We recently invited Kevin Tong down to Austin and asked him to sign the entire Once Upon A Time series in two days (that’s almost 2000 posters, the dude’s got serious hand stamina). With the series wrapping up today (see below), we wanted to take this opportunity to thank Kevin and ABC for their involvement and help. Cheers!

Poster by Kevin Tong. 18″x24″ screen print with metallic ink. Hand Numbered and signed by Kevin Tong. Edition of 225. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. Click HERE to purchase.

Poster by Kevin Tong. 18″x24″ screen print with metallic ink. Hand Numbered and signed by Kevin Tong. Edition of 95. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. Click HERE to purchase.

I am so not a top ten list guy. At the end of a year, I kind of cringe at the “a year in review” stuff that a lot of news stations and publications do. So, I’ll admit, I’m a hypocrite because here I am with a top ten list…. sorry, top 11 list of my favorite posters we put out this year. Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments.

Dracula by Aaron Horkey & Vania Zouravliov

Some people, when they first meet me,  say, “I bet your house is covered with Mondo posters.” It’s weird, but that’s actually the opposite of the truth. If you were to come over (you SHOULD come over. Text me.), you’d see a bunch of weird stuff like Ghana movie posters, original comic art or whatever…. and then this Dracula poster. It’s the only Mondo poster up at present and I love it. Without a doubt, my favorite poster of the year.

Steamboat Willie by Tom Whalen

This poster was very fun to work on. We worked out the agreement with Sideshow to tackle the Disney properties and I remember seeing a Disney Big Fig Steamboat Willie statue on a Tumblr and thought, “Oh… that’d be cool to start the Disney series with.” It was going to be a parallel where this was the cartoon that kind of kicked off the whole Mickey Mouse thing and it’d also be what kicked off the Mondo series, too. We were going to do it as a small thing attached to another poster release. Then, Tom Whalen turned this in and it became a standalone release. Tom is an amazing artist and we feel very fortunate to constantly get his best stuff. He’s a genius.

Pan’s Labyrinth by Aaron Horkey

Guillermo Del Toro is a huge art fan. Check out the bonus features on the Criterion CRONOS dvd. There is a tour of his Bleak House where he has all of his collection. It’s covered with stuff from his movies, Struzan paintings, original comic art…. and now this original drawing for Pan’s Labyrinth.

Akira by Tyler Stout

The first Mystery Movie! This was one of the most stressful days of my life. I think the show started at like 10pm or something like that and we were literally standing at a loading dock at the Austin airport at 9:30 helping them pull these off of a plane. That show was almost ruined by constant delays in this shipment getting in, but thankfully it worked out and we got to celebrate Tyler’s Birthday properly. I think this poster matches Tyler’s style SO WELL. Akira is so chaotic and nutso crazy and this poster matches it perfectly.

The Mummy by Martin Ansin

I remember when Martin sent this to us. We opened the email…. went “WHOA!”…. submitted it for approval to Universal…. and thirty minutes later it was approved. No joke, it was the quickest any design has ever gotten the nod from a studio and I think it’s because even they realized that it was perfect.

Swamp Thing by Florian Bertmer

I’m reading the Alan Moore Swamp Thing series right now. I wonder if he’d approve of this poster? I know that he had nothing to do with the movie, but we really tried to take inspiration from the books and Stephen Bissette’s  SWAMP THING art to make this poster. I wonder if they’d approve of what we did with it? Again…. this was the movie and they were doing stuff with a comic…. I guess I just want to have some kind of contact with or approval from Alan Moore. I really like that guy. And I like Swamp Thing.

Frankenstein by Drew Struzan

Cliche time! Doing this poster was a dream come true. Really…. it was.

Remember when you were in school? Almost every grade you were in, at least once during the year, they’d ask you to think about what you wanted to do for a job when you got older. A lot of people were like, “NBA Player!” “Model!” “The President!” or whatever. Not me… I always wanted to be a movie editor, or a special effects artist, or to work at Marvel comics so I could get free comics. None of that happened obviously, but I would’ve never guessed that when I was guessing what I’d be when I grew up that it would’ve included working with the guy that did STAR WARS and BACK TO THE FUTURE and a billion other posters I had hanging on my walls. The experience I had doing this aside…. this poster is a masterpiece. Drew, thank you.

