Reagan Ray

18 Books I Enjoyed in 2021

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Dreamland

Sam Quinones

A detailed history of the ongoing opiate epidemic. Quinones traces the rise of OxyContin (which Purdue Pharma falsely convinced doctors wasn't addictive) and how users crossed over to the much cheaper and readily available black tar heroin. One of my favorite reads of 2021.

Buy on Amazon
Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class

Ian Hanley Lopez

An eye-opening analysis of how Republican politicians have historically deployed coded racial appeals to convince white voters that minorities are the real enemy to support policies that threaten their own interests. Sadly still as relevant today as it was 60 years ago.

Buy on Amazon
Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy

Chris Hayes

The chasm between the ordinary and the elite is more expansive than ever. I'm a big fan of Chris Hayes - A Colony in a Nation was one of my top-reading picks last year. He talks about why major institutions keep failing under the weight of corruption and how the working class has been deprived of their natural leaders.

Buy on Amazon
The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic

Benjamin Carter Hett

Hett gives you a very digestible ~250 pages on a complex subject. Although he never mentions Trump or the Republican Party by name, it's clearly a cautionary tale. The most troubling part of the story is how no one tried to stop Hitler - they all thought he'd fizzle out.

Buy on Amazon
A Promised Land

Barack Obama

I've been long over-due to read this book, and it felt like the perfect political palette cleanser. Obama was probably the first president where I was mature enough to really understand and be affected by his policies, so hearing him talk about all the decisions he made was fascinating, and in many instances, moving.

Buy on Amazon
The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Nicholas Carr

At its core, this is a love letter to books. Books ushered in an era of deep thinking and creative thought, and the Internet has diverted that with distractions and a lack of focus. This book is ten years old, so it already feels a little dated... but the case for books is timeless.

Buy on Amazon
Norwood

Charles Portis

Laugh out loud funny. I finally picked this one up after my friend Austin Kleon recommended it about a hundred times. It's one of those "happened in one night" stories that I love so much, where the main character stumbles into all kinds of crazy situations, only to end back up where he started.

Buy on Amazon
Dallas 1963

Bill Minutaglio & Steven L. Davis

This book is a deep dive into all the tensions and critical figures leading up to Kennedy's fateful visit. It also gets into Oswald - I didn't know the full extent of his background or that he had a previous assassination attempt in Dallas. Read like a thriller once it got going.

Buy on Amazon
Shadow Divers

Robert Kurson

It's incredible how a book about diving into the ocean can be so gripping - the way the author describes the tension, the movements, and the unknown. This story is about the pursuit of a previously unknown German U-Boat that sunk 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

Buy on Amazon
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Erik Larson

You can never go wrong with an Erik Larson book - I feel like he's one of the most accessible historical non-fiction writers around. He does such an excellent job of making you feel like you're experiencing an event firsthand. Larson based the book on the letters and reports of Isaac Cline, the chief meteorologist in Galveston at the time of the storm.

Buy on Amazon
Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal

Sue Eisenfeld

This fall, my wife and I vacationed at Shenandoah National Park, and we encountered a family cemetery deep in the woods while on a hike. It got me curious about the park's history and led me to this book. Eisenfield beautifully tells the complicated history of the park's original settlers.

Buy on Amazon
Who Killed These Girls?: The Unsolved Murders That Rocked a Texas Town

Beverly Lowry

I've always known about this case - it happened at an old yogurt shop not far from my house and is in the local news from time to time. The story concerns the murder of 4 young girls in 1991, whose killers were never found and brought to justice (it seems pretty evident that the boys brought to trial did not do it). Completely and utterly chilling.

Buy on Amazon
In Plain Sight: The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders

Kathryn Casey

I guess I got on a true crime kick this year. Kaufman County is east of Dallas, and the string of murders in the book occurred in 2013. A crazy story about rival lawyers in a small town, a botched investigation, and revenge.

Buy on Amazon
Bluebird, Bluebird (A Highway 59 Novel)

Attica Locke

This is a new mystery series that I discovered, set in the same region of East Texas where I grew up. The book is less of a traditional mystery and more about its characters' complicated relationship with where they grew up. I could definitely relate.

Buy on Amazon
White Butterfly

Walter Mosley

Last year I started getting into the Easy Rawlins series (start with Devil in a Blue Dress), which has gained popularity lately. Mosley draws you in with old-school L.A. Noir - complete with the femme fatale and seedy, back-alley bad guys. I'm currently about seven books into the series.

Buy on Amazon
Beastie Boys Book

Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz

Such a fun book. It's a little intimidating at first - you ask yourself if you really want to sit down and read 600 pages about the Beastie Boys - but it's more like a scrapbook and collection of short (and highly entertaining) stories about the band. It's also a gold mine of playlists. RIP MCA - he was truly the heart of the group.

Buy on Amazon
East of West Vol. 1: The Promise

Johnathan Hickman & Nick Dragotta

I feel like East of West could be ten different comics - a lot is going on, and it can be hard to follow. But it's a weird and exciting post-apocalyptic sci-fi western. I love the world and characters that Hickman has created, and Draogtta's artwork is as good as it gets.

Buy on Amazon
All-Star Superman

Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely

After enjoying Doom Patrol last year, I wanted to read more of Morrison's work. It's crazy to think that he could take something as timeless and well-known as Superman and put such a fresh and unusual spin on it. Eager to dig into his X-Men storyline next.

Buy on Amazon

Hat Tips

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
This book is a needed dose of optimism, although I couldn't get over the author's premise that people are inherently bad.

Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America by David Wise
Hanssen spent 22 years spying for Russia, and it went down as one of the worst intelligence disasters in U.S. history.

Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
It reminded me a bit of one of my favorite documentaries - Hoop Dreams.

That Texas Blood, Volume 1 by Chris Condon & Jacob Phillips
Jacob Phillips is the son of legendary artist Sean Phillips, and this is Jacob's first comic of original artwork.

Criminal Vol. 1: Coward by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
I'm a fan of any Brubaker/Phillips collaboration, and this one is no different. It's got a little bit of John Wick feel to it.

Richard Amsel Movie Posters

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A Star is Born

1954
Between the Lines

1977
Beyond the Limit

1983
The Big Sleep

1978
The Champ

1979
Chinatown

1974
The Dark Crystal

1982
Death on the Nile

1978
Flash Gordon

1980
Fuzz

1972
Hello, Dolly!

1969
Julia

1977
The Last Tycoon

1976
The Late Show

1977
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean

1972
Little Miss Marker

1980
The Little Prince

1974
The Long Goodbye

1973
The Long Goodbye

1973
Lucky Lady

1975
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

1985
McCabe & Mrs. Miller

1971
Murder on the Orient Express

1974
Nashville

1975
Nijinsky

1980
Papillon

1973
Paradise Alley

1978
Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981
The Shootist

1976
The Sting

1973
The Thief Who Came to Dinner

1973
Up the Sandbox

1972
Voyage of the Damned

1976
Woodstock

1970

Nick at Nite Lettering

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

227

1985 - 1990
The Addams Family

1964 - 1966
Adventures of Superman

1952 - 1958
Alf

1986 - 1990
Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955 - 1962
Alice

1976 - 1985
All in the Family

1971 - 1979
The Andy Griffith Show

1960 - 1968
The Ann Sothern Show

1958 - 1961
The Bad News Bears

1979 - 1980
The Betty White Show

1977 - 1978
The Beverly Hillbillies

1962 - 1971
Bewitched

1964 - 1972
The Bob Newhart Show

1972 - 1978
The Brady Bunch

1969 - 1974
Car 54, Where Are You?

1961 - 1963
Charles in Charge

1984 - 1990
Cheers

1982 - 1993
Coach

1989 - 1997
The Cosby Show

1984 - 1992
The Danny Thomas Show

1953 - 1964
Dennis the Menace

1959 - 1963
Designing Women

1986 - 1993
The Dick Van Dyke Show

1961 - 1966
Diff'rent Strokes

1978 - 1986
A Different World

1987 - 1993
The Donna Reed Show

1958 - 1966
Dragnet

1951 - 1959
F Troop

1965 - 1967
The Facts of Life

1979 - 1988
Family Matters

1989 - 1997
Family Ties

1982 - 1989
Flipper

1964 - 1967
Flo

1980 - 1981
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

1990 - 1996
The Flying Nun

1967 - 1970
Get Smart

1965 - 1970
Gilligan's Island

1964 - 1967
Gimme a Break!

1981 - 1987
Green Acres

1965 - 1971
Growing Pains

1985 - 1992
Hazel

1961 - 1966
Hi Honey, I'm Home!

