Boing Boing » Monsters

Monsters and Legends: kids' reference book on the origin of monsters

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:55:59 +0000

Monsters and Legends is part of the fabulous debut lineup of titles from Flying Eye, a kids' imprint spun out of London's NoBrow (they're the publishers of recently reviewed books like Welcome to Your Awesome Robot and Akissi). The book, written by Davide Cali and illustrated by Garbiella Giandelli, is a fascinating reference work for kids 7 and up about the curious origins of the monsters of the popular imagination. The book recounts the odd history of stories of mermaids, chupacabras, cyclopses, dragons, the Loch Ness Monster, and other cryptozoology favorites. It's a great balance between fascination with monsters and lore and a skeptical inquiry into how widespread beliefs can be overturned by evidence and rational inquiry -- a real "magic of reality" book.

The illustrations in this book represent a range of engaging styles, and they bring it to life for even younger readers. My five year old and I spent several bedtimes on this, flipping through the pages, and stopping when a picture caught her eye. I had to interpret the text for her -- the language was often over her head -- but the stories absolutely grabbed her and it's become a family favorite.

As with other Flying Eye titles, this one is out in the UK right now and coming to the US on June 11 (here's a pre-order link). As a one-time monster kid who's doing his best to raise another one, this one gets my unreserved stamp of approval.

MONSTERS AND LEGENDS [Flying Eye]

Monsters and Legends [Amazon UK]

Travis Louie's monsters in Seattle

David Pescovitz — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:21:29 +0000

Seattle's legendary Roq La Rue Gallery is moving from its longtime Belltown location to a beautiful new space in Pioneer Square! Congratulations, Kirsten! This month is your last chance to visit the current digs, and there's quite a send-off show opening tonight. Monster keeper Travis Louie has a new solo exhibit of paintings hanging until May 4! "Monsters On Their Day Off" is a series of portraits of Louie's elegant beasts during their down time. The paintings are also viewable online. Above, Baxter:

Baxter worked as a butler for an eccentric oil baron in 1898. His father was a Krampus who emigrated from Bavaria in the 1860's and married a school teacher from Piscataway, New Jersey. Baxter grew up to be erudite and purposeful. he had a fascination with the wonders of the world particularly insects. During the warmer months on his days off he would wander through the town marveling at nature.

Travis Louie "Monsters On Their Day Off"

What makes monsters real

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:46:12 +0000

Peter Stanford reviews Matt Kaplan's new book, an investigation into what's so intriguing about spooky, scary beasties of the night: Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite: the Science of Monsters.

What he has grasped is that, however much the rational and sane majority airily dismiss tales of fire-breathing dragons, strange creatures from outer space or beasts that inhabit the depths, there is still buried in most of us that reflex that can't help, on a dark night, walking along a lonely country lane, wondering, “What if there’s something out there?” And when we do, the collective cultural baggage of these tales of ghosts, ghouls and griffins is usually sufficient to make us put our hands over our eyes to block out what may just be lurking out there. But, then, we still peep.

Action figures depicting presidents as Famous Monsters of Filmland

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:07:50 +0000

Heroes in Action have a line of Presidential Monster action figures, including JFK as the Phantom of the White House, ~~Mitt Romney~~ Ronald Reagan as The Ronmy, GW Bush as Zombush, Bill Clinton as Wolf Bill, Richard Nixon as Monster from the Watergate Lagoon (my favorite of the bunch), Barack Obama as Baracula, and Abe Lincoln as Lincolnstein. They're $30 each or $165 for the set.

Heroes in Action Toys - Presidential Monsters (via Super Punch)

Release the kraken!

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:00:43 +0000

What do you need to catch a giant squid? At The Verge, Arikia Millikan goes behind-the-scenes on the recent, successful expedition to capture the kraken on video for the first time.

Topps Ugly Stickers!

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 23:35:35 +0000

Zack sez, "Retronaut has a collection of the gloriously gross Topps Ugly Stickers from 1965. Just in time for the holidays!"

These were my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. Marc Lieberman and I used to go and collect empty beer-bottles left behind by teenagers under the bleachers at Vanier Collegiate, then cash them in at Brewer's Retail at the Peanut Plaza for nickels, which we'd spend on these at the Mac's Milk. My bedroom door was covered in them. When my parents bought a new house and I had to leave my bedroom, I had to leave the door behind. I never recovered.

Topps Ugly Stickers (Thanks, Zack!)

