In November, Frank Frazetta’s original cover painting for the 1967 Lancer paperback edition of Conan the Conqueror by Robert E. Howard sold to a private collector for a reported $1 million, which was four times the previous record for a Frazetta painting.
However, the following month, Alfonso Frank Frazetta, the fifty-two-year-old son of the artist, was arrested for allegedly trying to steal millions of dollars’ worth of paintings from the Frank Frazetta Museum in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Frank Jr, as he is known, claimed his father had given him permission to remove the paintings, but it appeared that the theft was the result of a family feud between the four Frazetta children.
As usual edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner, Spectrum 16: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art from Underwood Books covered the year 2008 and featured more than 400 pieces of art by over 300 artists, along with a profile of Grand Master Award winner Richard V. Corben.
Also edited by the Fenners, Strange Days: Aliens, Adventurers, Devils, and Dames from the same publisher featured some beautifully reproduced plates of original pulp covers by Virgil Finlay, Edd Cartier, Margaret Brundage, Hannes Bok, Harold W. McCauley, George Rozen, J. Allen St John and other artists, but suffered from lazy research.
With essays by George Beahm, Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King from Centipede Press was a massive volume featuring more than 500 images by numerous artists, including Michael Whelan, J.K. Potter, Les Edwards and Dave McKean. Frank Darabont supplied the Introduction and publisher Jerad Walters contributed an Afterword. As with the imprint’s previous Lovecraft art book, it was available in a bewildering variety of expensive editions, including a “regular” slipcased edition of 1,500 copies ($295); a 300-copy traycased edition with extra prints signed by thirty-three artists ($995), and a traycased edition of fifty copies containing an original drawing by Michael Whelan ($1,295).
From Fantagraphics Books, Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons was a collection of all the artist’s macabre cartoons for Playboy (many in full colour), along with five short stories and an interview with Wilson about working for the magazine. The three-volume slipcased set was edited by Gary Groth, with Introductions by Hugh Heffner and Neil Gaiman.
Published by McFarland & Company, Jane Frank’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary contained information on 400 artists, including biographical data and a bibliographical listing of each artist’s published work in the genre. The hardcover also included an historical overview of the last quarter of a century written by the author and Robert Weinberg, along with Appendices listing the artist recipients of all the major genre awards.
The legendary (and sometimes controversial) Shasta imprint from the 1950s returned to publishing with From the Pen of Paul: The Fantastic Images of Frank R. Paul edited with an Introduction and commentary by Stephen D. Korshak. The large-size retrospective included articles by Forrest J Ackerman, Gerry de la Ree and Sam Moskowitz, amongst others.
It was available from Shasta/Phoenix in a hardcover trade edition, a 184-copy slipcased deluxe edition, and a $395.95 “ultra deluxe” edition limited to 100 numbered and twenty-six lettered copies that included additional art and the last signature of the late Arthur C. Clarke, who supplied the Preface. A revised deluxe edition subsequently added a bibliographical index of Paul’s artwork by Jerry Weist and Robert Weinberg.
From Illustrated Press, Norman Saunders was a handsome hardcover art book about the eponymous pulp and magazine artist (1907-89) with biographical text by his son, David.
Daniel Zimmer and David J. Hornung’s Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures from the same imprint was a sumptuous hardcover showcasing the work of the artist best known for his iconic horror and SF movie posters for American International Pictures during the late 1950s and ’60s.
The Child Thief, written and illustrated by Brom, was a dark retelling of Peter Pan, while Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Steve Davis and Carolyn Gardner was an illustrated book based on characters from the 1993 movie.
Written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot, Grandview was a full-colour steampunk adventure inspired by the nineteenth-century French caricaturist J.J. Grandville, and Crazy Hair was a children’s picture book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean.
The Black Doll contained the art and screenplay for an unproduced silent film by Edward Gorey, along with an interview with the late artist.
Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal illustrated a sadly abridged version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, while Tales of Death and Dementia was a young adult collection featuring four tales by Edgar Allan Poe, with illustrations by Gris Grimly.
From Titan Books, The Best of Simon and Kirby was a hefty hardcover compilation devoted to the eighteen-year partnership between legendary comics veterans Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the team that created Captain America. With informative essays by Mark Evanier and an Introduction by the ninety-six-year-old Simon himself, the oversized hardcover reprinted twenty-six full-colour strips and various covers covering the superhero, science fiction, war, romance, crime, Western, horror and comedy genres, along with a useful checklist.
Illusions was a slim print-on-demand paperback from Black Coat Press showcasing the colour and black-and-white artwork of Daniele Serra.
At the beginning of September, the Walt Disney Company announced a $4 billion (£2.5 billion) shares and cash deal to buy Marvel Entertainment, which gave the Disney organization control of more than 5,000 Marvel characters.
From Marvel, Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death was a graphic novel prequel to the book series written by Hamilton and Jonathon Green and illustrated by Wellington Alves. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Guilty Pleasures: The Complete Collection reprinted the first twelve issues of the 2007–08 comic book series with a new Introduction by Hamilton.
Marvel’s The Stand: Captain Trips collected the five-issue mini-series based on the first part of Stephen King’s novel in hardcover format.
The first release from Del Rey Comics was The Talisman: The Road of Trials, a new collaboration by Stephen King and Peter Straub, illustrated by Tony Shasteen. The mini-series began with an “Issue 0”, with the first edition published in November.
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son Volume One was a graphic adaptation by writer Chuck Dixon and illustrator Brett Booth of the novel by Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson, based on Koontz’s original concept for a TV series.
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming was a graphic origin story of the shapeshifter heroine by Patricia Briggs and David Lawrence, illustrated by Francis Tsai and Amelia Woo. The hardcover also included an interview with Briggs.
The Dark-Hunters Volume 1 was a manga adaptation of the second novel in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s series by Joshua Hale Fialkov, illustrated by Claudia Campos.
Based on the YA vampire novel by Darren Shan (Darren O’Shaughnessy), Cirque du Freak Volume 1 was another manga comics adaptation, illustrated by Takahiro Arai.
P. Craig Russell adapted and illustrated Neil Gaiman’s Coraline into graphic novel format.
In DC Comics’ limited mini-series Blackest Night and related titles, Earth’s Green Lanterns discovered that a dark power could bring recently killed superheroes back to life.
House of Mystery 2: Love Stories for Dead People from DC/Vertigo was a graphic anthology of creepy stories written by Matthew Sturges with superb art by Luca Rossi and several guest artists (including Bernie Wrightson), along with a special sketchbook by Rossi.
In May, Dark Horse Comics launched the first volume of Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives, a hardcover collection of the Gold Key comic series of the 1960s and 1970s, with a new Introduction by Sara Karloff. Two months later, the publisher also revived the old Warren title Creepy with new material from Bernie Wrightson, Angelo Torres and others.
From Top Shelf Productions, the third volume of The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Neill, contained three stories that spanned almost a century as the Antichrist Project spawned the apocalyptic Moonchild. One scene set in a gentleman’s club involved a number of classic occult detectives.
Ray Bradbury contributed a new Introduction to Tim Hamilton’s “Authorized” graphic adaptation of his novel Fahrenheit 451, issued as a full colour trade paperback by Harper/Voyager.
Bradbury also supplied the Introduction to Garry Gianni’s exquisite graphic version of Jules Verne’s Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, published in oversized hardcover format by California’s Flesk Publications. As a bonus, the book also included H.G. Wells’ 1896 short story “Sea Raiders”, also illustrated by Gianni. It was available as a 600-copy signed and numbered edition, and a fifty-copy deluxe edition that included original preliminary artwork.
Also from Flesk, Major Thrill’s Adventure Book was an inexpensive showcase of Gary Gianni’s distinctive, pulp-inspired black-and-white artwork.
