Review: THE ARTWORK OF CARTER ALLEN, VOL. 2

ALL THESE WORLDS: THE ARTWORK OF CARTER ALLEN, VOL. 2
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/WARNING COMICS

ARTIST: Carter Allen
24pp, Color, $5

Prolific writer/artist, cartoonist, and graphic novelist, Carter Allen, has produced a sequel to his art book, All These Worlds: The Artwork of Carter Allen. It is entitled Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2.

Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds is about “nose art.” Nose art is essentially graffiti on airplanes. Nose art is painted on the fuselage of military aircraft, usually near the nose of the craft. The most familiar nose art is probably the art featured on aircraft during World War II. There was pin-up “girlie” art like that on the Memphis Belle and. There was also pin-up art depicting real-life figures like Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable.

Dub Trub, a graphic novel series, and The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch, a comic book series, are two titles by Carter Allen which share a universe. In this universe, the Voyd, an alien race, invade Earth. Humanity fights back with countless space fighters leading the charge. Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds showcases the nose art that adorn fighter craft, which includes heavenly pin-ups, as well as cartoons depicting kick-ass soldier boys and other fighting types.

Of course, Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2 is a faux art book. While reading any of the Dub Trub graphic novels, I never noticed nose art on fighter craft, but since there are fighter craft, I suppose that the Dub Trub’s pilots would follow our real-world tradition of painting images on the nose of their glorious flying machines.

Like the first volume of All These Worlds, the second volume, Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds, shows off Allen’s brand and style of good girl art. I’m always surprised how he uses computer art to turn photographic models into shiny vinyl goddesses and ice cream fantasies. My favorite piece is the space craft on the first page, which is as slick and as cool and as the sexy pin-ups.

Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen, Vol. 2 is like the first book. Both are nice primers and entry points into the futuristic and funky world of Carter Allen.

This book is available for sale at http://www.candlelightpress.com/shop.htm