1991 - 1992
Happy Days

1974 - 1984
Head of the Class

1986 - 1991
Home Improvement

1991 - 1999
I Dream of Jeannie

1965 - 1970
I Love Lucy

1951 - 1957
I Spy

1965 - 1968
The Jeffersons

1975 - 1985
Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp

1970 - 1971
Lassie

1954 - 1974
Laverne & Shirley

1976 - 1983
Love, American Style

1969 - 1974
The Lucy Show

1962 - 1968
Mad About You

1992 - 1999
Mama's Family

1983 - 1990
The Mary Tyler Moore Show

1970 - 1977
Mork & Mindy

1978 - 1982
Murphy Brown

1988 - 1998
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

1959 - 1963
Mister Ed

1958 - 1966
The Monkees

1966 - 1968
The Munsters

1964 - 1966
My Three Sons

1960 - 1972
Newhart

1982 - 1990
NewsRadio

1995 - 1999
The Odd Couple

1970 - 1975
The Patty Duke Show

1963 - 1966
The Partridge Family

1970 - 1974
Perfect Strangers

1986 - 1993
Phyllis

1975 - 1977
Private Secretary

1953 - 1957
Rhoda

1974 - 1978
Room 222

1969 - 1974
Roseanne

1988 - 1997
Route 66

1960 - 1964
Sanford and Son

1972 - 1977
The Smothers Brothers Show

1965 - 1966
Taxi

1978 - 1983
That Girl

1966 - 1971
Three's Company

1977 - 1984
Welcome Back, Kotter

1975 - 1979
The White Shadow

1978 - 1981
Who's the Boss?

1984 - 1992
Wings

1990 - 1997
WKRP In Cincinnati

1978 - 1982
The Wonder Years

1988 - 1993

Books about VHS

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Stuck on VHS: A Visual History of Video Store Stickers

Birth.Movies.Death

The covers on all these books really don't do them justice (seriously, take a sec to look at the interior photos). This book was put together by Birth.Movies.Death (RIP) and even has three pages of peelable stickers at the end.

Buy on Amazon
VHS Video Cover Art: 1980s to Early 1990s

Thomas Hodge

I'm all about preservation when it comes to obscure box art. This newer book features artwork for such hits as Cocaine Wars, Death Code Ninja, and Pinball Summer. It's primarily B-grade exploitation flicks, so be warned that a lot of the covers are NSFW.

Buy on Amazon
VHS Collecting: The Modern Relevance of Home Video

Cory J. Gorski

This book is about the world of videotape collecting. Like I said earlier, my other collections really prevent me from diving into VHS tapes, but I'm intrigued by the hobby. A nice mix of nostalgia and tips on getting started.

Buy on Amazon
VHS: Absurd, Odd, and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era

Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher

Does anyone remember the Found Footage Festival at Alamo? This book is a greatest hits compilation of their box art. The book itself is out of print and ridiculously expensive on the resale market, but their festival footage is available at the Super Long Play Club.

Buy on Amazon
Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box, Vol. 1

Jacques Boyreau

This is another VHS-sized book that features a bunch of old exploitation films. I got this book as a gift many years ago, and it got me interested in box art. My favorite cover might be Video Violence, a movie about a deranged killer at a video store.

Buy on Amazon
Videoland: A Visual Catalog of American Video Store Logos 1980-1995 Zine

Andy Sturdevant

I don't even remember where I heard about this little zine, and I apologize in advance because I think I bought the last copy on the internet (and had to get it from the UK). I only wish it was 1,000 pages instead of 28.

Buy on Amazon
I Lost It at the Video Store: A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era

Tom Roston

This book is a collection of interviews with filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Darren Aronofsky that talk about how the video store culture influenced their work (it also includes a foreword by local hero Richard Linklater). An easy, quick read that can be finished in an evening.

Buy on Amazon
From Betamax to Blockbuster: Video Stores and the Invention of Movies on Video

Joshua M. Greenberg

Well, I've got to include some history, and this book seems to be the authority. Greenberg writes about the explosion of VHS and how it led to the early videophile communities. Of course, it ends with Blockbuster ruining everything by driving out all the mom-and-pop stores.

Buy on Amazon
Awful Awesome Action Volume 1: A Journey Through the Wild World of So-Bad-They're-Good Action Films

Jacob Gustafson

"So bad, they're good" has always been my favorite genre. More a guide than a gallery, this book is the first in a three-part series that includes Horror and Sci-Fi. I've just about run through my watch lists during the pandemic, and I've enjoyed the lesser-known recommendations.

Buy on Amazon
Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Comedies from Animal House to Zapped!

Mike McPadden

I fondly remember taping Porky's and Revenge of the Nerds off HBO as a kid (which, in hindsight, was pretty inappropriate for a 10-year-old, but whatever). Throughout the 80s, it seemed like teen movies either got raunchier or more mainstream.

Buy on Amazon
The Teenage Slasher Movie Book

Kerswell J. A.

This is another book full of mostly obscure films from the VHS era. You can find some of these old slasher flicks on the streaming services, but I really think they deserve to be enjoyed on VHS. An oversized book with lots of good artwork and commentary.

Buy on Amazon

Greatest Hair Band Albums of All-Time

Wed, 19 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This is a follow-up to my hair band lettering post. I enjoy connecting posts like this, and after a friend sent me the old Monster Ballads commercial, I immediately started digging into the old albums. I've got two shout-outs to give. The first is to Cinderalla for the purple color scheme inspiration. And the second is to Mathieu Triay for his beautiful revival of Marvin Visions. It seems like cassettes are somehow making a comeback, so all the physical links are to buy the cassette off the Discogs marketplace. This list is in no particular order, but let me know if you have a favorite album that I missed.

Hysteria

Def Leppard

Year Released: 1987

Label: Mercury, Phonogram

Initially, Jim Steinman was signed on to be the producer of Hysteria due to the unavailability of Mutt Lange. But Steinman was a mess (he had also never produced), and the sessions lasted only eight weeks before the band fired him. Those tapes have never been released.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Look What the Cat Dragged In

Poison

Year Released: 1986

Label: Enigma

Bret Michaels refers to Poison's debut album as a "glorified demo," recorded over just 12 days at the cost of $23,000 (mainly funded out of the band's own pockets). The pouty face cover, which went on to be a hair band staple, is said to be a parody of the Beatles' Let It Be.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs

Metal Health

Quiet Riot

Year Released: 1983

Label: Pasha

Quiet Riot effectively broke up when guitarist Randy Rhodes left the band, and bassist Kelly Garni hatched a plan to murder lead singer Kevin DuBrow. The band was reborn under DuBrow and went on to record Metal Health, the first heavy metal album to ever top the Billboard 200.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Night Songs

Cinderella

Year Released: 1986

Label: Mercury, Vertigo

Legend has it that Jon Bon Jovi caught a Cinderella show and convinced Mercury to sign them to a record deal (it's also rumored that Gene Simmons originally discovered them, but they weren't interested). They ended up opening for Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet Tour.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Out of the Cellar

Ratt

Year Released: 1984

Label: Atlantic

Tawny Kitaen was the actress on the album cover, famous for starring in the movie Bachelor Party and numerous Whitesnake videos. She dated Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby and was later married to Whitesnake lead singer David Coverdale.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Skid Row

Skid Row

Year Released: 1989

Label: Atlantic

Lead singer Sebastian Bach was discovered by Jon Bon Jovi's ... parents. They saw him performing at a wedding and recommended him to their son. Bach replaced original lead singer Matt Fallon, and Skid Row went on to open for Bon Jovi on the New Jersey Syndicate Tour.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

Year Released: 1986

Label: Mercury, Vertigo

Slippery When Wet was the top-selling album of 1987 and is the 33rd best-selling album of all time. The band wrote 30 songs with songwriter Desmond Child for the album and auditioned them for local New Jersey teenagers. The most well-received songs made the final cut.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Stay Hungry

Twisted Sister

Year Released: 1984

Label: Atlantic

With Twisted Sister, it's all about the videos. They performed "Burn in Hell" during a cameo appearance in Pee-wee's Big Adventure. There's also Mark Metcalf, semi-reprising his role as Douglas C. Niedermeyer from Animal House, starring in "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock."

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Too Fast for Love

Mötley Crüe

Year Released: 1981

Label: Leathür, Elektra

The band's antics on the Too Fast for Love Tour are probably as notorious as the album itself. According to their biography, their favorite pastime was throwing furniture and televisions out of their hotel windows, which eventually got them banned for life from Edmonton, Canada.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs
Whitesnake

Whitesnake

Year Released: 1987

Label: Geffen

The release of Whitesnake marked a bittersweet transition for the band. They abandoned their original snake logo (which features some of the greatest band lettering of all time as seen on their first six albums) in favor of the more polished "etched" logo.

Listen on Spotify

Buy cassette on Discogs

Books about Marvel

Thu, 06 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

Sean Howe

Probably the most definitive, well-researched history of Marvel out there (I had no idea that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the bulk of Marvel's characters in just three years). Bonus points for the cover lettering, done by the gang over at Young Jerks.

Buy on Amazon
Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross

Alex Ross & Chip Kidd

I'm relatively new to the world of comics, and my first exposure to Alex Ross was Marvels. He's touched just about every major superhero, and this art book is a fantastic retrospective.

Buy on Amazon
Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee

Stan Lee & George Mair

Reading this book felt like Stan Lee was my grandpa, and we were sitting down next to the fire as he told me all his crazy stories. You can't help but have a smile on your face as you hear Stan's voice jumping off the page.

