges, with some titles being as low as 99 pence.

"We decided to reduce the prices across all the ranges," says David, "where the books had been available for some time, or where we had fairly high stock levels remaining."

Hopefully this means that buyers can pick up some bargains, whether from our well-received Time Hunter series - which spun-off from their Doctor Who fiction range - or across their Horror novels and novellas - where titles by authors like Stephen Gallagher, Steve Savile, George Mann and T M Wright can be snapped up.

• Telos Publishing: www.telos.co.uk

John Jennings catches the eye with his cover for "Afrofuturism"

Wrapped in a cracking cover titled 'Io Ashtara" by John Jennings, Afrofuturism: The World Of Black Sci-Fi & Fantasy Culture by Ytasha L Womack is described as a "hip, accessible primer to the music, literature, and art of Afrofuturism."

Comprising elements of the avant-garde, science fiction, cutting-edge hip-hop, black comix, and graphic novels, Afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture.
With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, Afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and all social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves.

Author Ytasha Womack introduces readers to the burgeoning community of artists creating Afrofuturist works, the innovators from the past, and the wide range of subjects they explore.
From the SF literature of Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler and N K Jemisin to the musical cosmos of Sun Ra, George Clinton, and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, to the visual and multimedia artists inspired by African Dogon myths and Egyptian deities, topics range from the "alien" experience of blacks in America to the "wake up" cry that peppers sci-fi literature, sermons, and activism.

Interviews with rappers, composers, musicians, singers, authors, comic illustrators, painters, and DJs, as well as Afrofuturist professors, provide a firsthand look at this fascinating movement.

With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, Afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves.

Author, filmmaker, dancer and futurist Ytasha L. Womack also wrote the critically acclaimed book Post Black: How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity and 2212: Book of Rayla. She is also the co-editor of the hip hop anthology Beats, Rhyme & Life: What We Love and Hate About Hip Hop. 
 
Her films include Love Shorts (as writer/producer) and The Engagement (as director).

Cover artist John Jennings, an educator at the University of Buffalo, centres his life on provocative questions: How can we show the work of underrepresented artists, especially those who do comics? How can we go beyond the racial stereotypes of traditional comic art to show the rich expression of black artists, past and present? And how can we help UB students see that creating art is a possibility for them, to recognize that “art is everywhere” and acquire what Jennings calls “visual literacy?”

• Afrofuturism Site: www.iafrofuturism.com

• John Jennings Tumblr: http://jijennin70.tumblr.com/

• Read an interview with John Jennings (date unknown): http://www.buffalo.edu/home/feature_story/black-comix.html#sthash.nAidmXcT.dpuf

Lost in Translation: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Ships are disappearing all over the world and it believed to be caused by a sea monster. Professor Pierre Aronnax, author of the book The Mysteries of the Ocean Deep, his companion Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land are hired by the US government to help put and end to this mystery by joining an expedition on the Abraham Lincoln. After months of searching the Abraham Lincoln finds its quarry and in the ensuing collision, Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land are thrown overboard. In their efforts to survive, the trio find themselves on the surface of the “monster” itself, which turns out to be a submarine. Captain Nemo allows them to remain alive on board his submarine, the Nautilus, as his permanent guests, meaning he will never allow them to leave and reveal his secrets. The Captain uses this meeting with Professor Aronnax, whose book he has read, to begin a new cruise through the oceans and seas of the world, so that he can show Professor Aronnax where his book was lacking in details; meanwhile, Ned Land’s primary interest is in escape...

My enjoyment of science fiction is as much about the words as the pictures that draw my attention to a book on a store shelf or online shop front. For over 120 years, readers of English have known only a poor imitation of Jules Verne's classic French novel Vingt Mille Lieues Sous les Mers - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - and consequently relegated the writer to the category of a "boy's author". Since 1873 the standard English version has been Lewis Mercier's mangled "translation," a work that's filled with errors, mistranslations, and bogus additions, and missing nearly a quarter of Verne's original text.

Thanks to the life-long efforts of two Verne scholars, Walter J. Miller and Frederick Paul Walter, the English-speaking world gained access to a definitive and highly recommended translation in 1993, the only English version based solely on the level of literary artist and scientific visionary, a category he has always enjoyed in Europe and Russia.

Mercier's act of literary vandalism went unnoticed until 1965, when New York University English professor Walter Miller discovered the missing text and began the restoration of the Verne masterpiece. After nearly thirty years of work, including rigorous examinations of his translation by experts in marine technology and biology, Miller teamed that Frederick Paul Walter in 1992 to create this landmark scientific and literary achievement.

