Magazine Cover Artwork

[Roy1]

Rod McDonald of Crowsnest wrote this of the IZ 207 cover Rane mentioned.

"Cover art by Richard Marchand depicts what? A futuristic crucifixion scene with two of his disciples praying in adoration? This picture singularly lacks imagination and is a very bad choice for the cover of 'Interzone'. There is nothing original about this form of representation today and the artist himself, when you look at his web site, displays a moronic repetitive behaviour disorder which compels him to paint heads in all forms of disfiguration, endlessly and without exception. I mean, once you have seen one disfigured head you have seen them all! Perhaps he needs directional help.

"There is a Christian symbolism in this art which some may find offensive. If the magazine had chosen a similar depiction involving Islam, a fatwa would have been issued against 'Interzone' and its editors. Of course, this would have given them plenty of publicity and boosted their sales in the same manner as Salman Rushdie did, some say cynically, with his deliberately controversial 'Satanic Verses'. No, 'Interzone', better stick with boobs and bums! It's safer that way and the circulation goes up just the same."

See: Interzone # 207 - December 2006

Note I've included the cover here, also the IZ current issue is 208 and 209, the 25th anniversary issue, is due March 8th.

[K. Riehl]

When I finish reading a book, good or bad, I often take a second look at the cover art and compare the images produced by the artist to what I envisioned when reading the story. Sometimes there is such a disconnect that I am more cautious in the future when dealing with a given publisher and I take the time to read portions of the story in greater detail before buying.
In the magazine market I put myself in the hands of the editors. I read the magazines that consistantly find new, quality, authors and publish good stories by established authors. I hate to read the also ran titles by established authors that are just coasting and the magazine printed it to use their name as a marketing tool on the cover.
If the art represents the story inside fairly acurately then it's the right artwork. If, in the issue above, the story is about man/machine/religion or even man becomes more than human due to machine then the artwork is correct. If the story is about a woman character who is beautiful then there is nothing wrong with putting her on the cover.
How can someone read Science Fiction and not have an open mind about most issues?
I'm from the US and I subscribe to Analog, Asimov's, Fantasy& Science Fiction, and Locus magazines

[Roy1]

I must admit Interzone covers are rarely connected to the contents in the sense that they were devised by an artist to illustrate one of the issue's stories. However as the interior illustrations are full colour and do illustrate the accompanying story this is not seen as a problem.

Have a look at a copy sometime and let us know what you think.
IZ 208's cover is an illustration from Jason Staddard's "Softly Shining in the Forbidden Dark"
IZ 204's cover is by John Picacio who is featured in that issue.

[Roy1]

Oh dear the cover images I posted to this site are lost because the Interzone website they were linked to has changed. Should I repost them or have you seen enough?

Meanwhile Rod McDonald of Crowsnest who disliked the IZ 207 cover wrote this of IZ 209

This is the 25th anniversary edition of 'Interzone'. The first point to note is that they could have made a better job of the cover. I know it's an anniversary issue and that the art is by Jim Burns, but in my opinion it's dull and uninspiring, something which certainly will not sell magazines when in competition with hundreds of others on a news-stand. Instead of looking back, 'Interzone' should have been looking towards the future and used something far more appropriate and aesthetically appealing.

Any comments? At least we shouldn't get complaints that it's sexist, either way, this time.

[Roy1]

Cover graphic jpg for IZ 210 is in the Interzone thread under Publishers & Industry

[Roy1]

As I said in another thread for Interzone 210 the cover and all fiction graphics by Douglas Sirois, who is also profiled and interviewed (with more artworks from his portfolio). Doug also writes a brief introduction to each story detailing his thought and work processes, how he approached that particular assignment.

There is also a feature about Doug and his work in that issue and I'll post an extract here in the hope that you'll want to see more.

[lin robinson]

I sat here for fifty years and watched the "revolution" in sexual mores move from "don't show naked women because it's nasty" to "don't show naked women because I'm a femnazi".

Progress?

