!["MAGGOT MAN" design by S.R. Bisstette (( 1989 )) [[ Courtesy of SRB ]]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3922232939_eee4ce853d_o.gif)
” Hey, look what I found this weekend! This is a blast from my checkered past, a 20-year-old monster movie design for a movie that was never made.
Back in early August, TMNT fan, Myrant reader and artist in his own right tOkKa wrote my old Mirage Studios friend Ryan Brown, asking about one of the many snapping turtle monster designs I’ve posted on Myrant this year.
Ryan recalled, “My memory is sketchy about this but… The proposed film Steve mentions was by my friend Jon Killough (Skinned Alive, 1990; Robot Ninja, 1989; The Dead Next Door, 1989)…”
Ryan continued, “I was asked by Jon to create a mutant leech monster for the never-produced flick and I mentioned to Jon that I might be able to get Steve Bissette to design for the film.”
Ryan indeed got a design sketch or two from me — and it’s the best of ‘em I’ve put on sale here today.
Ryan adds, “Jon had worked on The Dead Next Door (1989) and was proceeding with new film projects with his friend J.R. Bookwalter. In mid-1985 Sam Raimi put up some money for Jon’s 19-year-old friend J.R. Bookwalter to film The Dead Next Door. Bookwalter shot the film in Akron, Ohio during the summer of 1986 with area residents playing zombies. Fangoria wrote about the film in the March, 1987 issue. Jon was involved heavily with this film.”
!["MAGGOT MAN" design by Ryan Brown (( 1989 )) [[ Courtesy of SRB ]]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2552/3923018718_2b8128c87d_o.gif)
But Maggot Man was never made, to the best of Ryan’s and my knowledge.
Thanks to tOkKa’s email, though, I got to thinking about that project and just this past Sunday turned up this wormboy. Thanks, tOkKa and Ryan, for reminding me of that which was long forgotten!
Just to be clear, my Maggot Man sketch is what’s for sale here; I’ve included a scan from the photocopy I kept of Ryan’s sketch for historical purposes only (I am not selling Ryan’s artwork, folks).
This uber-rare Maggot Man sketch is huge — the original measures 14″ x 22″, drawn with black pen and marker, some pencil underdrawing is visible; it’s on 2-ply board that is slightly discolored with age around the edges with a very minor 1/4″ tear at the bottom, center. This is vintage work, and goes for $135 plus shipping — first to email me at msbissette@yahoo.com can forever gaze upon this maggot, man.
Per usual, first Myrant price is forever the best price — in a day or two, I’ll be taking this off its Myrant debut slot and moving it to the sketchstore archives and Comic Art Fans Gallery at a higher price.
**2009 sketches and much vintage art can be snapped up 24 hours a day in the Sketch Store section (click this link), which offers a monstrous menagerie of still-for-sale Bissette sketches — Swamp Thing, Godzilla, Tyrant, Constantine, Vermonsters and many published original art rarities — for your pleasure.
Maggot Man created by Jon Killough and Ryan Brown, 1989; Ryan Brown’s Maggot Man artwork ©1989, 2009 Ryan Brown; my Maggot Man artwork and design ©1989, 2009 Stephen R. Bissette, all rights reserved.
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