Pulp Screen: "Phantom From Space", 1953

Hello Pulp friends,

Hope everyone is enjoying these Holidays :)

Before gettin' to the Holiday SPecial part 2 for the last of year (tune in as it's also the 100 post in Pulp Sunday, so it should be big, I hope ;)), here's another tribute to a less known Sci-Fi classic, here in its Italian dress (which I took as inspiration).
Directed by W. Lee Wilder, "Phantom From Space", from 1953.
Happy Sunday everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Please Click on the sepia image for the full Technicolor image.

"The Cold, The Frozen, And The Iced" ~ A Holiday Special Part.1

Hello Pulp Friends,

The above is my way to wish you all and your families a very Happy Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year!
2008 has been a great year for me also thanks to all of you dear friends who supported and fueled this little pulp venture I have going here. I am hoping to deliver more pulp art in 2009 and spend some more quality time with you all.

Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Screen: "The Man From Planet X", 1951

Hello Pulp friends,

I am probably going to tribute some more classic sci-fi movies so I guess that turns December in Pulp Sci-Fi month ;)

The original movie posters were announcing "the weirdest Visitor the Earth has ever seen". I am not sure if this is the weirdest, but it sure is the coolest in that Wally Wood kinda way :)
From 1951, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and with Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, I give you "The Man From Planet X"!
Once agai, click on the sepia image for the full Technicolor image ;)

Enjoy! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Screen: "Earth Versus the Flying Saucers", 1956

Helo Pulp Friends,

while we wait to find some other radio show to be the subject of my Sunday illustrations (apparently the Shadow episodes have been taken down from the Archive), let's keep it going with some more classic Sci-Fi cult.
This time it's the turn of "Earth Versus the Flying Saucers", from director Fred F. Sears.
Well, the title is pretty self-explanatory ;) I wanted to add that the movie had some cool special effect thanks to magician Ray Harryhausen, and that Tim Burton tribute the flying saucers showing perfect replicas in his Mars Attacks!

Cheers,
Francesco

Edit: OK, had some time to put some color on it so click on the image for the Technicolor version ;)

Pulp Screen: "The Day the Earth Stood Still", 1951

Hello Pulp friends,

if I am not wrong, a certain "remake" is opening tomorrow here in US so I thought to tribute the original version, directed by Robert Wise.
The pacific alien Klaatu and his bodyguard robot Gort land in Washington on front of the White House and they bring a message (warning and ultimatum at the same time).
Inside Gort's costume there is the gigantic Locke Martin, a doorman at Hollywood who was often used in movies thanks to his incredible height. He fainted many times during the shooting of the movie because of the heat of the spotlights: try to imagine to be in that armor and be fully toasted...

KLAATU BARADA NIKTO, everyone :)

Francesco

Pulp Screen: "This Island Earth", 1953

My little tribute to Forrest J. Ackerman. I know he was the biggest fan of old sci-fi and horror movies.

This is for you, Uncle Forry. RIP.

Francesco

Click on the image for the cinemascope version.

"Mama Bates is cooking..." ~ A Thanksgiving Special

Hello Pulp Friends,

The above mini comic would be more effective if you have Hermann's violins playing in the background ;)

I wish you all and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Be safe, have fun, and don't eat too much ;)

If you are in the mood to go to the movies, the new 007 was a fun one (not the best but still lots of fun). And since I think 007 qualifies a bit as modern pulp, here's an extra for you :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Click on the above and below images for a bigger size.

Pulp Spotlight: The Sandman

Hello Pulp Friends,

Here's another character I wouldn't mind to draw an arc or two ;)

Attired in a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask, the Sandman used a gun emitting a sleeping gas to sedate criminals. He was originally one of the mystery men to appear in comic books and other types of adventure fiction in the 1930s but later developed into a more proper superhero, acquiring sidekick Sandy, and joining the Justice Society of America.

Cheers,
Francesco

Once again, click on the image for a bigger and colored version.

