Leo and Diane Dillon's African American folkltale illustrations

Three illustrations from supernatural tales in Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales, a beautifully illustrated collection of stories:

Click on thumbnail to visit "The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon" blog for a larger view of these illustrations and other fantastical illustrations from the same book.

Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo's "Trese"

Trese is a graphic novel series by writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo. Contemporary crime intersects with supernatural world in present day Manila, where mythical creatures of Filipino folklore, such as the dreaded aswang,  manifest in modern forms.

When the police are stumped by mysteries of preternatural cause, they rely on Alexandra Trese, a private investigator with unique connections to the Underworld...

Click thumbnail to visit the official Trese blog. For more information, see Trese on Wikipedia.

Suggested by jnguyễn.

Eva Widermann's character designs for the Inuit Mythology Project

Click thumbnail to view full size illustrations in artist's portfolio:

Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

Animator/cartoonist Nina Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana utilizes diverse styles and novel approaches in the retelling of a traditional epic as an animated feature film.

Click left thumbnail to learn more about the film on the Sita Sings the Blue site.

Broeck Steadman's cover art for "The Ear, The Eye and the Arm"

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is an award-winning science fiction novel first published in 1994. Set in 22nd century Zimbabwe, the plot follows three mutant detectives hired by General Matsika's wife to track down the three missing Matsika children.

On the left is the cover art for the first edition. Click thumbnail to view larger image on artist's site. The leftmost character is the Arm, whose mutant powers include the ability to sense what others are feeling and peer into their memories, the latter skill being something that he tries not to use out of respect for others' privacy. He is described as "black" and is a member of the Shona ethnic group.

Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie's Zarafa

Described by Variety as a 'fanciful retelling' of the journey of the first giraffe taken to France, Zarafa (Arabic for Giraffe) is set in 19th century Sudan, Egypt and France:
Maki, a young Sudanese boy, escapes from a French slave trader and befriends a giraffe calf.  When the giraffe is captured by an Arab man Hassan, Maki tags along with Hassan to protect his animal friend. The trio head to Europe when the giraffe Zarafa is sent to France by the Egyptians as a gift to the French king...

Zarafa links:
Official site
Zafara at 2012 Fantasia Film Festival
Zarafa: Berlin Film Review (The Hollywood Reporter)

Stephen Smirl's Island Tales Comics

Island Tales, created by Stephen Smirl, is a comic anthology based on folklore and mythology from the Pacific. Some stories are adapted from traditional stories while others are modern retellings of the classics.

To the left, art from Nanaue's Bite, a modern version of the Hawaiian folktale of the Shark-man Nanaue. Nanaue's Bite is available for purchase at the Island Tales store.

To the right, Goddess #1 print from the Island Tales print shop.

Visit the Island Tales site to view more art from the various comic book artists who worked on the project.