‘The moon is a hard mattress’ shows an astronaut lying down on the moon.
[RUNS SCREAMING FROM PUNS]I will risk your ire to explain:
‘The moon is a hard mattress’ vs The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein, a book first published in 1966.
Now you too can groan. And moan. And throw things at your device’s screen.
The backstory to these silly illos
Ian Gunn, creator of these silly illos (illustrations), was a beloved award-winning artist based in Melbourne. Cancer took him from us too soon.
Ian left a legacy including lots of great illustrations. Many of these illustrations are available for sale.
Victoria’s science fiction convention, Continuum, occasionally presents the Ian Gunn Memorial Award recognising the ‘unsung heroes’ of fandom: people consistently working in the background who never expect any recognition of their efforts. This commemorates Ian’s selfless efforts to reach out to others, encouraging others and thereby building the science fiction community.
K’rin Pender-Gunn, Ian’s widow, gave Dark Matter Zine permission to republish Ian’s artwork. Thanks, K’rin!