In honor of releasing his new posters for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS tomorrow, Aaron Horkey was kind enough to put together a TOP 10 list of his favorite Mondo posters of 2013, which you can read about below:
10. Alien by Randy Ortiz October 2013
This poster is as cold and dark as Winnipeg in December. I can imagine Randy slaving away on the sinewy intricacies of the facehugger wrapped up in an afghan, cat on lap, space heater under desk, fingerless gloves - the whole nine. Detailed yet sparse and perfectly composed, the silent terror of the film is wonderfully captured.
9. Rambo: First Blood Part II by Tomer Hanuka
November 2013 A fantastic update on traditional Ukiyo-e composition and palette, the title chop is a brilliant touch. Diagonally splitting the image and peppering trace amounts of red among the muted green tones really speaks to Hanuka's mastery. As refined and classy as a poster featuring Stallone could hope to be.
8. King Kong by William Stout July 2013
One of my all time favorite illustrators, I was thrilled to hear Mondo had tapped Stout for Kong. Placing the ape at the top of a classic pyramid composition and grounding the whole thing with those massive block letters gives the entire image the heft it deserves. The halo of pterosaurs swarming Kong and the mutated beasts hidden among the lushly detailed jungle foliage are great touches as well. Of added interest is a step by step process entry of the poster's creation on Stout's web log journal (HERE) which is certainly worth your time.
7. Vault of Horror by Florian Bertmer November 2013
I feel like Florian finally came into his own this year and this stunning inclusion to the Tales From the Crypt show really cemented it. Beautifully embellished gore, the worn corners and flayed comic spine are great touches.
6. Creepshow (Variant) by Mike Sutfin September 2013
Speaking of detailed skulls, being able to fully examine this poster up close is just breathtaking. The textures in the nasal cavity alone are unbelievable and the use of glow in the dark inks is much more than a trite gimmick here. The scale of the piece actually gives the impression of moonlight hitting the ghoul as it peers into the room... Fantastic.
5. Jaws by Laurent Durieux January 2013
A truly amazing poster - the upper left hand corner alone with it's wonderfully stylized buildings and vehicle are enough to make me throw my hands up in exasperation. The fact that the other 7/8 of the piece is just as good is the finely crosshatched nail in the coffin. Understated and completely novel in it's approach, a high water mark for an illustrator with a nearly perfect track record.
4. Magnolia by Joao Ruas May 2013
I've already extolled the obvious virtues of this poster earlier this year, so I'll use this virtual real estate to remind you, fair reader, to make haste to the city of Los Angeles for Mr. Ruas' next solo gallery show in February 2014. All signs point to a barn-burner of the highest magnitude.
3. Sydney by Rich Kelly May 2013
So advanced in so many ways, I feel like a fucking Neanderthal looking at this thing - slack jawed and mouth breathing. The lighting, the layout, the overlaid diagram - how does one conceive of, let alone execute, such a thing? Rich, you still win.
2. The Grandmaster (Chinese version) by Vania Zouravliov August 2013
If the devil does, in fact, reside in the details, looking at an illustration by Vania is akin to seeing through the eyes of Mephistopheles. This poster, using only a couple of colors, is one of the most captivating images I've seen all year. The way the soft, oblong border pulls the viewer's eye around the entirety of this lavishly opulent work is just remarkable. And the brush work on the title... just kill me now.
1. Taxi Driver by Martin Ansin March 2013
Perfection.