Robert M. Heske’s independent Heske Horror imprint published Cold Blooded Chillers: Tales of Suburban Murder & Malice: Bone Chiller featuring nine black-and-white illustrated stories and a short script all written by Heske. From the same publisher came 2012: Final Prayer: An End of Times Anthology.
Series star John Barrowman collaborated with his sister Carole on the script for “Captain Jack and the Selkie”, a comic strip in the first 100-page issue of the Torchwood magazine, published in February.
Greg Cox wrote the film novelization of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, while the very busy Alan Dean Foster churned out the tie-ins to the new Star Trek movie and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Transformers: The Veiled Threat was an official prequel to the two film series by Foster, while Max Allan Collins wrote the film tie-in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra along with G.I. Joe: Above & Beyond, which was an official prequel to that proposed movie franchise based on the Hasbro toys and cartoons.
Terminator: Salvation: From the Ashes was a prequel by Timothy Zahn, and Steve Perry’s Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead was set in the world of the movie series.
Based on a screenplay by Diablo Cody, Audrey Nixon’s YA novelization Jennifer’s Body only featured Cody’s name on the cover.
Screenwriter Dave Eggers’ The Wild Things, a loose novelization of the film version of Where the Wild Things Are, came in both a regular hardcover and a faux fur-covered edition.
The Box was a movie tie-in reissue of the collection Button, Button, which contained eleven stories and a poem by Richard Matheson, and the tie-in edition of Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon contained a bound-in colour poster.
“The Movie Collector’s Edition” of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline not only included the original novel illustrated by Dave McKean, but also eight pages of colour stills, extensive notes by the author and screenwriter/director Henry Selick, and an excerpt from the script.
The tenth Doctor found himself on a haunted planet trying to destroy a powerful weapon in Doctor Who: The Eyeless by Lance Parkin, while the Time Lord encountered an old foe in Doctor Who: Prisoner of the Daleks by Trevor Baxendale and teamed up again with companion Donna Noble in Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell.
In Jacqueline Rayner’s “Quick Reads” chapbook Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games, the Doctor investigated a series of murders at an academy for top athletes.
Based on the ITV series, Primeval: Fire and Water by Simon Guerrier involved Professor Cutter and his team investigating anomalies at a South African safari park and in a rain-swept East London.
Paranormal romance writer Doranna Durgin’s Ghost Whisperer: Ghost Trap was the latest tie-in to the TV series, while James Swallow’s SG-U: Stargate Universe: Air was another TV tie-in.
Meanwhile, David Mack’s The 4400: Promises Broken was a belated tie-in to the CBS TV show that was cancelled in 2007.
Tim Lebbon’s Hellboy: The Fire Wolves was a tie-in to the comic book series created by Mike Mignola, while 30 Days of Night: Light of Day by Jeff Mariotte was set in the graphic novel world created by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith.
Doom 3: Maelstrom by Matthew Costello was based on the video game.
Despite showcasing some superb stills and posters, Michael Mallory’s Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror was a disappointing trip through the studio’s history, from the silent era to the early 1960s. The Mummy director Stephen Sommers’ perfunctory Foreword pretty much exemplified the cash-in nature of Universe Publishing’s overpriced hardcover.
Apparently aimed at Dirty Old Horror Fans, Marcus Hearn’s sumptuous Hammer Glamour from Titan Books was a tribute to the studio’s female stars, including Valerie Leon, Caroline Munro, Kate O’Mara, Ingrid Pitt, Barbara Shelley and many others, with new interviews and previously unseen photographs from the Hammer archives. A special 600-copy was also available, signed by a number of the featured actresses.
From Telos Publishing, It Lives Again! Horror Movies in the New Millennium was a year-by-year look by actress Axelle Carolyn at horror films released in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The oversized, full-colour volume included a Foreword by the author’s husband, director Neil Marshall, and an Introduction by Mick Garris.
