Over the weekend, Donna put the next-to-final touches on the next issue of VIDEO WATCHDOG. It still awaits a couple of drop-in items like my "Barks" editorial and Doug Winter's "Audio Watchdog" column, but is otherwise complete. (Yes, it's back to the Bava book now.)Here's a special WatchBlog preview of its cover, featuring Kumi Mizuno sinking her teeth into unholy temptation in Ishiro Honda's MATANGO (1963, aka ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE), available on DVD from Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters. You can click on it for a bigger look.
As is our usual procedure, Donna sent a preview of the cover to our associate editor John Charles for his feedback, and John responded that she should share it with Bill Cooke, who wrote this issue's Toho coverage. Bill promptly wrote back that he thinks it's our greatest cover ever, and I must admit that it gave me some definite frissons of glee as I saw it coming together on Donna's computer. Even though he didn't provide artwork for this cover, per se, Charlie Largent was responsible for the framing of the photo (which came to me courtesy of John Bender) and the addition of the cute little shrooms up top. I think all the components add up to something pretty exciting.
"I don't know what it is about this cover," Donna mused, "but it seems to be touching a nerve with you guys."
"Yep," I said. "It touches our Kumi nerve."
Which, as you all know, is a real spot on the map of human anatomy.
You can find out more about this upcoming issue of VW on the VW website. Just click on "Coming Soon" and it will take you to a complete overview of the contents. Click on the cover again and you'll be taken to an interior preview, where you can read samples of two articles. Enjoy.