The Iron Giant by Kevin Tong

Let’s make a list publicly of movies that make Justin cry… 1. BIG; 2. Toy Story 2; 3. The Iron Giant.

Yep. Every time with this movie…. I’m turnin’ on the water works. When we were planning the LA MMM we wanted to do under appreciated movies and this was one of the first ones that came to mind. Kevin showed me the poster after he was done and the first thing I searched for was the squirrel that Hogarth lets go in the diner. In my mind said, “If he put that on here, then this poster is AWESOME.” And…. it was. I mean, if he would’ve left that off, then it still would’ve been good. That just showed me that Kevin cared and GOT the movie. He’s a great dude. This is a great movie. And it’s a marvelous poster.

Jurassic Park by JC Richard

“Where did you get this? Where was the photo taken?” That is what someone from Universal said to us when we submitted this. Can there be a better compliment than that for JC? I want him to do every poster… he’s that exciting of an artist. Couple that excitement with something as iconic as JURASSIC PARK…. well, I guess you get this poster, huh? Can’t wait to see what else is coming from JC.

The Burning by Phantom City Creative

This poster is truly a testament to how great Phantom City is. They’re smart. Very, very smart and ultra talented. Those dudes knocked this one out of the park and I will go on record saying that even though THE BURNING isn’t a very well known movie…. it’s one of the best posters to ever be produced by Mondo.

Maniac by Ken Taylor

Ken Taylor’s MANIAC is a thing of beauty. It is special. And so is Joe Spinell. This movie is a time capsule of how things were in New York at one point. It’s ultra scummy and grimy and even though I wasn’t alive and was never there, I can only imagine what it was like thanks to this movie. And to me, this poster sums it up. This Ken Taylor drawing is so haunting and terrifying, but at the same time… sad. Spinell looks sad. It’s a total Universal Monster movie, but without Frankenstein. Spinell is Frankenstein. I could go on and on about this poster, but I’m going to cut this short. If you see me out and about and you bring this poster up, I will talk your ear off…. plus, you’ll instantly be my friend. Sure, we do lots of stuff for bigger movies like CAPTAIN AMERICA or GREMLINS that are more well known, but I get the same amount of joy introducing people to movies like this by putting a poster spotlight on them.

Thanks for a great 2011. It was really fun. Truly. You guys are the best. I know how a lot of companies and people wax poetic about how “they can’t do it without you” and it sounds kind of corny, but I mean it. Mitch, Rob, Me, Jessica, Mo, Sophie, Justin, Eric…. the dudes that work at Mondo truly thank you for making stuff like the above 11 posters possible. Let’s do fun things again in 2012? Ok?

When Justin asked Rob and I to put together a list of our top ten posters from 2011, I knew it’d be difficult to choose. Working with these images day in and day out, you become attached to them all. That said, Justin beat us both at arm wrestling, so here are my favorites!

Kill Bill by Tyler Stout

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair has always been a cinematic “white whale”, so when Tarantino screened it in LA, we knew Tyler Stout HAD to do the poster for the event. Definitely my favorite of 2011, it looks even better in a frame.

Dracula by Aaron Horkey & Vania Zouravliov

Aaron Horkey and Vania Zouravliov are the perfect team. It’s hard to say much about this poster without sounding like too much of an illustration nerd, so I’ll just say that I absolutely love it. Who could’ve predicted this one?

My Neighbor Totoro by Olly Moss

To me, this poster perfectly illustrates how far Olly Moss’ work has come over the past couple of years. While he used to focus on minimal graphic design, his approach has expanded to include lush landscapes that beautifully portray just about any film. Super good.

Maniac by Ken Taylor

If the three of us that run the creative side of Mondo had to decide on a poster that was our collective favorite for the year, it’d probably be Ken Taylor’s Maniac. I don’t know how he did it, but Ken somehow nailed the sad terror that is Joe Spinell as Frank Zito. Best Joe Spinell drawing ever.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Chris Ware

It has always been a personal dream of mine to commission a Chris Ware poster, so when the opportunity arose to release his Uncle Boonmee one-sheet as a screenprint, I almost jumped out of my skin. Some of the deepest, weirdest work he’s ever done, we feel lucky to have been a part of it.

Jurassic Park by Aaron Horkey

If you know me at all, you likely know that Aaron Horkey is probably my favorite artist in the entire world. The mystery movie event was awesome, Phil Tippett was there (as was Aaron), and I’m glad to have this poster to commemorate the show.

