Do we have wormsign?
May 24, 2013 9:12 AM Subscribe
In 1997, Last Unicorn gave Zug the chance at recreating Frank Herbert's 'Dune' through a new trading card series. He was originally told to base his work off of David Lynch's film, but after complications with licensing, "they told me to avoid similarity to Lynch's visuals" says Mark Zug. Mark Zug's Dune trading cards.
Wow, those are super bad ass.
posted by Think_Long at 9:19 AM on May 24, 2013
posted by Think_Long at 9:19 AM on May 24, 2013
That picture of Gaius Helen Mohiam with the Gom Jabbar is awesome. But pretty Lynch-y. As is the one pic of the Navigator. Who is the eyepatch guy? I had no patience with the later books; did Gurney or Duncan lose an eye? Badass indeed.
posted by umberto at 9:23 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by umberto at 9:23 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
These are beautifully rendered. I'm not sure why some need to be so close to the designs from the David Lynch film, but well done, nonetheless (I especially like the Baron Harkonnen's outfit- very Italian Renaissance).
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:30 AM on May 24, 2013
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:30 AM on May 24, 2013
I suspect when he was told they weren't basing it on the film anymore he simply ignored it or changed only the art he hadn't already completed.
posted by Artw at 9:35 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:35 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Really beautiful. And all of them almost instantly recognizable.
I am at this moment wearing a tee shirt that says "i am the kwisatz haderach"--and one of our support guys just understood it, which made my day.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:44 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am at this moment wearing a tee shirt that says "i am the kwisatz haderach"--and one of our support guys just understood it, which made my day.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:44 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
These are fantastic (and obviously there's a fair amount of the Lynch DNA still in them).
Who is the eyepatch guy? I had no patience with the later books;
According to the filename, it's Remy Egusku. These cards were apparently for a CCG, and the creators wanted to add a character who wasn't in the original Herbert story.
posted by themadthinker at 9:48 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Who is the eyepatch guy? I had no patience with the later books;
According to the filename, it's Remy Egusku. These cards were apparently for a CCG, and the creators wanted to add a character who wasn't in the original Herbert story.
posted by themadthinker at 9:48 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
He also talks a bit more about the background on this site, saying of the similarities (and referring to the Guild navigator in specific):
Early in the Dune project I was told to use David Lynch's film adaptation as a visual reference, which was fine with me because I loved the film. Then wheels and gears turned, and the stars of commerce re-aligned, and Last Unicorn no longer had license to tie in to the film. Some time after this piece was done they told me to avoid similarity to Lynch's visuals.
posted by themadthinker at 9:49 AM on May 24, 2013
Early in the Dune project I was told to use David Lynch's film adaptation as a visual reference, which was fine with me because I loved the film. Then wheels and gears turned, and the stars of commerce re-aligned, and Last Unicorn no longer had license to tie in to the film. Some time after this piece was done they told me to avoid similarity to Lynch's visuals.
posted by themadthinker at 9:49 AM on May 24, 2013
I like that the fremen have the Lynch style stillsuits, which are superb, but also have cloaks like true fremen should have.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 9:52 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 9:52 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty psyched about HBO's recent announcement to turn the first book of Dune into a 12 part series. I guess with Game of Thrones being a huge success, the door is wide open for other franchises. Too bad I'm lying and that will never happen. Sorry.
I'd like to see his take on:
Feyd-Rautha
Count Fenring
Good stuff. Makes me want more.
posted by Telf at 10:12 AM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
I'd like to see his take on:
Feyd-Rautha
Count Fenring
Good stuff. Makes me want more.
posted by Telf at 10:12 AM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
Eyepatch dude also functions as a nod to N C Wyeth.
posted by mwhybark at 10:22 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mwhybark at 10:22 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fenring doesn't get enough attention. The almost Messiah is an interesting concept.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 AM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
Too bad I'm lying and that will never happen. Sorry.
I will hunt you.
posted by Artw at 10:25 AM on May 24, 2013 [22 favorites]
I will hunt you.
posted by Artw at 10:25 AM on May 24, 2013 [22 favorites]
I was briefly ridiculously happy.... and now I am sad.
Thanks Telf!
Thelf
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 10:31 AM on May 24, 2013
Thanks Telf!
