Sep 11
Click for full imageFrank Comments: So much going on that it burns your eyes, or maybe you’ll put an eye out, it’s hard to tell!
Published 1959
(Average: 8.17 out of 10)
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Frank Comments: So much going on that it burns your eyes, or maybe you’ll put an eye out, it’s hard to tell!
Published 1959
(Average: 8.17 out of 10)Loading...
(9.25 out of 10) (9.18 out of 10) (9.01 out of 10) (8.97 out of 10) (8.93 out of 10) (8.93 out of 10) (8.93 out of 10) (8.92 out of 10) (8.88 out of 10) (8.88 out of 10)
Lastest Tweet
September 11th, 2014 at 10:33 am
… teasmaid… fondue set… cuddly toy…
September 11th, 2014 at 10:33 am
“What, me worry about space travel?”
September 11th, 2014 at 11:08 am
I AM GROOT!
September 11th, 2014 at 11:14 am
Out of date, even when it was first published.
September 11th, 2014 at 11:46 am
@Dead Stuff: You’re not wrong. I clicked on the link you sent, read the first chapter on Gutenberg… a book published after 1940 having the protagonist exclaim surprise at the existence of a secret service is bad enough but thereafter they refer to it as the ‘SS’.
September 11th, 2014 at 11:53 am
And it’s a prima facie case for a ‘Behind You!’ tag.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
That’s no unknown artist. It’s Kelly Freas.
Looks like the inspiration for this classic cover:
http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/2009/05/baen/
Embiggened
September 11th, 2014 at 2:32 pm
That awkward moment when your spaceship is attacked by birds.
September 11th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
I usually like Kelly Freas art, but this is not his best.
September 11th, 2014 at 6:00 pm
They spawned!
September 11th, 2014 at 7:04 pm
Indeed, it needs a “Behind You!” tag… and a “Beside you!”
September 12th, 2014 at 5:34 am
Thank you for this site. I have been collecting vintage sci fi and fantasy books – mostly from a book store run by a convent near a cottage in Northern Ontario, Canada – and have amassed over 400 titles. The art work never ceases to amaze and delight.
I have so often considered putting a site together to catalog them all, but you are doing a smashing job of it and i will enjoy visiting often.
Just to say thanks, and you have a new fan.
best
keram
September 13th, 2014 at 9:18 am
Well, at least this time he’s not in a straight-jacket, shooting lasers out of his eyes: http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/2012/07/man-of-many-minds
September 14th, 2014 at 4:52 pm
“In his mind was the power to rule the world”
— or, to put it another way: In your dreams, pal!
September 17th, 2014 at 1:33 am
IN HIS HAND WAS THE POWER TO DESTROY SPACESHIPS.
IN HIS SHOULDERS WAS THE POWER TO MOVE NEBULAE.
IN HIS BREATH WAS THE POWER TO ATTRACT MISCELLANEA.
September 17th, 2014 at 8:15 am
IN HIS EYES WAS THE POWER TO SEE JURASSIC PARK FONTS
September 22nd, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Ginger Neanderthals in SPACE!!
September 23rd, 2014 at 4:03 pm
Kelly Freas did a lot of work for MAD magazine. That’s probably why THX1138 saw the Alfred E. Neuman “What Me Worry?” connection.
September 25th, 2014 at 2:53 pm
Oh man, remember this site? It used to be pretty cool!
😛
September 27th, 2014 at 11:31 pm
Frank Kelly Freas did artwork for MAD Magazine as well.
Ref. cit. THX 1138’s post above.
December 28th, 2015 at 5:56 pm
I hate to break it to the guy, but you can’t grasp your hallucinations.
July 12th, 2019 at 6:34 am
Heh. Looks like Kelly didn’t think much of the book either, with that Neumann-esque “hero”.
I like the random assemblage of stuff — the thick black lines a la comics and animation are pretty cool. Apparently the Man of Many Minds is a Comic Book Guy.
July 12th, 2019 at 7:00 am
Flashback Fridays are helpful because they allow you to re-process your initial perceptions. He now looks more like Howdy Doody than Alfred E. Neuman.
July 12th, 2019 at 7:35 am
@BC: Why not both?
Howdy was already super-famous by then; Kelly was drawing AEN at this time. Mashing up the two would have gotten the attention of the kids and also avoided pesky copyright infringement.
July 12th, 2019 at 8:50 am
OK, he’s got a dog mind, bee minds, pigeon minds, squabbling Sailor Lads minds – surely with such a lineup the green Groot-ish aliens don’t have a chance?
I can see what people have been saying about Kelly Freas sort of phoning it in – those spaceships clashing, not to mention the aliens, are embarrassingly elementary. (The alien on the right seems to have a green tater tot for a head).
July 12th, 2019 at 12:10 pm
I don’t know what his feet look like, but Kelly seems very proud of his ability to draw a hand.
July 12th, 2019 at 1:41 pm
This could have been an all alliteration cover if the blurb had joined the party.
July 12th, 2019 at 4:38 pm
He won’t mind if I pass then.
July 12th, 2019 at 8:22 pm
@GSSxn—Alfred E. Doody! 😉
July 13th, 2019 at 1:20 am
@Bruce: It’s not like this book deserved Kelly’s best work.
The guy possibly also has a couple spaceship minds.
That one alien really does look like Groot.
@fred: I dare you to write that blurb. (It doesn’t have to be any good)
@BC: Howdy E. Neuman? Nah, yours is better.
Kelly had quite the puckish sense of humor, so I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he mashed them up for this routine assignment to pay the bills.
July 13th, 2019 at 3:09 am
He had the power to rule the world, but he was way more interested in cool stuff like wolves, space battles, and birdies.
July 13th, 2019 at 4:07 am
@JuanPaul: and THE BEES!!!
July 13th, 2019 at 5:21 am
@GSSxn–I’m down with your theory. Freas was an excellent graphic artist who wasn’t given a lot to work with here. Wouldn’t be at all surprised either if he was playing a game of his own, just to entertain himself.
July 13th, 2019 at 8:07 pm
@JuanPaul: He does look a bit… special needs, doesn’t he? Like he’s too busy having fun imagining all these neato things to worry about the fate of the galaxy. Like Pinky when the Brain would want him to help with the schemes.
@Bruce: not THE BEES!!!
@BC: Alas, we’ll never know. But I can practically see Kelly, bored with this terrible book, amusing himself with a Doody/AEN mashup, having fun seeing how many random daft objects he could work into the picture. That incredibly detailed hand reminds me of the 3-D movie fad of the time, and the rocket is heading straight for the guy’s chin, *ka-POW*
He was too conscientious to do a really terrible job, but he could amuse himself with a quick bit of less-meticulous work, mixing up various styles (soft glowy background, photo-realistic hand, cartoony imaginings, AEN face) to keep in practice. Particularly if they weren’t even going to give him an opportunity to paint a scantily-clad damsel.
Although even as goofy as it is, Kelly wouldn’t settle for anything but consistent lighting. Look at the shadows — ever so much better than what we too often see here.