Fantagraphics just announced a limited-edition signed portfolio by the maestro of macabre mystery, Richard Sala! The writer/artist, whose work draws on many genre faves (James Bond, Fantomas, Judex, Dick Tracy, The Avengers, Dr. Mabuse, serials, and classic horror), is a regular here at the Spy Vibe lair. I always enjoy our lengthy discussions about mystery and adventure conventions, sleuths, diabolical masterminds, and Emma Peel. And I eagerly await each new project from Sala's imagination. He worked on a series of images recently that focused on kick-ass female characters (his specialty) and called it Violent Girls. Now that series can be yours to frame and collect! From the press release: "Violent Girls is a limited-edition portfolio featuring 44
action portraits lovingly inspired by the kind of dangerous females who have populated
pulp fiction and B-movies throughout the history of pop culture—blazing their
way through every kind of genre, potboiler, cliffhanger, and fever dream
imaginable. Each print in this thick set is 9" x 7" and on sturdy archival matte paper that faithfully captures the look of the original watercolor art. The set has been created with the utmost care in a "pad folio" format, meaning you may either keep the set in it's handsome book form and place it on your bookshelf, or you may detach any or all prints you wish (pages can be removed cleanly with no tears or mess) and hang them on your wall. Printed by Jonathan Barli of Rosebud Archives. Best known for the macabre whimsy of his many pop gothic graphic
novels, including The Hidden, Delphine, and Cat Burglar Black, Richard Sala has
also exhibited his artwork internationally and drawn illustrations for Playboy,
Esquire, The New York Times, Google and Penguin Books. His fondness for
embracing the campy and the absurd is reflected in his affectionate depictions
of these lovely and deadly violent girls. The lively original drawings of crisp, angular ink line-work
and vibrant splashes of watercolor are reproduced with the utmost care on
thick, acid-free sheets. The unique PadFolio format allows each archival print
to be detached for individual use or to be kept intact in book form." Signed and numbered, limited to 250. Details here. Tumblr page here. Spy Vibe's Richard Sala posts: Super-Enigmatix Interview, In a Glass Grotesquely, Adventures of Richard Sala Interview, Rogue's Galleries, Invisible Hands, The Hidden. Below: Samples from the Violent Girls series. Enjoy!
