Top 10 Mondo movie posters

There’s no question that the market for movie art posters has grown to monumental proportions, and Mondo, the granddaddy of them all, is still going strong. With weekly releases, there are plenty of gems in the mix (and some huge misses). I thought it would be fun to go through the Mondo poster archive and choose my top ten favorite posters that have come out of Austin over the last several years. With over 1,600 posters to choose from, this was no easy task!

My criteria for selecting a winning poster is pretty simple: I have to enjoy the movie, and the poster needs to look like an actual movie poster and not just a great illustration, which excluded a lot of Mike Mitchell and Jason Edmiston’s work. The poster design needs to be cohesive from top to bottom — many posters have the potential of greatness but the design and/or typography just falls flat. I also appreciate the designs that have a clever hook, which is hard to do, but when it’s done right, the results are truly exceptional (see Moss’ Star Wars trilogy).

10. The Rocketeer by Martin Ansin

9. Superman the Man of Steel by Martin Ansin

8. Conan the Barbarian by Martin Ansin

7. Star Wars trilogy by Tyler Stout

6. Robocop by Olly Moss

5. Wolfman by Martin Ansin

4. Planet of the Apes by Jason Edmiston

3. The Hateful Eight by Jason Edmiston

2. Star Wars trilogy by Olly Moss

1. Batman by Martin Ansin

I think it’s pretty obvious who my favorite poster artists are — heck, I probably could have made up an entire list of just Martin Ansin posters. Mondo has employed dozens of artists over the years, and the artists shown above are the true masters of the genre.

 

What are some of your favorite Mondo posters that didn’t make it to my list?

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This week, the Pop Culture League is making some lists (like this one!). Check them all out here.