Flex Mentallo

To me, there is something thrilling about the great dinosaur art of the present day, which like our beloved comic books evokes that self same sense of wonder. Tomorrow I will post a gallery of the very best art in the field, and you can judge for yourselves. WAYNE BARLOW

What we now understand is that they were highly evolved, fast and efficient; and much like the birds which almost certainly descended from them, they were quite possibly the most colorful land animals ever to walk the earth. LUIS V. REY

But even as late as the 1970's, when Burian painted, the understanding of dinosaur bone and muscle structure was limited by preconceptions - for example, that saurians were slow moving predators that dragged their tails behind them.

As more dinosaurs were unearthed, the field of paleo art came into being. Perhaps the doyen of dinosaur artists is the Czech Zdenek Burian.

Commissioned in 1852 to accompany the Crystal Palace after its move from the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park and unveiled in 1854, the models designed and sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins were the first dinosaur sculptures in the world, pre-dating the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by six years. They remain in the park to this day. Though later derided as primitive misconceptions as the science of paleontology advanced, they are now preserved as a listed monument of historical significance. Perhaps they teach us humility.

When dinosaurs were (re) discovered by proto-palaeontologists in the West, they were wrongly conceived to have an appearance similar to the Komodo Dragon, though nothing could have been further from the reality.

Ironically, the classical phrase used by ancient Roman and Medieval cartographers was HIC SVNT LEONES (literally, Here are lions) when denoting unknown territories on maps.

The phrase is written in the bottom right hand quadrant, near the east cost of Asia. Nearby are the Indonesian islands, home of the Komodo Dragon, which is the largest surviving lizard in the world.

There is a widely held belief that medieval maps commonly used the phrase 'here be dragons' (hic sunt dracones) to mean dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a supposed medieval practice of putting dragons, sea serpents and other mythological creatures in uncharted areas of maps. In fact the phrase only appears twice, here on the Hunt-Lenox Globe (1503), and on a globe engraved on two conjoined halves of ostrich eggs, from which the Hunt-Lenox Globe is thought to be a copy.

Depicting the apparitions of dragons soaring amidst clouds, mists, whirlpools, rocky mountains and fire, the painting refers to the dynamic forces of nature in Daoism. The depicted dragons are associated with nine sons of the Dragon King, while the number nine itself is considered auspicious in Chinese astrology and folk beliefs. The scroll is in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It is only18 inches high - but nearly 50 feet in length...

Perhaps the most wondrous depiction of dragons in Chinese art was the Nine Dragons scroll painted by Chen Rong during the Song Dynasty (circa 1244 a.d.). Each has a distinctive personality.

In the fifth century BC, the Chinese began to unearth gigantic bones from the earth, which inspired the conception of the dragon.

Schultz is perhaps the greatest exponent of dinosaurs in the medium today.

Much, much later, I was thrilled by Mark Schultz's creation, Xenozoic Tales.

I was blown away by Frank Frazetta's rendition (weren't we all?)

hic sunt dracones (here be dragons) I was thinking overnight about the respective strengths and weaknesses of comic books as a medium. It is I think entirely unreasonable of me to demand emotional profundity in a medium designed for children. But perhaps comics' greatest strength is their capacity to evoke the child in all of us, however worn down we may be from life's vicissitudes. Perhaps what comics do best is inspire a sense of wonder. The kinetic blend of words and pictures evokes in us a visceral and cinematic experience. Among the things I liked best as a kid about comic books was dinosaurs - especially Wally Wood's dinosaurs! Comic books seem perfectly designed for dinosaurs.

God is in the rain...

