Art Equals Broke: Tappa Tappa Tappa, The Tango De La Muerte

I finally got Mike Giant's new book, Muerte, in the mail. It was a birthday present and I have to say, an excellent one. This is Giant's third book in publication and is his best. What you won't see from his last two books are images on a 2-page spread, broken by a crease that ultimately gives up any true representation of his work. I'm not putting his previous 2 books down, but I would have preferred a different layout. Muerte has a nice trim size and layout that definitely suits Giant's most recent body of work and the 2-color ink reveals a lot more definition because his work is all black and white. While this is a great document of Mike Giant's most recent work, it's not all complete. I was hoping one of my favorite pieces from last year would be in the book (the pagoda piece from the Fecal Face 2006 anniversary show) but you will see some great new pieces - stuff from his blog, his Rebel 8 clothing line and some recent prints. Is death really the theme of this book? Not at all, but it's a cool name for a book. Be careful with the cover; it's really delicate and subject to fading and wear (mine was already faded from shipping).

Mike Giant's store sold out which led me to believe that it is out of print but you can find Muerte on Amazon.com; it's on sale for $16.50 which is a friggin' steal.

Lastly, I just noticed the Mike Giant store put up 3 new prints. Had to snag the Robert Frost poem. Really tight. Oh, and Rebel 8 put up some new posters. Even more tight is the Diamond Heights poster.

Awesome pagoda from Mike Giant (from the 2006 Fecal Face Anniversary Show):