Customer Reviews

Tolkien

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

While this Tolkien Calendar is of high quality, it suffers from some design flaws enjoyed of Tolkien calendars of years past. The prints are too small and while a small inset at the bottom of each page is nice (especially since it often dipicts a different snapshot of the smae scene, enhancing the scene summary), it does not compare to the spiral bound calendars of the past with the large oversized drawings. The drawings suffer in quality, partly due to their size, partly due to their lack of creativity for the most part. But it is still a Tolkien calendar and should be enjoyed by most.

I've been buying Tolkien calendars since the 1970's and with the exception of the bros Hildebrandt '76,'77,'78 I have never seen an artist that warranted a repeat performance, let alone a back to back appearance. Cor Blok's 2011 calender was by far the worst effort to date. The artistry(?) was muddled, confused and at time indecipherable. As I write I'm looking at 2011 October with what appears to be two sock puppet's being groped by a duck. I can understand art that want's to challenge and inspire but I've already used my imagination reading, why do I have to now use it to figure out what I'm seeing? I purchased and stuck with the 2011 calendar to keep up my collection but also with the belief that 2012 would bring blessed relief in a new artist. Now I see that Blok will again afflict us with his "art" for another 12 months. Exactly what in the first offering so inspired Harper Paperbacks to bring this guy back for a second go. I can't believe that there was no one else available. If that was the case I would rather have no calendar than to have to sit through another 12 months of formless blobs.

For the second year in a row, I will NOT be buying the Tolkien calendar - something I have been doing since the mid 70s.
Why? Two simple words - Cor Blok. I do not understand his appeal. Lord of the Rings deserves majestic images, not childish, whimsical cartoons. Give us John Howe, Ted Nasmith, Donato Giancola, Alan Lee, Michael Whelan. I will NEVER buy a Tolkien calendar by Cor Blok. Look at the 2011 and 2012 Song of Ice and Fire calendars, or almost ANY Tolkien calendar from years past. Now THAT is art worthy of Tolkien's prose.

I have collected Tolkien calendars since the 70's and for the last two years I can't bring myself to buy this one.
Please bring back the artwork of the Brothers Hildebrandt.

I repeat the above laments: Not again! I highly dislike the Cor Blok calendars. Movie picture calendars don't count either. Check out Jeff Murray Studios. He has one that is not ugly.

I took down my 2011 Tolkien calendar after three months. The pictures were just ugly. I was so looking forward to having a new Tolkien Calendar this year and now this? Why is this artist repeated? The subject matter is so rich surely there are artists clamoring to provide better work.

Not going to sugar coat it ... this "art" looks like something out of a 3rd grade art class. What a shame, I really wanted a Tolkien calendar this year. Well scratch that off the list.

Why, oh why, oh why......

I am another person who has been buying or getting the Tolkien calendar every year since the early 70's when I first read LOTR. Some of the goofier calendars were not my favorites (I'm sorry, but I never much cared for the Brother's Hildebrandt - too much like a children's fairy tale illustration - but remember the ones with Tolkien's own art!? wow!) but I really, REALLY loved the 2010 calendar with Ted Nasmith's art and the wonderful captions from the books. I eagerly awaited the 2011 calendar. Until I saw it. UGH! Art is in the eye of the beholder, but to this eye, the very LAST images I want to look at for 30 days in a row come from Cor Blok. I find his images interesting from an academic view-point. But as art that I enjoy looking at... forget it. I find the images annoying to look at for any length of time. I can't believe the people who choose the images for the calendar really feel it's what the vast majority of people who read Tolkien want to look at all year long. Imagine all of the people who never read the books, and only saw the movies, but were taken in by the images they saw, and want a calendar reflective of the magic they saw on the screen. Does anybody seriously think these calendars will appeal to those people? After two years in a row, I'd imagine the response will be, "Forget it. I'll never buy a Tolkien calendar." And as the movie fades into their memories, they most likely will not ever be inclined to buy a Tolkien calendar. Even images from the movie would be better than this. I *might* buy such a calendar. I will never buy a calendar with annoying images like this.

The 2012 Tolkien calender stinks on ice. I could tolerate the artist's 2011 interpretation of The Lord of the Rings because of his homage to the Bayeux Tapestry, but even then I thought it was a poor version. I purchased it only to continue my collection. I will again purchase the calendar, but like the last, not even bother to remove the shrink-rap.

Heroic epics such as TLOTR and The Hobbit deserve much more appropriate art. Not sword-wielding brass-bikini women such as one reviewer criticized, but something heroic and majesterial. BTW, I don't remember *any* such Vellejo-like renditions.

I did not like the 2011 Cor Blok calendar, so instead I re-used my lovely Ted Naismith one from 2010. There are plenty of blank calendar template pages online, so I just filled them in and taped one in for each month. When I saw that Mr. Blok was the artist again for 2012, I started my pages for next year, as well. I have the same Tolkien calendar at home and at my desk at work and I love having a picture and a Tolkien fact or quote to enjoy when I take a break. Mr. Blok's illustrations do not bring me joy and relaxation; they just irritate me.