Jeremy Bastian and His Cursed Pirate Girl Return!

As you know, Century Guild has relocated its gallery from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California, and we are very pleased to announce that our new location will open with a very special book signing with none other than our good friend, Jeremy A. Bastian.  We will be holding a Grand Opening for the new gallery on December 1st, 2012 from 6-9pm.  Jeremy will be there in person to sign books, including advanced copies of his graphic novel, Cursed Pirate Girl, which is being published by Archaia Entertainment.  We will also be displaying exclusive artwork from Cursed Pirate Girl for the first time.

Cursed Pirate Girl: The Collected Edition, Volume 1 (Archaia Publishing, published Dec. 2012)

The ongoing story of Cursed Pirate Girl tells the whimsical tale of a young girl as she sets sail for adventure in search of her missing father, who is one of the legendary Pirate Captains of the mythical Omerta Seas.  On her voyages, both above and below the surface of the ocean, she encounters a series of bizarre, charming, and grotesque characters that leap forth from the page with such vitality and imagination that they rival the fantastical creations of Lewis Carroll, Winsor McCay, and Terry Gilliam.

Jeremy A. Bastian, attending San Diego Comic-Con 2012, stops by the Century Guild booth to meet fans and sign autographs of his work.

At a time when just about everyone seems to be familiar with comic book characters and their worlds, primarily due to the high-end film adaptations of superhero comic books, it has become increasingly rare for comics fans to stumble across anything original.  As Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has said, “It’s all too rare that I see work that is truly original – and I almost never see work THIS original – Jeremy Bastian is a genius.”

Wear Cutting Edge Art with Pride – New Shirts Now Available!

Step right up and see what wonders we have for you!

Just in time for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, the Century Guild booth (Booth # 2845) is debuting new t-shirts featuring the extraordinary work of Jeremy A. Bastian, the Malleus Rock Art Lab, and Gail Potocki!  These new graphic t-shirts, aside from being fashionable and extremely comfortable, showcase the work of diverse and immensely talented artists at the height of their creative apex.  Now, why should you buy one (or all) of these very cool shirts?  Because they are amazing!  Let’s take a closer look at each one and you’ll see why.

 

First off, let’s see the exceptionally cool shirt done by Malleus…

Thomas Negovan ‘The Divine Eye’ t-shirt (MALLEUS, 2012)

Available in sizes small, medium, large, and extra large, and produced in a limited edition number of 80, this deep v-neck, fitted t-shirt exclusively for the ladies (sorry, guys) is made of highest quality 100% cotton, features gold foil details, and the graphic was screened using high resolution to create the best possible image.  The design appearing on the t-shirt was originally created for a poster to help promote the release of  Thomas Negovan‘s historical 2011 debut single “The Divine Eye“, which was recorded on a Thomas Edison phonograph and released as a limited edition wax cylinder.  Certainly such a feat is worthy of recognition, and indeed commemoration, but no mere work of commercial art would suffice, so naturally Thomas turned to Malleus Rock Art Lab and what they created is simply spectacular.

Thomas Negovan ‘The Divine Eye’ poster (Malleus, 2011)

Malleus is an artist collective comprised of three unique and talented individuals.  Their work is inspired by Art Nouveau, Expressionism, Surrealism, Psychedelic Art, and Pop Art.  They’ve created works for everyone from Queens of the Stone Age and the Mars Volta to The Dresden Dolls and Amanda Palmer.  When it comes to creating indelible and iconic imagery to accompany and promote the releases and tours of today’s best music acts, Malleus is already a legend.

 

And from Gail Potocki‘s fantastic Freaks series…

Freaks t-shirts collection (Gail Potocki, 2012)

Also available in BOTH men’s and women’s sizes small, medium, large, and extra large, and produced in a limited edition number of 85 each gender, these ultra-comfortable and timeless, dark grey, crew-neck shirts are made of 100% cotton and screened from high resolution to best capture the masterful work of modern symbolist Gail Potocki‘s brilliant paintings.  The imagery for these two shirts is derived from  Gail’s Freaks series  done in 2009, which lovingly pays homage to the world of circus and carnival sideshow figures from the early part of the 20th Century.  These detailed and nuanced portraits manage to not only capture the essence of their subjects, but also the imaginations of all those who see them.  Imagine the look of intrigue on your friends’ faces as you proudly wear your own shirt featuring Annie Jones the Bearded Lady or Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy!

