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Zombots From The Past!

MAY 12, 2008
The Front, natch.
Here's a little something from the archives..

I did my "Zombot" pencils for Pentech in 1992 I think- as I'd done almost nothing of note at that point, I haven't any idea how the Art Director found me, but find me she did and she was incredibly gracious and a joy to work for. After we'd discussed the project over the phone she sent out a large padded envelope full of samples. Artists that contributed to the aptly-named "Cool Art" series included Peter Bagge, Drew Friedmen, Gary Panter, Mitch O'Connell, and Drawger's own Elwood Smith and Lou Brooks.

I was deeply and inexorably under the spell of Charles Burns at the time and was drawing decayed flesh and robots on everything. Thus the Zombot pencil was born, although to a deafening roar of indifference from the pencil-buying community who evidently preferred their school and office supplies less...cool. I received a fairly handsome compensation from Pentch as I recall and two large cases of the product. As I lived in a cramped Manhattan rabbit hutch with no storage space whatsoever, I gave away as many of the pencils as I could, consolidated the remaining pencils into one box and eventually 'stored' them at my friends' families beach house on long Island. Where they are now is anyone's guess, but I'd be willing to bet an outer-borough landfill became their final resting place.

The only time I actually came across them in a retail environment was when I was browsing the aisles at a Big Lots store in Northern Kentucky (don't ask).

Regardless of whether these set the world on fire they were great fun to do and an interesting and creative use of some great artwork by some of the days best artists. And no, I'm not including myself in that bunch- like I said, I'm mystified by how I came to be amongst the chosen few. But I was a snotty kid back then and reveled in my status as a 'young gun' and probably didn't give it a second thought. In hindsight it was quite an honor.

Technical note: The artwork was inked at 250%, photostatted onto acetate and painted with Cel-Vinyl animation paints. The copy was written by the inestimable David Burd, who is as good a human being as he is a copywriter. And that's saying something, bub.

PS: The pencils, of which I have no photographic record, were indeed cool; a melange of decayed flesh and veins overlaying a background of bolted together metal plates. Trust me, they ruled.
You guessed it: the back!
Topical: Rantin' And Ravin'  
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