House by the Cemetery by Jeff Proctor

How does Jeff Proctor not get more love? This thing looks like Chris Ware did a poster for one of my favorite Fulci films…why is it not hanging on your wall?

Frankenstein by Drew Struzan

You can’t really make a list of favorite Mondo posters from 2011 without including Drew Struzan’s Frankenstein. This is a dream come true for all of us.

The Burning by Phantom City Creative

Phantom City Creative has really gotten a lot better in the last year. This one is pretty much their pinnacle so far. They’re definitely creating some authentic-looking period movie posters.

Steamboat Willie by Tom Whalen

Nobody does better cartoon screenprints than Tom Whalen, and this one is his best. Some folks probably think we do too many cartoon posters, but it’s hard to deny how awesome they are.

Here’s some drivel.

Cheers

RJ

Maniac by Ken Taylor

Mitch often jokes that this poster is a snapshot of Justin taken by the Ghost of Christmas Future, but all I can see is the magnificence of Joe Spinell.  While the original poster for “Maniac”, hard-on and all, is one of the unbeatable marvels of promotional horror art, Ken Taylor’s turn is the poster I’ve always wanted to see for the film: an image that focuses soley on Joe.  Ken always nails a likeness, but what really sets him apart is his delicate ability to convey the emotional essence of a character.  I look at this and see a dangerous solitude, a wolf alone in the woods silently suffering a steel trap around its leg, something that evokes both pity and fear in the same stroke. It’s even more amazing if you saw the source image which is pretty much a brightly lit photo of Joe wearing a stocking cap, no shadow on his face and nothing really out of the ordinary with his expression.  Ken placed the darkness on him all on his own.  My favorite poster of the year, and possibly my favorite Mondo poster ever (but I obviously have a soft spot for Joe in the same way Justin has one for Robert Forrester or Mitch for Emile Hirsch).

Dracula by Aaron Horkey & Vania Zouravliov

Generally bringing new talent to Mondo falls under Mitch’s aegis, but Vania Zouravliov was a pipe dream I brought up after seeing his spectacular work featured in forum threads praising outstanding pen and ink artists.  It took Mitch quite a while to convince Vania to create a poster for Mondo. He finally agreed to take on Tod Browning’s “Dracula”, but only on the condition that we find someone to work with him to provide a type treatment and layout the text.  Mitch mentioned this to Aaron Horkey, a long time admirer of Vania’s talent, who leapt at the chance to collaborate.  The final haunting gothic masterpiece went beyond all involved parties’ expectations.  A true case of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.

The Mummy by Martin Ansin

I’m really pleased that Martin gave “The Mummy” such a royal treatment as it often seems to get a short shrift amongst the rest of the primary Universal monster movies.  None of these films are lacking attention, of course, but I’m happy that it gets a special spotlight with Martin’s extensive illustration and attention to detail (even down to rendering plot elements into some of the hieroglyphics accenting the piece).  I also have a particular attachment to this poster as it afforded me the opportunity to talk extensively with Ann Foster, the archaeologist I hired to translate the title and credits into authentic Egyptian hieroglyphics.  It was super interesting to hear the choices she made to convey the concepts inherent in a film credit block using an ancient language (including some for surnames which could be directly translated rather than conveying them phonetically, like Bramwell Fletcher).

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Jeff Proctor

Frankenstein by Drew Struzan

Yeah, this Struzan guy has a future in movie posters if he sticks with it.  I’m glad Justin found him.

Bill Hicks by Ken Taylor

Mondo has tried to get permission to do a Bill Hicks print for a long long time, but it just didn’t happen as we couldn’t get clearance from his family.  Super lucked out as Justin happened to be working the store when someone attached to the recent Bill Hicks documentary came in to buy a poster (it might have been Matt Harlock, the director).  Justin explained the quandary to him and that Mondo wasn’t interested in doing further comedian prints if Bill Hicks couldn’t be the next one.  This guy interceded and explained the proposal to Bill’s family, and the grand result was Ken’s excellent portrait of one of my personal heroes.

The Mad Doctor by Tom Whalen

Tom Whalen always does excellent work, but this is his stand out piece for us this year.  I guess I’m attracted to it because it seems so unlike what you’d expect to find on a poster for a Disney short…until you watch the actual cartoon.