While the cover of this much-praised translation is pretty dull, to be honest, restored to the volume along with the original woodcut illustrations are the entertaining and often prescient drams of Captain Nemo, widely considered the prototypical science-fiction character.

In this novel alone Verne has anticipated submarine diving planes, scuba gear, underwater laboratories, and marine ecological disasters. He also inspired large-scale underwater mining and farming of flora and fauna, and electricity from thermoclines, all currently in development.

Restoration of these visionary ideas and some twenty-three percent of the original text is certain to elevate Verne's standing in scientific and literary circles.



• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, published by the US Naval Institute, is available from amazon.co.uk

 • If your perception of 20,000 Leagues is further coloured by the Disney film, then you might also want to check out this 1916 silent version: https://archive.org/details/20000LeaguesUndertheSea.


• North American Jules Verne Society, Inc.

(With thanks to Micheal Neno)

Duncan Long's Lesser Gods novel available in print

The paperback version of artist Duncan Long's science fiction novel Lesser Gods is now available, printed via Amazon's Print On Demand service CreateSpace, with additional artwork not found in the ebook version.

In Lesser Gods, wisecracking hacker Ralph Crocker finds himself in the middle of a bloody turf war between a cyborg named Death, a gang of organ-stealing street monstrosities, and genetically modified government agents trying to discover the secret of a new drug that turns men into gods.

The Singularity has not yet come to the dystopian future. Transhumans roam the streets and the automated legal system has run amuck. To survive, Ralph must brave dangerous shadow worlds and trust Alice (who may be virtual rather than real flesh and blood). Joining forces, the two play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a superhuman inventor who pulls the strings from behind the scenes to alter perceptions and change reality.

With a witty narrative and skillful plotting, Lesser Gods travels around the planet and beyond, from streets haunted by mechanical prostitutes in deadly tourist traps to virtual worlds where anything can happen – often with deadly results.

"Many of my clients have been using CreateSpace to print their books, so I thought I’d try this myself," says Duncan, whose work featured in SciFiArtNow. "It has been a few years since I last used this POD (Print On Demand) service, and I was very pleasantly surprised to see how it had improved.

"CreateSpace is easy to use and — perhaps more importantly for self-publishers — feeds directly into its parent company Amazon.com, so books produced through CreateSpace automatically get listed in the Amazon catalogue," Duncan notes.

"To make the process even more tempting, CreateSpace offers a free catalog number so publishers don’t have to buy an ISBN for the book (while also allowing customers to use their own ISBN if they wish).

"Basically a self publisher can create his own virtual press, putting his logo and address on the back cover."

• Duncan has posted a detailed appraisal of the CreatSpace service on his own blog here

• Buy Lesser Gods from amazon.co.uk

• Buy Lesser Gods from amazon.com 

Larry Blamire releases Steam Wars trailer

One of the chapters of SciFi Art Now touched on steampunk and included the work of

writer, director, actor and artist Larry Blamire. Larry has been promoting a project, Steam Wars, for some time now, and I'm delighted to report he has just released this trailer video to promote the animated movie he dearly would love to make.

"Give it a share on Facebook or wherever," he urges.

Set in the late 1890s, Steam Wars envisions a world where wars are fought in massive (and not so massive) Victorian walking machines. The story follows the detailed operations of one crew, specifically a reckless trio of heroes who often succeed despite themselves.

Such is the danger of the steam service - and difficulty recruiting - that, instead of being chastised, each time they destroy a "rig" they're assigned a bigger one.

And when will the film be made?

"When we have enough folks behind us and get the funding we need," Larry enthuses, "which is why it helps so much for folks to share this!"

"Exposure is the key to making this ambitious project happen. And Enjoy!"

• More info: http://steamwars.com or Like the Steam Wars facebook page 

• Follow Larry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/larryblamire or Facebook

Wetter's Works: Prime, Androids and more

SciFi Art Now and SciFi Art contributor Oliver Wetter writes to let us know his work also features in the new Prime the artbook collection from 3d-total.

Priced just shy of £36, this unique set of five books featuring some 400 art works is housed in a single slipcase, with each book devoted to a classic gallery theme – science fiction, character, cartoon, fantasy or scenes – and featuring stunning work that comes courtesy of some of the greatest artists in the industry. There's more info here.


On another note, he has also just finished a new work recording his creative process in a speedy demo, retouching a piece in the vein of the Android Legacy series he started. For more information, visit this page on the Behance web site.

SciFi Art Postcard book on sale now

The long-awaited SciFi Art Postcard title from ILEX is now officially on sale, comprising a selection of ace science fiction art included in SciFi Art Now and some other art specially selected for this project, too.