Buy on Amazon
Kirby: King of Comics

Mark Evanier

Evanier was a former assistant of Kirby's in the late 60s and went on the write for TV (he wrote almost every episode of Garfield and Friends). This Eisner Award-winning biography also features tons of Kirby's artwork and sketches.

Buy on Amazon
Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics

Tom Scioli

Another recent biography of Jack Kirby, but in graphic novel form. Scioli does an admirable job of telling a colorful and complicated story, and his artwork is modeled after Kirby's.

Buy on Amazon
Marvel: The Hip-Hop Covers Vol. 1

Marvel Comics

There's nothing more American than Hip-Hop and Comic Books. Marvel asked a bunch of talented artists to re-imagine comic book covers in the style of famous album covers. You can't go wrong with a Wolverine/DMX crossover.

Buy on Amazon
Marvel Greatest Comics: 100 Comics that Built a Universe

Melanie Scott & Stephen Wiacek

This is a great starting point for the casual comic fan and is one of those books that you can read for hours or casually skim. It has pretty cool spreads that talk about the history of each issue, along with a bunch of visuals.

Buy on Amazon
Marvel Encyclopedia

Stephen Wiacek

My kids love books from DK Publishing. They do all the encyclopedia-type books that cover just about every subject imaginable, and this one is almost 500 pages. Also check out The Marvel Book by Wiacek.

Buy on Amazon
Comic Book Lettering: The Comicraft Way

Richard Starkings & John Roshell

This is more of a how-to book but is enjoyable for anyone who appreciates good lettering. Founded by former Marvel letterer Richard Starkings, Comicraft would go on to produce the first commercial comic book fonts in the 90s.

Buy on Amazon
The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History

Jon Morris

Doctor Hormone? Maggott? Lady Satan? I'm a sucker for these irreverent retrospectives. This book is the first in a 3 part series from Morris, which also covers supervillains and sidekicks.

Buy on Amazon
Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe

Tim Leong

While not specifically about Marvel, it includes almost 200 pages of charts, graphs, and Venn diagrams about comic books. Tim Leong is a former art director for Wired magazine and did a similar book on Star Wars.

Buy on Amazon

Best Picture Lettering

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

12 Years a Slave

2013
All About Eve

1950
All Quiet on the Western Front

1930
All the King's Men

1949
Amadeus

1984
American Beauty

1999
An American in Paris

1951
Annie Hall

1977
The Apartment

1960
Argo

2012
Around the World in 80 Days

1956
The Artist

2011
A Beautiful Mind

2001
Ben-Hur

1959
The Best Years of Our Lives

1946
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

2014
Braveheart

1995
The Bridge on the River Kwai

1957
The Broadway Melody

1929
Casablanca

1943
Cavalcade

1933
Chariots of Fire

1981
Chicago

2002
Cimarron

1931
Crash

2005
Dances with Wolves

1990
The Deer Hunter

1978
The Departed

2006
Driving Miss Daisy

1989
The English Patient

1996
Forrest Gump

1994
The French Connection

1971
From Here to Eternity

1953
Gandhi

1982
Gentleman's Agreement

1947
Gigi

1958
Gladiator

2000
The Godfather

1972
The Godfather Part II

1974
Going My Way

1944
Gone with the Wind

1939
Grand Hotel

1932
The Great Ziegfeld

1936
The Greatest Show on Earth

1952
Green Book

2018
Hamlet

1948
How Green Was My Valley

1941
The Hurt Locker

2009
In the Heat of the Night

1967
It Happened One Night

1934
The King's Speech

2010
Kramer vs. Kramer

1979
The Last Emperor

1987
Lawrence of Arabia

1962
The Life of Emile Zola

1937
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003
The Lost Weekend

1945
A Man for All Seasons

1966
Marty

1955
Midnight Cowboy

1969
Million Dollar Baby

2004
Moonlight

2016
Mrs. Miniver

1942
Mutiny on the Bounty

1935
My Fair Lady

1964
No Country for Old Men

2007
Nomadland

2020
Oliver!

1968
On the Waterfront

1954
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975
Ordinary People

1980
Out of Africa

1985
Parasite

2019
Patton

1970
Platoon

1986
Rain Man

1988
Rebecca

1940
Rocky

1976
Schindler's List

1993
Shakespeare in Love

1998
The Shape of Water

2017
The Silence of the Lambs

1991
Slumdog Millionaire

2008
The Sound of Music

1965
The Sound of Music

1965 (Herb Lubalin)
Spotlight

2015
The Sting

1973
Terms of Endearment

1983
Titanic

1997
Tom Jones

1963
Unforgiven

1992
West Side Story

1961
Wings

1928
You Can't Take It with You

1938

Marvel Superhero Lettering

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

3-D Man

1977
Ant-Man

1972
Ant-Man

1979
Banshee

1967
Beast

1972
Bishop

1994
Black Bolt

1972
Black Goliath

1976
Black Knight

1955
Black Knight

1968
Black Panther

1973
Black Panther

1988
Black Widow

1971
Black Widow

1999
Brother Voodoo

1973
Cable

1997
Cannonball

1985
Captain America

1940
Captain America

1978
Captain America

1994
Captain Britain

1976
Captain Marvel

1968
Captain Marvel

1979
Captain Marvel

1989
Colossus

1989
Cyclops

1989
Daredevil

1964
Daredevil

1974
Daredevil

1985
Daredevil

1998
Darkhawk

1991
Dazzler

1981
Dazzler

1984
Deadpool

1997
Deathlok

1974
Deathlok

1991
Doc Samson

1991
Doctor Strange

1969
Doctor Strange

1976
Doctor Strange

1988
Domino

1991
Elektra

1997
Falcon

1974
Falcon

1984
Firestar

1986
Ghost Rider

1974
Ghost Rider

1977
Ghost Rider

1990
Havok

1963
Hawkeye

1994
Hellstorm

1993
Hercules

1975
Hercules

1988
Hercules

1997
Howard the Duck

1976
Hulk

1962
Hulk

1970
Hulk

1979
Human Fly

1977
Human Torch

1974
Hyperion

1980
Iceman

1984
Invisible Girl

1979
Iron Fist

1976
Iron Man

1959
Iron Man

1971
Iron Man

1985
Iron Man

1987
Jack of Hearts

1984
Ka-Zar

1970
Ka-Zar

1972
Ka-Zar

1981
Killraven

1975
Kitty Pryde

1985
Longshot

1985
Luke Cage

1976
Luke Cage

1993
Machine Man

1978
Machine Man

1984
Magik

1983
Man-Thing

1974
Mister Fantastic

1974
Mockingbird

1980
Moon Knight

1981
Moon Knight

1991
Moondragon

1976
Namor

1941
Namor

1988
Namor

1990
Nick Fury

1951
Nick Fury

1963
Nick Fury

1970
Nick Fury

1990
Night Thrasher

1993
Night Thrasher

1994
Nightcrawler

1985
Nighthawk

1998
Northstar

1994
Nova

1976
Nova

1995
Phoenix

1984
Professor X

1965
Punisher

1986
Punisher

1996
Quasar

1989
Quicksilver

1997
Red Wolf

1972
Rocket Raccoon

1985
Rogue

1995
Sasquatch

1982
Scarlet Witch

1986
Scarlet Witch

1994
Shang-Chi

1976
Shang-Chi

1980
She-Hulk

1980
She-Hulk

1991
Silver Surfer

1969
Silver Surfer

1988
Silver Surfer

1993
Slapstick

1992
Speedball

1989
Spider-Girl

1998
Spider-Man

1963
Spider-Man

1977
Spider-Man

1986
Spider-Man

1994
Spider-Woman

1978
Spider-Woman

1993
Spitfire

1987
Spitfire

1987
Star-Lord

1980
Star-Lord

1996
Stingray

1980
Thing

1983
Thor

1966
Thor

1984
Thor

1991
Thor

1996
Thunderstrike

1994
Tigra

1972
Tigra

1976
Union Jack

1998
U.S Agent

1993
Valkyrie

1997
Vision

1986
Vision

1994
War Machine

1994
Adam Warlock

1972
Adam Warlock

1994
Adam Warlock

1998
Wolverine

1982
Wolverine

1996
Wonder Man

1986
X-Man

1997

2021 Redesign or: How I Learned to Stop Art Directing and Love the Blog

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Code

When it comes to the code on my blog, my general philosophy has been, “if it looks right, who cares what it looks like behind the scenes.” Not only was I over-engineering, but I was also piling up a bunch of junk code. A lot of times, I was doing multiple overrides or duplicating what was already there. I reduced my CSS by about 30% just by sorting through everything and doing some general code tidying. Moving forward, I have a well-organized codebase that creates a clearer path for making updates and improvements.

Overthinking It

Art-directed blog posts are a trap. For instance, I have a silly little post about hair band albums that I’ve been nudging for months. I couldn’t get it to look how I wanted, and I ended up scrapping the idea. Mind you, the post took about an hour to write. I could have pushed send at that point and gone on to the next post. I asked myself: how many more posts could I have written instead of trying ten different shades of 80s-inspired pink?

