Saturday, June 30, 2012

JESWANA



Jeswana is the younger sister of Ka Sirtago. She is the   object of affection for the hapless Poet, Ka Sirtago's closest friend.


But Poet's affections are not returned by Jeswana. In THE GREEN BEAST Jeswana's affections are bestowed upon another. THE GREEN BEAST is now availble for Kindle for only $2.99!.








I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Thursday, June 28, 2012

COMMENCE THE COMMENCEMENT



My daughter is graduating tonight.


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

JUMP!



It's summer but it has been very rainy in my part of the world and all the beaches are flooded, so a sight like this is very rare to see these days. Come to think of it, a sight like this is rare to see no matter how sunny it is.


Ah, well... hope springs eternal. Until then there is always my imagination.*


*and Betty Page. It was a photo of her that inspired this work. :)




I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

POET




Poet is the boon companion and friend of Sirtago, the Ka of Trigassa. They are like brothers.


Scholarly, erudite and sensitive, Poet is also deadly with his twin blades. He is able to keep his friend out of trouble most times, but when trouble is at hand there is none more fierce than Poet. He is usually able to keep his wits about him and keep Sirtago pointed in the right direction, though a pretty face is likely to distract him.


Poet tends to fall in love easily, but the great unrequited love of his life is Sirtago's sister Jeswana. 

In THE GREEN BEAST Poet's heart breaks for the first time (but not the last) as Jeswana's affections are bestowed upon another. THE GREEN BEAST is now availble for Kindle for only $2.99!.


UPDATE: Hey, do me a favor: you don't have to buy it, but do visit the page -- even if you don't have a Kindle you can still visit the page -- and press the like button.


Let me know you did it in the comments and I will offer up a prize of some sort.






I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

KA SIRTAGO





Ka Sirtago is a character that I came up with years ago. He is the prince -- the Ka -- of the kingdom of Trigassa. Scarred from birth he is a fearsome sight to behold. He is also selfish, loud, rude and possesses great appetites for gambling, whores and food and drink. Sirtago's bad qualities are tempered only by his childhood companion, Poet. Together they travel the world, having adventures and getting into a lot of trouble along the way.



The stories are sword and sorcery tales written in the pulp tradition of Weird Tales and of authors such as Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber. They have thrills and excitement but also a good deal of humour.



I published the first story, The Mark of Gennesh in an anthology called Kings of the Night under the pseudonym Jack Mackenzie. Since then I have published many stories under that name in different magazines and anthologies including four more Ka Sirtago stories.



An all- new Ka Sirtago and Poet adventure, THE GREEN BEAST is now available at Amazon .com exclusively for Kindle.


This is a sword and sorcery novella in the grand old pulp tradition of WEIRD TALES. Sirtago, the prince — the Ka — of the kingdom of Trigassa and his trusted companion, the sensitive and erudite scholar, Poet, travel from Trigassa to the neighboring castle ruled by the enigmatic Baron Ogmund.


But something is rotten in the castle of Baron Ogmund. Sirtago, the lusty Ka of the realm, and his sensitive companion, Poet, are onto a mystery involving a terrible green beast. The creature is killing the fishermen of the local village and the truth is so strange it will call into question everything, even the faithfulness of the Empress, Sirtago’s own mother!


Go to Amazon.com to find THE GREEN BEAST for Kindle for only $2.99!.


UPDATE: Hey, do me a favor: you don't have to buy it, but do visit the page -- even if you don't have a Kindle you can still visit the page -- and press the like button.


Let me know you did it in the comments and I will offer up a prize of some sort.







I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Thursday, June 21, 2012

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!





It's here! Yay!


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A FINE FURY



Did this today just because it was a rainy Sunday.


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Saturday, June 16, 2012

INTO THE DIRE PLANET



Cover art that I did for Joel Jenkin's book INTO THE DIRE PLANET. It's a GREAT series of books with a wonderful Burroughsian flavor. I've done a couple of covers for them and they're always a treat to do.


You can buy a copy of it here or check out his other books here.


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Friday, June 15, 2012

BAT-JAMAS



Just a quick picture -- more of an exercise than anything -- to try to break through the doldrums. I've been struggling with artist's bloc for the past few days. Lousy weather and a funeral the other day have done their bit to dampen my enthusiasm.


The trick is to keep drawing.


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

PLANETARY STORIES: CITY OF LOST ANGELS




Here are some illustrations that I did recently for Pulp Sprits at Planetary Stories, an online magazine. The story they illustrated was City of Lost Angels by Rick Norwood.


