Hello, friend. September again! For most people in Spain, this month represents the beginning of a new season, with changes and new challenges. And talking about changes, some readers told me that these newsletters are a bit too long sometimes, and hard to digest, so I’ve been thinking of sending two per month instead of one:
One talking about projects and/or personal stuff,
And another one with just recommendations.
Considering the content of the last one, let’s share some cool things to play/read/watch/enjoy during this final stretch of summer. More design/illustration work in the next one!
Recommendations
1 → Games
This time we have a Fantasy-only selection:
Lunacid
If you like From Software and King’s Field-like games, you probably know Lunacid already. A fascinating indie project that pays homage to PSX games of the late 90s, seriously innovating in some points and creating a frankly undefinable experience, in which post-apocalypse, fantasy and dungeon exploration go hand in hand with VHS tapes and experimental music.
I can’t understand how one person can achieve so much on his own. Watch the trailer here, but don’t be fooled but its apparent simplicity.
Note for Mac users: I’m playing it emulating PC Steam on Crossover and it works like a charm.
HeroQuest
Unexpected, huh? Well, HeroQuest is the game of my childhood. The one that probably sparked my passion for fantasy. I always played it with my brother and two dear friends who had the good sense to ask their parents for the game for Christmas. They were also the first people who ever told me about The Hobbit. There was not an afternoon that we shared together in which we did not solve a dungeon in a small room (that and playing games on an Amstrad CPC).
A few years ago, and long before the new version of the game was published, I bought a copy of the not very well translated Spanish version (1990). To my surprise, my son loved/loves the game, especially if he can act as game director. Our latest family habit: pizza night playing it. Genuinely one of the things that makes me happiest in my life right now.
I think it's still one of the best ways for a young person to get into role-playing, dungeon-crawling, fantasy or board games (or all of them at once), due to its simplicity, immersion and great production values. Apparently, the latest version of the game is fantastic, and new and more affordable versions of it are coming soon too. Buy it, play it, and be happier.
Now, an interesting point:
I’m pretty sure that this single piece of marketing (30 seconds!) was the responsible for the massive success of HQ in Spain. Here’s the dubbed version for the American market and here the original one for the UK, narrated by, legend says, Sir Christopher Lee himself! “Once you get into it, you’ll never be the same!”
Fame & Fable
Renowned illustrator Owen Davey is a publicly acknowledged fan of fantasy in general. From Harry Potter to D&D. He’s also one of the most productive artists I’ve ever encountered. After his very successful collection of books for Flying Eye Books, he’s been working on a Fantasy tabletop game called Fame & Fable. The game is looking very good and has been tested and enjoyed in several events already. A Kickstarter campaign is planned for 2025 and I’m pretty sure it will be very successful. You can watch the trailer here.
2 → Films
Hellboy, the Documentary
Mike Mignola is one of the most influential artists in the world. One that will be studied in the future, probably. His influence goes far beyond the comic book industry, touching animation, illustration, cinema and much more. A documentary on how his most famous work (Hellboy) was created is about to be released (September 17), probably offering a lot of interesting anecdotes. Watch the trailer here!
Inside Out 2
I’ll be honest. I haven't been a huge fan of Disney/Pixar's releases over the past decade. But I have unexpectedly enjoyed some of their most overlooked ones (e.g., Onward) or weirdly misunderstood (Turning Red). Inside Out 2 joins the list.
I found it to be a more interesting and revealing film than the first one and quite a tool for parents, pre-teens and teenagers to visualise and talk about feelings and emotions (special mention to anxiety as the involuntary villain).
3 → Design & Illustration
A font: Dragönsteel
I like Dan Cederholm’s (original Dribbble co-founder) latest font. Dan has been designing fonts, books and other stuff since he left Dribbble. And although some of his fonts are a bit irregular, I can see many uses for Dragönsteel, including some on-going projects. Hum…
A project: Kiblind Mag’s Square² Comic
Each week during a month, an artist chosen by Kiblind Magazine draws a comic strip which has to respect the following graphic rules: a square / 4 panels / 4 frames / 4 colours (well, kind of).
French artist Tom Haugomat was one of the selected ones and, once again, he brought his beautiful, nuanced, nostalgic art full of memories from the 90s. He’s so good at saying a lot with so little…
Unfortunately, only visible on Instagram. If you still use the app, you can find Tom’s four micro-stories here: Piece 1 / Piece 2 / Piece 3 / Piece 4
P.S.: You can also read my review of Haugomat’s book À travers here.
4 → Artists
Remedios Varo
I’ll admit it. Her name was as known to me as Carrington’s, but that’s it. I had zero idea about her work till not long ago. Remedios’ life is probably less tragic than Leonora’s, but still full of poverty, repression and ultimately perpetual exile (and untimely death).
Her work was dreamy and trippy, probably expected from a surrealist artist, but it was also quite witchy. And I love it. It’s very obvious that mysticism and esotericism were a heavy influence for her. That she died so young was a real loss for the art world.
Edward Hopper
I know some people dislike his work. But I adore the solitude and stillness that most of his paintings transmit (precisely what some people criticise the most). Brief everyday moments of contemplation, of acceptance of what surrounds us. Even of calm sadness. His use of light, the large, half-empty stages, the tiring everyday life they convey, the distance between people, even when they share the same space...
I can feel his influence in many contemporary artists. I wonder if my admired Aron Wiesenfeld or Emiliano Ponzi feel influenced by Hopper’s work, comparisons and distance aside.
5 → Music
Eyes Form You by Clara Aguilar
I’ve recommended Clara’s music in other occasions. I consider her a great heir to some of my favourite movements in electronic music. This is still part of her 2024 album Figura. You can buy it on Bandcamp (9€).
Loving You Like Always by NTO & Tricky
This remix by Rodríguez Jr. has been one of my most played songs on Spotify these last two years. It’s my favourite version of the three existing remixes (and always after the almost-perfect original song). I always found Tricky fascinating. A unique voice and character, who has undoubtedly experienced too many tragedies, but who is perfectly suited to NTO's beats. More versions:
Thank you for reading In the Cave. Currently, I’m using social media just to promote this newsletter, share other people’s work or send memes to friends. Nothing else. So if you like this newsletter, please share it and recommend it. You can also find me on my website or Dribbble.
See you soon!
Read a previous story:
Remedios Varo me resulta algo inquietante pero intensamente interesante. Tanto su vida como su obra. Lamentablemente no se la conoce tanto como se debería.
¡Gracias por las recomendaciones! Voy de cabeza a por la música.