December 31, 2023

Derek Riggs


Derek Riggs is a contemporary British artist best known for creating the band Iron Maiden's mascot, "Eddie".

http://derek.server311.com/derekriggs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/derekriggsart/?hl=en

December 12, 2023

Vera Stanley Alder




Vera Stanley Alder 1894 – 1984
Alder was a successful portrait painter who began to explore into the meaning of life and researched into what is known as ‘The Ancient Wisdom.’ This she defined as ‘the vast body of information dealing with the meaning and purpose of man himself and the constitution and evolution of the whole universe.’ She saw her task as one of simplifying and summarising this information in order for it to be more accessible. She wrote several books and pamphlets on self-help and spirituality. She founded the World Guardian Fellowship.

December 9, 2023

Santo Street

https://www.santostreet.com/

https://www.santostreet.com/subpages/WWarticle.htm

The Mexican movie posters for sale on this website are all vintage originals.

David Fairbrother-Roe


Olias of Sunhillow

David Fairbrother-Roe

A Liverpool-born artist and graphic designer, Dave produced artwork for the original Isle of Wight Festivals, covers for Anne McCaffrey's pern books and album sleeves for Jon Anderson, Nazareth and Popol Ace.

https://dragondaze6.webnode.co.uk/

Olias of Sunhillow

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/features/jon-anderson-olias-of-sunhillow/

https://olias.wordpress.com/

December 2, 2023

November 4, 2023

Books


Woman's lore : 4,000 years of sirens, serpents and succubi by Sarah Clegg (2023)

Creatures like Lilith, the seductive first wife of Adam, and mermaids, who lured sailors to their death, are familiar figures in the genre of monstrous temptresses who use their charms to entice men to their doom. But if we go back 4,000 years, the roots of these demons lie in horrific creatures like Lamashtu, a lion-headed Mesopotamian demon who strangled infants and murdered pregnant women, and Gello, a virgin ghost of ancient Greece who killed expectant mothers and babies out of jealousy. Far from enticing men into danger and destruction, these monsters were part of women's ritual practices surrounding childbirth and pregnancy. So how did their mythology evolve into one focused on the seduction of men?

Sarah Clegg takes us on an absorbing and witty journey from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day, encountering a multitude of serpentine succubi, a child-eating wolf-monster of ancient Greece, the Queen of Sheba and a host of vampires. Clegg shows how these demons were appropriated by male-centred societies, before they were eventually recast as symbols of women's liberation, offering new insights into attitudes towards womanhood, sexuality and women's rights.


The Nirvana Express: How the Search for Enlightenment Went West By Mick Brown · (2023)

In 1897, an Indian yogi named Bava Lachman Dass exhibited himself at the Westminster Aquarium in London, demonstrating forty-eight yoga positions to a bemused audience. Four years earlier, Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda had spoken at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where theosophist Annie Besant rhapsodised about 'his inborn sense of worth' and the 'exquisite beauty' of his spiritual message. The Victorians had conflicted views on the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian sub-continent, blending fascination and suspicion. But within two generations, legions of young Westerners would be following the 'hippie trail' to India, and the Beatles would be meditating at the feet of the guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Journalist Mick Brown's vivid account charts the eccentric history of the West's evolving love affair with Indian religion through a curious cast of scholars, seekers, charlatans and saints. From Edwin Arnold, whose epic poem about the life of the Buddha became a best-seller in Victorian Britain, to the occultist and magician Aleister Crowley; and from spiritual teachers Jiddu Krishnamurti, Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi to the controversial guru Rajneesh, 'The Nirvana Express' is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West's search for enlightenment.

October 21, 2023

Carol Forman

Sombra

The Spider Lady

Carol Forman played The Spider Lady in the 1948 serial "Superman" and Sombra in The Black Widow serial (1947), Laska in The Miraculous Blackhawk: Freedom's Champion (1952) and Nila in Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. (1949)

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Carol_Forman

https://femalevillains.fandom.com/wiki/Spider_Lady_(Superman)

https://filesofjerryblake.com/serial-villains/carol-forman/

https://femalevillains.fandom.com/wiki/Nila_(Federal_Agents_vs._Underworld,_Inc.)

https://femalevillains.fandom.com/wiki/Laska_(The_Miraculous_Blackhawk:_Freedom%27s_Champion)

