In 1977 JVC brought the first VHS player to the American consumer, abling the cinema going audience to ingest their entertainment in their own homes.
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Thirty-eight years on and the VHS versus Betamax debate is dead, VHS is dead, LaserDisc is dead, DVD is dead, and Blu-ray sits atop a pointless heap while streaming video continues moving towards any device even remotely involved with a screen. For those that grew up with tangible media and the culture that the video stores of the ’80s built, the collector-gene was triggered by the graphic paintings on the video clamshell cases. We bought. We traded. Filling Christmas lists with big budget blockbuster films on video, their covers painted by the likes of Boris Vallejo and Drew Struzan. Netflix and streaming video are convenient, but they lack the heart, artistry, and appeal of a shelf of beautifully curated plastic.
The physical video format may be a dying item, but the collector spirit is not. In late 2014 Mondo announced they were teaming up with Steelbook for the Mondo x Steelbook, a series of DVDs combining the artwork created by Mondo’s slew of artists with the amazing package design of Steelbook, a metal shell filled with gorgeous art and a DVD, or DVDs, to match.
In under a year the Mondo x Steelbook team up has released fifteen titles from the classic action of ‘Total Recall‘ with art by JC Richard to the recent thriller ‘Nightcrawler‘ with art by Jay Shaw. The line of collectible DVDs have been a success, meaning more great titles and art should be on the way.
Here is a look at every title released to date —
‘Drive’ Mondo x Steelbook #000 | Cover Art by Tyler Stout
‘Looper’ Mondo x Steelbook #001| Cover Art by Martin Ansin
‘Boyhood’ Mondo x Steelbook #002| Cover Art by Tomer Hanuka
‘First Blood’ Mondo x Steelbook #003 | Cover Art by Ken Taylor
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ Mondo x Steelbook #004 | Cover Art by Jock
‘Dredd’ Mondo x Steelbook #005 | Cover Art by Jock
‘Flash Gordon’ Mondo x Steelbook #006 | Cover Art by Martin Ansin
‘Shaun of the Dead’ Mondo x Steelbook #007 | Cover Art by Tyler Stout
‘The Thing’ Mondo x Steelbook #008 | Cover Art by Jock
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ Mondo x Steelbook #009 | Cover Art by Tom Whalen
‘Ex Machina’ Mondo x Steelbook #010 | Cover Art by Jock
‘Total Recall’ Mondo x Steelbook #011 | Cover Art by JC Richard
‘Nightcrawler’ Mondo x Steelbook #012 | Cover Art by Jay Shaw
‘Reservoir Dogs’ Mondo x Steelbook #013 | Cover Art by Tyler Stout
‘Highlander’ Mondo x Steelbook #014 | Cover Art by Francesco Francavilla