With a cover by Patrick J. Jones, it features some art used in the Sci-Fi Art Now book and other illustrations - 30 gorgeous SF-inspired postcards in total.

The artists featured are: Larry Blamire, Matt Gaser, Rian Hughes, Stuart Jennett, Paul McCaffrey, Aaron Jasinski, Patrick J. Jones, Michael Kaluta & Lee Moyer, Tom Kelly, Yigit Koroglu, John Malcolm, Sergey Musin, Nemons, 2012 Hugo and Chelsey Award-winning John Picacio, Neil Roberts, Steve Sampson, Smuzz (who I'm working with on the Crucible comic), Jon Sullivan, Dave Taylor and Oliver Wetter.

The book looks great and joins a number of similar titles from ILEX, more information here in an earlier post.

New Scientist's Arc magazine publishes new Jack Womack story

The latest issue of Arc, Forever alone drone, is available to buy now.

Arc is an exploration of the future from the makers of New Scientist - published every three months, it considers the possibilities of tomorrow's technologies and societies, featuring new work by the world's most visionary writers and thinkers.

Forever alone drone explores the technological wilderness over 180 pages of exciting new science fiction and futuristic ideas from a fantastic selection of notable writers.

Urban paranoias and human possibilities throw off sparks in Forever alone drone's bumper crop of stories, featuring Jack Womack's first short work in 17 years, alongside exciting new stories from Robert Reed, Liz Jensen, Bruce Sterling and Romie Stott.

Womack's from his work as a writer include the novel Random Acts of Senseless Violence) and  guest stints on William Gibson’s blog, but he’s also a well known publicist in the S/FF field.

Also in Forever alone drone you'll find new essays and ideas about how we might share our future from Kim Stanley Robinson, Smári McCarthy, Frank Swain, American writer Madeline Ashby, Sumit Paul-Choudhury and Simon Ings.

All issues of Arc are available for iPads, tablets, smartphones, Android devices, PCs, Macs, Kindles and Nooks. You can also buy a DRM free e-Pub version and a collectible print edition. Visit arcfinity.org to find out more.

• Buy Forever alone drone now

• Arc on Twitter: @arcfinity  • Arc on Facebook

Spotlight: Patrick James Woodroffe

Not to be confused with the amazing lighting designer of the same name, Patrick James Woodroffe is an English artist, etcher and drawer, who specialises in fantasy science-fiction artwork, with images that border on the surreal. His achievements include several collaborations with well-known musicians, two bronze sculptures displayed in Switzerland and numerous books.

"I feel at home in my own imagery," he says. "I live in a world of my own, a planet with portraits and landscapes far too pretty to be called 'modern art'.

"My 'Text & Images', which come just from my memories and my imagination, are nearly always limited to optimism. Tragic stories and ugly imagery never make me happy."

His web site is here: www.patrickwoodroffe-world.com. "My website is here for good purposes - to keep in touch with friendly contacts, to meet up with new ones, especially with collaborators and sponsors for my ambitious projects. If this applies to you, then contact me by e-mail."

 

Original War of the Worlds illustrations revealed

OK, it's not modern SF art, but I couldn't fail to be impressed by this work. I was just sent some stunning work by Warwick Goble, who I'd not heard of before, but it prompted me to do a quick Google search and I found this post featuring his War of the Worlds illustrations from the story's first ever publication in Pearson’s Magazine in 1897.

War of the Worlds author HG Wells apparently didn't really pay a lot of attention to thinking the mechanics of the Martian's war machines through, some feel. He  described them as moving like a milking stool being bowled along the ground, then later talked about them being like spiders.

"I tried a 3d animation of a Martian tripod walking once and it’s really hard," says John Guy Collick, who unearthed these illustrations (and by the way, you should bookmark his blog, it's packed with SF goodness). "It’s not a natural leg arrangement.

"The third leg is a problem. Even sets of legs are easy because they work in opposition. A third leg just gets in the way.

"Here’s an example – the back leg just trails behind..."

Warwick Goble, an illustrator of children's books, is not as well known as his contemporaries Arthur Rackham and Dulac, nevertheless he contributed his own mastery of watercolour to the golden age of illustration.

Born in November 1862 in Dalston, North London, Goble was educated at the City of London School and Westminster School of Art. Initially he worked for a printer who specialized in chromolithography and made numerous contributions to the illustrated newspapers and magazines of the day such as the Pall Mall Gazette, Strand Magazine and The Boy's Own Paper.