October 3, 2023

Sitcoms


Come Back Mrs. Noah - UK

Come Back Mrs Noah is a British sitcom starring Mollie Sugden that aired on BBC1 from 17 July to 14 August 1978 with a pilot broadcast on 13 December 1977. It was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who had also written Are You Being Served? which also starred Mollie Sugden. Come Back Mrs Noah was not a success, with some regarding it as one of the worst British sitcoms ever made.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Back_Mrs._Noah

https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/strange-sitcoms/



The Trouble with Tracy (1970) - Canada

The Trouble with Tracy is a Canadian television series produced by CTV for the 1970–1971 television season. It is considered by some to be one of the worst situation comedies ever produced.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tracy

https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Trouble_with_Tracy_(partially_found_Canadian_sitcom;_1970-1971)

August 11, 2023

Rudy Obrero


Rudy Obrero was one of the first illustrators to work on the Masters of the Universe toyline. He created the iconic packaging artwork for many beloved MOTU toys, including Castle Grayskull, Battle Cat, Wind Raider, Battle Ram, and others. He has been a professional illustrator for 39 years.

https://battleramblog.com/rudy-obrero-heroic-master-of-illustration/

https://battleramblog.com/

July 25, 2023

Sideshow Banner Artists

Snap Wyatt

Fred G. Johnson

Fred G. Johnson is considered to be one of the finest sideshow banner painters in the history of the circus and sideshow world. He had a 65-year career of banner painting, creating many works that are still prized by collectors and museums around the world. He worked for the O. Henry Tent and Awning Company in Chicago for 40 years from 1934 – 1974.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_G._Johnson

Snap Wyatt (1905-1984) was a prolific painter of circus banners and created a substantial number of banners over the years. He was known for his speed and bold, cartoon-like style.

https://hepcatshaven.com/2012/01/25/fred-g-johnson-a-one-man-circus/

https://www.cultofweird.com/sideshow/fred-johnson-sideshow-banners/

https://sideshowbanner.com/

July 19, 2023

Miles Johnston


UK artist Miles Johnston

https://www.milesjohnstonart.com/

June 30, 2023

Hank Janson & Reginald Heade

Hank Janson was the most popular and successful of British pulp fiction authors of the 1940s and 1950s. His books were violent "pseudo-American" thrillers sold in paperback editions featuring erotic cover art, and it is estimated that some five million copies were sold by 1954.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Janson

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/hank-janson/

Reginald Heade was a British illustrator of sensational paperback novels, but also had a brief career in comics, working for the magazines Knock-Out and Comet, both from the Amalgamated Press. He also published under the name Cy Webb. Most of his output were realistically-drawn historical adventure comics or biographical comics.

http://www.classiccrimefiction.com/reginald-heade.htm

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/heade_reginald.htm

June 2, 2023

The Stranger (1964)


The Stranger, Australia's answer to Doctor Who.

When a mysterious stranger appears on a family's doorstep, his arrival changes the course of human history. First aired in 1964 and unseen for over 50 years, The Stranger was Australia's first sci-fi TV series.

https://sitemap.televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/the-stranger

https://shorturl.at/gkLQV

May 13, 2023

ABC Weekend

UK TV history

http://abcatlarge.co.uk/

https://transdiffusion.org/

https://itvstory.transdiffusion.net/

https://www.youtube.com/@transdiffusion/videos

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Nikolai Lutohin



Nikolai Lutohin (1932 - 2000) was born in Yugoslavia as the son of Russian parents. Already as a five year old boy he wanted to be a graphic designer and was interested in Flash Gordon comic books and other sci-fi heroes. He went to Hungary to study at the Art Academy in Budapest and then lived for twenty years in Moscow, where he illustrated popular science books, children's books and classics. 

His inspiration came from the works of El Greco, Goya, Dali and Hieronymus Bosch. In 1975, he moved to Germany and settled in Munich. Kurt Bernhardt hired him for Pabel Publishers, where he primarily illustrated fantasy, horror and Sci Fi series such as "Terra Fantasy," "Mythor," "Demon Killer," "Sun Koh," and "Utopia Classics". During his last years Nikolai Lutohin worked for the fantasy series of the Bastei Publishing House including "ghost hunter John Sinclair," "Professor Zamorra" and "Demon-land".

https://socks-studio.com/2012/05/26/nikolai-lutohin-sci-fi-illustrations-from-70s-yugoslavia/

https://www.penccil.com/gallery.php?p=958338249324

April 12, 2023

Richard Savoie

Quebec painter Richard Savoie
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