ABOVE: “the ultra-limited-edition silkscreen show print… for the Ghost World: Special Edition exhibit opening this Friday, August 29, at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.”
BELOW: the Ghost World paperback cover, the Ghost World poster, and the new Ghost World: Special Edition cover.
To tell you the truth, I think the Ghost World: Special Edition cover is not very good at all. It’s clearly meant to echo the movie poster, but I think there’s a glaring disconnect now between the typography and the drawing. In the movie poster, the design of Enid’s black and green skirt and the other elements of black clothing, including Enid’s retro black-plastic-framed glasses, connected very nicely with the sinuous black letters of the title, Ghost World. Now, there’s no connection at all, except for the anemic colouring. Also, the figures in the drawing are too stiff. Their shoulders and hips are both square to the viewer and parallel to each other. Look at the figures in the poster. Both have one shoulder higher than the other; and while Rebecca has her hips nearly parallel with the ground, with both legs bearing her weight almost equally, Enid has her hips at an angle, with one leg clearly bearing more weight than the other, as is naturally the case, most of the time, when a person is standing still. In short, insensitive design plus insensitive drawing equals a mediocre cover.
BONUS LINK:
“Ghost World: ‘You’ve grown into a very beautiful young woman.’” by Ken Parille
Ragged Claws Network 