Extremely cool news!

As many of you know, Eric Joyner painted the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robot painting (known as "The Final Blow") for me last year. And we followed it every step of the way right here on The Sneeze.

Some time back, Eric submitted the image to be considered for inclusion in a prestigious annual book for illustrators called "Spectrum." Spectrum is an international competition of 'contemporary fantastic art'.

Not only did "The Final Blow" get chosen out of thousands of entries to be among those featured in this year's annual -- THE PAINTING HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THIS YEAR'S COVER!

It's crazy! People Eric admired as a kid compete in this thing.

Eric is absolutely thrilled, and I couldn't be happier for him. As always you can check out his entire portfolio here, and his cool online store here.

Here's the Amazon description of the latest Spectrum book:

Now in its 11th year, and just getting bigger and better, this eagerly anticipated volume in the art and art-buying world represents the who's who in fantasy today. Spectrum is the first and only illustration annual to focus solely on fantastic art, with over 300 artists featured. Divided into seven categories, including one devoted to comics and graphic novels, Spectrum is a feast of disparate vision and artistic imagining, showcasing, among others: John Howe, fantasy illustrator and designer for Lord of the Rings; Peter deSeve, conceptual artist on Finding Nemo; Anita Kunz's work from Rolling Stone; the exquisite acrylics of Michael Whelan; the poignant work of John Jude Palancer; Doug Chiang, design director for Star Wars and creator of Robota; and Jon Foster, also of Star Wars fame. Lively, idiosyncratic, and sometimes shocking, this work continues to push against the meniscus of reality, exploring new realms of inventiveness and creativity, be it from movies, video games, ads, or art galleries.

I'll put the next phase of Eric's latest painting up soon.