Unfortunately they are reproduced very small on the website, so here they are at the size that I originally made them.








I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Monday, June 11, 2012

PROMETHEUS: A REVIEW WITH MINOR SPOILERS



Prometheus gave mortals the gift of fire, an act which angered the rest of the gods who promptly punished him by chaining him to a rock where a great bird ate his liver for eternity.


The old gods were certainly less charitable back then.


But what if they were even less charitable? Suppose instead of confining their wrath merely to poor Prometheus, they decided to wipe out mortal man as well?



Ridley Scott rose to prominence as a director with the first Alien movie back in 1979. That film launched a string of sequels of fairly uneven quality in the intervening years. Now he returns with Prometheus, the prequel to the first film, and it is just as uneven.





The problem with the film is that it is trying to be too many things at once. It is both highbrow and lowbrow. It is fast-paced, and yet slow moving. It is an art film, but it is also a horror film. It is a philosophical examination of the nature of the relationship between man and his creator, but it is also an effects laden big-budget (3D) sci-fi flick. It is an ALIEN film but it is also something new. It is a zen garden but it is also a warehouse.

Does it sound schizophrenic? Because it kind of is.

That's probably why most other reviews of the film are all staring of with; "I liked it, but..."

Scott is trying to give something new, something massive, something epic, but at the same time is trying to satisfy the demands of the established franchise. It is a tricky balancing act that would be impossible for almost any other director, but Ridley almost... almost... pulls it off. (He is Ridley Scott, after all.)

After all is said and done the film manages to set the stage for the first movie. The fallout -- the detritus -- the leftovers -- of this film are the impetus for the Alien films. In fact the whole "alien" creature is depicted as an unintended afterthought of the epic events of Prometheus. For me that kind of cheapened all the other films. It also gives the lie to the titles of the subsequent films. Without giving too much away away, given the amount of human DNA that went into creating the thing, it can hardly be categorized as completely "alien".

A ubiquitous problem with a prequel made years after the "sequel" is that film technology improves. Prometheus is a beautifully designed film. The ships, the spacesuits, the technology is all amazing. So much so that it makes the first film, which takes place years after this one, look cheap and shoddy in comparison.




This is particularly true of David, the robot. Michael Fassbinder portrays him as a beautiful creature, with perfectly sculpted features and a Nazi precision that is genuinely frightening. He is the embodiment of human perfection. He is so perfect that he makes the subsequent robots (Ash, Bishop) look dumpy in comparison. To be fair, Ash and Bishop were designed to blend in better with the great unwashed of humanity -- Ash was designed to infiltrate a human crew who was unaware of his artificial nature -- nevertheless, they suffer in comparison.

Some scenes in Prometheus have an almost Kubrickian beauty and pacing. Other scenes "go for the gross-out". There are creatures of beauty and perfection contrasted with bloody, puss filled squiddy critters. Unfortunately the tentacles and blood tends to draw down the beauty and the philosophy --  like a New York steak served with a side of 'tater tots. You wouldn't really remember that as a fancy meal and it isn't fun enough to be junk food.

I can recommend it for the design alone. As I said, the space ships and space suits are amazing (and the actors look amazing in them) as is the look of the planet and the domed structures (with the skull faces on the side.) (It's funny that when the ship lands the skull is hidden from view. If they'd landed 45 degrees to the right it would have been visible and they might not have been so keen to go exploring.).







The "engineers" are beautiful as well and how they fit in with the "Space Jockey" from the original Alien is a surprisingly clever twist. Charlize Theron, is physically beautiful (and has an amazing ass - in 3D!) but she plays a character who is reprehensible -- batshit crazy and kind of scary. Idris Elba stands out as the captain of the Prometheus. Guy Pearce gives a surprising performance as well. Noomi Rapace plays the main character, Doctor Shaw. She has a very odd look and, although she is likable, I did not find her very interesting. She's a good actress but she's no Sigourney Weaver.

So, there you go. Prometheus ranges from really good to somewhat OK. There's nothing really bad about it. It aspires to be more than a monster movie, but it also aspires to be a monster movie. Unfortunately neither movie manages a home run. It answers some questions but then asks several more. There are many nice touches but not really any clear reason for their inclusion. David trying to emulate Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, for instance. Why?







Unless it is that when your creator rejects you -- indeed tries to kill you -- just like that other Prometheus, the modern one -- it hurts. "The trick," David says, mimicking Peter O'Toole, "is not minding that it hurts."



