he British firm Paper Tiger is the preeminent contemporary publisher of art books which focus on the fantastic. (One of their newest publications, The Art of Chesley Bonestell, was recently reviewed in Science Fiction Weekly.) They produce gorgeous, comprehensive surveys of the careers of any number of painters, and now these collections can be sampled online.
The front page of the Paper Tiger Online Fantasy Art Gallery offers the names of some 40 artists, from Tom Abba to David Wyatt. Clicking on one brings up a host of images from that particular painter. Clicking on each thumbnail brings up an enlarged version. (Not, unfortunately, enlarged enough to fill the monitor, but only to occupy a quarter-screen-sized window, which seems the site's one drawback.) Along with this wealth of visual beauty--I particularly enjoyed Ron Walotsky's selection--comes a brief biography and overview of the artist, and in some cases a linked interview and contact information. Most artists earn a single page of paintings, though some others receive two.
Four links off the main page lead to such sites as the Jan P. Krasny SF Gallery, with its concentration on the work of a single artist. But two of the links are dead, and need to be updated.
Though not a substitute for the Paper Tiger books themselves, this gallery will nonetheless whet your appetite for the printed collections.
-- Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- July 30, 2001
ightsaber-wielding women conquer the feminine side of the Force with Star Wars Chicks, a site chronicling fandom's holy trilogy from the female perspective. The site offers quizzes to help women geeks determine if they, too, are qualified to be Star Wars Chicks (one sign: wanting a lightsaber more than an engagement ring), recipes for Darth Mauloaf and oodles of fan fiction.
There are bios of prominent women from the series--from Queen Amidala to Mara Jade--that briefly detail their physical descriptions and roles in the Star Wars universe. Gaming fans can find a section dedicated to active Star Wars role-playing game campaigns, while the online message boards discuss a wide range of topics, including best scenes, best quotes and sexiest stars.
The Star Wars Chicks e-mail list carries similar conversations offline, while its Sith Chicks twin offers a place for more mature discussions and fan fiction. Both lists, but the SWC list especially, see a fair amount of traffic, and welcome participation by men--as long as they behave themselves.
-- Kenneth Newquist
Site of the Week -- July 23, 2001
veryone knows what happens to Superman if he has a pocketful of kryptonite, but what about a fistful of carbon or a lungful of helium? Fear not, true believers--the Kentucky University Department of Chemistry answers these questions and more with its Periodic Table of Comic Books. The table looks identical to its traditional counterpart, and clicking on an element takes visitors to a section detailing that element's appearance in comicdom.
Marvel and DC Comics' pantheons dominate the tables listings, with examples drawn from the industry's Golden Age through to today. Within its elemental examples, Superman battles a river of mercury, the Thunderbolts fight the Elements of Doom and the X-Men struggle to fend off Cobalt Man. What's truly impressive is that the site doesn't stick to the easy elements like krypton and oxygen. There are write-ups on the really obscure ones too, like neptunium, antimony, polonium and others rarely uttered outside of college classrooms or corporate laboratories.
The site sticks to real-world elements: Wolverine fans won't find any mention of his famed adamantium, and the kryptonite here is strictly the garden variety, without the red, green or blue mutations. This is hardly a fault, though, and the site's great for learning about the scientific roots of comic books or boning up for that next chemistry exam.
-- Ken Newquist
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