[dustinzgirl]

Originally Posted by lin robinson

I sat here for fifty years and watched the "revolution" in sexual mores move from "don't show naked women because it's nasty" to "don't show naked women because I'm a femnazi".

Progress?

NO!

That is not progress, that is someone forcing thier ideals onto someone else. Thats just idiocy. If I want to post naked pictures of myself or make adult videos for adults in an adult setting with willing adults then as a woman I have control over my body and I have the right to do so or to say no or whatever. I get so freaking angry with the governments censorship sometimes, and those dang radical feminists can kiss my behind.

It is about choice. I am not talking about human trafficking, those sick jerks can all be shot.

As a woman, I have the right and the choice to show, cover, love, abuse my body as I so freaking choose.

I do believe that adult -- anything showing anything between the top of th torso and upper leg area should be adult content and not accessable to children (especially my kids, I'd freak out). That doesn't mean it should be banned, but it should be blocked/covered/restricted. And yes, this definition would include most commercials and MTV.

For example, on my tv nothing above a g rating can be watched by my kids. I think that dirty magazines should have black plastic (or be kept in the back of the store). My problem is not with nakedness, it is with the way the female body is advertised as a commodity. I have no problem with tasteful art being shown to my kids, like Michelangelo's The Creation of Man or basically any renissance art that doesn't show women as objects of sex, but as objects of beauty.

see, here is my problem with radical feminists. They seem to think that honoring a woman's naked body is anti-feminism. I don't think it is. I think that when a woman has the choice to exhibit her body then she is being more of a feminist than those who would choose to control her body.

Yes, I went off on a rant. I humbly beg forgiveness.

[lin robinson]

Au contraire, I enjoyed it immensely.

[Roy1]

Thanks for returning the thread to its original subject. The images I started with have disappeared because the links have broken. I could put them up again if you like.

All our IZ covers are 'paintings' as opposed to photographs. Does that make any difference? Manga covers and interiors can be pretty 'graphic' so I expect not but what do you think?

I do think that renaissance artists were aware that naked flesh was going to gain attention for a work.

[dustinzgirl]

Originally Posted by Roy1

Thanks for returning the thread to its original subject. The images I started with have disappeared because the links have broken. I could put them up again if you like.

All our IZ covers are 'paintings' as opposed to photographs. Does that make any difference? Manga covers and interiors can be pretty 'graphic' so I expect not but what do you think?

I do think that renaissance artists were aware that naked flesh was going to gain attention for a work.

I don't think it matters if it is painting or photograph, personally. I have vogue magazine, which always has a near naked woman on the cover, but it is done not as a selling sex point, but as a selling beauty point. If that makes sense? If you look at a lot of commercials, they are geared towards selling sex---Axe and Tag commercials, for example, sell sex and not beauty.

I don't think there is anything wrong with selling beauty, but I will say that I absolutely hate it when people draw a woman with double d breasts, a 10 inch waist, and a badonkadonk butt wearing a halter top and leather pants that are wholly inpractical for a warrior.

[lin robinson]

Im not so sure Renaissance painters cared about attention. Lots of that stuff was done on commission. My guess is they thought it was beautiful. And they always have a lot of draped cloth because it's fun to paint.

dusinzgirl... that's just comix..and, that's art. Just like they draw males with enorumous biceps and pecs and painted on costumes.

It's not mimetics, it's celebration. By the way, the costume Charlize Theron wore in Aeon Flux was altered from the cartoon version because the drawing version was impossible to move in. Wait until they try to do Vampirella. It's suggest tattoo.

[Roy1]

And I thought all the folds and creases in the drapes were supposed to be suggestive of anatomical detail.

[lin robinson]

I thought all the folds and creases in the drapes were supposed to be suggestive of anatomical detail

You must have met my ex-wife.

[Roy1]

There's no answer to that so I've uploaded an IZ 211 cover image in the Interzone area of Chronicles http://www.chronicles-network.com/forum/interzone/

I've included similar for one of the interior spreads.

Neither image is likely to cause offence as far as I can see.