An interesting art volume I received is Gil Cohen: Inside/Out (Archive Collection), edited by Bob Deis and Wyatt Doyle and published by New Texture as part of the Men’s Adventure Library series of books.
This hardback volume is planned to be the first of several volumes collecting the over 400 pieces of art done by Gil Cohen for the men’s adventure magazines, either cover or interior.
This is not the first collection of such artwork done by the Men’s Adventure Library. They have put out volumes of artwork by Samson Pollen, Mort Künstler, and George Gross. They also did a collection of Cohen’s artwork for Don Pendleton‘s Mack Bolan / The Executioner series of action paperbacks: One Man Army.
This deluxe hardcover contains 148 pages of his artwork. Covers are reproduced one to a page in full color, while the interior artwork is two to a page. Some are monochromatic, others duotone, but a few are in color. I understand that the Archive Collection is also available in a highly limited edition signed by the artist, available directly from the publisher. Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of the hardback. I have no idea if there are plans for softcover or digital editions.
We get a short introduction by Bob Deis, who gives an overview of Cohen’s career and reveals that he still has his original paintings. This is what will be the focus of the subsequent volumes, as we will see the original paintings alongside their published versions.
But for this volume, the focus is artwork. And we get all kinds of artwork. There are planes, intrigue, action, combat, sexy women, nasty villains, and everything else you expect from MAMs, and then some. We even get some beasties, flying saucers, and Bigfoot.
This is a great collection of artwork. If you haven’t checked out what the folks are doing with the Men’s Adventure Library and the Men’s Adventure Quarterly, do so. There just may be some stuff you’ll like. I’ve reviewed a few here as well.
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