Mystica - The Art of Monte M Moore (2003) Monte M Moore, Fanfare, £6.99, pbk, 48pp, ISBN 0-86562-085-7
Moore will be known to fans of Vampirella, Purgatori, CiCi and various Marvel comics as well as for his work on Dungeons and Dragons and Dragonlance projects and book covers for Baen and Paramount's Star Trek franchise. Born in 1971 (making him a youngster, relatively speaking) he entered the comics world in 1993 and hasn't looked back, as the saying has it. He won the Best Black & White award at the World Fantasy Art shows in 1998 and 2001, has appeared in SQP's Maidens portfolios and the Uniquely Playmates fourth set of limited edition fine art prints for Playboy, and this year is launching a range of sculptures (Tradex, Germany). This brief collection includes plenty of images with fantasy or SF themes, including the usual crop of mermaids and winged women, as well as comics characters, including Purgatori, Hellina and Vampirella. Personally I find his work a bit flat and his facial work leaves much to be desired - his characters looking like they have some strange Down's syndrome-type ailment, but there are still some very good images here, including some excellent black and white images. My favourite among the colour work is Dawn of the Dragonfly, which is reminiscent of Frazetta, but much of the rest leaves me cold. There's a step-by-step guide to the production of the back cover image, Turbolover, and the usual biography. Models include Teri Byrne, Stacy E Walker (featured in Artcore #2, see separate review), Suzi Simpson and the usual suspects (yes, even a Julie Strain). Fanfare books can be ordered (and info sought) from afx@fanfare.demon.co.uk or by hassling your local SF/comics shop.
Tony Chester
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