Been away for a while...thought I would throw out some random thoughts re: all this Mondo Madness that closed out 2010.
I feel that Olly Moss hit a grand slam with his SW set. I think that he managed to do something that many artists have tried to accomplish and over the years have failed to do, and that is to bridge the gap from the niche SW market/fanbase to the mainstream with SW art and design aesthetics. He has taken, in my opinion, timeless characters, themes, and imagery from the films and made them the most accessible they have ever been. I have shown the pieces to several folks who either hate posters/prints, hate SW, or hate both and all have said something in the vein of "Wow, those are really neat! ( or for neat, insert: beautiful, creative, astonishing, fun, cool, etc...).
While SW has legions of fans around the world, it is still a difficult to design for to bring in new dollars to Skywalker Ranch because it is polarizing in its own essence of being a sci-fi/western movie. I think there are some great designs over the years (Hilldbrant quad, wow), but Moss has created a whole new level of iconic imagery that anyone and everyone could find something to really appreciate, whether it be the colors, creative use of familiar SW shapes to work within a bigger shape/character, and so on. A run of only 400? Sheesh...they will only go up in value as a whole over time, IMO. And you thought Moss' Evil Dead has gone crazy...SW is a whole new ball game. Probably my favorite Mondo anything in some time.
The Stout set is remarkable but not as brave as the Moss set. With Tyler, you either love it or hate it. Some folks don't get the fact that his kitchen sink approach is a love letter to that particular film he is designing for, but I can understand the busy factor keeping some folks at bay. I can also understand someone owning his Blade Runner piece and pointing to it as their favorite printed imagery for their favorite movie. I feel that some of the stuff he has done is ok, some more than ok, some incredible, and I really thought he outdid himself with his Let the Right One In piece he recently did (still my favorite work of his) because he let the piece breathe a bit while adding so many layers of intrinsic and extrinsic meaning behind the design...if you have seen the film you know what I mean, and you will or do LOVE how that pissed off cat's face is hidden in the tree (I didn't see it until I unrolled it in person),as much as you will or do love Eli's love letter to Oskar recreated with the same script design from the film as well.
However, if there is a trio of movies that beg to have the tstout treatment, its these, the Original Trilogy, drawn by a man who clearly is still in love with the films he saw as a boy, not the special edition travesties that The Beard decided to punish the children of the 70s and 80s with. Don't believe me? Just one example: Check out Sebastian Shaw with his helmet off front and center, in his own block, in the Jedi print...one of the most intentional statements in the entire series. No Hayden Christensen 'round these parts, that's for damn sure.
I love the thoughtful element of each film's story unraveling as your eye moves clockwise, I love how you discover different characters hidden under random ships and armpits each time you pour over these. See Ponda Baba and Garindan in the SW print, their inclusion alone makes me thrilled. I love looking at these posters and thinking about the endless possibilities that trilogy offered in planets, ships, characters, weapons. I love how these posters make me recollect my childhood memories built around all things Kenner toys from that line, and I love how these posters even exist to begin with. tstout and SW is a match made in heaven.
On the site and hubub with everything...
I think some folks get it, they get what Mondo is doing, what they are about, what they aren't about, understand the concept of limited editions, supply vs. demand, and so on. The folks who don't get it are instantly entertaining, their rationals and quick-fix theories for Mondo that they publish to whichever site they decide is mostly irrational and silly (looking especially at you, Facebook whiners), but mostly downright ignorant. If they did about 5 minutes of research and reading, they would see how well Mondo has worked to get these prints to fans and collectors alike, and how well they have adjusted and improved the site and buying experience over the years, especially this year. People in this country don't understand how they can't have something they want, plain and simple, so they all turn into little Veruca Salts.
It makes me smile a bit more to own these Golden Geese all those brats think they deserve. Now if only we could send them down to the furnace where all the other bad eggs go...
Congrats on a great series and great year, Mondo/Justin/Mitch/Rob/whoever else. Keep it goin'.
