Mar 01
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Now showing in IMAX
Alessandra Comments: The cover isn’t really awful, although it is pretty behind the curve for 1975. What got me was the hideous font lightning effect, the confusing typography (the title is actually “The Blood Stones”), and the extreme genericness of the cover — oh, and the Conan-gets-a-mullet hairdo.
Published 1975
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Tagged with: bladed weapons • cat people • dude • font problems • Gerard F. Conway • male skirts • mullet • muscles • Pinnacle Books • Tar-sham • Unknown Artist Institute • Wallace Moore
Feb 22
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Phil’s Art Direction: Look, no one will guess that this book is about futuristic police, unless you paint POLICE onto the side of that hovership. While you’re at it, give that policeman an unusually large face. I hear that’s how policemen will look centuries hence.
Published 1976
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Tagged with: bubble helmet • dude • flying • frickin laser beams • gun • Panther Books • Philip K. Dick • Unknown Artist Institute
Feb 15
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Libraryman Comments: I just don’t understand what good those wings will be.
Published 1984
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Tagged with: Bantam Books • damsel • dragon • dude • Elizabeth Scarborough • lizards • monsters • tights • Unknown Artist Institute
Feb 07
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Joachim Comments:Man with heavy mascara, in a purple cloud, with a star, sparkling, under his eye…. Is paradise a purple cloud?
Published 1971
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Tagged with: dude • Michael Elder • Pinnacle Books • Ting! • Unknown Artist Institute • WTF
Feb 03
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Frank Comments: Spotted in the Russian-language section at our Friends of the Library sale. The only English-language word was “fantasy” on the spine. I’m illiterate in Russian.
Published 1997 (maybe)
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Tagged with: bladed weapons • dragon • dude • font problems • glowing eyes • Haircut 100 • Mikhail Uspenskii • once you see it • Pусское Fantasy Books • sword • Unknown Artist Institute
Feb 01
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Marcus’ Art Direction: Fredric Brown mostly wrote short stories with twist endings. So let’s have a twist ending to the cover! But, at the same time, semi-naked women sell books. So we should have one of them. Not too big, though, we want lots of nice black space around.
Published 1980
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Tagged with: Bantam Books • cleavage • damsel • devil's dumplings • Fredric Brown • planets • space • space sheep • Unknown Artist Institute • WTF
Jan 23
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Art Direction: We all know the one thing vampires suffer from. Bighanditis! What do you mean that isn’t a thing? Of course it’s a thing, a vampire thing! Look it says right here in the book of ‘Your Pay Check’! Now, just draw some kid, in a cloak, looking like he should be in a broadway musical. And make his hands BIG!
Published 1985
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Tagged with: bighanditis • cloaks • Futura Publications • glow • moon • S. P. Somtow • Unknown Artist Institute • vampires
Jan 20
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Andrew’s Art Direction: Okay, so here’s my idea. Fonts. This is a terribly confusing trilogy of books and we want the readers to know it. So I want no less than 2 font types and 4 font sizes. The artwork? Well it technically falls under sci-fi, so make sure there is a star-scape on there. People will like that. Then slap on just enough plot material to make the readers confused about what they are picking up. I smell an epic win with this one!
Published 1998
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Tagged with: dolphin • eye-yi-yi • masonic symbols • MJF Books • Robert Anton Wilson • Robert Shea • shuriken of approval • strange creature • Unknown Artist Institute • WTF
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