Annie Jones the Bearded Lady (Gail Potocki, 2009)

‘Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy’ (Gail Potocki, 2009)

Of her fascination with the freaks, Gail says, “I think part of it is that they had to blaze their own trail whether they wanted to or not.  Because they are so unique and rare, they stand out like diamonds in a sea of glass. ”
So too will the wearers of these awe-inspiring t-shirts, which are sure to become cult favorites and collector’s items, so be sure to pick yours up soon because they will disappear fast!

 

And from the imagination of Jeremy A. Bastian…

Cursed Pirate Girl t-shirts (Jeremy A. Bastian, 2012)

Available in BOTH men’s and women’s sizes small, medium, large, and extra large, and produced in an extremely limited edition number of only 70, these stylish, grey crew-neck t-shirts are made from 100% cotton and feature a slick wrap-around design which was screened from high resolution and allows for the insane amount of detail of Jeremy Bastian‘s work to display itself.  The exclusive design features the Cursed Pirate Girl herself as she heroically leaps out of the reach of the clutches of her vile nemeses.  Whether you’re a fan of comic books, pirates, illustration, or just want to wear a really handsome shirt, we have your needs covered thanks to Jeremy’s remarkable work.

Cursed Pirate Girl: The Collected Edition, Volume 1 (Archaia Publishing, 2012)

Jeremy’s astonishingly illustrated and darkly, whimsical comic book for children has been acclaimed by some of the comics industry’s most respected names and the first three epic issues were recently collected in a single volume by Archaia Publishing.  The title has been on the rise in popularity and there’s even a radio-dramedy in the works featuring Stephanie Leonidas (the star of Dave McKean‘s films MirrorMask and the upcoming Luna) as the title heroine and swashbuckling adventurer.  Jeremy will be appearing at Comic-Con with Archaia at Booth # 2635 and Stephanie will also be making an appearance at our Comic-Con booth along with some other guest surprises, so keep an eye out, matey!

 

All of these shirts, both in style and sizes, are available in very LIMITED QUANTITIES only at Comic-Con and they will go fast, so you will want to be sure to purchase yours while you can.  Stop by Century Guild at Booth # 2845 and pick up yours!

– Sean

Bridging Past and Present with Jeremy Bastian

“The Griffon” (Ink on paper, 2009) is but one example of Jeremy A. Bastian’s love of the mythical and necessity for detail.

Unless you’re a diehard comic book enthusiast or an avid student of art history, it might at first be difficult to imagine what comics and fine art really have in common.  Comics tend to be denigrated as merely pop culture kitsch or kids’ stuff.  And with all of the superheroes in colorful costumes, the Saturday morning cartoons, and the whole hub of merchandising aimed at children and adolescents, it’s not hard to see why someone might arrive at such a conclusion.  On the other hand, fine art has been elevated to the pinnacle of creative innovation and self-expression for most cultures around the globe.

Another example of Bastian’s detailed and whimsical take on classic mythical creatures: “The Manticore” (Ink on paper, 2009).

If you ask any true comic book fan if there’s more to the medium in terms of artistic or literary merits, they will promptly and adamantly attempt to persuade you of the cultural and social significance of comics.  Similarly, not all comic fans may have an appreciation or understanding on the finer points of classical art much to the chagrin of art critics.  Yet, there is a strong correlation between the two, though neither group of enthusiasts will necessarily admit to it.  So, how does one bridge antiquity with modernity, the past with the present, and unite two groups of people who may have more in common than either recognize?
The answer is simple:  Jeremy A. Bastian.

The 2011 Eisner Awards: Bob Dylan, Richard Dadd, Henry Darger, and Jeremy Bastian.

Bob Dylan, circa 1964.

To quote Andy Greene at Rolling Stone: “In 1963 The Grammys could have given the Best New Artist award to Bob Dylan, but they went with Robert Goulet.”

I’ll continue.  In 1964, Henri Mancini’s single “The Days of Wine and Roses” won best new song, meaning that the Academy liked that revolutionary tune better than Bob’s new single titled- wait for it- “Blowin’ in the Wind”.

In 1965, someone named Gale Garnett won best Folk Recording for “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine”, with the soul-wrenching lyrics:

We’ll sing in the sunshine,
We’ll laugh every day,
We’ll sing in the sunshine,
Then I’ll be on my way.

These words- of course- beat out this meaningless tripe:

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone…
For the times they are a-changin’.

Yup, once again Bob got trounced.  This kind of thing goes on for the next FIFTEEN YEARS.  Let me be clear: I’m not a Bob Dylan fanatic.  But we’re talking the man who wrote “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, “Maggie’s Farm”, “Like a Rolling Stone”… and that was just in the next year.  Seventeen years of greatness, while bands like the 5th Dimension CLEANED UP at these awards ceremonies.  (I actually like the 5th Dimension, but with the same part of my brain that also likes Milli Vanilli.  Who by the way also won Artist of the Year at the 1990 Grammys.)