I realized that if I cared about publishing in any consistent manner, I’d have to give up the obsessive art-directed posts (which is hard to do when it’s a creative outlet). So I decided to keep some flexibility to art direct; I’d just put up some constraints. Dave Rupert has a great (and practical) article about art-directed posts that made a lot of sense to me. Instead of giving myself total freedom, I’ve limited the number of decisions I can make. I can change the font, and I can change the color scheme. Knock on wood, but those are decisions I can make in a day as opposed to a month. And I can get out content quicker.

On a side note - I didn’t touch two of my favorite art-directed posts:
22 Sci-Fi Movies to Watch and Las Vegas Casino Logos.

A Consistent Format

Another problem that starts to creep up with art-directed posts is that all of your posts start to look different. That can be good or bad. Good if they all look fantastic (which is hard to do consistenly), bad if each page of your site looks dramatically different and your bounce rate creeps up.

So back to tidying up. I decided to get rid of the giant banners. I no longer have a million paragraph text styles (it’s just two now!). I’m getting away from changing the heading styles on every single post. I’m limiting my color palette, and I’m hoping to get readers to the content quicker by reducing the amount of junk at the top of the page. In short, I worked on improving the site’s overall look and feel instead of doing it on every post.

Accessibility

Here’s a fun one. When I started my blog ten years or so ago, I thought you were supposed to write alt-text like this: alt="image." So that was a problem. I’m going back and improving the alt-text where I can (but I struggle a bit with how to handle it on the long logo posts with 100+ visuals). I’m also adding an alt-text field in the front matter for all the featured images. And back to those giant post banners. It always felt icky from a color contrast perspective - I’d generally try and darken the image so they would work with white text. But that never felt right, so I got rid of them (along with the side benefit of performance improvements). I still have a long way to go, but it feels like a good starting point.

Fonts

Shocking, I know, but designers are notorious for their opinions on fonts. I’ve changed the heading font on my site a handful of times but always keep good ‘ol Franklin Gothic as my body font. But as much as I love it, I decided it was time for a change. Franklin Gothic is super versatile and can probably fit on just about any site. It’s so easy to use. But with the move away from art-directed posts and a focus on injecting some personality into the overall IA, I decided to switch over to Neue Haas Unica from Monotype. It’s very readable, and I think it has the right amount of personality moving forward.

Closing

This site will always be a work in progress. My day-to-day is more on the design side, and I rely quite a bit on my co-workers (and the internet) to make sure I’m doing things the right way. So holler with feedback!

14 Books I Enjoyed in 2020

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A Colony in a Nation

Chris Hayes

The #BLM movement prompted me to learn more about the history of policing in America. Chris Hayes was on the ground in Ferguson and does an excellent job of looking at the historical and political decisions that lead to racial conflict. Probably my favorite read this year.

Buy on Amazon
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X & Alex Haley

From a street hustler to a prisoner to an activist, Malcolm X's life story is fascinating. And while I didn't always agree with what he had to say, his constant growth and evolution were inspiring. He was seeking the truth until the very end.

Buy on Amazon
Detroit: An American Autopsy

Charlie LeDuff

LeDuff, a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press, is a fantastic storyteller. He manages to tell the story of Detroit's spectacular rise and fall by interviewing everyone from his brother to union bosses to long-time residents.

Buy on Amazon
God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State

Lawrence Wright

This book came along at just the right time for me and did a great job articulating the love/hate relationship I have with Texas. A must-read for any Texan that struggles with its politics and ignorance. Here's to turning Texas blue one day.

Buy on Amazon
Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

"The past will remain horrible for exactly as long as we refuse to assess it honestly." It's hard to believe that James Baldwin had these thoughts over 60 years ago. A short collection of essays that necessitate a careful and considered read.

Buy on Amazon
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing

Maybe it's a coping mechanism, but reading about a bunch of sailors that got stranded over 850 miles from civilization in 1914 (and survived), made me feel a little bit better about being stuck in my house during a pandemic.

Buy on Amazon
Getting Life: An Innocent Man's 25-Year Journey from Prison to Peace

Michael Morton

Morton rotted in jail for 25 years, quickly convicted for the brutal murder of his wife. When the technology became available, DNA evidence exonerated him. What's crazy is this all happened in my old neighborhood in Northwest Austin. Best true crime novel I've ever read.

Buy on Amazon
Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi

Neal Bascomb

Eichmann wasn't just your run-of-the-mill Nazi. He was one of the principal organizers of the Holocaust. A group of Jewish secret service members covertly tracked him down, captured him, and brought him back to Israel for trial. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Buy on Amazon
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker

I picked this up after watching the David Fincher produced series on Netflix. It sucked me in - Douglas will present a particular characteristic of a serial killer and walk you through the various killers they used to create the profile. Chilling, but fascinating.

Buy on Amazon
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge

Mark Yarm

Similar to Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain, this book pieces together a bunch of interviews to tell a linear narrative. Fair warning: you need to be really interested in the history of grunge (and specifically Seattle) to get into it - the book is over 600 pages long.

Buy on Amazon
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'N' Roll

Peter Guralnick

Guralnick wrote one of my favorite music books, the 2-volume biography on Elvis, and for this book, he spent 25 years interviewing Sam Phillips. On top of learning about Sun Records, you also get mini-biographies of guys like Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash.

Buy on Amazon
Doom Patrol: Book One

Grant Morrison

I've been reading a lot more comics this year, and Doom Patrol has been my favorite. A lot of the "all-time great" comics started feeling redundant - misunderstand superhero kind of stuff. But the originality, the characters, and the sheer absurdness of Doom Patrol have been a breath of fresh air.

Buy on Amazon
The Fade Out: The Complete Collection

Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

I've also been gravitating towards owner-created graphic novels (how did it take me this long to discover Image). Brubaker is most famous for his Captain America: Winter Soldier story arc, and Sean Phillips' artwork perfectly complements his writing. Plus, I'm a big fan of mysteries.

Buy on Amazon
Head Lopper Volume 1: The Island or a Plague of Beasts

Andrew MacLean

Dave let me borrow these, and it just seems unfair that this little indie comic (written and illustrated by one guy!) can be so good and so original. I went through all three volumes pretty quickly. It's like Dungeons and Dragons on acid.

Buy on Amazon

Hat Tips

Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II

I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Rob Tannenbaum & Craig Marks

The Killing of Karen Silkwood by Richard L. Rashke

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

30 Christmas Singles

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy Christmas

220 Volt (1984)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas Must Be Tonight

The Band (1977)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
The Little Drum Machine Boy

Beck (1984)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Run Rudolph Run

Chuck Berry (1958)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas Rappin'

Kurtis Blow (1979)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

David Bowie & Bing Crosby (1982)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)

The Darkness (2003)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Must Be Santa

Bob Dylan (2009)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas At The Zoo

Flaming Lips (1995)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
A Merry Jingle

The Greedies (1979)

Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Jingle Bell Rock

Hall & Oates (1983)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Step Into Christmas

Elton John (1973)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Merry Christmas From the Family

Robert Earl Keen (1994)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Father Christmas

The Kinks (1977)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Put a Little Love in Your Heart

Annie Lennox & Al Green (1988)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Wonderful Christmastime

Paul McCartney (1979)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Let Me Sleep (It's Christmas Time)

Pearl Jam (1991)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Thank God It's Christmas

Queen (1984)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)

Joey Ramone (1988)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas in Hollis

Run–D.M.C. (1987)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Sock It To Me Santa

Bob Seger And The Last Heard (1966)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Merry Christmas Everybody

Slade (1981)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto

Snoop Doggy Dogg (1996)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Bruce Springsteen (1975)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas Vacation

Mavis Staples (1999)

Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas Bop

Marc Bolan & T. Rex (1982)

Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Merry Christmas Baby

Ike and Tina Turner (1965)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas In Harlem

Kanye West (2010)

Listen on Spotify
Last Christmas

Wham! (1984)

Listen on Spotify
Buy Vinyl on Discogs
Christmas In Jail

The Youngsters (1956)

Buy Vinyl on Discogs

Hair Band Lettering

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Aerosmith

Permanent Vacation
Alice Cooper

Constrictor
Bon Jovi

Slippery When Wet
Britny Fox

Britny Fox
BulletBoys

Smooth Up
Cinderella

Somebody Save Me
Damn Yankees

Damn Yankees
Danger Danger

Danger Danger
The Darkness

Permission to Land
David Lee Roth

Crazy from the Heat
Def Leppard

Pyromania
Dokken

Tooth and Nail
Enuff Z'Nuff

Enuff Z'Nuff
Europe

Wings of Tomorrow
Extreme

Extreme
Faster Pussycat

Wake Me When It's Over
Firehouse

When I Look Into Your Eyes
Great White

Shot in the Dark
Guns N' Roses

Welcome To The Jungle
Hanoi Rocks

Hanoi Rocks
Helix

Long Way to Heaven
Helix

Walkin' the Razor's Edge
Keel

The Right to Rock
Kiss

Destroyer
Kix

Blow My Fuse
L.A. Guns

L.A. Guns
Lita Ford

Kiss Me Deadly
Lizzy Borden

Love You to Pieces
Love/Hate

Blackout in the Red Room
Mötley Crüe

Too Fast For Love
Mötley Crüe

Dr. Feelgood
Mr. Big

Lean into It
Night Ranger

7 Wishes
Nitro

O.F.R.
Poison

Open Up and Say... Ahh!
Pretty Boy Floyd

Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz
Quiet Riot

Quiet Riot II
Ratt

Dancing Undercover
Saigon Kick

Saigon Kick
Scorpions

Lovedrive (Censored Cover)
Scorpions

Lovedrive (Censored Cover)
Skid Row

Skid Row
Slaughter

The Wild Life
Steelheart

Steelheart
Stryper

To Hell with the Devil
Tesla

Five Man Acoustical Jam
Thunder

Backstreet Symphony
Tuff

What Comes Around Goes Around
Twisted Sister

Stay Hungry
Twisted Sister

Bad Boys (Of Rock N' Roll)
Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister
Vain

No Respect
Van Halen

Van Halen
Van Halen

Van Halen II
Vinnie Vincent Invasion

All Systems Go
Vixen

Live & Learn
Warrant

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
W.A.S.P.

