Art

To cleanse our palate from the previous Stan Lee story, happy news that Jim Woodring's website has been relaunched. Mary Woodring tells us "Be advised that Mr. Woodring has a brand new web site (designed by Plexipixel of Seattle) that is loaded with such features as an extensive gallery, ecards, wallpaper and links to various relevant media as well as other eye-tingling and spine-watering delights."

Long time web-cartoonist Millholland (rhymes with witch) is posting a story called The Last Trick or Treaters with some lovely watercolors AND cute trick or treaters.

Although it would be equally suitable for a 28 days of Valentine feature, we'll file Jonathan Case's new GN DEAR CREATURE under Halloween just because it stars Grue, a deep sea monster. Encountering volumes of Shakespeare beneath the waves, he decides to come to shore to look for romance, and finds it with a woman named Giulietta...but nothing is as it sounds like it will be. This was one of the most unexpected GNs we encountered all year, especially coming from Tor Books. It's kind of loopy but very sweet and the art, in pristine black and white, is hugely expressive.

Over on her site, Colleen Doran is posting her out of printGothic short story "Three Black Hearts"a page a day until Halloween.

Team Cul-de-Sac launched as a fundraising effort for Parkinson's Disease Research after Reuben award-winning cartoonist Richard Thompson was diagnosed with the disease. The plan is to publish a book next spring and auction off some of the all-star art. Along the way it's featured art by retired cartoonists like Bill Watterson and Cathy Guisewite, all drawing Thompson's Otterloop characters. Here's a new piece by not-retired cartoonist Garry Trudeau. This is gonna be some book.

Okay we kinda fell off the track there with our Halloween feature but we'll play super catch up until the big day. here's Stephen Price's take on Hellboy as Eustace Tilley, the New Yorker's cartoon mascot, in a submission for their annual Eustace Tilley art contest.

HABE writes with some links to webcomics suitable for the spooky season, starting with his own anthology The Midnight Tea Party, a Goth Lolita collection of tales, and "Fairy Soup" illustrated by Ashley Cope, creator of Unsounded (below).

It's Mary Blair's birthday and if Google can celebrate her, so can we. And so should we all. As an animator and designer, Blair is among the most influential artistic figures of the mid-century era, an icon and the creator of some of the loveliest art you'll ever see.

You had us at dinosaur, Dustin Harbin. And with "colored by Sam Bosma and Kali Ciesemier" you chained us up and threw away the key.

Let me translate that headline: POOD #4, the latest issue of the indie comics anthology is on sale this week, with a cover by Jim Rugg. Also inside: work by Eisner-winner Nick Abadzis, 2011 “Best American Comics” pick Kevin Mutch, “Dick Tracy” icon Joe Staton, and many more.

An iconic — and, they say, ironic — Roy Lichetnstein painting based on a drawing by William Overgard is expected to sell for $35-45 million at a Christie's auction. In 1988 the painting sold for $2.1 million, but a recent Lichtenstein sale for $42.6 million suggest the market for his work has expanded a bit more. The painting has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alas -- already sold out! Larger version and close-ups in link.