July 11, 2004
{ The Picture of Everything }
I've never been one of those people that covers my shelves with old figurines, has toys in my kitchen window, and completely litters my every space with nostalgic knick-knacks, but I *have* always been someone that liked to go to the houses of people like that and look around. For that reason, I totally dig "The Picture of Everything."
Howard Hallis started a drawing in 1997. He drew each and every comic book hero and cartoon character he could think of, cramming as many as he could onto regular pieces of 8.5 by 11 paper, each paper connected to the next. Once he had had exhausted all he could think of, he moved on to rock stars and movie stars, then rocketships and robots, then toys and famous buildings, historical people and religious figures, video games, and logos, and flags and, and, and, and you get the idea. For two years, Howard drew every damn thing he could think of, or that we could think of, all in one giant, super-dense, insanely thorough drawing. The complete picture is over 6 foot wide and nearly 15 foot tall, plus each of the sides meet, including the top and bottom, making a complete loop.
Since putting zoomed photos of the entire drawing online a while back, Howard has since begun drawing "interiors" of the buildings and ships, each containing newer characters that have entered our popular culture after the original work was finished. Not only that, but he has also completed a Flash interface with which you may zoom around the drawing and see the names of each figure with a mouseover. Every. Single. One.
Unfortunately, copies of "The Picture of Everything" cannot be bought because of legal reasons, but the original is for sale. In Howard's own words: "If you have lots and lots of money and want to make an offer, drop me an e-mail."
My favorite thing about the whole deal is that on the website, in the area of FAQ, Howard essentially issues a challenge to us all: If you find something that he has missed, try him. He will either show you where it is at, or he will add it in his next update. He does state that he kept most villains out because his friend is working on another, more evil version, so do take it a little easy on him when it comes to the baddies. Otherwise, have fun trying to find your own favorite, well, favorite anything!
» Ready. Set. GO!!!
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