• There's more of Goble's fantasy art here: http://goble.artpassions.net

On the trail of Erin Starfox

Writer-Artist Will Jarvis has just launched his new sci-fi novel Erin Starfox on Kickstarter, illustrated science fiction that's just a little different.

"It's not a comic or graphic novel exactly, but it shares some elements of that form," Will told me, "and some of the folks who worked on it also toil in the comics field, so there might be some interest from the comics community. Some of the writers and artists are British, others are from the USA and Australia."

Written by Will along with Simon Guerrier (writer of Doctor Who and Professor Bernice Summerfield stories), Tessa Schlesinger and others, with art by Frank Brunner (Marvel Comics artist of Doctor Strange and Howard the Duck), plus Carolyn Edwards, Marcus Jenkins and others, the book explores life and relationships in the far future.

"Erin appeared in my mind one day and I haven't stopped writing about her since," Will says. "She's a multifaceted character with wit and charm and love of life. Her stories are timeless and endless, and the world (the universe) she inhabits abounds with wonder and delight, and is a joy to explore in words and pictures.

"The book was inspired by stories that influenced me as a reader such as Home From The Shore by Gordon R. Dickson (writer) and James R. Odbert (artist); Dan Day's illustrated versions of the Sherlock Holmes stories; Gil Kane's Blackmark; and Jim Steranko's Chandler graphic novel, and other works of visual literature."

Will is a published author and artist, with experience as a magazine and book editor. "I know the steps necessary to take a project like this from start to finish, " he says of the project. "I've done it before. The first and most important challenge I faced with this project was coming up with something different, something worth publishing.

"I thought long and hard for a couple of years, let various ideas percolate around in my brain. When the characters and concepts coalesced, I wrote a Writer's Guide and then invited other writers, and artists, to contribute to the saga. The positive response from them, plus the positive response I got from speculative fiction fans when I took the Starfox concept to SF conventions convinced me that Starfox was something that should be pursued.

"I raised the money to pay the writers and artists for their work, then set about editing the manuscript. Once I was sure that we really had something, I began looking into options to get the book printed and published. A friend of mine, who had successfully funded her book via Kickstarter, suggested I give it a try. Starfox has been a group effort practically from the start, so crowdfunding seems quite appropriate."

"I believe in the message of hope and promise in Starfox," enthuses Terry Brussel, co-founder of Live The Dream (a Los Angeles area sci-fi group), "and believe that message could be as important as the message in Star Trek. Polyamorous civilizations, human drama, great characters, amazing stories, beautiful illustrations; Starfox has it all."

• The Kickstarter page is here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/2049996496/erin-starfox

• More about Erin Starfox: www.erinstarfox.com

 

Smuzz brings SF touches to new picture book

British artist Smuzz - whose credits include award-winning illustrations for the SF magazine Interzone - has just launched his own children's book as a delightful digital edition, with a number of images tipping a hat to his 'day job'.

In If I had a Dog, a little boy imagines all the exciting things he could do if only he had a dog. In the end, it's not the dog, but his imagination that makes the magic...

"If I had a Dog began as one of a series of drawings to entertain my four year old son in between 'serious' work," says Smuzz of the book's origins.

"The book incorporates all the things most popular with him on Library visits."

The illustrations are just stunning - these small samples below don't do Smuzz's work real justice - and it's a moving read.

Smuzz has been an illustrator and comic book artist since 1987. He started work as Sms, but is now known as Smuzz to avoid confusion with mobile phone services. He has won two "British Science Fiction Awards" and been regularly voted best artist for the UK SF magazine Interzone and is currently working on Crucible, a comic strip with John Freeman, out in 2013.

The strip has no actual dogs but lots of strange animals.

• If I had a Dog is now available to purchase in pdf format, readable on iPad, Android tablet and Kindle Fire via Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/l/UHwLX

• Find out more about the book on the If I Had a Dog facebook page and to download some free colouring-in pages

• Check out more Smuzz artwork at www.smuzz.org.uk

 

Charting the best in SF? Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010

If you're looking for a book as a Christmas present for the SF fan in your life that will potentially keep them quiet for hours - not just reading it, but the novels they buy as a result of reading it - then Non-Stop Press' Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010 might be just the ticket.

Released earlier this year, the book, compiled by Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo, was Inspired by Interzone editor David Pringle's landmark 1985 work Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels, this volume supplements the earlier selection with the present authors' choices for the best English-language science fiction novels during the past quarter century. Employing a critical slant, the book provides a discussion of the novels and the writers in the context of popular literature.

"The chance to pause and take a look backward at the genre helped refresh my sense of the marvels the field had recently achieved," says co-author Paul Di Filippo, "and to inspire future goals of my own. Luis Ortiz at Non-Stop Press also makes such beautiful books!"