I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Thursday, June 7, 2012

SIC TRANSIT GLORIA



Thus passes the glory of the world. All things are fleeting. The center cannot hold.


Or, to say it prosaically; things change.


Venus made a transit in front of the sun this week. I did not see it myself because we experienced a deluge of rain. Rain warnings were in effect, not that we needed them -- our heads and the backs of our necks told the story quite nicely when we went outside without an umbrella. Nevertheless, it happened and will not happen again for over a hundred years.


Ray Bradbury made a transit as well. He moved from this world to the next -- the Undiscovered Country from whose bourn no traveller returns. Whatever there is in that country -- celestial figures with white robes and harps or a surfeit of nothingness -- I'm sure he will have no trouble speaking the language.


Bradbury was a poet. He was the poet of speculative fiction who translated his dreams into words and sometimes frightened us but always filled us a sense of wonder. I say "us" but what I really mean is "me". I don't really speak for all of us.




Bradbury did, though. Bradbury dreamed and wrote it down and those of us who read dreamed along with him. I have been to Mars, and it is not a dusty, rusty collection of sand and rocks, it is a lonely landscape populated by golden-eyed beings who ride skimmers over the sand.


Because of him I know that there is wonder and darkness and sometimes terror to be found in attics and in carnivals that come through small towns. There are pumpkin fields to run through and endless days of summer in which to play.


The future will have spaceships and time travel and machines that can take you from your ultra-chic modern house to a veldt in africa. And if you are a negligent parent you should watch out for those lions in the distance. They look kind of hungry, don't they?


Transitions happen all the time. Sometimes they are small and we barely notice them. Sometimes they come at us unexpected and sometimes they loom so large on the horizon they feel like they will overwhelm us with their size.


We adapt or we die like the dinosaurs. We roll with the changes. It's up to us whether we let those transits make us hard like stone or, through it all, keep our childlike sense of wonder about the world.


Try to weather your transits as best you can. Try to retain a childlike sense of wonder about the world or, if you don't have one, try to cultivate one. Yes there are frightening things in the world. There are dark carnivals that come to town and try to steal your soul. There are hungry lions in the veldt. There are forces that will try to control your thoughts by burning all the books.




But they, too will transit, and the old men who have memorized the books will come out of hiding, leave the road and come back to the libraries to fill the empty shelves again.



I apologize for the rambling nature of this post. A confluence of transits, one of which is the passing of Mister Bradbury, whose work has had a great influence on me all of my life, have put me in a reflective mood.

But this, too shall pass, and I will be back to posting silly drawings (and maybe one or two "serious" ones). 



I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Monday, June 4, 2012

THE TRANSIT OF VENUS



For starwatchers, a celestial even is scheduled to happen June 5th and 6th. The Transit of Venus sounds like the title of a romantic poem but actually describes what happens when the planet Venus passes between the sun and the earth. Effectively what you will see is Venus moving slowly across the face of the sun over a period of about seven hours.

Now, naturally you cannot look at the sun directly unless you want to be blind. You have to use special glasses or have a telescope or binoculars set up to project the image onto a screen:


Or if you can visit this website and watch it live over the web.

And remember, if you miss it this time you can always catch the next one in a mere 105 years in December, 2117.




I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Death of a Friend

Friday morning we got word that a friend and co-worker had died. We knew that she was sick. She'd been in hospital for many weeks and we knew that the doctors had given low odds that she would pull through. Nevertheless news of her passing came as a shock and it made for a sombre Friday.


Unfortunately there is little time for contemplation. I am committed to a lot of work this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more artwork soon. I have been doing a lot of it but none that I can show off just yet.




I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Friday, June 1, 2012

HE HAS WALKED THIS EARTH FOR 47 YEARS



Cal... the man they call Cal!


He has entertained us from his icy lair known as the Cave of Cool. Located in the northern tundra of Alberta, Canada -- a frozen wasteland in the winter, a blackfly infested bog in the summer -- Cal entertains his followers with his cat captions, his Image Avalanches, his Wednesdays with Wonder Woman, his 60 second stories, the folks who are having a worse day than you, the redheads, the batgirls, Selena, Hattie and the rest, his good natured ennui and his witty repartee.


He is a true blogstar and I am proud to be able to call him my friend.




Happy Birthday, you magnificent bastard!




Visit his blog, wish him a Happy Birthday and tell him MD sent ya!




I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...