Blab World, Vol. 2
Blab World, Vol. 2
Edited by Monte Beauchamp. Published by Blab!
Hardcover, 128 pages, Colour, 2012
Blab World (formerly Blab! magazine) is a 128-page, full color, 10 x 10 inch, hardcover anthology of Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism artwork, illustration, vintage collectible ephemera, gag cartoons, comic strips, articles, and artist profiles—edited, packaged, and produced by award-winning art director and book designer Monte Beauchamp.
Features include: “The Hereafter”—a 50-page feature comprised of full and double-page paintings by low brow and pop surrealist artists interpreting the afterlife! Contributors include: Femke Hiemstra, Kris Kuksi, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Martin Wittfooth, Gary Taxali, Jana Brike, Gary Baseman, Yoko d’Holbachie, Ryan Heshka, Cathie Bleck, Eric White, Owen Smith, Lou Beach, Marc Burckhardt, Erik Mark Sandberg, and many more! An 8-page profile on surrealist painter Fred Stonehouse; a tribute to 1950s Mad comics artist Will Elder by Drew Friedman; a 16-page tribute to R. Crumb’s Zap Comix by New York Times Book Review columnist Steven Heller; and a lush, 16-page illustrated tribute to 1920s Amazing Stories pulp magazine cover artist Frank R. Paul by pop surrealist painter Ryan Heshka.
Comic book stories include: “Adolf ’s Aberration” by Nora Krug; “Dispatches from Oblivion” by Greg Clarke; “The Great Sea Serpent of Brazil’s Parahiba River” by Mark Todd; “Lidérc” by Andrea Dezso; “Visitation” by Peter Kuper; “The Vexing Thing Upstairs ” by Denis Kitchen; and “Leftovers” by Sergio Ruzzier. Plus gag cartoons by Shag! and Greg Clarke.
Cover artwork: Gary Taxali
In this climate of consumer pollution and corporate framework, it's no small feat when an act of creative freedom rears its pretty head. So when something comes along that is completely unrestrained and devoid of commercial influences, it's time for applause. And Blab! magazine is one of the platforms for unharnessed art that deserves a standing ovation.
Juxtapoz Magazine
Monte Beauchamp is an awarding-winning art director whose books have been featured in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Onion, The Believer, Flaunt, Bizarre, Graphis, Print, and ForeWard magazine, among others. His titles include Krampus: The Devil of Christmas (Last Gasp), The Life and Times of R. Crumb (St. Martin’s Press), and Striking Images: Vintage Matchbook Cover Art (Chronicle), New & Used BLAB!(Chronicle). He is currently working on a book for Simon & Schuster.