Month: March 2011

Just a quick note of thanks before I dash up to WonderCon in San Francisco to all my friends and fans (and those who are both) who voted for me for the Rondo Awards.

I woke up to an e-mailbox full of congratulations this morning. I won a Rondo Award as an inductee into the Monster Kid Hall of Fame! I don’t know if I’d be as excited to win an Oscar.

I have always felt such a part of the Monster Kid community. Most of my friends who share an enthusiasm for All Things Monster all started like me — as monster fans who eventually grew up and somehow ended up in this crazy biz, creating our own creatures for film with fellow creators who grew up reading Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.

I gotta get going, but I can’t take off without at least thanking the Godfather of us all, Uncle Forry Ackerman. Thanks, Forry! You sowed your own version of the hydra’s teeth. Wherever the pages of your magazine fell, Monster Kids sprang up!

WOO HOO!

Here is a link to your Rondo Awards ballot:
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/36293/S–OFFICIAL-BALLOT—NINTH-ANNUAL-RONDO-HATTON-CLASSIC-HORR

Thanks for voting!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I better get some green on before I get pinched! My pal Sam made me an early St. Pat’s Day dinner a few days ago: good ol’ corned beef and cabbage.

Love and shamrocks to everyone! Convention season is almost upon us! First up: WonderCon in San Francisco.

You might recall I was desperate to get a hold of a copy of the richly illustrated compendium Ray Harryhausen – Master of the Magicks Volume 2. As much as I wanted the book I couldn’t see paying the current asking price of $1200 (!) for what was a $60 book just a couple of months ago. I offered an exchange of a drawing for a copy of the book.

Keith Walton came through with a mint copy for me. In return, he asked if I would draw him a picture of Gwangi battling a Styracosaurus, a scene from Ray’s The Valley of Gwangi. I thought that fans of my stuff and of Harryhausen’s work might like to see what I drew. That picture is what’s above this post.

I just e-mailed Keith asking if he’d like me to color the picture (at no charge, of course). If he says “Yes” I’ll post an image of the color version once it’s finished.

Cheers!