I don’t think that anyone has heard Henry Mancini’s version of “The Days of Wine and Roses” in twenty years, and I’m pretty aware of vintage music but have no clue who Gale Garnett is.

On the other hand, in 2003, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (the record that was home to “Blowing in the Wind”) was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2002, was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.  “The Times They Are a-Changin” was named by Rolling Stone in 2004 as #59 on their list The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time, and on December 10, 2010, Dylan’s hand-written lyrics of this song were sold at auction at Sotheby’s, New York, for $422,500.

Jeremy Bastian and his larger-than-life imagination: the special fan appreciation artwork in its entirety.

Jeremy Bastian creates an illustrated masterwork that can barely be called a “comic book”.  Most artists have to produce a page a day- or more- to keep on schedule; Jeremy takes as much as two weeks to finish a single page.  It’s not that he’s slow, it’s that his brain works in a way that is much closer to Richard Dadd or Henry Darger than anything we see in contemporary comics- Jeremy’s style is more kin to Victorian political cartoons or Winsor McCay than the arena defined and dominated by Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko.  I’ve called him “The Rain Man of comics”, and it’s the closest I can come to explaining how he can spend so much time exploring every millimeter of a piece of paper, filling it in not just with lines, but characters and sub-storylines.  You could blow up any single square inch of Jeremy’s art and find an entire new storyline diverging.  It is an attentiveness that is of course madly obsessive, and equally brilliant.

It is no surprise that this is a man who barely uses technology and lives in a farmhouse with his wife in an “off the grid” lifestyle that is practically Amish.  This is not anachronistic posturing, the man actually lives in a different world than the rest of us.

His inkwork is presented in a comic (that word again!) called Cursed Pirate Girl, and the response has been overwhelming.  It’s the kind of book that makes new fans of the comic medium (Cursed Pirate Girl was the most successful comic book campaign in crowdfunding history, and our polls revealed that a majority of the supporters had never bought a comic before being enticed by this one.)

We were so thrilled by the outcome of the Kickstarter campaign, that Jeremy created a special artwork that we are making into a poster to send as a gift to everyone who supported the book.  He’s holding it above, and unless you have a few days and a magnifying glass, you’ll never grasp half of what this madman has created.  But let’s look at some details!

Cursed Pirate Girl riding a Merstag

I should point out here that Jeremy uses a OO brush.  When Dave McKean and Grant Morrison were looking at the book, Dave was very impressed… until I told him it was done with a brush and not a pen…

Dave McKean: “He does this with a BRUSH?  That’s mad.”

Grant Morrison: “It looks like he’s just pushing the AIR around…”

Grant Morrison: “I’ll say, it’s more like the ‘absence of brush’!”

The tiny lines are literally invisible unless magnified:

Merstag detail @500%

For example: at anything less than 500%, you can’t tell that there is a man in the gun tower window on the Turtle Cannon!!!  And see that the cannon is sculpted as the mouth of a roaring lion?

Turtle Cannon detail @ 500%

And the best part of all of this: nothing is to chance, nothing is random.  There is a reason for EVERYTHING in these artworks, a story as to who, what, and why everything is unfolding.

Skull detail @500%

So why the Bob Dylan reference?  “Ain’t it hard when you discover that /He really wasn’t where it’s at?”  In 1965, while “Like a Rolling Stone” crept out of the speakers, the powers-that-be decided that “The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme From The Sandpiper)” was the best song that the world had produced that year. (See: American Idol.)  But thirty-nine years later, when Rolling Stone magazine named “Like a Rolling Stone” “the greatest song of ALL TIME”… “The Shadow of Your Smile” was nowhere to be seen.

The comic industry’s equivalent to the Grammys, The Eisner Awards, are named after a truly visionary artist named Will Eisner. Eisner was a man who, using the unrespected medium of comic books, redefined the art of storytelling in a way that has influenced a century of artists and filmmakers.  When reviewing this year’s nominees- where you will find Jeremy Bastian and his creation noticeably absent- why not compare them to… you know what?  Scratch that thought.

