Showing posts with label phase. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phase. Show all posts

Saturday, 26 May 2018

Neal Adams' A View From Without



A View From Without was first published in a semi-underground called Phase in 1971, published by Hot Stuf's Sal Quartuccio, then picked up by Roy Thomas for the first issue of Unknown Worlds Of Science Fiction.
It's Bronze Age Neal Adams at the peak of his powers, and as statement on the Vietnam war ( then still ongoing ), it's incredibly visceral and maybe a little bit shrill, depending on your taste.
It was too much for some people, as seen by UWOSF's letters page:


But looked at purely as technique, it's pretty mind blowing ( which was, of course, the point ). And Neal as the alien looks like he's stepped out of La Jetee.










Saturday, 12 May 2018

Mike Kaluta's As Night Falls



There was a brief period in the very early '70's when the Studio guys, and their artistic brethren ( people like Bruce Jones, Ralph Reese, Richard Corben & Frank Brunner ) regularly contributed to fanzines while still doing pro work.
Tho' most of these zines actually were quite professional themselves, so maybe prozine or ground level comic is a better title. Kind of cousins to Star*Reach or Hot Stuf'. Regardless, they're the kind of thing well worth seeking out online or at cons, as they invariably contain wonderful, unseen work.
As Night Falls appeared in long lost books such as Reality, Infinity & Phase, and is an example of the kind of fantasy prevalent in the Bronze Age, and that I really miss these days.
The last time I recall seeing something like this was Pacific's Pathways To Fantasy, and that was only one issue.
As Night Falls, meanwhile, really should be read at dawn on the first day of Autumn. But it's still magical, whenever you read it.