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Description
Elvira and the Robots! Artist Wallace Wood said, “Never draw anything you can copy.” These days, I do a lot of that. Not just to save time, but also because I do not see the point in reinventing the wheel. However, hopefully, I make enough changes to the source material that I create something that is uniquely “my own.” With all that said, I continue my Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, series with classic robots from the 1920s to the 90s. The central image for this piece is based on the cover of Startling Comics #49 (1948). However, rather than utilizing that robot, which I redrew in the upper right corner, my central antagonist is arguably the most famous robot of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s….Robby the Robot!! Robby the Robot debuted in the film Forbidden Planet (1956) which starred Leslie Nielsen of “The Naked Gun” fame. Robby became a sci-fi icon making either starring roles or cameos in movies, television, and commercials like The Invisible Boy, Columbo, The Addams Family, Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, Mork & Mindy, and Gremlins, just to name a few. Like dinosaurs, I think children, and especially little boys, have always been fascinated with robots. There is a mystery about both, with dinosaurs representing the past and robots representing the future. Robby has always had a special place in my sci-fi heart, so it was a no-brainer to make him the main focus. He is surrounded by all types of robots, androids, cyborgs, and mechanical menaces large and small from film, TV, toys, and comic books. Other standouts for me in this piece include Rom, Spaceknight, a toy and comic hero who was misunderstood by the humans he was trying to protect. As a teenager reading Rom, he was relatable as the “outcast” always trying to do good. Some background on this piece…it is original pen and ink, with pencil and whiteout on 11”x17” illustration paper. Every piece is eventually available on eBay for sale. If anyone is interested in the steps I take to create these works, I may post them. For example, I included a picture of Startling Comics #49 so that you can see the source material I referenced. My next project will be Elvira and the Space Aliens! Stay tuned!
Robots depicted:

1) Robby the Robot, Forbidden Planet
2) Maria, Metropolis
3) Robot, Startling Comics #49
4) Hector, Saturn 3
5) V.I.N.CENT, The Black Hole
6) Maximilian, The Black Hole
7) C-3PO, Star Wars
8. R2-D2, Star Wars
9) Cylon Warrior, Battlestar Galactica
10) Nomad, Star Trek
11) Twiki, Buck Rogers
12) Dr. Theopolis, Buck Rogers
13) Ming’s Metal Men, Flash Gordon
14) Gort, The Day the Earth Stood Still
15) B-9 Robot, Lost in Space
16) Robocop
17) T-800 Terminator
18) Biotron, Micronauts
19) Microtron, Micronauts
20) Rom, Spaceknight
21) Zem-21, Starteam toy
22) Zintar, Zeroids toy
23) Classic retro robot toy
24) Gunslinger, Westworld
25) Robot, The Phantom Creeps
26) HAL 9000, 2001: A Space Odyssey
27) Box, Logan’s Run
28) Cyberman, Dr. Who
29) Ro-Man, Robot Monster
30) Colossus of New York
31) Tina Louise, The Stepford Wives
32) Julie Newmar, My Living Doll
33) Ash, Alien, 1979
34) Maskatron, Bionic Man
35) Fembot, Bionic Woman
36) Machine Man, Marvel
37) Jocasta, Marvel
38) Deathlok, Marvel
39) Robotman, DC
40) Brainiac, DC
41) Charlie, Scooby-Doo
42) Rosey, The Jetsons
43) Iron Giant
44) Mechagodzilla, 1974
45) Red Ronin, Marvel
46) Optimus Prime, Transformer
47) Voltron, Lion Force Voltron
48) Raydeen, Shogun Warriors
49) Tobor the Great, 1954
50) Gog, 1954
51) Vision, Marvel
52) Ultron, Marvel
53) G.I. Robot, DC
54) Automan, DC
55) Rock’em Sock’em Robot (red)
56) Rock’em Sock’em Robot (blue)

Description
Elvira and the Robots! Artist Wallace Wood said, “Never draw anything you can copy.” These days, I do a lot of that. Not just to save time, but also because I do not see the point in reinventing the wheel. However, hopefully, I make enough changes to the source material that I create something that is uniquely “my own.” With all that said, I continue my Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, series with classic robots from the 1920s to the 90s. The central image for this piece is based on the cover of Startling Comics #49 (1948). However, rather than utilizing that robot, which I redrew in the upper right corner, my central antagonist is arguably the most famous robot of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s….Robby the Robot!! Robby the Robot debuted in the film Forbidden Planet (1956) which starred Leslie Nielsen of “The Naked Gun” fame. Robby became a sci-fi icon making either starring roles or cameos in movies, television, and commercials like The Invisible Boy, Columbo, The Addams Family, Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, Mork & Mindy, and Gremlins, just to name a few. Like dinosaurs, I think children, and especially little boys, have always been fascinated with robots. There is a mystery about both, with dinosaurs representing the past and robots representing the future. Robby has always had a special place in my sci-fi heart, so it was a no-brainer to make him the main focus. He is surrounded by all types of robots, androids, cyborgs, and mechanical menaces large and small from film, TV, toys, and comic books. Other standouts for me in this piece include Rom, Spaceknight, a toy and comic hero who was misunderstood by the humans he was trying to protect. As a teenager reading Rom, he was relatable as the “outcast” always trying to do good. Some background on this piece…it is original pen and ink, with pencil and whiteout on 11”x17” illustration paper. Every piece is eventually available on eBay for sale. If anyone is interested in the steps I take to create these works, I may post them. For example, I included a picture of Startling Comics #49 so that you can see the source material I referenced. My next project will be Elvira and the Space Aliens! Stay tuned!
Robots depicted:

1) Robby the Robot, Forbidden Planet
2) Maria, Metropolis
3) Robot, Startling Comics #49
4) Hector, Saturn 3
5) V.I.N.CENT, The Black Hole
6) Maximilian, The Black Hole
7) C-3PO, Star Wars
8. R2-D2, Star Wars
9) Cylon Warrior, Battlestar Galactica
10) Nomad, Star Trek
11) Twiki, Buck Rogers
12) Dr. Theopolis, Buck Rogers
13) Ming’s Metal Men, Flash Gordon
14) Gort, The Day the Earth Stood Still
15) B-9 Robot, Lost in Space
16) Robocop
17) T-800 Terminator
18) Biotron, Micronauts
19) Microtron, Micronauts
20) Rom, Spaceknight
21) Zem-21, Starteam toy
22) Zintar, Zeroids toy
23) Classic retro robot toy
24) Gunslinger, Westworld
25) Robot, The Phantom Creeps
26) HAL 9000, 2001: A Space Odyssey
27) Box, Logan’s Run
28) Cyberman, Dr. Who
29) Ro-Man, Robot Monster
30) Colossus of New York
31) Tina Louise, The Stepford Wives
32) Julie Newmar, My Living Doll
33) Ash, Alien, 1979
34) Maskatron, Bionic Man
35) Fembot, Bionic Woman
36) Machine Man, Marvel
37) Jocasta, Marvel
38) Deathlok, Marvel
39) Robotman, DC
40) Brainiac, DC
41) Charlie, Scooby-Doo
42) Rosey, The Jetsons
43) Iron Giant
44) Mechagodzilla, 1974
45) Red Ronin, Marvel
46) Optimus Prime, Transformer
47) Voltron, Lion Force Voltron
48) Raydeen, Shogun Warriors
49) Tobor the Great, 1954
50) Gog, 1954
51) Vision, Marvel
52) Ultron, Marvel
53) G.I. Robot, DC
54) Automan, DC
55) Rock’em Sock’em Robot (red)
56) Rock’em Sock’em Robot (blue)