Of interest to SF art fans, hence its mention here, is that each entry features a cover image of the novel, as well as a plot synopsis (warning: some spoilers in these, as well as the "mini reviews), making it an ideal go-to guide for anyone wanting to become reacquainted with an old favourite or to discover a previously unknown treasure.

The selected works include Orson Scott Card's Enders Game, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, Perdido Street Station, The Time Traveler’s Wife and many other better known novels, rubbing shoulders with books some argue have no place in such a list, such as Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

With a foreword by David Pringle, this invaluable reference has already provoked conversation and debates among SF fans and devotees judging from online reviews, and just like Pringle's 1985 work, I'm sure it's one that will continue to do so for some time to come.

Here's a list of the books featured: Which ones do you own?

• The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
• Ender’s Game (1985)
• Radio Free Albemuth (1985)
• Always Coming Home (1985)
• This Is the Way the World Ends (1985)
• Galápagos (1985)
• The Falling Woman (1986)
• The Shore of Women (1986)
• A Door Into Ocean (1986)
• Soldiers of Paradise (1987)
• Life During Wartime (1987)
• The Sea and Summer (1987)
• Cyteen (1988)
• Neverness (1988)
• The Steerswoman (1989)
• Grass (1989)
• Use of Weapons (1990)
• Queen of Angels (1990)
• Barrayar (1991)
• Synners (1991)
• Sarah Canary (1991)
• White Queen (1991)
• Eternal Light (1991)
• Stations of the Tide (1991)
• Timelike Infinity (1992)
• Dead Girls (1992)
• Jumper (1992)
• China Mountain Zhang (1992)
• Red Mars (1992)
• A Fire Upon the Deep (1992)
• Aristoi (1992)
• Doomsday Book (1992)
• Parable of the Sower (1993)
• Ammonite (1993)
• Chimera (1993)
• Nightside the Long Sun (1993)
• Brittle Innings (1994)
• Permutation City (1994)
• Blood (1994)
• Mother of Storms (1995)
• Sailing Bright Eternity (1995)
• Galatea 2.2 (1995)
• The Diamond Age (1995)
• The Transmigration of Souls (1996)
• The Fortunate Fall (1996)
• The Sparrow/Children of God (1996/1998)
• Holy Fire (1996)
• Night Lamp (1996)
• In the Garden of Iden (1997)
• Forever Peace (1997)
• Glimmering (1997)
• As She Climbed Across the Table (1997)
• The Cassini Division (1998)
• Bloom (1998)
• Vast (1998)
• The Golden Globe (1998)
• Headlong (1999)
• Cave of Stars (1999)
• Genesis (2000)
• Super-Cannes (2000)
• Under the Skin (2000)
• Perdido Street Station (2000)
• Distance Haze (2000)
• Revelation Space trilogy (2000)
• Salt (2000)
• Ventus (2001)
• The Cassandra Complex (2001)
• Light (2002)
• Altered Carbon (2002)
• The Separation (2002)
• The Golden Age (2002)
• The Time Traveler’s Wife (2003)
• Natural History (2003)
• The Labyrinth Key / Spears of God
• River of Gods (2004)
• The Plot Against America (2004)
• Never Let Me Go (2005)
• The House of Storms (2005)
• Counting Heads (2005)
• Air (Or, Have Not Have) (2005)
• Accelerando (2005)
• Spin (2005)
• My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time (2006)
• The Road (2006)
• Temeraire /His Majesty’s Dragon (2006)
• Blindsight (2006)
• HARM (2007)
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007)
• The Secret City (2007)
• In War Times (2007)
• Postsingular (2007)
• Shadow of the Scorpion (2008)
• The Hunger Games trilogy (2008-2010)
• Little Brother (2008)
• The Alchemy of Stone (2008)
• The Windup Girl (2009)
• Steal Across the Sky (2009)
• Boneshaker (2009)
• Zoo City (2010)
• Zero History (2010)
• The Quantum Thief (2010)

 

Art stolen from Suydam Studios

New York-based comic artist Arthur Suydam is seeking help in the recovery of two pieces of art which were recently stolen from his studio.

The two artworks are Alien Genocide by Arthur Suydam (gouche painting, image above) and Little Devil by the late Frank Frazetta (ink drawing 8 1/2 x 11” - note the image below is by Arthur, drawn from memory).

 

If you see these artworks or have any information on their location, please contact Arthur at suydATearthlink.net or call 001 212 475 4840. All personal information will be kept confidential.