Classic Portraits: Errol Flynn in "Captain Blood" (1935)

Hello Pulp Friends,

I hope you are enjoying this series because I got a new one to throw into it before starting to work ;)

Today's portrait is dedicated to Errol Flynn in the swashbuckling fun of "Captain Blood", where he starred with Olivia de Havilland.
This is definitely not the last time we see him: a few other famous movies with Flynn call for being tributed ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

Classic Portraits: Tracy in "Riffraff" (1936) & Lorre in "Think Fast Mr Moto" (1936)

Hello Pulp Friends,

That's right, it's a new features week I guess ;)

Classic Portraits will see famous movie faces from the '30s, '40s, and '50s (I think that should do it for now) portraited like movie posters. Hope you guys dig the idea and enjoy the art, and as usual feel free to consider this as a starting point of discussions and chats on our favorite movies :)

Let's start with a couple of classics: Spencer Tracy in "Riffraff" (1936) and Peter Lorre in "Think Fast, Mr Moto" (from the same year). Speaking of Mr Moto, the '30s saw lots of "Great Detectives from East" (mostly starred by not-Eastern actors) so expect to see more of them in here too ;)

Finally a little trivia (if we can call it that way): the style of these portraits is inspired by the original movie poster of Riffraff featuring a beautiful portrait of the gorgeous Jean Harlow.

Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Screen: "King Kong", 1933

Hello Pulp Friends,

Time for a new feature, I think ;)
The idea came after having paid tribute to some movies (sometime ago with "White Zombie" and recently with "The Spider's Web", among others) - we have been covering radio show, comics and serials, and even literature and folklore (with Zorro and the recent Witches), so what about having a section for the good ol' classic movies?

Let's start this with a fan favorite, evergreen cult classic like "King Kong". I think the illo says it all so I will just leave you to the movie ;)
**Lights go off and the projector starts rolling...**

Cheers,
Francesco

Click on the image for the technicolor movie poster ;)

Pulp Spotlight: The Phantom

Hello Pulp Friends,

Special day today so I thought to take care of this character too long overdue. I don't think it needs any introduction, am I right? All I can say is that this is not the last you have seen of him in here ;)
I will also add that it will be a good idea to click on the image if you want to see it bigger... and in color! :)

Hope you guys dig it and wish you all a wonderful day :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Double Feature: "The Spider's Web" & "The Locked Room Mystery"

Hello Pulp Friends,

Today double feature, like it was used to have a few years back in those matinee movie theaters :)

The above one is a real movie, from 1938, an attempt in putting the Spider in a real action movie. The result is something that reminds a bit the luchadores in the look (full head mask and web-ed cape ;). I decided to tribute that movie since we just recently were talking about the Spider, and that alternate look was cool and inspiring.

The next feature (below) is sadly just fruit of my imagination: I thought it would be cool to have a classic Agatha Christie mystery of the locked room murder with the Green Hornet.

Anyhow, hope you guys enjoy the features and please click on the images if you want to see them bigger :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Spotlight: The Spider (#2)

Hello Pulp Friends,

I know I have already dedicate a Pulp Spotlight to The Spider, but I thought that another illo showcasing our masked friend should be still well accepted while we wait to get out of the Halloween celebrations and get back to some old radio show.

Hope you guys dig it and wish you all a wonderful evening :)

Cheers,
Francesco

SotW: Black Annis

Hi guys,

today's witch is a legend in the UK that goes back in centuries and centuries...

BLACK ANNIS


She took the form of a one eyed wizened crone, immensely strong with sharp tearing teeth, long black claws and a blue face. She was said to hide in a giant oak, long since felled, that was once the remnants of a great forest, which covered the area. From this lofty perch she would leap out and eviscerate unwary travellers.

Although partial to all human flesh she took particular delight in eating young children, whom she flayed alive. She then hung their skins like a grisly trophy upon the walls of a cave known as Black Annis' Bower. She is said to have created the cave with her bare hands tearing through the rock with her iron claws.
(from Mysterious Britain and Ireland)

Have a great and safe Halloween, everyone :D

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

SotW: La ianara

Hi guys,

today's witch is well known in the areas where I was born, in the South of Italy...

LA IANARA


Able to fly and to generate severe storms, to kill pregnancies in women and animals, to shape-shift in animals, and to make kids lose their mind, the ianara, after completing the ritual of covering her body with oils, was used to clebrate the nights with her "witch-friends" and the devils, dancing and feasting on front of Belzebuth, prince of the demons.
As you can see, a pretty mean one in the Sisterhood of the Witches.

Make sure to be back tomorrow for the Halloween finale :)

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

SotW: The Witch of Wookey

Hi guys,

today we go in Somerset, UK, to meet a local, very famous legend...

THE WITCH OF WOOKEY


Deep in the dark caverns of Wookey Hole dwelt at one time the Witch of Wookey - and dwells there still, if the gossips are to be trusted, though she, her pots and pans and horrid "familiars" (as her goat) are all turned to stone.

A chagrined and disappointed woman, she used her merciless arts to blight girls' lives and keep them from the joys denied to herself. But she reckoned without a certain Holy Clerk of Glastonbury! With his Good Book he exorcised the Witch, and turned her to stone; he then cleansed from all evil the dreadful cavern.

