Podcast Episode 180 :: The Return of Bookshelf Babble-On

Welcome to the return of Bookshelf Babble-On. It's been right at a year since we've done one of these and it feels good to get back. On these episodes, we do what the title suggests — run off at the mouth. But for good reasons! We each pick a book off our shelves and do a quick, little mini-review. Very laymen in approach, but we try to keep it interesting. Check it:

Swain’s pick was Kent Williams’ Amalgam: Paintings and Drawings 1992 - 2007. If you know me at all, you know there is a certain brand of painter I adore, and Kent fits that bill in spades. He’s one of the Fab Four (he was college roommates with George Pratt, John Van Fleet and Mark Chiarello), started out in comics, and has since became a fine artist and part-time teacher. Amalgam was published in 2008 and collects about 15 years worth of personal work by Williams. It’s a beautiful book that definitively showcases his visceral and provacative approach to picture-making. And it was well worth the three years I waited for it to be discounted on-line before buying it. Hell, I’m patient if nothing else!

Dwight’s weapon of choice was a graphic novel called Transient by our friend, Justin “Coro” Kaufman. Coro is the co-founder of ConceptArt.Org and Massive Black Inc, but is also a brilliant artist in his own right. He’s been a guest on the esteemed SiDEBAR microphones before, and during our chat with him, he spoke at length about the process of making Transient. The book wasn’t finished yet, but he had us salivating with descriptions of the tale and teaser images. Well, our appetites have been satiated. Transient is here, it’s hot, and Dwight Clark has it. And Coro’s work on the story is quite good both as writer and artist. We highly recommend you put your eyeballs on it. Go here, true believers.

Closing it out is Adrian with a collection of art by Spanish artist, Sanjulian. If you don’t know Sanjulian’s work, you need to. Truly, one of the best painters and illustrators of the last 40 years — be it fantasy or any other genre. Adrian snagged his pick recently at a local comic convention here in Atlanta, and is to be applauded for doing so (it's amazing). The book was put together by European publisher, Glenat, and it's all in French. But we'll be the first ones to say that great art surmounts all language barriers. In other words, we feel Sanjulian! This tome (named after the artist) covers everything he excels in — fantasy, adventure, romance, horror, sci-fi — everything. Sanjulian’s name gets compared to guys like James Bama and Frank Frazetta during our discussion, and that is not hyperbole. He’s that good. Check his stuff out wherever you can.

- SWAiN