Back in the 70s & 80s, there was a drivable Cardinals helmet parked on the sidelines of Busch Stadium. In this shot, over Neil Lomax's shoulder, you can see a pilot and co-pilot sitting in it..

It was a cool novelty. Even in black & white it looked sharp. In this publicity photo with the family of the team owner, you see the deck of the cart. I assume it was a topless golf cart carrying the helmet..

This one is of author Greg Marecek (& son), who wrote & assembled a pictorial history of the Cards, from their franchise years in St. Louis. (The St. Louis Football Cardinals: A Celebration of the Big Red. 2009). The whole book is filled with cool nostalgic photos & insights.

After the Cards fled to Arizona, I don't ever remember seeing the helmet cart on the Phoenix sidelines. A great NFL relic, wonder what it's fate was..

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Recently rewatched all the movies in the Elm Street franchise. And was reminded of a cool, subtle cliffhanger from the end of Elm Street 4 (The Dream Master). Alice and Dan are walking to a wishing well/fountain that I guess was supposed to be in Springwood. (But I recognized as the Mulholland Fountain from Griffith Park in LA. I used to hike around there).

It's been a wild trip, and Dan is trying to cheer Alice up with a coin-tossed wish in to the fountain..

The coin, weighted with optimism for a better future, hits the water.. and in the ripples an image of Freddy briefly appears..

A shell-shocked Alice is concerned, but unsure what she really saw in the fleeting mirage..

But Alice (Lisa Wilcox) seems content she's just seeing things, so she and Dan start to walk into the better life that awaits them. She's looking good swinging that skirt, and Dan is there for mutual support. Cue '80s outro music. It was a perfect ending. A brief omen that Freddy (and another sequel) could still be lurking..

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Cool book from the early '50s. I realize when people hear Monsters of Los Angeles, they think it's referring to casting directors, but it's slice of life at the La Brea Tar Pits, seen thru the eyes of a slightly anthropomorphic raccoon. The savvy raccoon watches from the edge of the pits, as other animals sink in to the tar, and are subsequently eaten by prehistoric scavengers. 

The depictions of the Pleistocene cast were illustrated by Herb Rayburn, really cool black & white stuff, that I'm sure captivated readers back in the '50s.

A lot of the book catalogs predator & prey. 

This style is similar to what I aspired to create in the black & white days of Natrrain. In the top center, you can see the tree-bound raccoon, who is recounting all the events.

The author weaved a lot of 20th century LA geographical references in to the book. I assume he was based out of Los Angeles, or spent time driving around town as he authored it.

At one point, I was working within walking distance of the Tar Pits, and used to loiter around there on my lunch break. Even after tens of thousands of years, it's still cool for spectators.

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With the near extinction of hard copy paper zines, thought I'd do an online Natrrain issue.. Contains some new pages, some old pages that have been edited and/or colorized, and then just some re-released color pages. 

Nat Rrain in tech.Nil.color

Nat Rrain: in.tech.Nil.color (the original art & writings are property of Nat Rrain Comics).

Friends, old pen-pals, collaborators, new readers, contact- nat.rain@gmail.com

Recently finished reading an interesting re-imagining of Poe's short story, The Black Cat.

Instead of a man depicted as living in an ordinary house, in this retelling, the main character works in a travelling circus. And his cat has been upgraded from a black housecat, to a panther. The re-telling retains some of Poe's fundamentals.. the man is still drunken, and the man has gone from being a loving pet owner, to mistreating his once beloved feline.

I thought this frame (illustrated by James Fletcher, from Nevermore) was well done. You see the cat-killer's conscience is haunting him.. causing him to see the dead cat everywhere (including in puddles & barbells).

Sort of related, Poe poster I illustrated years ago.

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Lower Learning (featuring Sharpie and College Dad). Posted in it's entirety..

(from old NFL Huddles cast)

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* Received a message recently, this blog service is ending it's relationship with Feedburner.. there won't be any more blog updates e-mailed out (after July). If interested, check in every month or two to see new Natrrain art, etc. I plan on continuing to post, & maybe can find a new bulk e-mail delivery service to replace Feedburner..*

Also want to mention a good read I'm finishing, The Burning Blue (Kevin Cook). Basically the story of the astronauts killed in the Challenger explosion.

All the astronauts' immediate back-stories are covered (including relevant interpersonal family & co-worker relationships), but primary focus is on Christa McAuliffe's transformation from teacher to a Shuttle payload specialist (selected from a pool of over 11,000 applicants). And the unique media attention & public appeal she experienced. Vivid description of the astronauts' experience on the launch morning, as they carried out traditional pre-launch rituals, and dealt with unusual cold that day. It's heavy to read in hindsight, even after 35 years.

Some strange, ominous events leading to launch day (I hadn't heard of) are also covered. Including a school shooting that happened at McAuliffe's school as she was away, training for her mission. 

I think Cook does a good job retelling/honoring how a self-described ordinary school teacher, took on an extraordinary challenge. 

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Some pics from a 1945 issue of LIFE magazine I have. Article featuring up & coming lifestyles of varying socioeconomic classes in the former Golden State. 

Seems strange now, seeing Glendale almost resembling Western frontier.

The working class family living well on $60 a week. SoCal's good ol' days.

I return to the first photo in this post, and wonder did that couple in the futuristic car (and/or maybe their descendants), fulfill their optimistic, Jetsons-like future in California ?

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