Further proof of my geekiness

Keeping with my usual deluge of upbeat blog analysis pictures- sarcasm crammed into each syllable of the last statement- this lovely/creepy image is of the cover of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave Mckean. On close inspection, one will notice that this is a Batman graphic novel, and one of the darker ones at that- graced with a somewhat terrifying story and disturbing yet ornate and dazzling illustrations. Diviner of all these dark images is Dave Mckean- one of my all time favorite artists, known for his work on the covers of acclaimed comic series The Sandman, illustrating the novel Coraline, and directing/designing the film Mirrormask. His unique method and style of creating art usually combines drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpture.

The cover itself is primarily void of color, save for the ghastly image of a demonic Joker superimposed over the grim exterior of a gothic-looking building. The colors chosen for the face are intentionally sickly and poisonous looking, they are angry and infected colors hinting at the madness behind them. Directly below the face of the monstrous Joker, is the silhouette of Batman, walking into the lions maw- Arkham Asylum. Of course, the placement of the skull-like visage of the Joker over Batman, seemingly swallowing him, is very much intentional. It signals the tone of the novel- the nuts are running the nuthouse, and the protagonist is walking into a hornet's nest of insanity (queue dramatic music). Overtop of the base illustration are white diagrams of roman numerals and gothic designs, which match the similar styled art inside; however, one wouldn't know this from just looking at the cover, and the designs may just prove to be confusing. They are unneeded, but I enjoy the ornate stylization they bring.

The text on top of the illustration is a bit of a mess. First of all, it has way too many fonts going on. I'm sure this was meant to symbolize chaos and madness, however it just ends up looking clustered and unfocused, instead of unifyingly ununified. The text also needs to be bigger. It is in danger of being lost in the whisps of ornaments and diagrams. However, as a whole and not looked at as an ad, this cover does a fine job of illustrating the fact that madness and mayhem hide inside the glossy pages of this graphic novel, and that this isn't your parents' Batman.

ad a bit revised...

Before/After

Brookville ad with a few VERY subtle changes. I basically made the yinyang-bee bigger and made the border around it smaller. I tried taking away the border, but I didn't like it as much without it.

WARNING! GEEK ALERT!

I love video games- the experience of getting behind the first-person point of view of a well crafted video game is certainly a great joy. It should then come as no big shocker, to anyone well-versed in the history of gaming at least, that my favorite video game series is that of The Legend of Zelda. This enthralling, beautifully crafted, pseudo-myth has kept me in awe of its amazing game play since the late 90's, and continues to impress with each new title added to the series. The above image is from The Legend of Zelda's latest entry onto a gaming console, Twilight Princess. Shimmering with colors as seemingly iridescent as an abalone shell, this picture successfully captures the mood of the game with it's abundant, yet muted color palate. One look at this image, and one is sure that this is a fantasy game, yet not one for the young kiddies- the menacing creatures, wolf and horse-back riding, and sword-play taking place all suggest a dark and epic gaming experience.

Of course, even though the image is for the relatively new technology of video games, it still utilizes some tried and true compositional tricks. For example, the rule of thirds is used to great effect. On the left, series constant and supporting protagonist Princess Zelda faces wistfully towards the sky. In the middle, the helmet of the game's antagonist Zant stares blankly, yet full of menace directly at the viewer and right above the hero of the series, Link. Then to the right, looking down and reflecting Zelda's stance is another protagonist and bearer of the game's title, Twilight Princess Midna. With this one image, four of the game's main characters are introduced, and the viewer can begin to guess each's role within the story all within this visually pleasing composition. Another compositional tool used is that of triangles. The three main nasties in the foreground make up a triangle, as do the two on the side of Link and Zant's helmet- creating more visually stimulating chemistry. Of course, as beautiful and ornate as this image is, it's a bit hard to follow. With all that is going on, the eye doesn't exactly know where to rest- it is constantly lead around the picture, but this may have been the illustrator's intention. The fact that the image has no text may be a detractor as well. With no title or discernable meaning for those not savvy to the Legend of Zelda series, this image may only attract a certain crowd. The image may be memorable to them (and me), however others may just get lost in the oil slick colors and high-fantasy beauties and beasts.

Blog analysis thing

As with two of my other blog posts, this latest analysis is of a music related image. The above image is of the cover of a tour program for British post-punk pioneers Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1988 album Peepshow. The cover is composed of a lot of black- negative space meshes with singer Siouxsie Sioux's darkened lips, hair, eyes, and the lines of her sharp features while the soft blue tone on her pale skin flashes out of the darkness holding her visage in place. This image is very telling of the Banshees' image and overall sound, suggesting dark theatrics and a underlining peepshow/voyeuristic theme.

I really like the simplicity involved in the cover. Obviously not much information is needed for the front of a tour program, but I think had they chosen to use a more complex image with more text and such, the mystery and overall dark feel to this elegant piece would be lost. I feel the piece also has a somewhat Alfred Hitchcock feel to it as well, defined by the simplicity, shadow, and dramatics- almost like a movie poster. I also enjoy the simple arial(?) font used for the band name and album/tour title; it is very straight to the point and not at all flashy while still catching the viewers eye.

The Light and Dark of Beeing

SUGAR SQUEALS