Illustrated version of Fahrenheit 451

A few of Sam Weber's illustrations for the Folio Society's edition of Fahrenheit 451. (Wow.)

Name Thomas Keller's new candy bar

Contest to name Bouchon Bakery's new chocolate bar. Via these sites.

Illustration roundup

Big collection of science illustrations by Sam Hiti. Via.



The Adventures of Herge, an illustrated biography.



Hairy legs by Tyler Parker for Motif Magazine.



Nicholas Delort's series of illustrations based on Harry and Dumbledore's horcrux search continues.



Kill Bill illustration by Max Dalton for Spoke Art's upcoming Tarantino-themed show.




Nate Hallinan (he's done a lot of Marvel Super Hero Squad work). Via.

The Star Wars x Adidas shoes are in stock

The Star Wars x Adidas shoes are in stock at the Adidas store. Would you all be kind enough to buy them out so I'll stop being tempted?

Link roundup

1. I can't believe so many longtime bloggers still don't know that infographics are created as linkspam to improve Google search results. (As I've mentioned before, I've been offered money to post them.)



2. BoingBoing interviewed William Gibson to celebrate the release of the Zero History paperback. Sample:

Do you have a "daily carry?" If so, what are the things in it?

A very thin, almost weightless wallet, made of a material called Kuben (which is sort of like Dyneema but less fancy-looking) deployed in front pocket. (I had a walletectomy for a back issue; back-pocket carry is murder on the back, plus much less secure.) A steel-cable Muji keyring with keys and a SwissTech Utili-Key 6-in-1 tool (which looks like a key). A Montblanc roller-pen from before they become a luxury brand (I found one on eBay after reading Hiroshi Fujiwara's fascinating book Personal Effects).


3. My understanding is that Mattel didn't sell remotely close to the minimum number of subscriptions that they supposedly needed to support a DC Universe club, but have nevertheless announced that they "found a way to make the program work."



4. Apparently the Deus Ex Human Revolution viral game is ongoing, but the moderators have had trouble finding an audience able/motivated enough to solve the puzzles.

Link roundup

1. True Hoop: "Poor handwriting on a birth certificate changed Shane Battier's family name from 'Battle' to 'Battier' and they just went with it."



2. I didn't see the movie, so I don't know if I'd agree, but both reviews I read of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (produced and co-written by Guillermo del Toro) criticized the monster design.



3. From the introduction to a podcast: "Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk co-founded BioWare, the RPG-oriented group that now consists of five locations within Electronic Arts. They started out as doctors (actual practicing medical doctors, mind you), and BioWare was once a developer of games as well as medical software."



4. The upcoming Aliens game for the DS sounds terrific.

Little Nemo in Gigerland (and oh, so much more)

Little Nemo meets the Alien, Grendel, Cthulhu, Galactus, and it's all just a tiny sample of Giorgio Comolo's work:





























Commissions start at $250. Via.



*Buy Grendel toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. "Bank-Robbing Stripper and Brothers Caught After Car Chase, Gun Battle."



2. Tents that fold up really small. Via.



3. "Gap’s Death-Camp Chic mannequins."

Link roundup

1. If you like scholarly analysis of comic books, then you should definitely check out Andrew Hickey's multi-part analysis of Grant Morrison's excellent Seven Soldiers of Victory. For example, here's a provocative theory:

The question of abiogenesis has never properly been resolved – we know that at some point a set of non-self-replicating molecules became a self-replicating molecule, from which all further life on earth evolved (at least all the evidence points to life having only arisen once on the planet, though it’s possible this happened multiple times). One of the neatest hypotheses that I’ve heard was one from the chemist Graham Cairns-Smith. He pointed out that clay has two interesting properties. The first is that it’s made of crystals – which grow in consistent shapes. If you break a crystal, but allow it to continue growing, you get two crystals with the same basic pattern.

The second is that silica – which clay is made of – is a catalyst for all sorts of interesting chemical reactions.

Now, the first of these things means that natural selection, of a sort, will act on clay – different shaped crystals will be more or less likely to be destroyed by weather conditions, and the ones less likely to be destroyed will be able to reproduce. Some of these shapes will also be conducive to the creation of some molecules than others. But those molecules cold, in turn, make it easier for clay to form the shapes which make it most likely for them to appear. Suddenly, those molecules are helping the clay ‘reproduce’, and so the clay which produces those molecules is being selected for. And the molecules themselves are being selected for – increasingly complex molecules that can produce increasingly stable clay formations, and play an increasingly important part in reproduction.

Until one day one of those molecules becomes so complex, and plays such an important part in the reproductive process, that it breaks away from the clay and carries on reproducing itself without any clay at all. The clay gets left behind, as organic matter goes on to become ever-better at reproducing itself, and the clay just stays clay. The pattern has moved from one substrate to another, and transcended its origins.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

2. How to make a hedge maze area rug. Via.

3. Amazon is giving away $2 in music credit. (Here's my recent music recommendations.)

But where's the Bash Brothers poster?

Classic 80's athlete posters get their due at Salon 94. I'm strongly considering picking up one of the L.A. Law posters at eBay.

Lego Scythian

One more by Clay Morrow - - Lego Scythian from Sword and Sworcery.

Sasquatch cake, toys and poster

Poster and toys designed by Don Clark for the Sasquatch music festival:





The toys are $20 and the poster is $10 here.

And here's a cake by Charm City Cakes for the festival:

Chris Ware’s poster for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is still available

Mondo's posters typically sell out immediately (and reappear at eBay) but Chris Ware’s poster for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is still available. I think it's the best poster they've had in months. (Just can't justify paying $75 plus shipping and frame.)

*Buy Mondo posters at eBay.

Night of the Batmen (Plastic Man as Batman)

In last night's episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, "Night of the Batmen," Batman suffers a serious injury, and his fellow Justice Leaguers take his place patrolling Gotham. Green Arrow, Shazam, and Aquaman settle on their looks quickly, but Plastic Man tries out a few classic styles before settling on a pantsless look:











He has a fight with Catwoman:









And argues with the others as to who's the best Batman:





The end of the episode shows several more Batman volunteers:



*Buy Plastic Man toys at eBay.