With the upcoming Conan movie, The Iconographies presents a series of posts detailing the fictive career of the famous Barbarian.
Conan the Barbarian, the once-pulp, sword-wielding ruffian created by famed scribe Robert E. Howard, has been passed through mediums and reinventions for nearly 80 years. As the character is once again adapted for film in 2011’s Conan the Barbarian. This calls for a chronicle his comicbook narratives, as a primer for the first-time reader. In this miniseries, we will take a look at the character, his impact and the appeal of fantasy settings in our current age.
In the wake of arguably the failure of futurism, can comics launch the much anticipated Internet of Things? Most likely not, but Johnny Zito is one of the generationally-definitive minds and worth spending some time with if your in Philly this Friday.
There’s a Romeo Y Julietta No.2 drawing to ash on the tiny table positioned right next to the oversized leather armchair in my office. A holdover from Xmas, it was the kind Churchill smoked, and it’s the only thing from last decade I’m really ready to tolerate near me right now. From the horror of its opening act, the shock & aww hell of it’s crescendo and the bitter disappointment at the new Executive branch of government, the noughties seem to gratefully have run their course.
Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, the creators of Robot Chicken, are taking their toys out the box for the third installment of the Robot Chicken Star Wars series. The critically acclaimed Robot Chicken saga premieres 19 December 2010 with an hour long special parodying the dark side of the universe. Through the show’s signature stop motion animation and crafty pop culture wit, Episode III recounts the untold experiences of four galactic bad guys: Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Gary the Stormtrooper. As the special flips around the universe each villainous tale intertwines and connects throughout all six Star Wars films.
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III features Zac Efron as Anakin Skywalker, Anthony Daniels (from the original Star Wars films) as C3PO, Robot Chicken virgins Mike Henry (The Cleveland Show) and Donald Glover (Community), plus returning voices Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Additional voices include: Green, Senreich, Seth MacFarlane, Breckin Meyer, Zeb Wells, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tom Kane and more.
If you are not up to date with Star Wars fear not! Between crooked depictions of a cocky bounty hunter and a frustrated patriarch Stormtrooper, you don’t have to be a sci-fi/Star Wars geek to let some laughs slip. Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III premieres 19 December, 2010 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.
Doonesbury and the Art of G.B. Trudeau [$49.95] - and - 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective [$100.00]
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the comic strip, Doonesbury. To celebrate two new books have arrived to highlight what made the strip one of the most successful comic of all time. While cartoonist, G.B. Trudeau is known for his commentary on political and social issues, the book Doonesbury and the Art of G.B. Trudeau focuses primarily on the artistry that went into the strip, and they way Trudeau’s style changed through the decades. The book offers insight to Trudeau’s early influences and his creative process, while also showing Trudeau’s magazine illustrations, animation drawings, posters, and product designs, as well as previously unpublished works.
Also celebrating the work of Trudeau is 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective by G.B. Trudeau himself. The book features thousands of comic strips that Trudeau has drawn in the last 40 years. In his introduction he explains that this book does not include the more radical strips he became known for, but rather illustrates the time he was recording through the eyes of the everyday person, remembering how they saw the world. Both of these books serve as wonderful reminders of the artist and visionary G.B. Trudeau had proven to be.
Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault! [$45.00]
To mark the 2010 re-launch of the Looney Tunes brand come a book that is sure to bring out the kid in everyone; The Looney Tunes Treasury. The book looks at the directors, writers, draftsmen, and composers who helped make Looney Tunes the classic we recognize it for today. There are also exclusive interviews and essays with the characters themselves. Bugs Bunny will tell you how he got his first big break and we will finally know what goes on in the head of the Tasmanian Devil.
There are 200 pieces of concept art such as the original sketches of the characters as well as interactive mementos like Bugs Bunny’s Rabbit Hood script, a Daffy Duck sticker book, and Pepe Le Pew Valentine’s Day cards. This is the perfect book for anyone who grew up watching these characters, which is to say, almost everyone.