Award winning creator and Marvel artist Arthur Suydam’s meteoric rise to superstardom for his work for the smash hit series Marvel Zombies broke graphic novel records. He was recently honored with the Spike TV Scream Award, (best writer, best artist, best comic of the year). Suydam’s short story Christmas Carol was chosen for inclusion in The Mammoth Book of Horror and Legends for best comic horror stories of all time and The Art of Painted Comics (2008).

Suydam’s popular covers have graced the covers of Deadpool, Marvel Zombies, Batman, X-men and many more.

• Web Site: www.arthursuydam.com

 

BioShock Infinite art book in the works

Dark Horse Comics has announced plans to publish a comprehensive art book for BioShock Infinite early next year, tying in with the game's planned release.

BioShock Infinite, developed by Irrational Games, won over 75 editorial awards at E3 2011, including the Game Critics Awards’ Best of Show.

In The Art of BioShock Infinite, fans are invited delve deeper into the world of  the game and the city of Columbia — the fabled floating metropolis built by the US government in the late 1800s to serve as a floating world’s fair.

This deluxe hardcover features production designs and concept illustrations focusing on main characters Booker, Elizabeth, and Songbird from the highly anticipated BioShock® Infinite video game. See the evolution of the Heavy Hitters, the populace of Columbia, the Sky-Hook, Vigors, airships, and much more.

The Art of BioShock Infinite, due for relase in March, also features an introduction from BioShock Infinite creative director Ken Levine.

In this first-person shooter game, due for release in February 2013, the player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who is sent to Columbia to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so they may escape from a city literally falling from the sky.

DeWitt learns to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harnesses the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

BioShock Infinite is in development for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC.

• For more information on  BioShock Infinite visit www.bioshockinfinite.com.

Create your own Cyborg!

Art © Oliver Wetter

Sci-Fi Art Now contributor Oliver Wetter has created a Cyborg Tutorial for the new Advanced Photoshop Magazine.

"This image of a cyborg that matches the style of my Android Legacy piece, is a workshop I've done some weeks ago for the 100th issue of the Advanced Photoshop magazine, a truly memorable number," he says on his blog.

"I was really glad about being asked to create a cyborg image," He says. "This year I made some progress on digital painting techniques and found it easy to apply these to photo manipulation works as well."

The issue not only includes Oliver's tutorial but 100 photoshop tips too.

Advanced Photoshop offers easy-to-follow and exciting tutorials in every issue. They are written by Photoshop experts and cover digital painting, photomanipulation, photo editing, new media, typography and graphics.

• Buy Advanced Photoshop Magazine Issue 100 here

• Read Oliver's full post on the creation of the Tutorial on his blog here

IlluXCon Symposium returns in November

The Fifth Annual IlluXCon Symposium - the only US convention exclusively dedicated to fantastic art - wil take place on 8th-11th November 2012 at the Altoona Heritage Discovery Center - 1421 12th Ave Altoona, PA 100601.

As ever, IlluXCon will welcome artists, students, collectors, and fans to a four-day celebration of the field.

IlluXCon features the largest gathering of fantastic art and artists in the world. The 2012 show will feature nearly 60 artists in the main exhibition, with many more included in the IlluXCon Showcase. Several hundred original paintings and drawings will be on display at the show, along with demonstrations, lectures, round tables, art director portfolio reviews, and small group workshops.

Moe Info: www.illuxcon.com

 

Artist Paul McCaffrey takes on TMNT' 'Fugitoid'

Sci-Fi Art Now contributor and British comics comic creator Paul McCaffrey is the artist on the latest issue of IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Microseries: Fugitoid.

Also available digitally as well as in comic shops, the story centres on Fugitoid, a Mirage Studios character co-created by the founding fathers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

This comic Is a one-shot, released as the eighth issue of IDW's TMNT "Micro-Series" line written by Paul Allor and introduces Fugitoid to a new era of readers, the strong familial themes in his story and his personal connections to the TMNT. The adventure leads the new 'Fugitoid' to Earth, and stands to affect the Turtles’ future in an unexpected and crucial way.

The story serves to set up an upcoming TMNT ongoing story arc, and writer Paul Allor has nothing but praise for Paul McCaffrey's art.

"Paul does a really amazing job with action sequences," Allor told Comic Book Resources news. "He's able to make sure you know where everyone is, what's happening and what the stakes are for each character. He's a masterful storyteller in that regard.

"He's also fantastic at the character-acting part of the job," he added. "He's able to pick just the right body language, the right expression to tell you everything going on inside a character's mind. That's why one of my favorite moments was the scene... between Honeycutt and his wife, as they have an important conversation. It's a quiet, domestic scene, and Paul nailed the emotions behind it, the interaction of these two characters.