The inevitable Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion and New Moon: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion, both by Mark Cotta Vaz, were guides to the awful film series based on the books by Stephenie Meyer.
Coraline: A Visual Companion by Stephen Jones was a full-colour coffee-table book looking at the creation of the stop-motion movie, the original novel and other related items, with an Introduction by Neil Gaiman.
Polish author Bartłomiej Paszylk’s The Pleasure and Pain of Cult Horror Films from McFarland & Company covered eighty-eight so-called “cult” movies, dating from 1921 through to 2005.
Rick Atkins’ Among the Rugged Peaks . . . An Intimate Biography of Carla Laemmle was published by Midnight Marquee Press. Unfortunately, the ninety-nine-year-old niece of Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle, who appeared in the original Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Dracula (1931), deserved something better than this poorly written and scrappily written tome.
At the 81st Academy Awards on February 23, the late Heath Ledger was predictably announced as the winner of the Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a maniacal Joker in the otherwise overrated The Dark Knight. The film also picked up the award for Sound Editing, while other Oscars went to the equally inflated Wall•E for Animated Feature and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for Art Direction, Make-up and Visual Effects.
In November, the once-powerful Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced that it was considering a “potential sale” to raise the $4 billion (£2.4 million) it needed to get the company out of debt.
Meanwhile, independent UK distributor Redemption Films, set up by Nigel Wingrove in 1992 to release horror and soft-porn movies, went into administration.
After a failed attempt in June by New Line Cinema to have a judge rule on a compensation claim by the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien for more than $270 million (£180 million), a settlement was agreed in September, just a month before the case was set to go to trial. The agreement meant that two films based on The Hobbit could finally move ahead.
The seventy-six-year-old Rosemary’s Baby director Roman Polanski was arrested by Swiss police in September on an international warrant related to a 1977 charge of having unlawful sex with a thirteen-year-old girl. Polanksi admitted the crime, but fled the US in 1978 before he could be sentenced.
The Oscar-winning film director, who had been fighting extradition back to America for thirty years, was held after arriving in Switzerland to receive an honorary award at the Zurich Film Festival. Salman Rushdie and Neil Jordan were among those who signed a petition urging Polanski’s release from prison, before the director was granted bail at the end of November after his fourth attempt.
In June, the US box-office fell behind
the previous summer’s results for the third straight week in a row as the expected blockbusters failed to materialize. However, in the UK cinema, box-office takings in 2009 reached a record £1 billion as admissions were at their highest since 2002. Although British films only accounted for a 16.5 per cent share of the market, according to the UK Film Council overseas investment more than doubled, making it the second best year for production on record.
David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had the most successful opening of any film in the series so far, taking $79.5 million in its first three days at the US box-office. An adaptation of the penultimate book in the series, it featured the death of a major character.
Six years after Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) denounced the ‘‘Harry Potter’’ books for “distorting Christianity”, in July the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano proclaimed its approval of the latest film in the series for depicting good triumphing over evil. However, the same publication slated Avatar, describing the SF epic as “technology without emotion”.
James Cameron’s film was sneak-previewed in August at IMAX theatres with an unprecedented sixteen-minute trailer. Reportedly costing more than $300 million, it took 3-D computer animation to a new level. Unfortunately, the story – about a disabled marine (Sam Worthington) travelling to the mineral-rich planet of Pandora and taking the form of one of the native life-forms – was surprisingly simplistic for the most expensive movie ever made.
Despite its narrative shortcomings, Avatar recouped its budget in just fifteen days and went on to become the fastest film ever to earn $1 billion (£625.6 million) at the worldwide box-office, passing that milestone just two days later.
Michael Bay’s noisy sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen once again teamed Shia LaBeouf’s nerdish hero and his unlikely girlfriend played by Megan Fox with the heroic Autobots in a race against time to prevent the Decepticons from raising the ultimate evil. Depressingly, after just five weeks it became the tenth highest-grossing film of all time.
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Page 8