The Last Command
White Lion

Fight to Survive
Whitesnake

Saints & Sinners
Winger

In the Heart of the Young
Y & T

Mean Streak

Dr. No: A Visual Tribute to Sean Connery

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Movie Posters

US Movie Poster
US Window Card
Danish Movie Poster
French Movie Poster

UK Movie Poster
UK Double Feature Poster
US Banner
US Window Card

French Movie Poster
German Movie Poster
Italian Movie Poster
Italian Movie Poster

German Movie Poster
Spanish Movie Poster

Japanese Movie Poster
Japanese Movie Poster
New Zealand Movie Poster
Spanish Movie Poster

US Lobby Card
US Lobby Card

Spanish Movie Poster
US Triple Feature Poster
UK Exhibitors' Campaign Book
UK Double Feature Window Card

Italian Lobby Card
German Lobby Card

Books & Comics

UK Hardcover (1st Edition)
UK Paperback (1st Edition)
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
UK Paperback
US Hardcover (1st Edition)
US Paperback (1st Edition)
US Hardcover (2nd Edition)
US Paperback
US Paperback
US Paperback
Czech Paperback
Danish Paperback (1st Edition)
Danish Paperback (2nd Edition)
Danish Paperback
French Paperback (1st Edition)
German Paperback
German Paperback
German Paperback
Spanish Paperback
Spanish Paperback
Swedish Hardcover
Swedish Paperback
Turkish Paperback
UK Comic
US Comic
US Comic
Danish Comic
Indian Comic
Spanish Comic

Home Video

US Betamax
US VHS
US VHS
US VHS
Danish VHS
Finnish VHS
US LaserDisc
US LaserDisc
Japanese LaserDisc
US Videodisc
US DVD
US Blu-Ray

Soundtracks

UK Soundtrack
US Theme (7")
US Kid's Story Book
European Soundtrack (Reissue)
French Soundtrack
French Theme (7")
German Theme (7" Electronic Remix)
German Theme (7" Techno Remix)
Japanese Soundtrack
Spanish Theme (7")

12 Jazz Piano Albums

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Piano Starts Here

Art Tatum

Years Recorded: 1933 & 1949

Label: Columbia

Style: Swing

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Handful of Keys

Fats Waller & His Rhythm

Year Recorded: 1938

Label: RCA Victor

Style: Swing

Collaborators: Herman Autrey, Gene Sedric, Al Casey, Cedric Wallace, Slick Jones

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
The Amazing Bud Powell

Bud Powell

Year Released: 1952

Label: Blue Note

Style: Bebop

Collaborators: Fats Navarro, Sonny Rollins, Tommy Potter, Roy Haynes, Curly Russell, Max Roach

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

Year Released: 1956

Label: Columbia

Style: Big Band

Collaborators: Cat Anderson, Quentin Jackson, Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton, Jimmy Woode, Sam Woodyard

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

Year Released: 1957

Label: Riverside

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Ernie Henry, Sonny Rollins, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach, Clark Terry, Paul Chambers

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
The Atomic Mr. Basie

Count Basie

Year Released: 1958

Label: Roulette

Style: Big Band

Collaborators: Thad Jones, Al Grey, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Eddie Jones, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Joe Williams

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Time Out

Dave Brubeck Quartet

Year Released: 1959

Label: Columbia

Style: West Coast

Collaborators: Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright, Joe Morello

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

Year Released: 1961

Label: Riverside

Style: Post-bop

Collaborators: Scott LaFaro, Paul Motian

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Buy vinyl on Amazon
Night Train

Oscar Peterson Trio

Year Released: 1963

Label: Verve

Style: Swing

Collaborators: Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
The Real McCoy

McCoy Tyner

Year Released: 1967

Label: Blue Note

Style: Post-bop

Collaborators: Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Return to Forever

Chick Corea

Year Released: 1972

Label: ECM

Style: Fusion

Collaborators: Stanley Clarke, Joe Farrell, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

Year Released: 1973

Label: Columbia

Style: Fusion

Collaborators: Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

12 Jazz Saxophone Albums

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz at Massey Hall

Charlie Parker / The Quintet

Year Released: 1953

Label: Debut

Style: Bebop

Collaborators: Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Max Roach

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
The Jazz Giants '56

Lester Young

Year Released: 1956

Label: Verve

Style: Bebop

Collaborators: Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickerson, Teddy Wilson, Freddie Green, Gene Ramey, Jo Jones

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Saxophone Colossus

Sonny Rollins

Year Released: 1956

Label: Prestige

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Tommy Flanagan, Doug Watkins, Teddy Wilson, Max Roach

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Buy vinyl on Amazon
Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section

Art Pepper

Year Released: 1957

Label: Contemporary

Style: West Coast

Collaborators: Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Buy vinyl on Amazon
Somethin' Else

Cannonball Adderley

Year Released: 1958

Label: Blue Note

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster

Coleman Hawkins / Ben Webster

Year Released: 1959

Label: Verve

Style: Bebop

Collaborators: Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Alvin Stoller

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Buy vinyl on Amazon
The Shape of Jazz to Come

Ornette Coleman

Year Released: 1959

Label: Atlantic

Style: Free Jazz

Collaborators: Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Two of a Mind

Paul Desmond / Gerry Mulligan

Year Released: 1962

Label: RCA Victor

Style: West Coast

Collaborators: Jim Hall, Joe Benjamin, Connie Kay

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Go!

Dexter Gordon

Year Released: 1962

Label: Blue Note

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Sonny Clark, Butch Warren, Billy Higgins

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
Out to Lunch!

Eric Dolphy

Year Released: 1964

Label: Blue Note

Style: Free Jazz

Collaborators: Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis, Tony Williams

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Buy vinyl on Amazon
Speak No Evil

Wayne Shorter

Year Released: 1964

Label: Blue Note

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs
A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

Year Released: 1965

Label: Impulse!