"The Fugitoid is an early creation of Mr. Eastman and Mr. Laird, pre-dating even the Turtles," he says of the character. "In the original continuity, he was a scientist named Professor Honeycutt who becomes trapped in a robot body and finds himself on the run from intergalactic factions. Eventually he hooks up with the Turtles and hijinks ensue!

"In the IDW continuity, Dr. Honeycutt is working for Krang before deciding to defect. The new IDW continuity is focused so strongly on family and moral questions of right and wrong, the proper use of violence and peace and how to do the right thing in such an imperfect world. Our new iteration of Dr. Honeycutt fits into these themes quite well."

"!We seem to have been getting generally positive reactions," says Paul of the book, which marks only his latest foray into US comics, having also worked on the Men of War mini-series for DC Comics.

Paul McCaffrey graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic (as was) with a BA in graphic design. Since then, he's mainly worked in the area of children's educational illustration, so he's done a lot of work you'll never see for books you've never heard of. Some of this can be seen on his web site or or his agent's web site.

Over the past few years, his comic strip work has appeared in UK indie titles such as Omnivistascope, Violent! and Zombies Vs Robots: Adventure. When he's not scribbling away, he makes music with The Phase 4). (Also atwww.last.fm/music/The+Phase+4).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles digital comics are now available to fans outside of the US, including the UK, Australia, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), Ireland and New Zealand.

The comics will be available in the TMNT Comics app, the IDW Comics app, Comics by comiXology apps for iOS and Android, or online at read.idwpublishing.com

- Paul McCaffrey's web site: www.coroflot.com/paul_mccaffrey

- Read a 2010 interview with the artist on the SciFi Art Now blog

- Read Paul Allor's interview about the Fugitoid comic on Comic Book Resources

 

SciFi Postcard Book to be released in January 2013

Just through my door yesterday: an advance copy of the Sci-Fi Art Now postcard book ILEX asked me to compile earlier this year.

With a cover by Patrick J. Jones, it features some art used in the Sci-Fi Art Now book and other illustrations - 30 gorgeous SF-inspired postcards in total.

The artists featured are: Larry Blamire, Matt Gaser, Rian Hughes, Stuart Jennett, Paul McCaffrey, Aaron Jasinski, Patrick J. Jones, Michael Kaluta & Lee Moyer, Tom Kelly, Yigit Koroglu, John Malcolm, Sergey Musin, Nemons, 2012 Hugo and Chelsey Award-winning John Picacio, Neil Roberts, Steve Sampson, Smuzz (who I'm working with on the Crucible comic), John Sullivan, Dave Taylor and Oliver Wetter.

My thanks to them all for being part of this spin-off, which is set to be published in January and looks absolutely fantastic! Thanks also to editor Tim Pilcher and the ILEX team for creating another great book.

The collection is one of a series of Postcard books published by ILEX, which have been well received and sold very well in the UK. They include:  

• Army Camp! 30 Postcards That Do Ask and Do Tell! - A riotous introduction to the unintentionally homoerotic side of military life. Classic images date from between 1914 to 1946, when armies everywhere were crying out for fit, toned men to join up, bond together and make the world a better place.  

• Fantasy Art - Includes art by Robert Chang, Matt Dixon, Raymond Swanland and Matt Gaser featuring modern twists on traditional themes such as dragons, orcs, fairies and adventurers.  

• Lovelorn - 30 of the very best in cult romance comics of the 1950s. From Brides in Love and Romantic Hearts to G.I. Sweethearts and Romantic Adventures there are dozens of romantically quirky postcards ready for you to send to your beloved!  

• Tales of Terror - 30 of the scariest, most bizarre and downright strange horror comics covers. These pre-code horror comics make an ideal gift and are perfect to send chills in the post, or to simply keep and laugh at the uncanny covers. Each cult postcard includes the title, artist, publisher and publication date on the back.  

• Tattoos: 30 Postcards to Colour and Send - A fun, interactive postcard set includes 30 of the coolest designs by top manga artist and tattooist, Jian Yi. All the designs are clear line drawings of everything from fairies and flowers to dragons and tigers, and are easy to complete and colour, before wowing friends and family with a piece of original art through the post.  

• Vampires: 30 Postcards - Artists from different backgrounds and cultures share their versions of the vampire in their chosen medium. Each postcard includes the titles, artist, publisher and publication date on the back.  

• More about Sci-Fi Art Now on its dedicated blog here

John Picacio, Lee Moyer win Chelsey Awards

Congratulations are in order to SciFi Art Now cover artist John Picacio and artist Lee Moyer for their much-deserved 2012 Chelsey Award wins, given by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists each year for excellence in genre art.