Dawn of the Dead by Jeff Proctor

It’s not that I have some mad boner for Proctor, but he happens to be the guy we have assigned on posters for some of my all time favorite films.  He always comes through in a big way on them.  Dawn of the Dead is no exception.  We asked him to do something that felt like the gang poster for “The Warriors” but with every awesome zombie from the film.  He put together a great composition that has a kinetic feel hungrily stumbling towards the viewer.

The Raven by Tomer Hanuka

Another gargoyle hewn from the veins of obsidian coursing through the black matter within Tomer Hanuka’s skull, and it’s pretty.

Hobo With A Shotgun by Jeff Proctor

Just really impressed with how Proctor made such a compelling image out of a blown apart face.  That broken palate is a great touch.

We’re back this week with the fourth installment in Kevin Tong’s fairy tale series for ABC’s Once Upon A Time. “Snow White” is an 18″ x 24″ metallic silver screenprint, has an edition of 225, and will cost $40. The metallic gold variant has an edition of 95 and will cost $65. These will go live tomorrow (Thursday, December 29th) at a random time. Follow us on Twitter for the on sale announcement.

In case this week’s Gremlins announcement wasn’t enough for you, we’ll also be releasing what we consider the best print yet in Kevin Tong’s fairy tale series for ABC’s Once Upon A Time. “Sleeping Beauty” is an 18″ x 24″ metallic silver screenprint, has an edition of 225, and will cost $40. The metallic gold variant has an edition of 95 and will cost $65. They’ll go live today (Thursday, December 22nd) at a random time. Follow us on Twitter for the on sale announcement.

Merry early Christmas, dudes! If you missed last night’s GREMLINS screening in Austin, don’t worry. We have enough holiday cheer to go around. We’ll get to that in a second though including our new GREMLINS 2 poster….

Last night was amazing and I’d like to thank everyone for coming out. Our live events are becoming the #1 thing I look forward to. Meeting you guys and seeing the excitement is really, really fun. We decided to show GREMLINS last night because a) it was getting close to Christmas and b) we just signed a GREMLINS license with Warner Brothers and wanted to break it in a little bit. First, everyone that bought a ticket to the event received a special Christmas present from us that you can see below. We had MOON whip up some lasercut Christmas ornaments and handed them and the tubes wrapped in our first ever custom Mondo wrapping paper. Presents are NOT presents unless you get to unwrap them, so we thought it’d be cool to go all out.

Speaking of Moon Editions, we are big, HUGE fans of the Spider Gremlin from GREMLINS 2 and had Moon laser cut a screen printed Gremlin that we debuted at the GREMLINS Zzang! screening a few weeks back. This is all hand done from the screening to the gromit assembly. This thing is HUGE and is ultra posable as there are 20 points of articulation. This piece comes bagged with a header card and will be on sale Friday with the following posters…..

Illustration by Ken Taylor. 20 points of jointed articulation. Edition of 175. Printed, assembled and packaged by Moon Editions. $75

Last night we debuted this GREMLINS poster…. It, and the variant, will be on sale Friday.

Poster by Ken Taylor. 24″x36″ screen print. Hand Numbered. Edition of 370. Printed by D&L Screenprinting.

-Justin

New t-shirt and sweatshirt styles are available today! We’re also continuing to clear out our older styles at $10/ea. This is your last chance to grab any of those – once they’re gone they’re gone.

And today only: When you buy any two t-shirts, we’ll throw in a random third t-shirt in the same size for free!

Click HERE to start shopping.

Earlier this year, I was watching a cartoon about a dog and a kid with a sword fighting candy zombies. I had no idea what it was because I came into it after the intro, but quickly found out that it was ADVENTURE TIME. I fell in love. I’ve seen them all countless times and truly think that it is one of the best shows on television. It’s smart, funny and ultra creative. From that point on I tried to get the license and now, I’m proud to say that we’ve teamed with Cartoon Network to produce an ADVENTURE TIME series. Being released on Black Friday, we present to you our first poster by Mike Mitchell!

Poster by Mike Mitchell. 18″ x 36″ screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 220. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $40

We also have this variant with an edition of 90 for $65.

Thanks to everyone at Cartoon Network for making this happen. SLAMACOW!

-Justin