There are a lot of amazing books nominated, by a lot of great writers.  I LOVE Afrodisiac, just to name one.  That said, let’s put the nominees for Best All-Ages Book and Best New Artist in a time capsule.  And let’s review this in… um… how long did it take the Academy to catch up to Bob Dylan?  Seventeen years.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take THAT long for the powers-that-be to recognize an artist who Warren Ellis, Guillermo del Toro, Geof Darrow, Tony Harris, Dave McKean- and many more- have vocally championed.  Jeremy may not win an Eisner award this year, but he can sleep soundly knowing that people with the best taste in the world think he’s the cat’s pajamas.  His book won’t have the “Eisner Award Winner” stamp this Fall, unfortunately, but give a moment’s thought- while listening to some Bob Dylan, of course- and see if you respect any of these opinions:

“I LOVE Cursed Pirate Girl!  It is a bright light in a vast sea of sameness.”

-Charles Vess (The Sandman)

“Combines the endearing qualities of classic children’s books with a modern day sensibility… The results are whimsically naive and genuinely hip.  Not only is it worthwhile reading, it’s worthwhile studying!”

-Gary Gianni (Prince Valiant)

“How someone can channel such turgid spontaneity into the gossamer precision seen here is beyond rational explanation.  Clearly he’s captured his own inner child, plied her with enough Victorian sweets to kee her up for days, and then chained her to a drawing board in a tiny room.”

-Jackson Public (creator of the [adult swim] cartoon The Venture Brothers)

“This is the stuff that makes other artists jealous and comic readers drool… a throwback to classic storytelling any age can enjoy.”

-Dave Petersen (Mouse Guard)

“It’s all too rare that I see work that is truly original- and I almost NEVER see work THIS original.  Jeremy Bastian is a genius.”

-Mike Mignola (Hellboy)

“Authentic and timeless and wonderfully bizarre.  This looks like something from 1892 but is totally ahead of its time- I wish I’d thought of it!”

-Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy)

And my favorite:

“Jeremy Bastian is a transplanted 19th century prodigy who has harnessed the Mysteries of the Microcosm; with the hands of a surgeon and the mind of a magician he conjures and entire universe in the space of a single drop of ink.

Cursed Pirate Girl is our generation’s Alice in Wonderland.”

-Gail Potocki (Symbolist painter, “The Union of Hope and Sadness”)

 

And my feelings?  I think that history will be favorable to the creativity and brilliance of Jeremy Bastian.  With the praise noted above, I think I’m in pretty good company for thinking so.  But history is an ever-unfolding path, and in the meantime, as we wait to see how history turns out, Mister Bob Dylan asked it best.  I think that the answer to the question below is: when you are true to yourself, when you are true to pushing your boundaries, passionately exploring the potential for making art that is truly unique and unquestionably special, popularity contests don’t matter.  I pick Bob Dylan over Robert Goulet, any day.

“How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?”

C2E2 recap, or: more evidence that I am an inefficient blogger.

Jeremy Bastian and his larger-than-life imagination.

C2E2 was about seventeen million years ago now, we got slammed by the Silent Film exhibition and I didn’t get any photos up.  Trying to catch up by posting some highlights.  You will not I got NO photos of Jeremy Bastian’s table, no photos of my friends exhibiting at the show, and no photos of celebrities or other fun encounters.  I also intended to make a gif of the amazing Cyanide and Happiness guys creating an artwork for Gail Potocki but that didn’t happen either.  You must settle for girls and dogs.  And Jack.  OH!  And the kid with the “Crossed” mask that terrorized Melissa and Elizabeth in the food court, that kid had SO much fun saying, “it’s ok to look, I don’t have it on” and when Melissa would relent and peer past her shielded eyes, pull it down and making horrifying zombie noises!!!

That one kid made me remember how much fun conventions can be.  He had an awesome time, and as a result: so did I.

Lyta, my asymmetrical Art Nouveau pooch.

From Savile Row to Marvel Comics.

Chloe.

Jack and Coco: redefining Fabulous.

Gail Potocki: lightsabers ahead!

Film reel: Monster child attacking Melissa and Elizabeth.

Gail Potocki and her Drug-themed comic treasure.

Gail Potocki and Jack Absinthe: exiting C2E2.

And Miles To Go Before We Sleep. (2: In which we are brought up to date.)

We’ve added another voice to the Cursed Pirate Girl radio play… joining Stephanie Leonidas (Cursed Pirate Girl), Robert Boulter (Narrator and Mister Spekle), Dave McKean and Grant Morrison (the Swordfish Brothers), and Randy Couture (Sharky)- in the role of the indomitable Captain Holly…  John C. Reilly!  Yay!

After a wonderful day including armor, Dungeons & Dragons, vintage guitars, and… wait for it… CLOWN PAINTINGS!  John lay down the voice for the surly villain with a delivery that exceeded my already high expectations.

