Vault Comics is continuing its tradition of variant cover initiatives in 2020. Just like 2018’s Women In Front and 2019’s Vault Vintage, the publisher is now adding Pulp & Paint, a new line of variant covers by Tim Daniel and Nathan Gooden inspired by the aesthetics of the pulp era of genre novels and magazines.
“There’s been a resurgence of interest in richly rendered imagery stoked by alternative movie posters from Mondo and Bottleneck, publishers like Hard Case Crime, or deep dive studies of the form such as Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix,” says Daniel, EVP Branding and Design. “Readers and collectors have shown a real desire for something authentic and striking in the age of digital perfection.”
“Over the course of the last year, artist Nathan Gooden has demonstrated an incredible versatility using a variety of traditional and digital techniques to homage some of our industry’s greatest legends and their respective landmark works,” continues Daniel. “His background in painting strongly evokes the Pulp era. After a year of tribute covers, Vault Editor-In-Chief Adrian Wassel was eager for us to clear our throats and really let readers see what we’re capable of outside those parameters.”
“Once Adrian suggested Pulp & Paint, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get back to my roots,” Gooden adds. “My love for Sci-Fi & Fantasy can be traced back to one moment: the time I held my first Frank Frazetta cover. Our Vault Vintage initiative started us down this road, but Pulp & Paint gives me and Tim the chance to fully explore what inspired our careers in comics.”
Pulp & Paint debuts with the next installment of Vagrant Queen in January. Going forward, every new first issue in 2020 will ship with its own unique variant in the pulp style. Check out the Vagrant Queen entry as well as a teaser of an unannounced series set to debut in February.