Anatomical Frankenstein limited-edition print

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:09:29 +0000

Artist Brian Ewing has produced a limited edition colorway print of his anatomical Frankenstein's monster poster. I love this work -- I gave my wife one of his bubblegum colorways of the Bride of Frankenstein for our anniversary, and I've just put the Frankenstein on my Xmas list (don't buy 'em all, OK?).

Ewing really went to town documenting the production process, with lots of interim shots linked from the post below.

MONSTER ART PRINT (PUMPKIN COLORWAY)

Celebration of lurid monster-movie posters

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:40:08 +0000

Swan Galleries is auctioning off a collection of 139 old movie posters, including a lot of wonderful, monstrous film posters from around the world, in a collection called "Monsters with Maidens." The auction runs to Dec 18, and though there's plenty of very high-priced items, there are some bargains to be had, too.

MONSTERS WITH MAIDENS: FILM POSTERS (via Kadrey)

The natural history of the European werewolf

Maggie Koerth-Baker — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:29:27 +0000

Where did the European werewolf come from and why did this particular mythology become so powerful that we're still telling stories about it today?

In a fascinating talk recorded at Skepticon 5 last month, Deborah Hyde discusses the history of lycanthropy and its various roles in European society. Lycanthropy was more than one thing, Hyde explains. It functioned as a legitimate medical diagnosis — usually denoting some kind of psychotic break. It served as a placeholder to explain anything particularly horrific — like the case of a French serial killer. And, probably most importantly, lycanthropy went hand-in-hand with witchcraft as part of the Inquisition.

Hyde is the editor of The Skeptic magazine and she blogs about the cultural history of belief in the supernatural. As part of this talk, she's tracked down cases of werewolf trials in the 16th and 17th centuries and attempted to understand why people were charged with lycanthropy, what connected those cases to one another, and the role the trials played in the history of religious liberty. Great stuff!

Read Deborah Hyde's blog

Boom Tee: monstrous science fiction tee from Singularity & Co

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 23:12:48 +0000

The fabulous Singularity & Co bookstore (where they find out-of-print sf classics, clear the rights to them, and bring them back as CC-licensed books) is finally selling its beautiful "Boom Tee" online, designed by Wesley Allsbrook. I saw this at NY Comic Con and wanted desperately to blog it then -- glad to see it online at last!

Boom Tee

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:34:52 +0000

Fables creator Bill Willingham continues his impossible run of prolific, high-quality, highly varied stories based on the idea that all the fables, myths and stories of the world are secretly true, and that they all live together, hidden among the real, "mundy" world. The hardcover Werewolves tells the back-story of Bibgy Wolf -- his time as a crack Nazi-hunting guerrilla in the dark forests of Germany. This past comes back to haunt him when he discovers a midwestern town populated entirely by werewolves that have been created by a beautiful, ruthless Nazi scientist who isolated a serum from blood that Bigby left behind when he helped foil a Nazi attempt to revive Frankenstein's monster to fight on their side.

Werewolves draws on the likes of EC Comics' Two-Fisted Tales and other hyper-violent war comics, with plenty of gory decapitations, ruthless executions, suicides, immolations, and tough talk. It's just the right kind of story for Bigby, who's one of the best characters from Fables, which has lots of terrific characters to choose from. The book could conceivably stand alone -- it has its own complete storyline -- but it's much richer in the context of the wider Fables universe.

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland

Vampire ketchup-bottle lid

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 03:36:17 +0000

Perpetual Kid sells a $4.50 cartoon vampire ketchup-bottle lid called "Count Ketchup Spread." Affix it and squeeze the bottle, and the ketchup drips out of his fangs. There's also a mustard version: it's an alien head that oozes mustard out of its mouth. Barfstard!

Our hard plastic Count Ketchup Spread Head is a universal cap size that fits most standard upright ketchup bottles and measures 1.75 inches long x 2.5 inches wide x 1 inch deep. To keep your condiments fresh and to prevent contamination, use the original cap for storage.

COUNT KETCHUP SPREAD HEAD (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

Monster mask ads: 1950s-70s

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 07:51:13 +0000

A fantastic vintage ad set from the ever-reliable Man Writing Slash: this one, a collection of old ads for fright masks and associated novelties.

Halloween Masks - SIX Different Ads!

Monster Mash: horrific composite of Universal Monsters' Big Four

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:20:03 +0000

We've covered Jason Edmiston's genius monster illos here before, but this one deserves special attention. His "Monster Mash" comes from an alternate universe where Doctor Frankenstein has gotten a little enthusiastic with the needle. It's ghoulishly delightful. Spotted today at New York Comic-Con. $60 for a giclee print.