Many thanks Richard. Many happy returns of the season to you and yours! You make an interesting point - and yet, so much of this thread originates in a contemplation of comic book tropes and themes and I deliberately left that out! That would have been too confining. The reason I decided to do it at all is because the layout of a board page sort of equates to the panels of a comic book. And wherever possible I have used pictures more than words to carry the story. I suppose the thing I have tried to do is the one thing comics very rarely do - and that is deal with real and complex emotions. With some honorable exceptions, comics rarely move us. I think they could. I wish they did. What the thread has little to do with though is collecting! Sneaky, huh? If collecting is the point of the boards, Serendip is intended as counterpoint. Not really sure how well I succeeded - for all I know, not at all! Michael .... I still have the first comic I ever bought from you, brother..... and, ironically, I still have it not so much because of the comic...... but because of who I got it from and threads like this one. For posterity's sake..... it's a Mystery In Space 90, with Adam Strange transversing the gulf between Earth and Rann..... and that always reminds me of you Merry Christmas....... GOD BLESS.... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) I haven''t forgotten jimbo! GOD BLESS you too! Hope you and family are having a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas Pat. I am with you there. And some of the most moving comics were the Superman family's imaginary tales, which set the writers free from the restrictions of continuity, didnt they? The death of Superman in #149 and many others. (As Alan Moore pointed out, in his classic duology in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow ...regarding imaginary tales, aren't they all?) I was moved by the death of Supergirl in Crisis and only then realized I actually loved the character. And the death of Jean Grey in the Phoenix Saga was also movingly handled I thought. At their best, comics do have great power to move us. I just wish more of them set out to do so more often. Moore himself wrote some genuinely moving stories, and as a writer I think he transcends the medium. I think particularly of V for Vendetta, and of Evey when she finds Valerie Page's letter in her cell. Valerie's Letter "I know there’s no way I can convince you this is not one of their tricks. But I don’t care. I am me. My name is Valerie. I don’t think i’ll live much longer, and I wanted to tell someone about my life. This is the only autobiography that i’ll ever write, and – God – i’m writing it on toilet paper. I was born in Nottingham in 1985. I don’t remember much of those early years. But I do remember the rain. My grandmother owned a farm in Tottlebrook, and she used to tell me that God was in the rain. I passed my eleven plus, and went to a girl’s grammar. It was at school that I met my first girlfriend. Her name was Sarah. It was her wrists – they were beautiful. I thought we would love each other forever. I remember our teacher telling us that it was an adolescent phase that people outgrew. Sarah did. I didn’t. In 2002 I fell in love with a girl named Christina. That year I came out to my parents. I couldn’t have done it without Chris holding my hand. My father wouldn’t look at me. He told me to go and never come back. My mother said nothing. I’d only told them the truth. Was that so selfish? Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. And within that inch, we are free. I’d always known what i’d wanted to do with my life, and in 2015 I started my first film: The Salt Flats. It was the most important role of my life. Not because of my career, but because that was how I met Ruth. The first time we kissed, I knew I never wanted to kiss any other lips but hers again. We moved to a small flat in London together. She grew scarlet carsons for me in our window box. And our place always smelt of roses. Those were the best years of my life. But America’s war grew worse and worse, and eventually came to London. After that there were no roses anymore. Not for anyone. I remember how the meaning of words began to change. How unfamiliar words like “collateral” and “rendition” became frightening. When things like norsefire and the articles of allegiance became powerful. I remember how different became dangerous. I still don’t understand it: why they hate us so much. They took Ruth while she was out buying food. I’ve never cried so hard in my life. It wasn’t long until they came for me. It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place. But for three years I had roses – and apologised to no-one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch. But one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us. I hope that - whoever you are - you escape this place. I hope that the world turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you. With all my heart. I love you. -Valerie."

Many thanks Tony. I hope you have a wonderful 2016!

Good will hunting in the New Year Jason! You are closing in on the Planet run with purpose and I for one will be thrilled when you join Karl (Artboy99) in the pantheon! best wishes Michael

Many thanks Richard. Many happy returns of the season to you and yours! You make an interesting point - and yet, so much of this thread originates in a contemplation of comic book tropes and themes and I deliberately left that out! That would have been too confining. The reason I decided to do it at all is because the layout of a board page sort of equates to the panels of a comic book. And wherever possible I have used pictures more than words to carry the story. I suppose the thing I have tried to do is the one thing comics very rarely do - and that is deal with real and complex emotions. With some honorable exceptions, comics rarely move us. I think they could. I wish they did. What the thread has little to do with though is collecting! Sneaky, huh? If collecting is the point of the boards, Serendip is intended as counterpoint. Not really sure how well I succeeded - for all I know, not at all! Michael

What an interesting painting. It looks like a miniature set was created and then painted. Maybe that ties in with the reported "stuffed" sheep. Good to see you back Thanks Peter. His style is very 'chocolate box' but happily free of sentimentality. He does manage to convey a sense that he is in the scene, and captures evanescent qualities of light and atmosphere. His pictures capture time, then set it free.

If I have a wish for the coming year, it is to be a better shepherd.