We are pleased and proud to welcome a new guest blogger to MySpace Comic Books -- the incomparable TORI AMOS! Ms. Amos is a comic book fan from way back (and if you don't believe us, take a closer look at her lyrics). She has joined us today in honor of COMIC BOOK TATTOO -- an upcoming anthology from IMAGE COMICS where some of the most impressive talents in the medium interpret Tori's songs in sequential art form.
To say this is one of the most highly anticipated books of the year is an understatement. This gorgeous tome hits the shelves on July 23rd, but today we've got an exclusive preview of the story "Upside Down" by Mark Sable and Salgood Sam. Not to mention a guest blog from Tori herself, on the subject of her five favorite artists.
Thanks to Ms. Amos and her staff for this fantastic preview! Take it away, Tori...1. Henri Russeau From paintings such as "A Carnival Evening" to "War, or Discord on Horseback," I have always heard music when I look at his paintings.
2. Agnes Martin This artist speaks of a philosophy that I have come to apply. "I want to take time with this concept and prove beyond doubt that authority and obedience exist at the same time in each of us, that we are all in a state of obligatory authority, that it is a sublime state and a state of positive freedom." This artists' canvases construct geometric shapes with disciplined yet haunting effect. I find that I can hallucinate just staring at her canvases. I could lose myself in "White Flower."
3. Frida Kahlo You can't get further from Anges Martin than Frida Kahlo, from my perspective. One stirs emotion through the use of disciplined logic. The other, Frida Kahlo, activates my mind by entering into my blood. Her paintings, as I look at them, begin to live in my blood. The passion that it stirs in my heart heals and wounds all in the same breath.
4. Degas I mention Degas specifically because of this series he did of Dancers. I'm not as drawn to the landscapes as I am drawn to the ballerina paintings, such as "Ballet Rehearsal," "The Dancing Class," "The Star; Dancer on Pointe," "Dancers Backstage," "Before the Exam," "Rehearsal of a Ballet on the Stage," "Spanish Dancer and Studies of Legs," "Frieze of Dancers," "Two Dancers at the Bar," "Four Dancers," and "Dance Rehearsal in the Foyer of the Opera" – these are paintings I go back to over and over in my life as a creator. I can stare at them for hours and I always find something new in them. Something that I hadn't noticed before. An emotion, a layer. This is why I specifically mention these.
5. Ilya Repin I've always been obsessed with Russia, specifically during the early 20th Century. In his painting "October 17, 1905" I find myself staring at the faces of these people, trying to comprehend what Russia was like at that time, before the revolution.
COMIC BOOK TATTOO
by PIA GUERRA, JOHN REPPION, LEAH MOORE, DAVID MACK, MIKE DRINGENBERG, COLLEEN DORAN, JONATHAN HICKMAN, JAMES OWEN, ERIC CANETE, TED McKEEVER, JOCK, ANTONY JOHNSTON, DAME DARCY and over 70 more!
edited by RANTZ A. HOSELEY
cover JASON "STUNTKID" LEVESQUE
INSPIRED BY THE SONGS OF TORI AMOS!
Over 80 of the best creators from every style and genre, have contributed over 50 stories to this anthology featuring stories inspired by the songs of multi-platinum recording artist, TORI AMOS. Featuring an introduction by NEIL GAIMAN, with stories by creators such as CARLA SPEED McNEIL, MARK BUCKINGHAM, C.B. CEBULSKI, NIKKI COOK, HOPE LARSON, JOHN NEY REIBER, RYAN KELLY and many, many others, COMIC BOOK TATTOO encapsulates the breadth, depth and beauty of modern comics in this coffee table format book.
480 pages, full color
Softcover: $29.99
Hardcover: $49.99
Limited Signed & Numbered Hardcover: $149.99
ON SALE JULY 23RD!
