In no particular order, here are thirteen of my favorite posters we released in 2019, plus five honorable mentions, because it's my arbitrary list and I had a hard time trying to do just ten.
VERTIGO by Matthew Woodson
Matthew is one of my favorite illustrators ever. He knows this because I've told him probably every time he creates new art, and now you do, too. Just about any new work we get from him leaves my eyes stunned, mouth agape, and brain wondering: "how?" His take on VERTIGO Is no different. You can enjoy the art in jpeg form, but it really needs to be experienced in person to pore over every piece of brilliance in this poster. The devil is in the details, and Matthew, he's got the Devil in him.
HALLOWEEN by Jiwoon Pak
I struggle to think of another poster this year that lit Mondo's collective fire like pure gasoline as much as Jiwoon Pak's HALLOWEEN. There's a lot of art for this film, and a lot of it is great. None of it looks like Jiwoon's, and Jiwoon's is also utterly great.
THE HANDMAIDEN by Tula Lotay
The color. The composition. The illustration. The storytelling. This poster has everything. Every new piece of work we get out of Tula is a blessing, and I'm so proud we were able to pull this together in time for a release at Thought Bubble, a spiritual sister convention to our own MondoCon, and a show that Tula serves as founder and director of. This poster came together fast and furious, and with the brilliant help of the mighty Jason Edmiston handling print separations and DL's usual masterful printing, it comfortably finds its place among my favorites we produced in 2019, and probably one of the best screen printed posters of 2019.
FULL METAL JACKET by Oliver Barrett
Thematically rich and superbly illustrated. OB has a penchant for creating art that hits like a ton of bricks and leaves you shellshocked. His artwork is a perfect and beautiful compliment for Kubrick's masterful take on war.
THE SANDLOT by Paul Mann / THE SANDLOT by Matt Ryan Tobin
Okay, this is kind of a cheat, but both of these posters for THE SANDLOT are so perfectly well done that I couldn't choose one over the other. Paul's classic style is a perfect match here. A gorgeous slice of Americana that feels like it could've come from the brush of Haddon Sundblom. Meanwhile, Matty's poster reminds us what's really at stake. The battle between man and beast over Bill's, I mean dad's, signed baseball from someone named Ruth... Baby Ruth.
COCO by César Moreno
I had a really tough time just choosing one of César's posters for this list. He had one heck of a 2019 and it's been a privilege to work on as many projects together as we did this year. In the end, I had to go with the poster that meant the most to me, personally, and that was COCO. César's illustration and use of color and shadow on this poster is top tier. A complete celebration of one of Pixar's greats, and a beautiful homage to Mexican culture that hits close to home for me. I'm so proud that we were able to include this film in our recent Pixar gallery show, and that César was able to give it so much life. Also, the printing on this poster in particular by Cyclops Print Works is just unbelievable.
AVENGERS: ENDGAME by Matt Taylor
Matt Taylor is a gift. It was a toss up between this poster and DETECTIVE PIKACHU for this list, but in the end this poster just edged out the cute pocket monster for its sheer scale and the immense challenge Matt was presented with: a single poster illustration for a movie that is the culmination of 22 other movies that features well over 20 iconic heroes, one of the best villains of our time, and time travel. Matt lifted the hammer with grace and delivered a poster that celebrates the entirely of the MCU and it's titanic legacy.
SUSPIRIA by Jack Hughes
A total and absolute stunner. This is one of those posters that, every time I showed a co-worker around the office, would leave their jaw dropped. Jack has created a piece of art that is hypnotic, visceral, erotic, and nervewrackingly unsettling. A consummate marriage between artist and film.
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE by Martin Ansin
One of my very favorite movies. One of my very favorite artists. What is not to love? Martin proves yet again why he's one of the very best illustrators working today. This poster is every bit as fun as the film itself, and Martin's use of foil is masterful, allowing its use to elevate and enhance the art with purpose rather than compete against it or make it feel like a gimmick.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD by Joao Ruas
A masterclass in poster illustration. Any work produced from Joao will find its way on a "top" list from me. As soon as Joao sent over final art, we immediately knew this had to be a MondoCon screening, if only to be able to show the art as large as humanly possible on a movie screen to hear a theater full of jaw dropping gasps. It didn't disappoint. That it happens to be for one of the best films of the last 15 years is an oil-covered cherry on top.
JOJO RABBIT by Chen Liang
When we first went in to watch this film, we knew the challenge we were facing: How do you create a poster for a film that deals with such difficult subject matter, and deliver something that folks will want to hang on their wall? Thankfully, Chen Liang had a brilliant solution that summed up the film's themes and story in a beautiful and poignant way. It took all of three seconds after walking out of the film screening for Rob and I to turn to each other and say: "it's the rabbit in the cage illustration, right?" Rob laid out the artwork and did the title/billing work, and it works beautifully in tandem with Chen's perfect illustration. I love this poster and this movie.
THE EXORCIST by Timothy Pittides
This is our first poster with Tim and, wow, did he deliver some evil with this poster. Such a strong and confident concept that is equal parts struggle, relief, danger, hope, pain, and blessing -- all beautifully rendered by Tim's own steady hand. Gorgeous and horrifying.
"IT'S AN ART SHOW, CHARLIE BROWN" by Charles Schulz
I'm sure Mitch and Rob have also said something along these lines in their lists, but this is probably in my top 5 gallery shows we've ever done. The entire collection is something I'm immensely proud of, and one of the few times I've wanted to plaster my house, or at least a room, in our posters. Removing individual panels from the context of the full comic strip elevates the art to an entirely new level. Charlie Brown has always been everyone's favorite sad boy, and the existential dread that permeates this collection speaks to our collective lost hearts. GO HOME, MASKS, and BEAUTIFUL in particular are stand-outs for me.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
AGE OF MARVEL by Rich Kelly, Johnny Dombrowski, and Tom Whalen
This is three posters, I know, but it's really a celebration of Marvel as a whole. When Marvel approached us about this project and idea to celebrate 80 amazing years, it was a no brainer. I love that we were able to break it down into a celebration of three iconic eras of Marvel heroes: Golden Age, Silver Age, and Modern Age. Early in the process, we had the idea to present Captain America as the thread that weaves it all together, and each artist, Rich Kelly, Johnny Dombrowski, and Tom Whalen, took each respective era and delivered stunning artwork worthy of the mighty Marvel Universe. The fact that this art was also used as variant comic covers further cements this as one of the projects I'm most proud of in 2019.
METAL GEAR SOLID by Sachin Teng
Sachin Teng can do no wrong and this poster for METAL GEAR SOLID is a beautiful testament to that. It's bold, frenzied, and unquestionably cool, just like the game itself, and a brilliant entry that sits beautifully beside Sachin's previous work for seminal video games (MEGA MAN / 2018, CASTLEVANIA / 2017).
PSYCHO by Phantom City Creative
Phantom City Creative deliver an eye-catchingly beautiful and clever poster for one of Hitchcock's very best. This poster works on a lot of levels, but its use of color, typographic layout, and bold graphics make this quintessential PCC by way of Saul Bass. Gorgeous.
DOOM by Gabz
Not a whole lot to say here. Gabz is a fan of the game and it shows. This poster feels deadly and kicks all sorts of ass.
X-MEN: GRAND DESIGN by Ed Piskor
One of my favorite comics, not just of recent times, but of all times. Ed Piskor's brilliant and mind-blowing retelling of X history is nothing short of astonishing, and I'm so proud we were able to partner up with him to give his incredible artwork the screen printed treatment.
