Mondo has had a huge impact on my life. As far back as I can remember, I always loved movie posters. Growing up, I’d buy posters at Suncoast or take them from my video store, and tack them to my wall. If they ripped, I’d just throw them out and get new ones. Years later, the posters of Mondo made me realize the papers hanging on my wall could be more than just decorations. They could be collectible art too, and that flipped a switch.
In 2008, I bought my first Mondo poster, The Lost Boys by Tyler Stout. I got it in person at a screening, which was how the brand got its start: making gig posters as one would do for concerts, but for movies. The poster opened my eyes to a whole new world—and since then, I’ve continued to buy posters. Becoming a collector introduced me to places like Gallery 1988, which releases similar cool art based on pop culture, and when I saw people spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars on the posters I bought for much less than that, it was a really good feeling.
I’ve been collecting and writing about Mondo and the pop culture art world for years, and I could go on forever about the impact it has had on me. Maybe one day I will. Today though, I feel like showing is better than telling.
After the news that Funko fired almost half of Mondo’s employees, including co-founders Mitch Putman and Rob Jones, who were key components in making Mondo cool for over a decade, Mondo as it once was is dead. Thinking back on the past, I walked around my home and saw a lot of Mondo. Mondo lives with me every single day—and here are some of my favorite pieces.
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The one that started it all.
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In order to pay Mondo proper respect, we’re going to break out of the realm of io9-only films here.
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Not technically a Jurassic Park poster, but a Jurassic Park poster.
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As Stout was my gateway into Mondo, he remains one of my favorite artists and I have a lot of his art on display.
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Like Stout, I have a lot of Olly Moss art on my walls.
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Mondo has done a ton of Back to the Future pieces but this one just sticks with me.
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One of my favorite movie, one of my favorite posters.
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This is the foil variant.
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Stout’s style isn’t for everyone but, as you can see in this slideshow, I love a very busy aesthetic.
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Mike Mitchell’s “Portraits” series has been a long-running one for Mondo, and I have several on my wall. This one was from the very first gallery show.
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Mitchell’s portraits got the Star Wars treatment via Mondo and Leia’s is probably my favorite of the bunch.
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Horkey’s work is second to none; he’s also an artist who almost exclusively worked with Mondo’s team.
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One more portrait, this one from Hot Fuzz.
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Horkey’s style combined with the idea of Pixar’s Ratatouille is still one of my favorite mashups.
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While most of my Mondo posters were purchased when they were first released, every once in a while I missed one I really wanted and had to hit the aftermarket to find it. Which is what happened with this stunner based on the documentary.
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I guess, like Stout and Moss, I should say I have a lot of Horkey up too.
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Like Mike Mitchell’s popular portraits, Mondo was also behind the very popular “Eyes Without a Face” series by Jason Edmiston, of which I own multiple original paintings (including this Lost Boys piece) and pencil sketches, along with prints.
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Before Edmiston does the final paintings, he does detailed sketches of each set of eyes, which he also sells. And when you can’t get the paintings, the sketches are often a nice alternative option.
But, since they’re just pencils, I bring them to a custom framer in Los Angeles called Framing Devil and have a little fun. So this is really a collab between both of them.
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If Mondo has a holy grail, it might be this set. And for good reason. They are just so beautiful and Lucasfilm has embraced them in the years since release. Also, another shout out to Framing Devil for the frames.
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Photos don’t do these justice. Trust me. They are beyond stunning.
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One corner of my home is dedicated to the films of Studio Ghibli and the centerpiece is this complete set of variants by Olly Moss. It’s Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away.
Only the team at Mondo could get the notoriously protective Ghibli to collaborate.
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The glare on this one is pretty bad (sorry Daniel) but this variant Psycho print, in black and white, is just beyond perfect.
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Mondo existed well before I started collecting its pieces, so I had to go back and find this 2006 poster, which is also one of my favorites of all time.
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Top 10 Mondo, both in terms of idea and collecibility.
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This is a weird one. I purchased this in Austin, Texas at Mondo’s first gallery show. It’s a concept for a movie poster that took the idea of Rocky and combined it with Real Steel. Moss came up with the idea, Jock made it, and it hangs on my wall because I love Jock, Moss, Rocky, and Real Steel.
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If you’re saying “Really, more Stout?” I have bad news for you.
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Yes, more Stout.
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Though this is for the Tom Hooper film, my wife and I like to pretend it’s for the much superior musical.
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Mondo didn’t just limit itself to popular genre fare. Oftentimes the company dipped back into the past for all-time classics like this one.
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Another example of me taking Edmiston sketches to the Framing Devil, this time with the idea of working them into the world of Mel Brooks’ film.
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Sorry Tom, the angle and glare does not do this one justice.
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Once upon a time, Mondo’s gallery had a show that was just Disney art, and this beautiful piece was part of it.
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This one too.
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Ha! Did you think you’d made it to the end without more Tyler Stout? Think again!
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We started with my first Mondo piece, and end here with my second. An incredible poster for an incredible show by an incredible artist by an incredible company.
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Again, that’s just the Mondo stuff on my wall as of March 2023. Beyond that, this flat file and portfolios are completely full. There’s a lot of Mondo, but a lot of other brands too. All of which started because of the team at Mondo.
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Source: Gizmodo