Ralph Mcquarrie - Star Wars Paintings

I could think of no better way to honor the memory of Ralph McQuarrie than to share many of my favorite paintings he'd made for the conceptualization of Star Wars.

Ralph McQuarrie sketches previously mentioned here.

See Ralph's artwork used in the opening of Clive Barker's Nightbreed.

Ralph Mcquarrie Sketches

Monster Brains viewer M Rogers perfectly describes the above McQuarrie drawings.. 'This is what the memory of Star Wars will remain for me: a parade of wonder. Regardless of whatever saccharine vagaries have turned the original saga into a bag of doritos, i will always remember the sense of expansiveness and magic that seemed to emanate from the various Star Wars that could have been, the stelliform "alternate realities" suggested by production/development art like McQuarrie's and by the sense of a greater history and context that existed before the prequels. Even now, hating that bag of "StarWar-itos" with all of my being, these sketches fill me with a childlike sense of wonder, fear, and excitement. McQuarrie's designs suggest a Star Wars before Star Wars, an unrealized virtual history for a film that pulled a Back to the Future on itself and perverted its own development with "glittering prizes and endless compromises." '

Ralph McQuarrie paintings coming up this weekend.

R.I.P. Ralph Mcquarrie

While Ralph is best known for his work on Star Wars, he also contributed to the mythology of one of my favorite films, Clive Barker's Nightbreed. He painted the giant mural that is shown at the beginning of the film depicting symbolic imagery of the monsters and their history. A detailed article on the creation of the opening sequence can be viewed at the official Clive Barker resource, Revelations.

Additional art from the film can be viewed at Ralph Mcquarrie.com

I've had an epic Mcquarrie post planned for over a year and had been hoping to pull together additional art before sharing it but I think now is the time. Expect to see a vast assortment of Mcquarrie's Star Wars art later this week.

Johnny Ryan - Prison Pit Issue 4 Preview

You might have noticed a brand new Monster Brains logo on the site, it was created by none other than Johnny Ryan, creator of the amazing comic series Prison Pit! Included here is a five page preview of the crazy shenanigans Cannibal Fuckface gets into in this fourth book.

See more of Johnny's work at Johnny Ryan.com Buy his books at the Fantagraphics online store. Keep in mind you get a free 8 page mini comic featuring "hilarious pages of previously unseen character sketches from the descent into Hell that is Prison Pit." when you order any Johnny Ryan book or 50 dollars in other Fantagraphics merchandise. Here's a link to purchase the first three Prison Pit books.