James Blagden

In the storied history of drug-abetted sports victories, Dock Ellis' 1970 LSD no-hitter is one of the most vibrant, unreal, and psychedelic. Originally commissioned for an issue of Frank 151, this illustration by James Blagden has never been printed at this scale, and acts as a prelude to Victory Journal’s 2009 animation, "Dock Ellis & the LSD No-No."

James Blagden began his career as an illustrator, finding his way into animation and directing with the experimental short Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No. Since then Blagden has directed and contributed animation to several documentaries and commercial campaigns, while continuing to work on his own projects. In 2019, his co-directorial effort with Roni Moore, a documentary feature about Highschool Prom in Flint MI (Midnight in Paris), became a festival stand-out and was included in "The Contenders", MOMA's year end survey of top releases and obscure gems.