Black Rust [Paperback]

Chad Michael Ward (Author), Warren Ellis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Introducing a new exciting fantasy artist with a conceptual art book - a collection of images that fit together in a morbid jigsaw puzzle of wires, women and man-beasts to form a symbolic cyberotic tale of love, redemption and death. Tim Bradstreet calls it “the sum of gothic eroticism.” Will appeal strongly to fans of Ashley Wood and Brom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: NBM Publishing (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561633631
• ISBN-13: 978-1561633630
• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,395,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Little Photoshop Can Do, February 4, 2007

By 

Psyche "Gothic Wiccan" (Lake Worth, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Rust (Paperback)

This writer used to wonder where some of the best album art she's ever seen came from.

And then she clicked on a link on the official Colide page to Chad's page, and she found out.

The whole them of the artwork of Black Rust is of a world where nothing, and this writer means nothing, is impossible: cybernetic arms, out-there piercings, tattoos, and so on. In fact, according to the artist in the forward, the title of the book comes from a Japanese word reffering to the future.

One warning: this is not for those who are embarassed by the sight of bare breasts, for many of the female models are nude or half-nude

-Ariadne

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING DIGITAL ART!, October 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Rust (Paperback)

Chad has taken digital manipulation of photographs to a whole new level...this book is well worth it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Babes, `bots, and beyond, July 24, 2008

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Black Rust (Paperback)

If there's a genre of art for pinup/almost-goth/SF art -- well, come to think of it, there is. Ward's remarkable collection stands squarely in the middle of it.

A small bit of text opens each chapter. To tell the truth, I found it oblique, based on far too much trust that the reader would engage with a very odd frame of mind. I just ground my gears without engaging, but others may read it differently.

So, ignoring that impoverished attempt at narrative, I'm left with only what I wanted in the first place: Ward's remarkable SF/fantasy art. His media are photography and digital manipulation -- one medium, actually, the way he fuses them. The result is literal, painterly, and fantastic. He pursues Sorayama down the path of the robobabe, but with more flesh and less metal. And, once or twice, with more disturbing imagery. The Xs on that semi-robotic cover model: do they shield her from prurient gaze, or nullify her physically? The question might lead down paths too dark to pursue.

This book makes a fine addition to any collection of fantasy art, especially when the dark edge of beauty plays a role. This collection pursues one idea wholeheartedly, an idea that fascinates Ward. As a result, it might not reach out to every viewer. Whether that's your path or not, Ward's imagery still captures the beauty of his models, no matter what else it captured being `shopped.

-- wiredweird