Thelf
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 10:31 AM on May 24, 2013
If you can figure out a way to shoe horn a whole bunch of nudity into the Dune story, HBO might be interested.
posted by drezdn at 10:48 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by drezdn at 10:48 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Jodorowsky was going to do a Dune film, so that's not exactly a stretch.
posted by Artw at 10:52 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 10:52 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, man, I would LOVE to have high res versions of these. I would make that Stilgar one my wallpaper in a heartbeat, but alas it's been a while since I had an 800x600 monitor.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 11:01 AM on May 24, 2013
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 11:01 AM on May 24, 2013
Now I'll have to break out my old Space Guild deck. Not that it of any use. They kept changing the rules to the damn game primarily to ease win conditions and shorten play.
In the original rules a three player game could take HOURS... if you were lucky. You needed Dune, a noble in play ten spice and twenty favor while your opponents had about fifty ways to stab you in the back. You could mercilessly manipulate the CHOAD exchange. There was no one way to win.
Eventually I think you just needed the spice and the favor or something lame like that. Entire decks built around denying Dune were rendered useless. It felt so... uninspiring. But it also didn't take an entire day to play.
The artwork was awesome, though.
posted by charred husk at 11:09 AM on May 24, 2013
In the original rules a three player game could take HOURS... if you were lucky. You needed Dune, a noble in play ten spice and twenty favor while your opponents had about fifty ways to stab you in the back. You could mercilessly manipulate the CHOAD exchange. There was no one way to win.
Eventually I think you just needed the spice and the favor or something lame like that. Entire decks built around denying Dune were rendered useless. It felt so... uninspiring. But it also didn't take an entire day to play.
The artwork was awesome, though.
posted by charred husk at 11:09 AM on May 24, 2013
The almost Messiah is an interesting concept.
cf. Ynyr in Krull.
posted by stebulus at 11:10 AM on May 24, 2013
cf. Ynyr in Krull.
posted by stebulus at 11:10 AM on May 24, 2013
If you can figure out a way to shoe horn a whole bunch of nudity into the Dune story, HBO might be interested.
Baron Harkonnen will be nude in every scene.
Now try to imagine anything else.
posted by delfin at 11:23 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Baron Harkonnen will be nude in every scene.
Now try to imagine anything else.
posted by delfin at 11:23 AM on May 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you can figure out a way to shoe horn a whole bunch of nudity into the Dune story, HBO might be interested.
The 2000s miniseries (Dune and Children of Dune, the latter starring James McAvoy pre-Mr. Tumnus and Charles Xavier) had a fair bit of it--though not in the version that aired on SciFi IIRC--even without Alia's nude knife training.
posted by zombieflanders at 11:27 AM on May 24, 2013
The 2000s miniseries (Dune and Children of Dune, the latter starring James McAvoy pre-Mr. Tumnus and Charles Xavier) had a fair bit of it--though not in the version that aired on SciFi IIRC--even without Alia's nude knife training.
posted by zombieflanders at 11:27 AM on May 24, 2013
Lexx is probably a bit of a cousin to The Incal, so...
posted by Artw at 11:28 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 11:28 AM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you can figure out a way to shoe horn a whole bunch of nudity into the Dune story, HBO might be interested.
Sting is on the phone with his agent as I write this.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:30 AM on May 24, 2013
Sting is on the phone with his agent as I write this.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:30 AM on May 24, 2013
I'm pretty psyched about HBO's recent announcement to turn the first book of Dune into a 12 part series. I guess with Game of Thrones being a huge success, the door is wide open for other franchises. Too bad I'm lying and that will never happen. Sorry.
This is pure fucking evil!
A million unfavorites are not enough for Telf!
posted by kmz at 11:59 AM on May 24, 2013 [11 favorites]
This is pure fucking evil!
A million unfavorites are not enough for Telf!
posted by kmz at 11:59 AM on May 24, 2013 [11 favorites]
Too bad I'm lying and that will never happen. Sorry.
Dude. Not cool.
posted by Daily Alice at 12:06 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Dude. Not cool.
posted by Daily Alice at 12:06 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you can figure out a way to shoe horn a whole bunch of nudity into the Dune story, HBO might be interested.
Baron Harkonnen will be nude in every scene.
Now try to imagine anything else.