Lee secured Best Cover illustration for Weird Tales, Winter 2010/2011 above), while John won the Best Product Illustration category for his art in the George R.R. Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire 2012 Calendar published by Random House.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, who are all listed below and include another SFAN contributor, Jon Sullivan. Wonderful to see the late Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, was recognised for his work this year.

Check out the galleries on the ASFA web site - there's some terrific stuff to enjoy.

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book

ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Matthew Stewart for The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells, Night Shade Books
• Mitchell D. Bentley for The Alamo and Zombies by Jean A. Stuntz, Yard Dog Press, Dec. 2011
• Dan Dos Santos for My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland, DAW Books (above)
• Justin Gerard for Heart of Smoke & Steam by Andrew P. Mayer, Pyr Books
• Lucas Graciano for The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell, Pyr books
• David Palumbo for God’s War by Kameron Hurley, Night Shade Books
• Jon Sullivan for The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder Pyr Books
• J. P. Targete for The Sword of Darrow by Alex & Hal Malchow, Ben Bella Books

Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Tom Kidd for Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison, Subterranean Press.
• Stephan Martiniere for Prospero Regained by L. Jagi Lamplighter, Tor Books
• Lee Moyer for Two Worlds and In Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kieran, Subterranean Press
• Cliff Nielsen for The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear, Tor Books
• Greg Staples for The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, Subterranean Press

Best Cover Illustration: Magazine
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Lee Moyer for Weird Tales, Winter 2010/2011
• Facundo Diaz for Clarkesworld July 2011
• Laura Diehl for Fantasy, August 2011
• Carly B. Sorge for Apex Magazine, September 2011
• Dariusz Zawadski for Fantasy, May 2011

Best Interior Illustration
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Julie Dillon for “The Dala Horse” by Michael Swanwick, Tor.com
• Scott Gustafson for Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe by Scott Gustafson, Simon & Schuster
• Ryohei Hase for “Narco Americano” by T. J. English, Playboy, February
• Greg Staples for The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, Subterranean Press
• J. P. Targete for The Sword of Darrow by Alex & Hal Malchow, BenBella Books

Best Monochrome Work: Unpublished
ASFA allery

• Winner: Raoul Vitale for The Yeti, pencil
• Justin Gerard for St. George and the Dragon, pencil
• Stephen Hickman for Siegfried, ink on toned paper
• Joāo Ruas for Migration, graphite on paper, vellum & acetate
• Allen Williams for Wood Nymph, pencil

Best Color Work: Unpublished
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Omar Rayyan for The Dragon and the Nightingale
• Stephen Hickman for The Hero of the Apotheosis
• David Palumbo for Through a Blood Red Veil
• Eric Velhagen for Fantasy Feast
• Raoul Vitale for Turin and Glaurang

Best Three-Dimensional Art
ASFA Gallery

• Tie Winner: Michael Parkes for Moonstruck, bronze
• Tie Winner: Vincent Villafranca for Robobike, bronze
• Gil Bruvel for Dichotomy, cupro nickel
• Thomas S. Kuebler for Baba Yaga, mixed
• Virginie Ropars for Autumnnalis Venenata, mixed (above)

Best Gaming-Related Illustration
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: Michael C. Hayes for Distress, 2012 Core Set Magiccard,WotC
• E.M. Gist for Wandering Elf, Magic the Gathering: Tactics, Sony Online
• Lucas Graciano for Pathfinder Player Companion: The Humans of Golarian, Paizo Publishing
• Chris Rahn for Glissa, the Traitor, “Mirrodin Beseiged” Magiccard,WotC
• Matt Stewart for Creepy Doll, “Innistrad” Magic card, WotC

Best Product Illustration
ASFA Gallery

• Winner: John Picacio for George R.R. Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire, 2012 Calendar, Random House, July 2011
• Stuart Craig for production design for the Harry Potter films, Warner Brothers, 2011
• Lee Moyer for Check These Out, 2012 Literary Pin-up calendar, Worldbuilders, 2011
• William Stout for Zombies 2012, calendar, Andrews McMeel, 2011
• Michael Whelan for Gift from the Sea, Dragon*Con 2011 promo art & program book, 2011
• Michael Zug for IlluXCon 2011 promo poster, 2011

Best Art Director

• Winner: Irene Gallo for Tor
• Matt Adelsperger for WotC
• Lou Anders for Pyr Books
• David Palumbo for Night Shade Books
• Jon Schindehette for WotC

Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement

• Winner: Jean Giraud, “Moebius”
• Jim Burns
• Charles Vess