(Video clips have NSFW language) We lost actor Bill Paxton to a stroke this February. He was 61, and is gone far too soon. Paxton had many memorable performances, but it was his role as Private Hudson in Aliens (1986) that introduced him to a worldwide audience. Many of his lines in that film were... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Midsummer Eve, by Edward Robert Hughes (1908)
I've encountered this wonderful piece many times on cards, posters and book covers over the years. It's been in the public domain since before I was born, and that availability combined with Edward Robert Hughes skill with light, dark and color has ensured its popularity. He was a master with watercolor techniques, and his use of... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: ‘Shadowrun 1st Edition Cover’ by Larry Elmore (1989)
The Shadowrun role-playing game introduced a generation of gamers to urban fantasy and cyberpunk and has remained very popular ever since its release 1989. As a property and franchise, it has survived the death of several of its publishers and expanded into novels, video games and much more. And who was the artist chosen to... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Hand Drawn Map of Middle Earth (1955)
Drawn on graph paper so that he could calculate travel times between locations like countless Dungeon Masters would do decades after his books were published, I love this glimpse into Tolkien's creative process! He put such love and effort into detailing his world. I believe that's why it holds up so very well over time.... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)
Although kids (and animation loving adults like myself) nowadays can find and watch cartoons just about whenever they want, having to wait until Saturday mornings to see them in bygone decades had its charm. As a child perceives time so much slower, that week in-between a solid morning of cartoons could feel like forever! But... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Firepower by Den Beauvais (1989)
This gem by Canadian artist Den Beauvais graced the cover of Dragon Magazine #143 (March, 1989). Featuring the cockpit of an "F-18, as accurate as we’re allowed to show" (as touted by the magazine), this one caught my imagination and stuck. Den's use of cool, dark colors contrasted with the central heat and shock of... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Varan the Unbelievable – Main Title by Akira Ifukube (1958)
Varan the Unbelievable is a largely forgotten Daikaiju Eiga in the west, even though it was directed by Ishirō Honda (who also directed the original and classic Godzilla) and featured a score by the masterful Akira Ifukube (who scored the original Godzilla and many other films in the series). The film may have it's problems,... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Dragon Slayers And Proud Of It, by Larry Elmore
This fantastic piece from Larry Elmore graced the opening pages of the Second Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook in 1989. The second edition of AD&D met with a mixed reception, and has left a uneven legacy. But it came out when I hit my mid-teens and therefore was the D&D I knew very well... Continue Reading →
Throwback Thursday: Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Today I'm sharing the childhood memory that had instilled the desire to someday write a story featuring a Smilodon (saber tooth tiger) within me. I do so because on Monday my primitive fantasy story Ounta debuted to start off Ben Van Dongen’s “Fifth Monday” chain-serial cycle on Adventure Worlds. With that tale, I finally fulfill... Continue Reading →
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