Jun 06
Click for full imageScott B Comments: I was moved to (bad) verse –
Bravely the God of bumblebee-ants
Went forth to battle in his stripy pants
With crossbow held aloft
And leopard-print loincloth
When Venus was conquered he’d dance!
Published 1976
(Average: 8.31 out of 10)
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June 6th, 2012 at 10:05 am
It appears to be a man riding a giant toupe. From the title of the book, I deduce this must be Terry Wogan’s ‘piece (or possibly that of the late Alan “Fluff” Freeman). Where the leopard pattern comes from, I have no idea.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Firstly, Good Show, Sir. A great tie-in with the recent transit of Venus astronomical event this week.
Secondly, Science Fiction from the Great Years? When exactly was/is that?
Thirdly, unless that giant bumble bee moves his wings they are not going anywhere.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
He does gets points for originality, however. Tights and loincloth. You don’t see that every day.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Still can’t make out what’s going on with his head, though.
June 6th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
You would need the constitution of a bumble bee to conquer Venus, it’s very windy there. However, this chap must be teeny tiny to ride one, so I don’t rate his chances.
June 6th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
All I see is radio ca-ca.
June 6th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
“Can one man from Earth conquer all Venus?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
June 6th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
“Originally published in 1925 as a serial in Argosy All-Story Weekly.” Fictional character Myles Cabot invented radio matter-transmission, and used it to visit Venus. There he found giant insects and winged men who conversed with natural radio. He also found a bride, a kingdom, and a home. War erupts among the antlike beings, the humans, and giant bees holding the balance of power. ”
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5119188189&cm_ven=sws&cm_cat=sws&cm_pla=sws&cm_ite=5119188189&cm_ven=PFX&cm_cat=affiliates&cm_pla=links&cm_ite=k158849&afn_sr=gan&pfxid=a_588423144
June 6th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
About his head, the photo’s a little unclear (I shrunk it down to submit and may have overdone it), but he’s looking back over his right shoulder, has what looks like flowing hair and moustache/beard and antennae and ineffectively little feathered wings. I presume that this is one of the “winged men who conversed with natural radio” through their antennae.
I think aside from the tights/loincloth, what I find most striking is the ant head on the bee body. Don’t know if that’s deliberate to follow the book, or if it’s just the artist’s “eh, it’s an insect, live with it” indifference.
June 7th, 2012 at 12:36 am
I put it to you that nobody who has seen The Three Amigos can look at this author’s surname without going: ‘Faaarley-faarley-farley-farley-farleyfarleyfarley’.
June 7th, 2012 at 11:34 am
Ooh! An elf riding a flea!
June 7th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
I tried, but was unable to find any information on who did this cover. It reminds me of some of the wilder work of Leo and Diane Dillon, but surely if it was them there would be a record.
I did find a cover by Ed Emshwiller which is a little doubtful, especially the crutch-gun.
I also found a modern version with a cover by the legendary Virgil Finlay taken from the cover of this old pulp magazine, which is why it’s awkwardly sliced off on the right.
It looks like the Good Show Sir cover above is based on the Finlay one, but updated for the 1970s.
June 7th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Video killed the Radio Beasts
June 8th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Oh Bee-have!
What? No one else had gone there yet.
June 29th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
@Tom Noir that made me chuckle. Bravo!
November 13th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
It actually appears he is riding an ant that is wearing a bee costume. Like the ant goes to a college whose mascot is the fighting bumblebees.
November 13th, 2017 at 10:15 am
“But can one man from Earth conquer…”
“No!”
“But if he rode on a –”
“I SAID GOOD SHOW, SIR!!”
September 19th, 2019 at 9:09 pm
“But what if he also had big arrows that –”
“WHAT PART OF ‘NO’ DIDN’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!?”