I'm sure it will be greenlighted after the surprise announcement that Dick Cheney has been cast as Baron Harkonnen, the role he was born to play:
posted by ennui.bz at 12:07 PM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
Baron Harkonnen will be nude in every scene.
Now try to imagine anything else.
I'm sure it will be greenlighted after the surprise announcement that Dick Cheney has been cast as Baron Harkonnen, the role he was born to play:
[Baron Cheney] We will control the oil!But the real problem is that, as you know, Dune is set in a future where technological progress has been outlawed and the only way forward is through spiritual advancement. I'm not sure premium cable is any more ready (than the cinema was) for a retelling of the bible story where hippie jesus ascends into heaven by consuming, literally, mountains of hallucinogens and transforming himself into a giant malevolent quasi-phallic worm.
[Director] -CUT- -CUT- Vice-President, it's SPICE, not oil, SPICE!
[Baron Cheney] Aide, bring me my shotgun. I hear the sound of pheasant on the sound stage.
posted by ennui.bz at 12:07 PM on May 24, 2013 [4 favorites]
I like Mark Zug's artwork in the Magic Multiverse, but until now, hadn't really seen him in other mediums (even if MTG and Dune aren't exactly stretches of genre). So this is very interesting.
Zug has one of those distinct art styles that I can recognize just by seeing the artwork on a Magic card. Right up there with Phil Foglio and Ron Spencer.
posted by Twain Device at 12:39 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Zug has one of those distinct art styles that I can recognize just by seeing the artwork on a Magic card. Right up there with Phil Foglio and Ron Spencer.
posted by Twain Device at 12:39 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Jodorowsky was going to do a Dune film, so that's not exactly a stretch.
It turns out while Jodorowsky didn't get to make his Dune film, he recycled a lot of the ideas and imagery in his comic book series: The Incal, Metabarons, The Technopriests and Megalex. I haven't read them yet, and while I'm pretty sure they're not set in the Dune universe, it looks like there are a lot of similarities between the works.
posted by Green Winnebago at 12:56 PM on May 24, 2013
It turns out while Jodorowsky didn't get to make his Dune film, he recycled a lot of the ideas and imagery in his comic book series: The Incal, Metabarons, The Technopriests and Megalex. I haven't read them yet, and while I'm pretty sure they're not set in the Dune universe, it looks like there are a lot of similarities between the works.
posted by Green Winnebago at 12:56 PM on May 24, 2013
Oh, you need to read them.
posted by Artw at 1:00 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 1:00 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
@stebulus: cf. Ynyr in Krull.
I could never take that name seriously; it raises the thought of a Who's on First? conversation:
Colwyn: "Who are you?"
Ynyr: "I'm Ynyr."
Colwyn: "Obviously. So who are you?"
Ynyr: "I'm called Ynyr."
Colwyn: "I know, I invited you in. But what's your name?"
Ynyr: "My name is Ynyr."
Colwyn: "In where?"
... and so on.
posted by raygirvan at 1:04 PM on May 24, 2013
I could never take that name seriously; it raises the thought of a Who's on First? conversation:
Colwyn: "Who are you?"
Ynyr: "I'm Ynyr."
Colwyn: "Obviously. So who are you?"
Ynyr: "I'm called Ynyr."
Colwyn: "I know, I invited you in. But what's your name?"
Ynyr: "My name is Ynyr."
Colwyn: "In where?"
... and so on.
posted by raygirvan at 1:04 PM on May 24, 2013
Oh, you need to read them.
Yes, absolutely- art by Moebius. Just make sure you get versions with the original coloring and not the new stuff.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:24 PM on May 24, 2013
Yes, absolutely- art by Moebius. Just make sure you get versions with the original coloring and not the new stuff.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:24 PM on May 24, 2013
> wormsign
As much as I loved Dune I did think it was strange to have a planetful of worms that big and nobody ever encountered (or even had any occasion to mention) wormcasts. You would have thought.
posted by jfuller at 1:47 PM on May 24, 2013
As much as I loved Dune I did think it was strange to have a planetful of worms that big and nobody ever encountered (or even had any occasion to mention) wormcasts. You would have thought.
posted by jfuller at 1:47 PM on May 24, 2013
And as previously posted on MeFi, there is also Dune concept art from Moebius.