Style: Hard Bop

Collaborators: Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner

Listen on Spotify

Buy vinyl on Discogs

Jazz Musician Lettering

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Ahmad Jamal

Piano
Albert Ayler

Saxophone
Anthony Braxton

Multi-instrumental
Art Blakey

Drums
Art Pepper

Saxophone
Artie Shaw

Clarinet
Art Tatum

Piano
Ben Webster

Saxophone
Bennie Moton

Piano
Benny Carter

Multi-instrumental
Benny Goodman

Clarinet
Bessie Smith

Vocals
Bill Evans

Piano
Billie Holiday

Vocals
Bud Powell

Piano
Buddy Rich

Drums
Cab Calloway

Vocals
Cannonball Adderley

Saxophone
Cecil Taylor

Piano
Charles Earland

Organ
Charles Mingus

Bass
Charlie Parker

Saxophone
Chet Baker

Trumpet
Chick Correa

Piano
Chick Webb

Drums
Chuck Mangione

Flugelhorn
Clifford Brown

Trumpet
Coleman Hawkins

Saxophone
Count Basie

Piano
Dave Brubeck

Piano
David Murray

Saxophone
Dean Martin

Vocals
Della Reese

Vocals
Dexter Gordon

Saxophone
Dinah Washington

Vocals
Dizzy Gillespie

Trumpet
Django Reinhardt

Guitar
Donald Byrd

Trumpet
Duke Ellington

Piano
Earl Hines

Piano
Eddie Jefferson

Vocals
Ella Fitzgerald

Vocals
Eric Dolphy

Saxophone
Errol Garner

Piano
Esther Phillips

Vocals
Etta James

Vocals
Fats Navarro

Trumpet
Fats Waller

Piano
Fletcher Henderson

Piano
Frank Sinatra

Vocals
Freddie Hubbard

Trumpet
Gato Barbieri

Saxophone
George Benson

Guitar
George Russell

Piano
George Shearing

Piano
Gerry Mulligan

Saxophone
Gil Evans

Piano
Gil Scott-Heron

Vocals
Hank Crawford

Saxophone
Hank Mobley

Saxophone
Herb Alpert

Trumpet
Herbie Hancock

Piano/Keyboards
Herbie Mann

Flute
Horace Silver

Piano
Hugh Masekela

Trumpet
Illinois Jacquet

Saxophone
Jack McDuff

Organ
James Moody

Saxophone
J.J. Johnson

Trombone
Jelly Roll Morton

Piano
Jimmie Lunceford

Saxophone
Jimmy Dorsey

Clarinet
Jimmy Smith

Organ
Joe Henderson

Saxophone
John Coltrane

Saxophone
John McLaughlin

Guitar
Johnny "Hammond" Smith

Organ
June Christy

Vocals
Keith Jarrett

Piano
Kid Ory

Trombone
King Curtis

Saxophone
King Oliver

Cornet
Lalo Schifrin

Piano
Lee Morgan

Trumpet
Lena Horne

Vocals
Lennie Tristano

Piano
Lester Young

Saxophone
Lionel Hampton

Vibraphone
Louis Armstrong

Trumpet/Vocals
Louis Jordan

Saxophone/Vocals
Mal Hallett

Violin
Max Roach

Drums
McCoy Tyner

Piano
Miles Davis

Trumpet
Milt Jackson

Vibraphone
Miriam Makeba

Vocals
Nat King Cole

Piano/Vocals
Nina Simone

Vocals
Ornette Coleman

Saxophone
Oscar Peterson

Piano
Oscar Pettiford

Bass
Paul Horn

Flute
Quincy Jones

Multi-instrumental
Ramsey Lewis

Piano
Rashaan Roland Kirk

Multi-instrumental
Red Norvo

Vibraphone
Roscoe Mitchell

Saxophone
Roy Ayers

Vibraphone
Roy Eldridge

Trumpet
Sammy Davis Jr.

Vocals
Sammy Kaye

Saxophone
Sarah Vaughan

Vocals
Sergio Mendes

Piano
Sidney Bechet

Clarinet
Sonny Rollins

Saxophone
Sonny Stitt

Saxophone
Stan Getz

Saxophone
Stan Kenton

Piano
Sun Ra

Piano/Keyboards
Teddy Wilson

Piano
Thelonious Monk

Piano
Velma Middleton

Vocals
Wayne Shorter

Saxophone
Wes Montgomery

Guitar
Woody Herman

Clarinet
Wynton Marsalis

Trumpet
Yusef Lateef

Multi-instrumental

Digest 5: Sci-Fi & Black Panthers

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Movies (Sci-Fi Special)

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’: The Oral History of a Modern Action Classic

The New York Times

Featuring interviews with George Miller, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and others - this is a remarkable narrative of how the fourth Mad Max movie got made. The film was such a spectacle that Steven Soderbergh remarked, "... I don't understand how hundreds of people aren't dead" upon watching it.

Read on The New York Times
The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

Paste

I've made two sci-fi movie posts this year, so I spent quite a bit of time researching the genre. I tried to avoid making a "Best-of" list with my most recent post, just because there are so many good ones out there. This one from Paste is one of my favorites.

Read on Paste
The Artwork of Ron Cobb

Ron Cobb

It's hard to categorize Ron Cobb. He's an animator turned editorial cartoonist turned film designer (and later a film director). Maybe the best way to describe him is to list some of the movies he's done production design for: Star Wars, Alien, Conan the Barbarian, Total Recall, and Running Man.

Read on roncobb.net
Typeset In the Future

Dave Addey

Typeset In the Future is a comprehensive deep dive into the typography and iconography of sci-fi movies and tv shows. Written and curated by Dave Addey, he's tackled films such as Blade Runner, Moon, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Bonus points: it's now available as a hardcover book.

Read on typesetinthefuture.com

Music

Reunions

Jason Isbell

I consistently pre-order all of Jason Isbell's new releases. Since he arrived on the scene in 2013 with his album Southeastern, he's released four more albums and shows no sign of slowing down. His latest is a welcome release amidst the chaos of 2020.

Listen to the Album on Spotify
Chances with Wolves

chanceswithwolves.com

Chances with Wolves is an ongoing collection of 2-hour mixtapes, and they play everything from obscure Beatles covers to long-forgotten funk 45s. It's the perfect alternative to a world of algorithm-based playlists. Thanks to Simon Walker for the recommendation years ago.

Listen on chanceswithwolves.com

Books

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing

I've realized that I started reading all of these crazy survival stories during the pandemic. Maybe it's some kind of sick coping mechanism, but reading about a bunch of sailors that got stranded over 850 miles from civilization in 1914 (and survived), makes me feel a bit better about being stuck in my house for a few months.

Buy On Amazon
God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State

Lawrence Wright

This book came along at just the right time for me and did a great job articulating the love/hate relationship I have with Texas. I read it at the beginning stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, and keep thinking about it as our state continues to bungle their response.

Buy On Amazon
The Fade Out

Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

I've been getting more into comics, and have found myself gravitating towards owner-created graphic novels. Brubaker is probably most famous for his Captain America: Winter Soldier story arc, and Sean Phillips' image perfectly complements his writing. Thanks to Kevin Sharon for the recommendation.

Buy On Amazon
The Man Who Made Black Panther Cool

Vulture

Christopher Priest was the first black writer-editor in mainstream comics. He got his start writing for Marvel's Falcon series and went on to do revolutionary work for Quantum and Woody and Black Panther. This interview serves as a retrospective of Priest's tumultuous and outspoken career.

Read on Vulture

Design

Sign Renderings

Flickr

I stumbled upon this collection of renderings when I was working on my Las Vegas casinos post. It starts with some designs for supermarkets, banks, and department stores, but as you dig in, you'll find some of the original renderings for a lot of the old casinos on the strip.

Browse The Collection
Milton Glaser Archives

School of Visual Arts

I've spent a lot of time browsing the Milton Glaser Archives since his death in June, and it's been inspiring me to do another blog post that focuses on his show posters or typography. The archives also include many of Glaser's colleagues, including artists such as Ed Benguiat and Louise Fili.

Browse The Collection
Emory Douglas & The Black Panther

Letterform Archive

On Emory Douglas, Colette Gaiter remarked, "Douglas was the Norman Rockwell of the ghetto, concentrating on the poor and oppressed ... He maintained poor people's dignity while graphically illustrating harsh situations."

Browse The Collection
Black Self-Empowerment: From The Crisis to the Black Panthers, 1920s–1990s

Merrill C. Berman Collection

Merrill Berman has been collecting works related to social change, equality, and human rights since the 1960s. This collection includes original copies of several revolutionary newspapers and publications.

Browse The Collection

Architecture

Roy Hofheinz's Apartment in the Astrodome

Messy Nessy

This is an old feature in Life Magazine about Roy Hofheinz, Houston's former mayor. In 1967 he built his own private home in the Astrodome. Among other things, it had a home cinema, personal barbershop and salon, shooting range, and a billiards room overlooking the field.

Read on messynessychic.com
Vintage Las Vegas

Instagram

My favorite follow on Instagram that heavily influenced my Las Vegas casinos post. I've been following their account for a while now, and their content is always fresh. They also have their photos on Tumblr, which is helpful if you want to search by casino.

Follow in Instagram

22 Sci-Fi Movies to Watch

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

While I was working on the sci-fi lettering post, I did a ton of research that made me think about all the sci-fi movies out there that I haven’t seen. The sci-fi genre has one of the biggest cult followings around (rivaled only by horror) and has entire film festivals dedicated to the genre. Not only that, but there have been a ton of great sci-fi films coming out lately, from low budget cult flicks to big-budget blockbusters. It’s a big and diverse genre that really feels like it has something for everyone.

But then I started thinking about how most of the movies I enjoy are either from a trusted recommendation or something I watched with friends. So I asked some friends and other folks that I admire to give me their favorites. I wanted to hear about films that I might not have seen, or perhaps something in which they found a personal connection that I need to watch again. I’ve found that during the COVID-19 outbreak, a good movie recommendation can go a long way.

I want to thank everyone who contributed, and as always, I’d love to hear any other recommendations you might have.

The Abyss

James Cameron, 1989

“There’s something unsettling about what lies down in the depths of the Earth’s oceans, and when you set an entire movie down there with natural dangers, dramatic characters, and alien forces, you never leave the edge of your seat. The Abyss was one of my favorite films as a kid because the idea of aliens living down in the depths of the ocean seemed plausible. James Cameron might be the best combination of artist and director, and he flexes his creative muscles with CGI powered water aliens, which paved the way for the iconic T1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day; his next film after The Abyss.”

- Phil Coffman (Design Lead, PCPartPicker)
Akira

Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988

“When Akira dropped, Japanese animation was still largely unknown to Western audiences. For us, animation was Disney movies and Looney Tunes. Akira challenged our perception of animation with all the subtlety of a Sex Pistols concert. Violence, drugs, and sexualized themes, Akira went everywhere it wasn’t supposed to go, and it did it beautifully. As a sixteen-year-old experiencing Akira for the first time, it was mesmerizing and irresistible.”