Thomas Negovan with John C. Reilly, reading the part of Captain Holly.

"Yer a cruddy little stowaway!!!"

After San Diego Comic Con last summer, we’ve been going SO nonstop I haven’t had even a moment to post a “real” blog update.  We had gallery construction:

Lyta may not have opposable thumbs, but has found that her snaggletooth makes an excellent demolition tool.

An amazing opening night party:

Barbara Staples, Gillian Hastings, and Lady Jack at the opening night Grand Guignol event.

Lady Jack lounges amidst some of the more macabre artworks...

Opening night at Century Guild: Grand Guignol. Because Good Taste shouldn't be a subculture.

Then a bunch of shoots for a TV show that we can’t talk about (but whose premiere commanded four million viewers…), travelling to negotiate some fabulous artifacts away from Shaolin monks and Parisian bordello owners, and preparing for our next show: LOVE AND OTHER VIOLATIONS, this coming weekend!  Celebrate love and lust with us on February 19th if you’re in Chicago.  6-9 pm, we’re feeling the Valentine’s Day spirit!  Here are some of the artworks for this weekend’s show:

Ekstase by Dave McKean

Eve by Gail Potocki

Yolanda, Los Angeles 2000 by Steve Diet Goedde

Original poster advertising Les debauches d'un confesseur, a seminal S&M novel from 1883

Danae by Gustav Klimt (period lithograph, produced by Klimt)

Please note:

ARTISTS GAIL POTOCKI AND STEVE DIET GOEDDE WILL BE PRESENT AT THE OPENING.

LOVE AND OTHER VIOLATIONS

Saturday, 19 February 2010 at Century Guild

6-9 pm

Finis by Gail Potocki

 

San Diego Comic Con 2010 SCHEDULE

I feel like I should begin as if I were in a confessional: “Forgive me, it’s been sixty-eight days since my last blog post…”

Lots of great things happening.  Which I DO want to talk about.  I mean, like YOU-WOULD-NOT-BELIEVE-IT level coolness.  And when I say that, I mean, like, you can’t even imagine.  But I must get this post out before the event has come and gone!

We’ve put together the best exhibition yet for this year’s San Diego Comic Con.  Haute Campe, our division of drive-in movie posters, has made some fantastic poster recreations featuring top models, and they’ll be appearing in our booth to sign them!  Plus, we’re happy to add some new artists to the Century Guild stable (BOOTH 2845)… PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.

Century Guild – Special Guests

Melissa Auf der Maur

Melissa Auf der Maur

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010   2-3 pm

Musician Melissa Auf der Maur has served as bassist for the bands Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, and contributed to albums by artists including Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams.  While Blender magazine lists her as “one of the hottest women in rock”, I assure you that Melissa is much more than just a pretty (ok, gorgeous) face:

Last Fall, Melissa Auf der Maur’s film Out Of Our Minds (with collaborator Tony Stone) was featured as an installation piece in the J. W. Waterhouse exhibition at the Montreal Museum Of Fine Arts.  First shown at Sundance in 2009, her film is noteworthy as the sole contemporary interpretation of the Pre-Raphaelite vision to be included in this landmark exhibition.

Out Of Our Minds is part of a larger vision, including a record and other soon-to-be-revealed aspects.  Melissa is a true conjurer and fine artist, and you MUST come and meet her!  Please note: Due to concert obligations, Melissa will be at Comic Con Thursday only!

Lee Moyer

Lee Moyer

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010   2-3 pm

Continuing the Melissa Auf der Maur festivities, Lee Moyer will be signing alongside Melissa copies of his not-yet-revealed Art Nouveau-inspired MAdM poster!!!  Lee has been in the public eye this past year as the artist bringing Michael Kaluta’s vision for an expanded Starstruck to completion, inking the expanded images and meticulously painting the entire book.  We love Lee and are happy to have him behind the table this year!  Please note: Due to prior commitments, Lee will only be at Comic Con on Thursday as well.

Michael Zulli

Michael Zulli

Signing Thursday 22 July 2010 2-3 pm

Signing Friday 23 July 2010 12-1 pm

FRIDAY 1-2: SPOTLIGHT ON MICHAEL ZULLI PANEL UPSTAIRS (Room 4)!

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010 1-2 pm

Signing Sunday 25 July 2010 1-2 pm

IN HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN OVER DECADE. One of Neil Gaiman’s “go-to” illustrators, Zulli created the popular “man who could not die” Hob Gadling for The Sandman comic, and illustrated the epic final story arc, The Wake.  Gaiman was so moved by Zulli’s sensitive linework, that this story arc were the first books to be published directly from an artist’s pencils. Following his work on The Sandman, Zulli retreated from the public eye and spent years sculpting his deeply personal graphic novel The Fracture of the Universal Boy, coming in Fall 2010 from Olympian Publishing. We are proud to announce that Michael Zulli is a Featured Guest of the 2010 San Diego Comic Con.

Annaliese Nielsen

Annaliese Nielsen and God’s Girls

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010 4-5 pm

Signing Friday 23 July 2010   2-3 pm

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010   2-3 pm

Signing   Sunday 25 July 2010   2-3 pm

God’s Girls has become synonymous with tattoed-and-alternative-model culture, and they are featured models on the Haute Campe drive-in poster recreations!  Founder Annaliese Nielsen will be on hand, along with popular models Jenna Valentine, Tyler Christ, London and Toryn to sign copies of the posters… and surprise guests!

Jim Rose and Bébé Aschard-Rose

Jim Rose and Bébé Aschard-Rose

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010   3-4 pm

Signing Friday 23 July 2010  3-4 pm

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010   3-4 pm

Signing   Sunday 25 July 2010   3-4 pm

Homer Simpson might have called him “boss” on The Simpsons, Mulder and Scully might have called him “Dr. Blockhead” on The X-Files, but we call Jim Rose “legend”.  With his Jim Rose Circus, Rose revitalized the entire sideshow culture, and became a worldwide sensation from the moment they were invited by Jane’s Addition founder Perry Farrell to shock the crowds on the first Lollapallooza tour back in 1991 and paved the way for an entire generation of tattooed and pierced performers. “Today you see acts on prime time television that I was being thrown in jail for in ’91 and ’92,” marvels Rose.

Jim and his wife, Bébé the Circus Queen, have collated the notes taken over a lifetime’s worth of circus travels around the world on the luck rituals they encountered in different cultures into an encyclopedia of all things lucky titled- appropriately enough- Your Lucky Book.  Illustrated in a nineteenth-century style by Jeremy Bastian, both authors will be on hand to sign limited edition copies of the book with a special cover, hand-stamped in metallic inks.

Steve Diet Goedde

Steve Diet Goedde

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010   3-4 pm

Signing Friday 23 July 2010   2-3 pm

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010   2-3 pm

Signing   Sunday 25 July 2010   3-4 pm

Century Guild is proud to announce representation of Steve Diet Goedde- a world-recognized photographer and one of the leading names in contemporary fetish photography.

Models Goedde “discovered” include such icons as Dita Von Teese, Masuimi Max, Aria Giovanni, Justine Joli, and Emily Marilyn. His work was compiled in two hardcover monographs, The Beauty of Fetish: Volumes I & II, by renowned photography publisher Edition Stemmle.

Steve will be signing DVDs of his interactive film Living Through Steve Diet Goedde: Photographic Anthology 1990-2004, with over 700 images digitally rescanned from the original negatives by Steve Diet Goedde himself, including hundreds of never-before-seen images.

Jeremy Bastian's Cursed Pirate Girl

Jeremy Bastian

Signing   Thursday 22 July 2010   10 am- 7 pm (all day!)

Signing Friday 23 July 2010 10 am- 7 pm (all day!)

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010 10 am- 7 pm (all day!)

Signing   Sunday 25 July 2010 10 am- 5 pm (all day!)

The success of Jeremy Bastian’s Cursed Pirate Girl has reached levels of appeal that very few contemporary comics can claim.  In the year since its first issue was published, Jeremy Bastian’s creation has amassed a cult-like following, its followers ranging from comic book fans, children, industry legends and celebrities.  The first issue has already reached a 4^th printing!  Jeremy will also be signing the above mentioned limited edition copies of Your Lucky Book by Jim and Bébé Rose.  This weekend will also mark the announcement of Cursed Pirate Girl moving to a major publisher. “Jeremy Bastian is a genius” -Mike Mignola (Hellboy)

Thomas Jane

Thomas Jane

Signing Friday 23 July 2010 1pm-2pm

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010 2pm-3pm

Hung.  The Punisher.  The Mist.  As if that wasn’t enough, add that the man was the director of the brilliantly creepy The Dark Country and the mastermind behind some of the hottest comic books to hit the shelves in the last couple of years, and you have more reasons than you need to come and see the take Sioux Sinner has conjured up of a certain 1970s Italian movie poster— recreated with Tom in the lead role!  Thomas Jane will be signing his Haute Campe recreation and will be more than happy to sign any copies of his comics Bad Planet or Alien Pig Farm 3000 you might happen to have bought before those things were sold out everywhere!

Gail Potocki

Gail Potocki

Signing Friday 23 July 2010 4-5pm

Signing Saturday 24 July 2010 4-5pm

Symbolist painter Gail Potocki is an anachronism: an artist who studied in the manner of the Old Masters… but grew up listening to Punk Rock.  Gail is currently working on a series based on the Freaks of the 1920s sideshows, and her environmental paintings have become hauntingly relevant again this season.  Stay tuned for details on a special charity supporting animal rescue efforts in the Gulf.  “More than just paintings, Gail Potocki conducts seances on canvas.” -Grant Morrison

Sioux Sinner, Andi Lyn, Linda Le

Sioux Sinner, Linda Le, Andi Lyn

Signing   Sunday 25 July 2010 2-3pm

Signing Haute Campe poster recreations: three of the most popular Alt Models!  Doctor Who, Tattoo, and Anime Nerds everywhere will rejoice now that they know where to stalk these ladies.

EXHIBITING

Dave McKean

Dave McKean (appearing by chance)

Nitrate artworks and edition prints, including the above painting of Metropolis.

Dave McKean has illustrated and designed covers for the most respected comics of the late 20th century (including Arkham Asylum and Sandman), has worked on film and book projects with John Cale, The Rolling Stones, Jonathan Carroll and Stephen King and has seen his work brought to life by The National Theater of Scotland (The Wolves in the Walls).   McKean was also a conceptual artist on the Harry Potter films and created and directed the movie MirrorMask for the Jim Henson Company.   A longtime aficionado of silent film, McKean’s current body of work is inspired by the era and is titled Nitrate.  His second film, Luna, is currently in post-production.

Lisa Black

Lisa Black (artworks only)

Last year, Lisa Black’s taxidermy artworks were a runaway hit of the show, and were featured on Wired and Boing Boing, and were the subject of more blog posts than anything we’ve ever seen.  This year will certainly have the crowds equally enthralled!

Malleus

Malleus (artworks only)

Italian artists Malleus are a “three-headed hydra” of creativity, and they make some of the BEST silkscreened concert posters in the world.  Described as “Dark Nouveau”, we are fans- and you should be too…!

CENTURY GUILD DECORAITVE ARTS – BOOTH 2845

San Francisco and Wondercon 2010: recap

I’m not a good blogger.  I haven’t even finished two sentences, and I want to get off of the computer.  I like living outside of the Tron world!  For example, taking trips to… San Francisco!

Thursday night we kicked off the weekend by taking Jeremy somewhere unmentionable.  Well, not unMENTIONABLE, but unprintable.  Suffice to say the high edge of my tolerance threshold for debaucherous peculiarity was finally- and FIRMLY!!!- delineated.

Sioux Sinner and a disapproving Jack Absinthe.

 

Friday, Sioux Sinner kicked off the show by dressing as Sally Bowles. Needless to say, she ran into trouble with the authorities within the first hour.

Something about this is funny to you, young... and I use the next term loosely... 'lady'?

 

By the end of the first day, Sioux wishes that Sally Bowles had sported more sensible footwear.

 

Can you spot the Freak in this picture? Jeremy Bastian with our FREAKS magazine!

 

Day two brought with it sunshine, a lovely early morning, and a riding crop.  Sioux dressed as Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS and the results were… ummm… let’s just say we’re digging a moat to separate Haute Campe and Century Guild for all future shows.  The number of people constantly surrounding the booth, snapping photos (including a large group of Japanese businessmen clamoring to get photos of each other- and their kids- being whipped-)  was… a lot.  Like, almost got nothing done quantities.  Fun, but CHAOTIC…

Sioux Sinner is a harsh taskmaster.

 

An SS Officer's only weakness???????? P-U-P-P-I-E-S.

 

 
Sioux is currently losing sleep over a particular bunny:

Linda 'Vampy' Le... and Sioux 'Campy' Sinner

 

This was meant to be a blackmail photo, but this girl is beautiful even when she sleeps with her mouth open. (No inappropriate jokes, please.)

 

We met a ton of great people this trip: ex Go-Go Jane Wiedlin was a favorite, Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon was a true gentleman, and of course it is always a joy to see dear friends like dinosaur maven William Stout and the event organizers Justin, Rod, and Sam.  (Not to mention Robots and Donuts artist Eric Joyner as the best neighbor you could ask for…)  Also, this guy made us laugh out loud:

Chris Gore and Sioux Sinner

 

Sioux and Jack ended the show by getting onstage to demonstrate the Nintendo Wii’s new dance game Just Dance by performing New Kids on the Block’s epic masterpiece of rock and roll glory, the powerful “Step By Step”.  It was only a moment into the song when things took a turn for the strange, as the event inappropriately transformed into a 1939 Political Rally:

Jack Absinthe, proudly (and foolishly) wearing the Haute Campe armband outside of the booth...

 

Finally, some personal photos:

Thomas Negovan in San Francisco, Apr 2010

 

Sioux Sinner in San Francisco, April 2010

 

Jack Absinthe in San Francisco (Haight-Ashbury), April 2010

ARKHAM ASYLUM’S GRANT MORRISON and DAVE McKEAN REUNITED!!! Plus, Gail Potocki’s Freaks: a sneak peek

Yes, Grant and Dave were kind enough to lend their voices to the Swordfish Brothers- Sir Haftu the Magnificent and Sir Halek the Significant- on the audio recording of Jeremy Bastian’s Cursed Pirate Girl! It’s wildly funny that the brothers now have one very very Scottish and one very very British accent.

The Swordfish Brothers.

Grant Morrison and Dave McKean reading Cursed Pirate Girl

There is a great article just posted on BrokenFrontier.com that beautifully recaps everything on the Cursed Pirate Girl recording, to date HERE.

Plus……

FREAKS magazine!

This 9″ x 12″ magazine (16pp) will be released at Wondercon in San Francisco the first weekend in April, or available soon on the Olympian Publishing website.

Includes never-before-seen artwork by Gail Potocki and Jeremy Bastian, interviews with Stephanie Leonidas, Gail Potocki, Jeremy Bastian, Jim Rose (of the Jim Rose Circus), plus an interview with Sioux Sinner on the launch of Haute Campe, and an interview and artwork with the elusive and charming Michael Zulli (The Sandman, Alice Cooper: The Last Temptation) on the forthcoming Fracture of the Universal Boy!

Dave McKean, Grant Morrison, and Thomas Negovan read Cursed Pirate Girl

THE SIMPSONS, NINE INCH NAILS, THE X-FILES, MARILYN MANSON… AND CURSED PIRATE GIRL

PRESS RELEASE: THE SIMPSONS, NINE INCH NAILS, THE X-FILES, MARILYN MANSON… AND CURSED PIRATE GIRL

Jim Rose (of the Jim Rose Circus, named “One of the Twenty Most Outrageous Acts of the 20th Century” by SPIN magazine) has been called on to press his unique fingerprint onto a great number of pop culture happenings that could only be called historical and iconic: The Simpsons and X-Files TV shows, tours with Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson… the list goes on, and in 2010 includes the role of Grandpa Alice on the cast recording of Jeremy Bastian’s comic Cursed Pirate Girl, which is not-for-sale and will only be played at select bookstore and library events this Fall.

Jim Rose as Grandpa Alice in Cursed Pirate Girl

“There are many things in my career that I’m proud of. I was hand-picked by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell for his very first Lollapalooza tour. Homer Simpson ran away and joined my circus as The Human Cannonball. I was investigated, poked, and prodded by Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I went the full Downward Spiral tour with Trent Reznor and came out alive on the other side. I can call the finest artistic minds on the planet my friends, from the late William Burroughs to Bowie, Bono and Bob Dylan. But for pure emotional joy, nothing matches what I felt when I read Cursed Pirate Girl for the first time. Gail Potocki nailed it when she called it ‘Our generation’s Alice in Wonderland’. This isn’t pop culture, this is something timeless. When I heard about the cast recording I made the calls to get myself involved.”

Cursed Pirate Girl #1 (of 3), third printing, available online from Olympian Publishing.

Cursed Pirate Girl is one of the most talked-about books in the comic industry: Mike Mignola (Hellboy) exclaimed the book to be “truly original… Jeremy Bastian is a genius!”; David Petersen (Mouse Guard) calls it “classic storytelling that any age can enjoy… (it) makes other artists jealous- and comic readers drool!” Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy, and singer for the rock band My Chemical Romance) says “Cursed Pirate Girl is totally ahead of its time. I wish I’d thought of it!”
Jeremy Bastian’s Cursed Pirate Girl is available online at http://www.olympianpublishing.com and ask your local retailer to contact Haven Distribution at http://www.havendistro.com
For more information contact media@centuryguild.net .

Jim Rose as Grandpa Alice in Cursed Pirate Girl