Sneak Peek at Blazing Pols Cover

[Bob Boze Bell]

December 2, 2009
Well, here is Dan The Man's first crack at the cover for January featuring the editorial style cartoon I created last week:

Notice that the top heads aren't written and Dan is putting in filler type. (He often makes these rude and crude to inspire us to fill them mucho pronto. Ha.)

Meanwhile, I went home for lunch a little early today and finished the big, Mesilla Brawl On The Mall painting for the splash page inside. Here's how it looked this morning:

And here's how it looked at 2:30 this afternoon:

As I finished I thought of a new title: "In The Shadow of God's House." The deadly gunfight (7 to 15 dead and some 50 wounded) took place on the northwest corner of the Old Mesilla square, catty-corner from the church. Oh, we are crazy mo fos, are we not?

Brought it back into the office, Robert Ray photographed it (too big for the scanner) and is working on the final layout (3:27 P.M.)

This is a very cool package in a very cool issue (one of the strongest I have ever worked on). Bob Alexander did an excellent job researching and writing this (and bringing it to us first). I really think with the current rancor in the political spectrum this story could get traction in the national media. We'll see. Some of it depends on a good press release, and that will fall to Mark Boardman. I'll keep you posted how this all shakes out. Goes to the printer tomorrow. Subscribers will have it in about two weeks.

"The thing you really believe in always happens and the belief in a thing makes it happen."
—Frank Lloyd Wright

[David Lambert]

The pic of the second Mesilla painting isn't showing.

[Bob Boze Bell]

Okay, David, this scan was saved as CMYK (color code for magazine specs) and should have been RGB. I re-calibrated the image and reposted it. Should show up now.

[Wolfgang]

I love the cover . . . but I don't know if it will sell magazines ? I really loved your "Drinking and Driving" cover design that you never did.

[Bob Boze Bell]

Okay, Wolfgang, we are going to use you as a reverse barometer. Whatever you like, we're not using! Ha.

[David Lambert]

There it is. To tell you the truth, I like the minimalism of the first painting better.

[Wolfgang]

Bob. . . that may be a good method. But then maybe that "Drinking and Driving" cover would have doubled sales ?

[Jim Holden]

BBB, as always your love of subject matter and unique sense of humor shines through!

However, I did want to give you and the staff a "Semper Fi and Well Done" on the Source Book. I finally had time last evening to pore through it, and it's helping my Christmas shopping a lot! It's also so valuable in planning my 2010 limited travels to spots I know I'll enjoy!

[Bob Boze Bell]

Yes, David, I had a similiar reaction when I saw the rough next to the finish and this is an ongoing problem for me: when to stop and when to keep going. I do think the first underpainting had a sense of dustyness that is lost in the final. And, you may be right about the drinking and driving cover, which is the same problem: when to be bold and when to hold back. I've been guilty of both and failed at both and succeeded at both. Go figure. It's a process.

[Jeff Prechtel]

Great cover Bob, and the painting looks great....
I like the "Alamo Davy" figure in the background.

[Bob Boze Bell]

Yes, one of the fighters used an axe handle and beaned the lead guy on the other side, killing him. That would be this guy. Amazing story.