POSTERS part 11

ULTRAMAN
Alex Ross being such a lover of 1970's Japanese TV shows (like Battle of the Planets) couldn't pass up the opportunity to work on yet another icon of the land of the rising sun. Ultraman is a cult classic and Alex was commissioned to work on a new DVD relaunch of the classic series, by making these point-of-purchase posters. He even designed a few of the DVD covers but from my understanding, they weren't used so he only did the prints. When I say that these posters are a point-of purchase deal, it means they were displayed on DVD stores in JAPAN! None of these were ever released in America so even if you traveled to the far east you'd still have some problems getting them because they weren't sold. I just love the artwork, especially the one to the left of these lines. The red and silver in Ultraman's costume are so vibrant, they bring back some good memories of my childhood. If anyone reading this has any extra information about these posters (and where I could buy them) please feel free to drop me a line.




As I said above, these posters are so hard-to-find that they're obviously not IN MY COLLECTION.

POSTERS part 10

MISCELLANEOUS POSTERS
The poster on the left is a print Alex made to support the troops back in 2002 for the Illinois chapter of USO. It's really a great piece of Americana. This poster is extremely limited as only 54 were made. If you have one consider yourself one lucky S.O.B. 'cause this is one hard-to-find poster. I've been lucky enough to find it once on ebay and I held on to it like there was no tomorrow. Mine is #24 of 54. This poster is a especially printed giclee in heavy stock paper which makes it seem like it was an original art painted by Alex Ross himself.
The print on the right, originally appeared as the art on the box of a Super Grover toy made by now-defunct manufacturer Palisades Toys in their ill-fated Sesame Street line of action figures. It shows Alex retains the innocence of his childhood. This is one of the sweetest pieces Alex has ever done, I really like this one, as I was a huge Sesame Street fan as a kid.

What can I say about this poster that isn't explained in that action-packed image above? This is one in-your-face image. I love how it conveys the movement of the axe and the splashing of the blood. It's incredible, and the face of Conan is more of what i imagined the character would look like. Not like "Ahnuld" at all!

IN MY COLLECTION: I have the USO and the Super-Grover posters.

POSTERS part 9 [VIDEO UPDATE]

SUPREME

Alex Ross is a huge fan of Alan Moore (seriously, aren't we all?) so he has taken every opportunity he's had to work with the man, especially on his famous superhero creation, Supreme as well as on the America's Best Comics line. This Superman-like character was created as a way for Moore to do Superman stories after his falling out with DC Comics way back in the late 80's. This character has all the supporting cast and nuances of the well-known Big Blue Boy Scout but taken to the Alan Moore extreme. Alex Ross even redesigned these character later on, you can see the new costume here.

The poster on the left is really cool, it measures 14 X 41 inches (104 X 36 cm) and has so many characters, it's hard to take your eyes off it. The one one the right came in a wizard magazine and I think it's new art because I haven't see this image anywhere else, I love its striking simplicity.
Both are IN MY COLLECTION.

I've made a video about the curious things found among the characters in this poster. Check it out!

HAPPY WATCHMEN DAY!

Today is the premiere of the Watchmen movie. Based on comicdom's most revered graphic novels, it is the enduring proof that comics can be serious literature. Written by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Alex Ross painted "The Watchmen" in the Illustration he did to commemorate the genius of Alan Moore that appeared in issue 130 of Wizard Magazine. Using those images and a little Photoshop. I've made this Watchmen movie poster by Alex Ross.
Enjoy it!
And enjoy the movie as well!

UPDATE: I'VE SEEN THE MOVIE. IT ROCKS!!!
Visit the official Watchmen movie site.

MARK FROM B.C.'S ALEX ROSS COLLECTION

Our friend Mark from Vancouver, B.C., Canada. sent us a few pictures to showcase his collection which is rich in promo posters. Why don't we let him explain what his collection is about? Take it away, Mark.

"My collection is limited to the most famous work that Alex has painted in recent years, most notably Kingdom Come and Marvels. Those books are so immersive! I loved the extra surprise Epilogue pages at the end of the Kingdom Come TPB (trade paperback) so much that I bought a copy to complement the original issues. I also have Marvels #0, which has some incredible introductory pages that were eventually rolled into the TPB collection of that series.

What makes my collection somewhat unique IMHO is the promotional material that I managed to scrounge over the years. The posters add value by complementing each series. Comic companies don't produce as much promo stuff as they used to, which makes the old stuff that much more worthwhile. I suppose these paintings are not new to regular collectors. My personal favorites are the unusual Spider-Man cover for Wizard #100 and the huge Superman Peace On Earth poster.

One poster that I am watching for is a promotion for Earth X that had a group of massive Celestials hovering above the city, shrouded in mist and low cloud. It was an incredible painting. And I hope Alex does another patriotic image someday of Steve Rogers as Captain America.

So that is a snapshot of my Alex Ross goodies. I hope others find it useful for collection ideas. Thanks to Andres for this terrific blog!

Regards,
Mark from BC"


Kudos on your great collection Mark!

If you'd like to share your collection with the world, drop me a line at alexrosscollector@gmail.com