Movie Book Roundup: Silhouettes from Popular Culture by Olly Moss/The Great Showdowns by Scott C

Readying themselves for the Christmas onslaught Titan Books have wisely chosen to publish collections from two artists whose work is both instantly recognisable and highly sought after.

Both drawing from the deep well of popular culture these two books are great examples of how a personal take on the joy to be had from beloved movies, games and TV  can become something very special indeed.

Olly Moss’s Silhouettes from Popular Culture takes many of the exhibits from his solo show Paper Cuts which was housed at the wonderful Gallery 1988 in L.A. last year and the result is a cornucopia of famous faces reduced, but not diminished, to their silhouette. Fans of the artist’s minimalist movie posters will recognise the wit and precision of his work, and half the fun is working out who each of the characters are, with visual clues, clever juxtaposing and the odd splash of colour to help you along. Some you’ll get immediately, others will take a little time but the connection is tangible and the pleasure derived from that recognition is what lasts.

It’s a beautifully presented book and a perfect collection from Moss, highly recommended.

Also released this month is Scott Campbell’s new book The Great Showdowns in which he brings a smile to even the most deadly iconic movie confrontations. Like Moss’s book most of the pieces are so well known that you’ll recognise them instantly, Kirk and Khan, a mech-suited Ripley and the Alien Queen, E.T. and a Speak and Spell etc, others are more inventive. When you have Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves beaming at a tidal wave (who is himself waving) with a big grin you know exactly where you are.

He also took his artwork to Gallery 1988 earlier this year and this book collects the best of his Great Showdowns series and the series continues on his website with Return of the Great Showdowns, and each new piece is a delight. 80s cinema is well represented, horror buffs will enjoy the Ghostbusters and Roddy Piper’s They Live images, it’s the sort of smart, witty picturebook which you’ll constantly be reaching for.

There’s an excellent breakdown of Campbell’s artistic process here and you can take a closer look at these and other books from Titan Books on their website.

Here are a couple of images to give you a taste,

Silhouettes from Popular Culture, Olly Moss is released on the 26th of October 2012, Titan Books £12.99

The Great Showdowns, Scott C is out now, Titan Books, £9.99