Blackstar - David Bowie (2015)

Released today, on 19 November 2015, here are images from the "Blackstar" video, the tittle track from David Bowie's upcoming album.  Out 8 January 2016.  I'll have me one of those!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kszLwBaC4Sw

The whole song via link above because I love Bowie and I'm good to you lot.  It may not be your cup of tea but at least give it a sip.

Steve

The Trouble With Tycho by Clifford D Simak (1976) Michael Whelan

A little more Whelan to amuse the eye.

 

Steve

John Harris (????)

A couple of paintings by John Harris.

If anyone can pin a date on them or where they were used I would be most grateful and will of course update the blog accordingly.

Here's a interesting update following Michel Van's comment that the bottom images was used as the cover of Inherit The Stars by James P Hogan.  Now this is curious because that's exactly what the image reminded me of when I first saw it...

...but I never once thought that the same book might have two such similar covers.  However, there it is...

...the proof in the publishing.  The first was by Darrell K Sweet which I had previously blogged as being from 1977 so I'm going to take a punt on that being the original as Michel Van dates the John Harris cover at 1989.....unless anyone knows different?

 

Cheers for that.

 

 

Steve

Mystery in Space Vol 1 #116 (1981)

Cover art by Jim Starlin

Y: The Last Man #15 (2003)

A rather lovely bit of cover art by J G Jones adorned issue 15 of the Vertigo Comic series.  Y: The Last Man.  Working in a comic book store back then, I managed to read a lot of these but changed jobs before finding out how the series wrapped up.  I actually can't remember too much about the series apart from it being the tale of a man and his monkey walking through America to get to his girlfriend after some event has seemingly killed off every other man on the planet.

Its available in graphic novel form for those that fancy a read.  I can remember how this astronaut fits into the story but not his fate - although the art work would suggests an ominous ending!  I may well revisit the series myself at some point.  Did anybody make it to the end of the series?  Is it worth the investment?  Feel free to give it a thumbs up or down in the comments below.


Steve

Star Pilot (1966)

Star Pilot or 2+5: Missione Hydra is an Italian film from 1966.  As to be expected, there are some super stylish outfits and some sexy looking people in the film.....not that these two chaps up front are good examples of either.

 

Thanks for the image find, Tim.

 

Steve

Doctor Who - Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (2008)

Noted as the first (or is that the last) appearance of River Song, this 2 part Doctor Who story also gave us the Vashta Nerada.

The Vashta Nerada are a microscopic swarm creature, indistinguishable from shadow that happen to have a taste for flesh.  Capable of stripping a victim to the bone in seconds, if your wearing a space suit and they get in then you have a very good chance of ending up looking like this.

And if that's not bad in enough, when they're gathered in sufficient number, they manifest a hive mind and come lumbering after you in a very spooky way.

Its a couple of the finest episodes of new who you'll ever see so go and have a varda at the Vashta Nerada.

Steve

Untitled - Angus Mckie (1978)

Another fine example of a skull in a space suit but who's the artist, what year is it from and what book covers was it used on.  I'll update and file it away with corrected labels just as soon as.

I've got a feeling I'm going to kick myself over this one when the answers come in.

News just in.  The artist is Angus Mckie, the piece is untitled but has appeared in a number of places, see Mr Primate's comments below - (Many Thanks, Sir) and also, which is probably where I know it from; Paper Tiger's; The flight of Icarus.

 

And the cover of an issue of White Dwarf.

 

And on this Sci-Fi anthology

 

And a version of it appears here, as well, as the DVD cover and previously the video cover, for Def-Con 4.  But is this Angus Mckie or just a rip-off homage.  Thank you Ash Kalb for the find.

 

And the French hard back edition of Dune (thanks Filou)

 

Steve

John Eder

Photograph by John Eder, with a big thanks blog-follower Tim Armstrong for tracking the information down.

I've no idea what this picture is about or from whom and where it originated but I love it.  So I'm going to throw it out there to anyone that knows and can shed some light on the artist so we can name check them.

Steve

Moon Zero Two (1969) Dead on the Moon

At some point we're going to have to talk about the suits used for this sequence of the film but not just yet.  For now lets add another image to the Skulls in Space label

Steve

Scooby-Doo Where Are You - Spooky Space Kook (1969)

Scooby-Doo was my favourite show as a youngster.  At least I remember saying that when I was asked at school, aged about 6.

I don't think it was actually true but I do remember watching it a lot.  I also remember wishing that just once, in one episode, that the monster would have been a real monster and not just some bloke in a mask.  Not sure that's ever actually happened though.

I could give you the plot breakdown for the episode but it's pretty much the usual.  The spacesuit its self is not especially noteworthy but there's a new tag now for 'Skulls in Space' and this is a fine and relatively early example of it.

What is there left to say except he most probably would have got away with it, too, if it hadn't have been for those meddling kids!


Steve

World Zero Minus (1971)

See we don't just bring you the best of Spacemen here on this blog, we'll bring you the worst as well. 

This photo cover for the 1971 anthology looks like it was knocked up in half an hour by somebody that had already had the money up front and wasn't planning on working as a cover artist ever again.

Some covers are so bad they're good but this isn't one of them.  Did make me laugh though.

Steve

Inherit the Stars (1977)

Inherit the Stars by James P Hogan was published in 1977 and was the first book in the Giants trilogy, which then became the Giants series when a further two more books were added a few years after.

The artwork here is by Darrell K Sweet who has done yet another fantastic cover inspired once again by the design of the 2001 A Space Odyssey costumes.  I'm becoming a big fan of DKS. So much so that he gets his own label here on  my blog.

You will of course have noticed that the image has been flipped for use on the book cover....or not!  The other image is a scan from a sci-fi mag and I'm actually unsure which is the original version.  Ah well!  Either way works for me.

Steve