Make sure to be back tomorrow for a new witch and have some true pulp scares everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

SotW: Baba Yaga

Hi guys,

today's witch is easily one of the most famous and most evil witches known in the world and one of the oldest legend too.

BABA YAGA


Baba Yaga, originally from Russian folklore, has been through a recent revival thanks to MIke MIgnola, who has used her in his Hellboy stories.
Maybe many of you are already familiar with her, but for those who aren't, Baba Yaga is known to be quite mean and to be a baby eater. She also lives in a house that has chicken feet and rides a mortar (even if she carries the classic broom as well).

Below, some detail of the illo.


More witches to follow. Make sure to be back tomorrow for a new witch and have some true pulp scares everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

SotW: The Bell Witch

Hi guys,

today's witch is a little less fictional than yesterday's. As matter of fact this one might be so "real" that she is believed to be the cause of John Bell's death.

THE BELL WITCH


John Bell moved in Tennessee with his family in 1803 looking for a better land. He found it and for several years things were going great and the family grew in number, until that day (or should I say night) in 1817 when John saw a weird animal, like a dog with a rabbit head, in his fields and tried to shoot it. Right after that, weird and creepy things started to happen: voices, noises, things moving, in and around the house, like an evil presence was haunting the place. And the legend of the Bell witch was born.
The witch was believed to be living in a cave on the Bells property and she seemed to have something personal with the capo familia. John started to get sick and sicker without no apparent reason and the day he died (Dec 19, 1820) they found a little bottle with dark liquid close to his bed. When they put a few drops on the mouth of the family cat, the cat instantly died.
I tried to put as many elements of this story in the image, trying to tell the legend with this illo. I hope I succeded a little bit.

Make sure to be back tomorrow for a new witch and have some true pulp scares everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

SotW: Asa Vajda

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE WITCHES.

Hi guys,

Halloween is just a few days away so I decided to start a countdown, here on Pulp Sunday, featuring every day a different Witch: what better than this to celebrate the night of Ognissanti? This way I will also make up for the lack of my posts in here in the last couple of weeks ;)
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the new feature called: The Sisterhood of the Witches!


SO to start the countdown, and being today Sunday, and being this Pulp Sunday ;), the choice was an easy one: Black Sunday (or La Maschera del Demonio, in its original title). Directed by Mario Bava, features the evil witch Asa Vayda and a creepy variation of the Iron Maiden (the mask in the title). Pretty scary movie, shot in a wonderful gothic style :)
Make sure to be back tomorrow for a new witch and have some true pulp scares everyone :)

Cheers,
Francesco

"Sisterhood of the Witches" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla

Zorro - Chapter 8

Hi guys,

Sorry for the long pause, but due to a sudden opening in my wife's schedule, we went to Italy to visit my family for a couple of weeks and just got back (still feeling the jet-leg effects).
And it seems I got back just in time for the early release of the final chapter of my arc on the origins of The Fox. As some of you will know by now, I am not drawing the next 6 issue arc (art duties will be given to Cesar Razek), but I will be providing the front covers for the whole second arc and should be back drawing the interior pages as well with the third arc. Meanwhile I will be busy, in the next few months, working on a mini for Wildstorm (details to follow).

Getting back on topic, here's some preview pages from Zorro #8 on sale today. Hope you guys have enjoyed the arc and thank you all for the always kind words and support.

Cheers,
Francesco

"The Sting" (1973)

A beautiful movie with unforgettable music by Scott Joplin.

In loving memory of Paul Newman.

See you later, Paul.

Francesco

Zorro - Chapter 7

Hi guys,

The penultimate chapter of Zorro's origins came out today: things are escalating as the two timelines are aligning toward the explosive (and I am not talking figuratively here ;)) finale in the next issue (out in October).
Till then I hope you all enjoy what Matt and I have cooked for you and this 2 pages B/W preview :)

Cheers,
Francesco

MPC Week: " Sin City: The Stolen Car"

Hello Pulp Friends!

As promised here's some more Sin City "stuff".

First a short story, well a "all-in-one-panel" story to be precise, featuring our old friend Marv. I suggest to click on the image below to display a bigger size version of it, so you can read Marv's captions. And speaking of it, I tried to censor the colorful talk of Marv but something might have gone through, so be prepared for his peculiar language ;)


And to end this post, a hearty tribute to that Yellow Bastard ;)

Cheers,
Francesco





"Modern Pulp Comics" © 2008 Francesco Francavilla