Dr. Frankenstein has been working on a little project in his free time. Much like Voltron, the big Universal 4 come together to make the ultimate creature. Mwah-ha-ha-haa!!!
Limited edition of 100, signed and numbered 17" x 22" giclee print, with archival inks on acid-free paper.

Monster Mash

Lego's massive Haunted House set

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:00:27 +0000

Drew sez, "Lego has released a Haunted House set with vampire figures, zombie chef, Frankenstein butler, and glow in the dark ghosts. It's not a traditional Lego set as it's made to look in a state of disrepair with cracked windows, crumbling foundation and broken shutters. 2000 pieces make it a substantial build intended for older, more advanced builders."

Above is Jason Forthofer Brick Show review of the 2000+ piece set.

Lego Monster Fighter Haunted House (Thanks, Drew!)

Knitted monster masks

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:44:55 +0000

Etsy seller Tracy Widdess's "Brutal Knitting" project features a number of truly remarkable soft, knitted monster masks.

Brutal Knitting (via The Mary Sue)

SF flash fiction from Gaiman, Moorcock, Westerfeld, Ann Vandermeer, Gene Wolfe and others

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:00:37 +0000

Greg sez, "Check out this collection of all-new flash fiction from some huge names -- Neil Gaiman, Lev Grossman, Scott Westerfeld, Michael Moorcock, Gene Wolfe, N.K Jemisin, IO9 contributing editor Ann VanderMeer, and tons more -- based around a fantastically monstrous illustration by Las Vegas artist Jeremy Zerfoss. It's fun, quick to browse through, combines big genre names, cool artwork, and... monsters!"

These really are great fun! Here's Lev Grossman's "The Solar Medusa":

This appears to be a happy sun, the kind that an innocent child might draw amid fluffy white clouds in a bright blue sky. Do not be fooled. This is not a happy sun, and it does not wish you well. The Solar Medusa is a floating, translucent gasbag that cleverly interposes itself between you and the real sun, lining up its outline so that when it is in position its presence is nearly undetectable to the naked eye. Once the medusa's prey—that's you—is blinded by the glare, it lowers its long, golden tentacles—what might be termed its 'rays'—and draws you up into its warm, sunny embrace. The process of digestion takes weeks. You won't enjoy it.

Shared Worlds Critter Corral

Crocheted cyclops

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:01:04 +0000

Crochet costumer Veronica Knight has topped herself with this crocheted cyclops outfit. This puts the Z in ZOMG.

Crocheted Cyclops Costume

Monster-movie drive-in poster

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:58:39 +0000

A near-perfect example of the monster-movie drive-in poster-maker's art.

"The Biggest THING in Town!"

Cereal Monsters: Frankenberry and friends as Universal classic monsters

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:18:19 +0000

Seen at New York Comic-Con, which I'm presently attending: Jason Edmiston's "Cereal Monsters" illustration (available as a print) which portrays the Frankenberry family of cereal monsters in the style of Universal classic monsters.

Edmiston, Jason [threeinabox.com]

My favorite images from Monster Brains

Mark Frauenfelder — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:15:04 +0000

I've spent an inordinate amount of time over at Monster Brains, a blog filled with thousands of scans of comic books, movie posters, science fiction paperbacks, model kit boxes, and other media starring monsters. Here are a few noteworthy ones.

A rather unusual weapon to have on the cover of a kids' comic book from the 1960s.

In 1966, people preferred thoroughly modern monsters.

"Oops. Didn't mean to do that. Sorry"

Magnus, dude, what's with all the robohate?

What's she worried about? She's not in a red uniform.

Shame on you Samson -- you could give a monster a complex doing that to it.

I'm sure I missed some other amusing images. If you find any, post 'em in the comments!

Monster Brains

Boing Boing » Monsters

Monsters and Legends: kids' reference book on the origin of monsters

More Post-It Monsters

Travis Louie's monsters in Seattle

What makes monsters real

Action figures depicting presidents as Famous Monsters of Filmland

Release the kraken!

Topps Ugly Stickers!

Anatomical Frankenstein limited-edition print

Celebration of lurid monster-movie posters

The natural history of the European werewolf

Boom Tee: monstrous science fiction tee from Singularity & Co

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland

Vampire ketchup-bottle lid

Monster mask ads: 1950s-70s

Monster Mash: horrific composite of Universal Monsters' Big Four

Lego's massive Haunted House set

Knitted monster masks

SF flash fiction from Gaiman, Moorcock, Westerfeld, Ann Vandermeer, Gene Wolfe and others

Crocheted cyclops

Monster-movie drive-in poster

Cereal Monsters: Frankenberry and friends as Universal classic monsters

My favorite images from Monster Brains