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.

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

ILEX Manga title wins Harvey Award

UK publisher of Sci-Fi Art Now Ilex’s bestselling The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga has been announced as the winner of the 2010 Harvey Award for ‘Best American Edition of Foreign Material’, and was also recently shortlisted for the prestigious Eisner Award.

Written by Helen McCarthy, the book is the first authorised English language biography on Japan’s most celebrated artist of the 21st century and I think it will interest followers of this blog. I also worked with Helen on Manga Max magazine a few years back.

Osamu Tezuka has often been called the Walt Disney of Japan, but he was far more than that. Tezuka was Disney, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Tim Burton and Carl Sagan, all rolled into one incredibly prolific package, and he changed the face of Japanese culture forever.

This book reveals what makes him one of the key figures of 20th century pop culture. Packed with stunning images, many never before seen outside Japan, it pays tribute to the work of an artist, writer, animator, doctor, entrepreneur and traveller whose insatiably curious mind created two companies, dozens of animated films and series, and over 150,000 pages of comic art in one astonishingly creative lifetime.  

ILEX call The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga "an amazing adventure for the manga and anime neophyte, an essential reference for the confirmed fans, and a visual treat for anyone who loves art".


• The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga is on sale from amazon.co.uk

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.

What is Sci-Fi Art Now?

SciFi Art Now is a book I've edited under the direction of UK publishers ILEX. It will be published in October and features a wide range of art from both established and new artists from across the globe.

Top science fiction artist Chris Foss - whose work influenced my SF book buying back in the 1970s - has very kindly provided the foreword.

Check back here for the latest news about the book, which is scheduled for publication in October 2010 and related articles. I'm hoping to 'spotlight' artists whose work features in the book on this blog, and feature news about them and their work.

ILEX have published a number of "Art Now" books and they've been very well received, including  Fantasy Art Now by Martin McKenna which included fantasy art by the likes of Clint Langley, Greg Staples, Glenn Fabry, James Rayman, Linda Bergkvist, Liam Sharp, Jason Chan, Aly Fell, Aaron Sng and Robert Chang. They followed that up with a recently-released second volume compiled by Ally Fell & Duddlebug, showcasing the latest, cutting-edge fantasy artwork and design.

The Ilex Press has achieved an international reputation as a publisher of high quality illustrated reference books which cover all aspects of creativity and popular culture. The company was formed in January 2000 as a collaborative venture between the directors of The Ivy Press and Alastair Campbell.

Ilex Press books are published under its own imprint, ILEX, throughout the world in the English language (excluding North America), and are distributed in these markets by Thames and Hudson.

In North America, Ilex Press books are sold under various imprints by well-known publishers such as The Reader's Digest, Chronicle Books, Abrams, Harper Collins, Watson Guptill, St Martin's Press, Running Press, and O'Reilly. They're translated into many languages including French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, etc.

I'm really excited about this project: although I've worked in publishing for over 20 years - mainly in comics - this is my first book, and I hope it's a success, and helps the artists featured get work.

• Pre-order Sci-Fi Art Now from amazon.com

• Pre-order Sci-Fi Art Now from amazon.co.uk

• More about ILEX at: www.ilex-press.com