John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood — “Final” Cover Art

Michael Sellers Other Stuff

Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll and provided comments.  I’ve decided to go with Robert Abbet’s John Carter of Mars after all.  I think the arguments were all well presented and I’m confident this is a good choice.  Here is the final version which incorporates some minor changes based upon some of the notes that came in.  I’ve fixed the color balance so that it matches the rest of the frame better, and have done some tweaks to make the title easier to read.

I also worked Abbet’s Thuvia — my second choice — into the back cover of the book, so for those who prefer that one, it’s there, or at least the Abbet is there, on the back.

7 comments

  • I agree… and I think the title looked just fine when it was over the starry background. Putting a frame around it, seems a bit unnecessary, and kind of makes it a bit cluttered….

  • Michael, I have to agree with the person who commented on the change of the type layout. It all becomes a blur, John Carter and Gods of Hollywood lose their definition and impact with this new type layout. This new layout looks like just one continous blur. Much much better the way you have had it before.

    Also, I don’t know if it is just me, but it looks like you pushed in a little on the picture itself. It loses some of the spacial clues that set up the dynamic of a single person against a large giant, symbolic Gods of Hollywood. The image needs a little more room to breathe to fully come across.

  • I’m sorry but this is driving me completely nuts. In your articles you keep spelling Robert Abbett’s name with one “t”. I’ve always believed it was with two t’s, and on other science fiction websites and on his art websites it’s with two t’s. Wanting to see it correct in the book, can you clarify this.

  • Also, sorry to be nit-picky, but the way the title is now arranged makes it look like “John Carterand The…”, at least for me. There are probably as many different opinions as there are people offering observations, but for me, putting the title on three lines like the following was a bit clearer:

    John Carter
    And The
    Gods of Hollywood

    But the way you have it right now also works.

  • Some people had left really good comments regarding the subtitle…rewording a little “became a movie that flopped” so that it flowed better, and perhaps using “yet” instead of “but”. I think they were good suggestions.

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