posted by zueod at 1:48 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by zueod at 1:48 PM on May 24, 2013
Cannes 2013 Review: JODOROWSKY'S DUNE Delightfully Journeys Into The Brilliance That Might Have Been
posted by Artw at 3:32 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by Artw at 3:32 PM on May 24, 2013
If Dune will not be made into an HBO miniseries, what about Emperor of the Fading Suns?
posted by Apocryphon at 4:02 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by Apocryphon at 4:02 PM on May 24, 2013
I like Mark Zug's artwork in the Magic Multiverse
I knew I'd seen that signature somewhere.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:19 PM on May 24, 2013
I knew I'd seen that signature somewhere.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:19 PM on May 24, 2013
I'm pretty psyched about HBO's recent announcement to turn the first book of Dune into a 12 part series. I guess with Game of Thrones being a huge success, the door is wide open for other franchises. Too bad I'm lying and that will never happen. Sorry.
Oh, I don't know. GoT has proven the concept, and Dune is a beloved classic. It's not on the horizon, but I think someday it could happen.
posted by homunculus at 11:34 PM on May 24, 2013
Oh, I don't know. GoT has proven the concept, and Dune is a beloved classic. It's not on the horizon, but I think someday it could happen.
posted by homunculus at 11:34 PM on May 24, 2013
I think the Honored Matres from the later books are definitely HBO fare. Why do so many male sci-fi authors end up becoming dirty old men?
posted by Joe Chip at 12:06 AM on May 25, 2013
posted by Joe Chip at 12:06 AM on May 25, 2013
As a total tangent, for some reason when I order golub jamun in Indian restaurants I'm worried I'll misspeak and say gom jabbar. I'm not sure why I think it'd an issue, it's not like they're going to stick my hand in a microwave and hold a poisoned toothpick up next to my neck. Right?
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:11 AM on May 25, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:11 AM on May 25, 2013 [5 favorites]
Phaal is the mindkiller.
posted by Artw at 6:12 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 6:12 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
As much as I loved Dune I did think it was strange to have a planetful of worms that big and nobody ever encountered (or even had any occasion to mention) wormcasts. You would have thought.
It's been a LOOOONG time but isn't that what spice actually turns out to be?
posted by mwhybark at 8:37 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's been a LOOOONG time but isn't that what spice actually turns out to be?
posted by mwhybark at 8:37 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
Gives a whole new perspective on "the Spice must flow" doesn't it?
posted by zombieflanders at 9:00 AM on May 25, 2013
posted by zombieflanders at 9:00 AM on May 25, 2013
Dune concept art from Moebius
Some of those are amazing (I am particularly enamored of Thufir), some...less so. Why does Count Fenring look like John Wayne Gacy? I also tried getting into the Metabarons stuff, but the name "Techno-Technos" is so dumb it drives me right out of it every time.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:06 AM on May 25, 2013
Some of those are amazing (I am particularly enamored of Thufir), some...less so. Why does Count Fenring look like John Wayne Gacy? I also tried getting into the Metabarons stuff, but the name "Techno-Technos" is so dumb it drives me right out of it every time.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:06 AM on May 25, 2013
Those cards have some splendid imagery. Thank you, artw.
posted by doctornemo at 9:09 AM on May 25, 2013
posted by doctornemo at 9:09 AM on May 25, 2013
It just occurred to me that Herbert could have been looking at Edward Abbey in part as inspiration for Kynes, although the timeline is off - Abbey had published three books by 1963 when Dune began appearing in Analog and I was not able via casual research to place him in contact with Herbert during the initial research phase.
So much in that first book is inspired riffing on Herbert's personal experience of place and pop culture. Caladan is Western Washington, Arrakis was partly inspired by the experience of the Oregon Dunes, certain scenes in the book appear to have been inspired by the movie Lawrence of Arabia, and so on.
posted by mwhybark at 11:30 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
So much in that first book is inspired riffing on Herbert's personal experience of place and pop culture. Caladan is Western Washington, Arrakis was partly inspired by the experience of the Oregon Dunes, certain scenes in the book appear to have been inspired by the movie Lawrence of Arabia, and so on.
posted by mwhybark at 11:30 AM on May 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
« Older Loaded like a fright train | You’ve got a billion dollars worth of art sitting... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
(I kid. The art is actually pretty cool. Thanks for posting.)
posted by sourcequench at 9:17 AM on May 24, 2013