PINUP TIME: FARRAH FAWCETT IS ELLIE

 

ROCK BAKER'S PRETTY DEEP: A TALE OF TWO TURFS

Right on the heels of his hot seller, She's the Tops!, artist/writer Rock Baker (via the innovative C.B. International) offers yet another unique and stirring escapade, this one of an aquatic kind. 

Pretty Deep, as it's cleverly called, is the story of Paula, a pinup "aquaphibian" of an idyllic, Atlantean-styled realm. When she comes upon a glowing, stone tablet from the surface (which her friend, Ted, and his sister often investigate), it spurs great calamity, including a kaiju manifestation that morphs in a weird, twofold way. 

As with the cosmic, dino-driven She's the Tops!, Pretty Deep's cultural scheme mirrors our own, with a setup similar to Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones and The Jetsons, where a juxtaposing of cultures create a mirthful mix of irony and uncanny familiarity. 

Also, like Baker's other works, including his  celebrated Cartoon Cuties, Pretty Deep presents vibrant artwork (embellished by Chris Wayne Stagg's lettering and Michael Jensen's production design), which complements the concept's sprightly nature. (A fabulous, pinup gallery follows the tale.) 

I must say, Pretty Deep is ideal for an animated feature, but then, all of Baker's visions are suited for such. In essence, his panels act as cinematic storyboards, and Pretty Deep epitomizes the format.

Give Pretty Deep a try. I'm confident you'll find its adventurous charm well worth your time. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ3ZTHR4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

VIDEODROME DARK FICTION: INSPIRATIONS

As reported earlier this month, an upcoming volume of Eighth Tower's Dark Fiction series will feature stories inspired by David Cronenberg's Videodrome. 

My contribution is called "Anomaly Drone." (Per Eighth Tower's mastermind, Raffaele Pezzella, Martin Loomis is editing the fable at this pivotal point.) I can't reveal too much on the tale's content (as is the tradition with the early phases of any Dark Fiction project), but I can say that it deals with parallel realities (adjacent to what one finds in the movie) and uses a hand-like formation as one of its catalysts. 

As fans of Videodrome will recall, the hand motif prevails throughout the plot, though in the case of my tale, the angle is a trifle different. In fact, I've tapped several, macabre sources to make my anomaly's frightful fingers snap (ahem). 

This post features imagery from those influences. Indeed, the common thread is evident, would you not agree?

Further details on this bold, new, Dark Fiction anthology will be forthcoming. Stay tuned✌

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

I SAW DEAD CITY: SEASON 3

At first, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Season 3 left me muddled. It didn't seem western-esque like the prior seasons. It felt rather patchworked, in fact, and thus, lacked focus. The idea of letting any outside faction enter Manhattan was too risky for the sake of the calamity it would bring, and once it arrived, it fizzled in the worst, allegorical way. (As far as Maggie's bold invite went, it's as if she'd never heard of that Monroeville Mall incident and the biker army that assaulted it, and well, you get my drift.😉)

Then there was that alternate-reality, Carnival of Souls, dark-Christmas installment, "Genesis." I can't deny that it enthralled me, if only for its uniqueness, and it was even sugared up by Emily Kinney's song-bird Beth, but at the end of the post-apocalyptic day, the insert was too disjointed for the time it lasted. I'm still trying to follow its intent, beyond the reveal that Negan despises pedophiles, and I sure won't fault him for that.  

Things turned around big time, though, in Episode 7: "Hourglass," where Dillard switches from a zombie-lovin' Festus into a take-charge, ex-cop antagonist, intent on killing his once-buddy, Negan and anyone else who got in the way. Man, the standoff proved to be pure Peckinpaugh.

The character interaction no doubt helped Episode 7, 8 and 9's final-blow impact, but in all sincerity, for the sake of the season's entirety, everyone was tiptop, no matter the snags: Raul Castillo's Luis (an honorable, would-be Glenn); Amiee Garcia's Renata (a respectable, Maggie proxy); Logan Kim's Hershel (a decent, lad, if ever there was); Folake Olowfoyeku's Trader (cut straight from the Trash Queen's cloth, though nowhere near as greedy); Jimmi Simpson's aforementioned Dillard (a multi-dimensional Ed Gein: sardonic for the longer haul, but unhinged when it did count; "Tenebrae" displayed it in spades); and it was swell to see Zeljko Ivanek's Croat back (though I'd have liked more of him than the mere, come-and-go shot we got).

Of course, Lauren Cohan's Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan are the glue that kept it all together, whether testing each other's loyalty or conversing like fledgling friends in their "serene," Big Apple reverie. I suppose their strained relationship (even if it's always been hard for me to wrap my head around) hit the offbeat mark enough to make their implausible bond acceptable. 

I should rewatch Season 3, now that I know how it culminates. I bet I'd still find it uneven, but hey, a rousing payoff can make all the difference with any bumpy ride. Dead City's third round more than entrenched it, and I imagine showrunner Seth Hoffman deserves a good chunk of the credit in that respect. Oh, and contrary to all the agitating, know-it-all bull, this may not be the end of Dead City, even if an official renewal has yet to be confirmed. (Perhaps NY's Comic-Con will seal the deal or at least toss fans a promising bone to gnaw on.) 🧟

WISE WORDS: