70s-80s Pinball backglass art

the earliest pinball machines date back to the late 1700s, but they really took off during the Depression-era 1930s, satisfying the public's need for cheap fun.  there wasn't any competition until video games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Asteroids took over the arcades all across the country in the late 70s/early 80s.  the pinball makers, unable to compete with video game graphics, needed to up their game and fought back with brilliant artwork to catch the eyes and imagination of teenagers with pockets full of change.  this was the golden age of pinball art. 

Tabula Rasa (a clean slate): a graphic short story by brian koschak

"Tabula Rasa (a clean slate)" is a 4-page graphic short story based on a dream i had a few years ago, just as my inevitable mid-life crisis was kicking in.  it was cathartic working on it over the years, chipping away whenever there was time.  i felt the story became a sort of metaphor/riddle that my brain concocted, and seemed to challenge me to do something productive with. i suspected that once the story was finished, and if i could get it to look just how i imagined, than it might signify the end of the crisis.  and it did.

the unofficial official soundtrack is "Albatross" by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, from 1968.  it is a beautiful, classic piece of music.  listen to it HERE.

i hope you enjoy "Tabula Rasa (a clean slate),"  and if anyone is interested, there is a free high res pdf available for download HERE.

thanks,

~kojak

the past is gone

it has burned to the ground.

so leap into the future

and chase the unknowable horizon.

"Tabula Rasa (a clean slate)" is copyright 2016 brian james koschak

The Fantasy Art of Hannes Bok

Hannes Bok, (real name Wayne Woodward) (1914-1964), was an American illustrator best known for his Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine work.  His full color covers are lush and luminescent, influenced by the heavy layering of glazes by his hero Maxfield Parrish, and his black and white interior illustrations are odd and deeply compelling.

Bok's entry into the world of commercial fantasy art came through his friendship with a young and then unpublished Ray Bradbury.  By 1939, Bradbury was committed to becoming a sci-fi/fantasy author and hopped on a bus from Los Angeles to New York City to attend the World Science Fiction Convention.  Since Bok was unable to attend the convention himself,  Bradbury brought along an armload of his friend's work to show off to the editors there and to kill two birds with one stone.  It worked, and the rest is history. Bradbury etched his name in sci-fi/fantasy granite, and Bok became one of the most beloved illustrators from the Golden Age of sci-fi illustration.