- Ed Booth (Illustrator, Ed Booth Art)
Aliens

James Cameron, 1986

“Aliens was my first foray into the Alien series of films. James Cameron brought together a couple of things in an explosive package for a young kid at the time: action, HR Giger-designed aliens, world-building that felt closer to our reality than Star Wars, and a bad-ass female protagonist. I watched Alien after, out of the release timeline, and it also stunned me with quiet chills and thrills. These first two films are classics that demonstrate how well two different directors can approach the same source material with equally impressive results.”

- Naz Hamid (Founder, Weightshift)
Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve, 2017

“A fresh visit back to the revolutionary sci-fi world Ridley Scott imagined and shared with us in 1982, this time with Denis Villeneuve (hot off Arrival, another wonderful Sci-Fi film) directing and Roger Deakins (easily my favorite cinematographer) behind the camera bringing everything to life. Each frame is rich in tone and drips with style, worthy of being displayed proudly on a wall. It could quite possibly be the most visually striking movie I’ve ever seen.”

- Phil Coffman (Design Lead, PCPartPicker)
Bright Night (Nachthelle)

Florian Gottschick, 2014

“Bright Night (Nachthelle) is a German drama with a supernatural edge. This genre-crossing gem finds a rather uncomfortable reunion between two former high school sweethearts and their current partners. 40-year-old Anna brings her much younger lover, Stefan to her childhood home, for pressure cooker weekend with her ex and his new boyfriend, leading to sexual tension and revelation. Until the narrative slowly begins to circle in towards itself, creating a dizzying repetition of events that allows Anna a unique opportunity to observe things from another perspective, or is it an alternate reality.”

- Bears Rebecca Fonte (Founder & Artistic Director, Other Worlds Film Festival)
The Circle (Cirkeln)

Levan Akin, 2015

“Audiences have fallen over themselves to praise Levan Akin’s latest film, the Georgian dance film And Then We Danced, but horror fans should hunt down his earlier film The Circle (Cirkeln), which conjures up images of The Craft and Twilight, with the sensibilities and bleakness of Let the Right One In. Six girls with nothing much in common except being from the same run-down town are brought together by an otherworldly force to defeat an evil that threatens the whole world. Together they must master their own elemental powers and the irritations of being 16 to defeat the evil lurking in their high school. The first film based off the best-selling Swedish young adult novel franchise, The Circle features a great score from ABBA’s Benny Andersson.”

- Bears Rebecca Fonte (Founder & Artistic Director, Other Worlds Film Festival)
Dredd

Pete Travis, 2012

“With all the reboots and remakes out there, this one was not only better than the original, but it blew the original out of the water. The pure menace that Karl Urban can express with just his mouth is Oscar-worthy. It’s the ultimate action/sci-fi crossover that feels like it could exist in the 80s, while still looking fresh and modern. The mood and setting, whether it’s the weapons, the buildings, the outfits, the motorcycles, or the soundtrack combine to put everything over the top. It might be my favorite comic book movie of all-time.”

- Reagan Ray (Designer & ⅓, Paravel)
Edge of Tomorrow

Doug Liman, 2014

“Mis-marketed in the US as Live, Die, Repeat, I don’t think this movie (loosely based on the Japanese sci-fi novel All You Need Is Kill) got the appreciation it deserves. It’s probably one of the most rewatchable science fiction movies I’ve ever seen. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt do not disappoint.”

- Trent Walton (Founder & ⅓, Paravel)
Ex Machina

Alex Garland, 2014

“Ex Machina is easily one of my favorite science fiction movies of the last decade. This movie is packed full of amazing scenes from the story of Mary in the B&W room to the dancing scene with Oscar Issac. Ex Machina was one of the first movies that I really noticed the sound design in the film, and I loved all the subtle robotic noises as Ava moves through the movie. The final thirty minutes of the movie is spectacular and impossible to look away from. It really is just an astounding movie that has stuck with me since the very first time I saw it.”

- Paul Russo (Senior Designer, USAA)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Joe Johnston, 1989

“I’m including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids because my kids (ages 5 and 7) love it. I think it’s a great introduction to sci-fi for younger kids, as it has just the right amount of humor and make-believe to keep them entertained. I love seeing their imaginations run wild after watching it as they pretend to be the size of an ant in our backyard or designing their own inventions. As a bonus, it features Rick Moranis at his best.”

- Reagan Ray (Designer & ⅓, Paravel)
I Am Not Okay With This

Jonathan Entwistle, 2020

“Just when I was getting superhero fatigue Netflix comes up with something human and witty featuring amazing child actors. This series isn’t just a ‘kids on bikes’ show, is it visceral and relatable. Sophia Lillis from It really shows her acting chops in this coming of age story playing quirky introvert Sydney Novak who is not dealing with puberty or her grief well. I binged it in a sitting, and forced two friends to watch it before shelter in place.”

- Tessa Morrison (Outreach Director, Other Worlds Film Festival)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Philip Kaufman, 1978

“Philip Kaufman’s ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ is possibly my favorite film of all time. It sits alongside some of the greatest conspiracy thrillers ever made. The Parallax View, The Conversation, All The President’s Men, to name a few.

The way screenwriter W.D. Richter was able to adapt the aging source material to perfectly speak to the issues of the day in the late seventies (social disease, erosion of the family unit, loss of the individual self) should be required study for anyone attempting a remake.

The cast is uniformly outstanding, the special effects are top-notch and the tension is nearly unbearable. I’ve probably seen the film 50 times, and it only gets better each time I watch it.

Also, Leonard Nimoy wears the coolest glove in all of cinema.”

- Jay Shaw (Poster Designer, Kingdom of Nonsense)
Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller, 2015

“Years in development hell, casting changes, production delays, tensions on set: this movie shouldn’t exist, much less work. But it’s exquisite. It’s one long adrenaline-fueled chase scene, and it never wastes a single frame; it’s cars and dust storms and explosions; it’s a feminist parable for renewal set in a world broken by evil, monstrous men. As Max says at one point, it feels like hope.”

- Ethan Marcotte (Independent Designer, ethanmarcotte.com)
The Matrix

The Wachowskis, 1999

“The Matrix was one of the first movies I watched multiple times at the cinema. I couldn’t get enough of the memorable quotes, unforgettable fight scenes, and over-the-top gun sequences. The best line of the movie was when Neo was asked what he needed to beat Agent Smith and he replied ‘Guns. Lots of guns.’”

- Danh Hoang (Co-host, Aside Quest)
Miracle Mile

Steve De Jarnatt, 1988

“Miracle Mile isnt a sci-fi film but it’s speculative fiction dealing with a possible future event so no matter, I think everyone should see this film. There’s an odd sub-sub-genre of movies that I adore. The ‘anything can happen in one night’ story. Martin Scorsesse’s ‘After Hours’, John Landis’ ‘Into The Night’ live in this category.

Basically any film where the events unfold during a single night and typically involve a protagonist being dragged into some unlikely and terrible situation. Where Miracle Mile differs from these other films is that it concerns nuclear apocalypse.

Anthony Edwards plays a man who mistakenly winds up on the other end of a prophetic phone call warning of the very near end of the world. The film is bonkers and makes for one of the best first viewings I’ve ever had. The cherry on top is the outstanding Tangerine Dream score.”

- Jay Shaw (Poster Designer, Kingdom of Nonsense)
Phase IV

Saul Bass, 1974

“Legendary designer Saul Bass only directed one feature film and it’s about cosmically-enhanced, sentient ants. Through a clever use of color, miniature sets, and sound design, the ants end up more alive and clearly drawn as characters than the humans in this battle of man against insect. If the beautiful close-up cinematography of scheming ants isn’t enough for you, PHASE IV wraps up a snappy 84 minute run time with a classic 70’s gut punch of an ending.”

- Matthew Jeanes (Senior Product Manager, Alamo Drafthouse)
Prospect

Chris Caldwell & Zeek Earl, 2018

“Multi-million dollar CG budgets can manage to do a lot, but sometimes the limitations imposed by limited budgets yield magic. You’ll find heaps of TLC in this movie that started as a Kickstarter project. One of my favorite aspects would be all the cleverly-assembled props, control panels, and suits. And if the poster doesn’t make you want to watch it, I don’t know what to tell you.

Other honorable low-budget sci-fi mentions: Moon (2009) and Primer (2004)”

- Trent Walton (Founder & ⅓, Paravel)
Repo Man

Alex Cox, 1984

“The story’s core is lifted from a film called Kiss Me, Deadly, a Mickey Spillane Noir (which is insane on it’s own). Taking place in Los Angeles in the early 1980s Los Angeles, a Chevy Malibu, the contents of the trunk causes people to burst into flames, trades hands between a scientist losing his marbles, a group of punks, and various rival repo men. Classic sci-fi world-building using punks, hippies, religion, generic consumer products, and a lounge band version of the Circle Jerks. Best quotes in the film are either, ‘Let’s get sushi and not pay’ or ‘Ordinary fucking people. I hate ‘em.’”

