Sunday, November 29, 2009

"War Of The Worlds" (1953) Take 2

War Of The Worlds
Hello, Pulp Friends,

I did promise you that I was going back to take a more "realistic" stab at these guys for the 1953 classic "War of the WOrlds", didn't I? ;)
Well, the last thing I want to happen is that people say I don't keep my promises :)

I went a bit more elaborated (in terms of composition) on this for two reasons: 1) it's a clear tribute to my previous vintage videogame take, with the aliens coming down from the sky; 2) it's the last Sunday of November, so this is the closing tribute for this Alien month.
But fear not, since I am not nearly done with the Watchers from Outer Space, so... expect more in the future and in the meanwhile watch the skies. ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Friday, November 27, 2009

"Zontar: The Thing From Venus" (1966)

Zontar: The Thing From Venu
... although his name is untranslatable to any Earth language, it would sound something like Zontar.

Hello, Pulp Friends,

We leave the pseudo tukey-alien of yesterday (hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving) for a more "real" (HAHA!) alien today: ZONTAR, The Thing From Venus! :D
When you make a low budget remake of the low budget movie "It Conquered the World" (1956, directed by Roger Corman), what you get is a B-movie square :D
Hope you dig my "take" on Zontar and looking at it now, the skeleton of yesterday, minus waddle, could be Zontar's skeleton ;)

Wish you all a wonderful Black Friday :D

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Alien Turkey (?)

Ro-Man Vs Mr Snuffleupagus
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, everyone :)
And thank you so much, guys, for making Pulp Sunday a place so cool to hang around :)

Cheers,
Francesco

P.S. I was planning to post this in the Sketchblog too but I didn't want to ruin the cute sequence of Sesame St tributes over there ;)

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Ro-Man Vs Mr Snuffleupagus?

Ro-Man Vs Mr Snuffleupagus
A silly little sequence sparkled by my recent offerings to Pulp Sunday and to my sketchblog ;)
It's pretty clear who is gonna win this match ;)
Hope you get a laugh or two from it like I did :D

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

"Robot Monster" (1953)

Robot Monster
Moon monsters launch attack against Earth! How can science meet the menace of astral assassins? New Science Fiction Thrills!

Hello, Pulp Friends,

Today's offering, "Robot Monster", directed by Phil Tucker in 1953, is in the same category of "Plan 9 From Outer Space": CULT movies! :D
Speaking of Plan 9, I should feature it in here as well - definitely ;)
Meanwhile I leave you with Ro-Man, our helemted primate from the moon and with my wish to draw a full book, one day, with this guy. I would LOVE to do that :)

Wish you all a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Marquis Pt.1

The Marquis
Hello, Pulp Friends,

just wanted to share this little B-Day card I did last night for Mr Guy Davis, extraordinaire and uber-talented artist of BPRD and of his creator owned "The Marquis".
The title says Pt.1 becuase I do plan to do a more wide and action oriented shot of the Marquis at a certain point :)

Buon Compleanno, Guy, and thanks for giving us all those beautifully rendered nightmares :D

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"The Marquis" © and TM 2009 Guy Davis.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

"It Came From Outer Space" (1953)

It Came From Outer Space
Hello, Pulp Friends,

1953 seemed to be the golden year for sci-fi and alien invasions.
After "Invaders From Mars" and "War of the Worlds", from the same year, we deal today with the monstrous aliens of "It Came From Outer Space" ("Destinazione... Terra!" in its Italian release), written by Ray Bradbury and directed by Jack Arnold.

Monstrous aliens, I said, but in this case first impressions can be deceiving.
Stranded in the Arizona desert, the monstrous, but pacific, crew of an alien ship xenomorphically take the aspect of the local people so they can fix the ship without alarming anyone and leave to go back home.
A classic indeed :)

Wish you all a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Back to Crystal Lake

Back to Crystal Lake - A Francavilla Mystery
Hello, Pulp Friends,

I couldn't help, considering today's date, to do another Friday the 13th piece, and to make it fit in Pulp Sunday, I dressed it up like those '50s Dell covers.

Hope you guys dig it and hope you all have a Happy Friday the 13th! :D

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Beardy Hornsworth, Occult Detective

Beardy Hornsworth, Occult Detective
Hello, Pulp Friends,

We take a little break from the Aliens to introduce Beardy Hornsworth, Occult Detective :D
I had to draw this after seeing the SuperTalentedWriter and VeryGoodFriend Jason Aaron posting this Halloween mugshot of him on his blog
I think Beardy Hornsworth should totally have its own title, don't you agree? Of course I would be delighted to illustrate it if Jason makes that happen ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

"War Of The Worlds" (1953)

War Of The Worlds
Hello, Pulp Friends,

There is anything to add about this movie? I hope not becuase I am short on time ;)
I just hope you guys dig the more "different" approach of this week tribute ;)
Planning to do a more "realistic" portrait of these bad guys later this week.

Hope you all had a wonderful Pulp Sunday :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Friday, November 6, 2009

"Invaders From Mars" (1953)

Invaders From Mars
Hello, Pulp Friends,

I feel like I have been neglecting this blog a bit, after the "busy" Halloween month in October - I just have a few deadlines I need to take care so I have been focusing on "work" lately ;) As matter of fact I haven't had chance yet to watch the "V" series premiere, even if I DVRed it so maybe this weekend I will fix that.

Meanwhile here's a classic for our Alien November: "Invaders From Mars" (or "Gli Invasori SPaziali" in its italian release), directed in 1953 by William Cameron Menzies and remade later in the 80s.

Quick Synopsis: A kid witnesses a starship landing on Earth and disappearing undergorund. He tries to warn everyone about this but only a doctor believes him.
Shot in 3D, this movie is the proof that you can accomplish a lot with really good ideas, even if the budget is tight.
Paranoid, obsessive, unforgettable.


Happy Pulp Friday, everybody! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"Vultus Premens Belua" (1204 circa)

Vultus Premens Belua
Hello, Pulp Friends,

as mentioned yesterday, this November will be dedicated to all those aliens out(er) there who try to conquer Earth (or let's say we prefer them evil ;))
The occasion is the premiere of the new "V" series on ABC, a series I very much look forward to, being a big fan of the 1980s first version with Marc Singer and Michael Ironside (among others).

To start, a little Vultus Premens Belua, found in a bestiarium from 1204 and in a series of successful movies in recent years ;)
Stay tuned for more "Watchers form Outer Space"!

Happy Pulp Sunday, everybody! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2009 Francesco Francavilla.
"Watchers from Outer Space" © and TM 2009 Francesco Francavilla.