Jonni Future Riding the Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth Illustration by Arthur Adams

This piece falls into a category of a goal I never thought I’d reach. I’m a big Ray Harryhausen fan and I’d been looking for a cover quality illustration by Arthur Adams for some time now. So when I saw this piece come up for auction that depicted Jonni Future taking a ride on the Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth, it was a no brainer (provided my bid was successful) It was a bit of a scramble for funds and almost broke the bank. Luckily I was able to consign several pieces of art to reduce the balance on payment that made the purchase of this gem possible.

I don’t know exactly how this piece was used, but it predates the first published appearance of Jonni Future by a year. It’s an early illustration by Arthur Adams of the heroine who made her debut in the pages of Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales #1 in 2002 that was part of Alan Moore’s line of America’s Best Comics.

I have a soft spot for sci-fi characters like Jonni Future who draws a lot of influence from the classic space opera genre. The biggest highlight of this piece though has to be Adam’s update to the Ymir. I love his redesign of this retro movie monster to give it a more contemporary look. The amount of details he put into the skin texture of the creature is absolutely incredible. I also like how he still managed to keep all of the key characteristics of the original monster that makes it recognizable as one of Ray’s own creations. It checks off all the right boxes for me and fills a hole nicely in my collection.