- Kevin Sharon (Independent Designer, kevinsharon.com)
The Rover

David Michôd, 2014

“A lean and mean masterpiece that paints an apocalyptic world in the edges of the frame while a gallery of peculiar personalities fills in the rest. Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson deliver their most restrained work without losing any of the humanity. It’s this deft balance of fully realized characters, sparse sci-fi setting and muted tone that makes it not only a unique entry in the genre, but also elevates it above the rest.”

- Roger Erik Tinch (Interactive Creative Director, Alamo Drafthouse)
Sleight

J.D. Dillard, 2016

“J.D. Dillard’s Sleight is really fun and criminally underseen. A streetwise LA magician, Bo, peddles drugs to provide for his family until he has to use his sleight of hand skills to save himself from his greedy boss. The true SciFi nature of the story isn’t revealed until the final act of the film - when you finally discover a serious trick that is literally up his sleeve, it’s a game-changer. The film is a blast, mixing genres of crime, thriller, sci-fi, teen romance, and revenge in a satisfying way.”

- Jordan Brown (Associate Artistic Director, Other Worlds Film Festival)
Solaris

Steven Soderbergh, 2002

“The 2002 version of Solaris - even though it wasn't really much loved by anyone at the time—is a beautiful movie. It’s quiet and patient but still filled with tension and drama and mystery. It’s a bit like a Terrence Malick film - it comes and goes without offering much in the way of answers and then leaves you to think about what just happened. And it touches on a lot of fundamental themes: love, death, forgiveness, existence in general... Even if you’re not down for all that, you have to appreciate how beautifully Soderbergh shot it. It’s also where I learned about the Higgs boson for the first time. Hell yeah.”

- Simon Walker (Type Designer, Beasts of England)
Stalker

Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979

“Tarkovsky’s deliberate journey through muck and near-future decay features only the slightest of science fiction conceits, but when it kicks in, the film is astounding. Three men trek out to a mysterious place called The Zone, but the danger in their journey comes from within, forcing them to face their most painful fears and shortcomings. The film’s long takes and stretches of quiet bring the audience right into The Zone with the characters so that we can all experience the same terrifying existential questions together. The final shot is an all-timer.”

- Matthew Jeanes (Senior Product Manager, Alamo Drafthouse)
About the Design

The design for this post was inspired by an old Many Faces post that Paravel did about the Queen of Science Fiction, Sigourney Weaver. Trent did the art direction on that one, and I’ve always felt that Serif Gothic is the quintessential sci-fi font. The background noise in the header was an old trick we used on the DayTrip site.

Milton Glaser Album Covers

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Son Nova 1988

Arel/Davidovsky/Ussachevsky
Bach's Greatest Hits

Bach
Music from Big Pink

The Band (Painting by Bob Dylan)
The Baroque Inevitable

The Baroque Inevitable
Beethoven's Greatest Hits

Beethoven
Bernstein Conducts Bruckner

Leonard Bernstein
The Biggs Bach Book

E. Power Biggs
Live At Montreux

The New Brubeck Quartet
Better Days

Paul Butterfield
Put It In Your Ear

Paul Butterfield
John Cage

John Cage
Music For Space Squirrels

Al Caiola
Portrait Gallery

Harry Chapin
Chopin's Greatest Hits

Chopin
Young Blood

The Coasters
Lake of Light

Linda Cohen
Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner

Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner
Rock Me Mama

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
Fats Domino

Antoine "Fats" Domino
Marching Along Together

Do Re Mi Children's Chorus
More Do-Re-Mi

Do Re Mi Children's Chorus
On Top Of Spaghetti

Do Re Mi Children's Chorus
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits

Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits

Bob Dylan (Poster included in album)
The Best of Electric Flag

Electric Flag
Carnival

Maynard Ferguson
Einstein On The Beach

Philip Glass/Robert Wilson
Dick Gregory On:

Dick Gregory
The First Seven Days

Jan Hammer
Texas Shuffle

Rocky Hill
Lightnin'! Volume 1

Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin'! Volume 2

Lightnin' Hopkins
Albert

Albert King
King Albert

Albert King
Truckload of Lovin'

Albert King
I'll Play The Blues For You

Albert King/John Lee Hooker
Love Me Tender

B.B. King
Christmas Mood

The Knightsbridge Singing Strings
Movie Mood

The Knightsbridge Singing Strings
Theater Mood

The Knightsbridge Singing Strings
Lazarus

Lazarus
Aaron Lightman

Aaron Lightman
Medium

The Mandrake Memorial
Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz

Hugh Masekela
I Love New York

Metropolis
Barry Miles

Barry Miles
Lone Star

Willie Nelson
Good News

The Oak Ridge Boys
The Best Of: (Ten) Years Together

Peter, Paul And Mary
Big Chief

Professor Longhair
Greatest Hits

Rachmaninoff
Greatest Hits

Rimsky-Korsakov
Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren
It's All About Love

Jorge Santana
Tony Scott Septet

Tony Scott Septet
There Goes Rhymin' Simon

Paul Simon
The Tomato Collection

Nina Simone
I'm a Stranger Too!

Chris Smither
Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky
Black Moonlight & Sunshine

Monty Sunshine
Sun's Gonna Shine

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Mary

Mary Travers
Amanda

Amanda Trees
Delta Momma Blues

Townes Van Zandt
Flyin' Shoes

Townes Van Zandt
For The Sake Of The Song

Townes Van Zandt
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt
Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas

Townes Van Zandt
The Nashville Sessions

Townes Van Zandt
Our Mother The Mountain

Townes Van Zandt
Blues Roots

Various
Great Big Band And Friends

Various
The Sound Of Chicago (1923-1940)

Various
The Sound Of Harlem

Various
The Sound Of New Orleans (1917-1947)

Various
The Wiz

Various
Roots: An Anthology Of Negro Music In America

Voices Incorporated
Elementary Doctor Watson

Doc Watson
Then and Now

Doc & Merle Watson
Peter

Peter Yarrow
That's Enough for Me

Peter Yarrow

30 Black Illustrators

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Abelle Hayford

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Adisa Kareem

Background Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Alicia Robinson

Character Designer/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Alleanna Harris

Kidlit Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Ashanti Fortson

Cartoonist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Bex Glendining

Comic Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Cameron Knight

Comic Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Candice Messado

Background Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Céli

Character Designer/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Charlot Kristensen

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Colin Laurel

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Dani Pendergast

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
DJ Welch

Concept Artist

Instagram | Twitter
Dom Astri

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Dominique Ramsey

Character Designer/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Emely Pascual

Comic Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Erick M. Ramos

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Evan Monteiro

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Inique

Character Designer/Illustrator

Instagram | Twitter
Jeannette Arroyo

Comic Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Jestenia Southerland

Kidlit Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Jordan Mitchell

Background Artist/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Justin Wiggins

Illustrator

Instagram | Twitter
Laura Wilson

Illustrator

Portfolio | Twitter
Lauren Franklin

Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Mars Heyward

Character Designer/Comic Artist

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Michelle Moore

Background Designer/Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Nneka Myers

Character Designer/Kidlit Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter
Riley Morrissey

Environment Artist

Portfolio | Twitter
Yesenia Moises

Kidlit Illustrator

Portfolio | Instagram | Twitter

More Resources

#DrawingWhileBlack on Twitter

#DrawingWhileBlack Database on Airtable

15 Black Comics Artists Whose Work You Need to Read from CBR

#ComicWritersChallenge on Twitter. Comic auctions to support Black Lives Matter

#BlackLivesMatter Resource List

Why asking for a list won’t solve your racial disparities by Melanie G. S. Walby

Reagan Ray

18 Books I Enjoyed in 2021

Dreamland

Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy

The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic

A Promised Land

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

Norwood

Dallas 1963

Shadow Divers

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal

Who Killed These Girls?: The Unsolved Murders That Rocked a Texas Town

In Plain Sight: The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders

Bluebird, Bluebird (A Highway 59 Novel)

White Butterfly

Beastie Boys Book

East of West Vol. 1: The Promise

All-Star Superman

Hat Tips

Richard Amsel Movie Posters

A Star is Born

Between the Lines

Beyond the Limit

The Big Sleep

The Champ

Chinatown

The Dark Crystal

Death on the Nile

Flash Gordon

Fuzz

Hello, Dolly!

Julia

The Last Tycoon

The Late Show

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean

Little Miss Marker

The Little Prince

The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye

Lucky Lady

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Murder on the Orient Express

Nashville

Nijinsky

Papillon

Paradise Alley

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Shootist

The Sting

The Thief Who Came to Dinner

Up the Sandbox

Voyage of the Damned

Woodstock

Nick at Nite Lettering

227

The Addams Family

Adventures of Superman

Alf

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alice

All in the Family

The Andy Griffith Show

The Ann Sothern Show

The Bad News Bears

The Betty White Show

The Beverly Hillbillies

Bewitched

The Bob Newhart Show

The Brady Bunch

Car 54, Where Are You?

Charles in Charge

Cheers

Coach

The Cosby Show

The Danny Thomas Show

Dennis the Menace