Uh...
Dienstag, 31. August 2010
Start the day off Right!!!
and because I heart Kev Brown and you should too, here's this
This is off of a German release, because Europeans actually LIKE hip hop. But Kev Brown is a Southern dude. peep his blog for more stuff like this. He's nice with beats and rhymes...
holla!
-samax
ghettoManga.com
Montag, 30. August 2010
Dying is easy, it's math that's hard
Story title from Nightmare #13 (August 1954). Art by George Tuska.
Yay! Black-on-Black Violence! How Original!
The Sales Pitch:
Marvel is pleased to announce your first look at Shadowland: Power Man #2, from red hot writer Fred Van Lente and up-and-coming artist Mahmud Asrar! Who is this new Power Man and how can he defeat both Luke Cage and Iron Fist? This newfound vigilante problem on the streets of Shadowland is worsened when the villains from Luke Cage and Iron Fist’s past show up to take the heroes down! The battle for the soul of New York continues in Shadowland: Power Man #2!
um. Yeah... I don't know. I was fully prepared to defend the new seemingly Bruce Leroy inspired Power Man... I actually like the costume design (I will admit to being confused by those chains, but the original Power Man had a chain belt too), but I don't know about these cats in the background led by the all-new-all-different Hamburgler? Ugh... feel free to discuss amongst yourselves...
-samax.
-samax.
Soundtrack to my day
All the regular readers know I freaking heart Playdough, and Lonely Superstar -his solo debut, after having won me over on mixtapes and compilations and with his work as half of Ill Harmonics and Phoenetic Composition- will help you understand why... If you want more Playdough after this click here for more.
holla!
Mysta of the Moon - Chapter 2
Planet Comics #36 (May 1945) marks the second appearance of Mysta. As a character she is still not fully fleshed out though she is comfortably housed in an interplanetary fortress by this issue all the better to watch the universe and scan for evil. Being a super science hero was pretty common for tales of this age and it would take some time for her to settle into a role similar to contemporary comic book characters.Mars, the troublesome God of War makes only a cameo appearance and is likely present only because his name is on the cover and to ease the transition from his adventures to Mysta. New stories featuring Mars would be discarded entirely and the character would appear only as reprinted tales in a few future issues and fanzines.
For more about Mars, go to Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine. He posted a great Mars story back in 2009 from Planet Comics #69. There is a reason that serial is much sought after by collectors.
In this issue Mysta goes up against slime-fungus, mind-controlled zombies and the evil, twisted despot Superbrain. It ends pretty much as grisly as expected.
Sonntag, 29. August 2010
Space Conquerors: Kurt and Primo
Here is a fondly remembered chapter from the nearly forgotten and criminally-uncollected Space Conquerors from Boy's Life (March 1971). This was a long-running strip that changed in sophistication from Space Race Atom-Age exploration of Manifest Destiny to Space Opera over the decades as reader tastes and expectations changed. Space Conquerors was usually credited to Al Stenzel with art duties being typically uncredited. The artists varied over the years and it would take someone with greater familiarity with the illustrators of the era than I to identify them.I read with fascination this strip in the 1970s and I had a subscription to Boy's Life just for this version of the Space Conquerors. For some reason this chapter really stuck in my memory. It doesn't have much action but I think the willingness of Primo to eat the local fare first to test it for safety and Kurt's refusal to have his friend take the risk alone stuck with me.
Then there is this chapter from June 1971. Yikes.
All this in a magazine aimed at young boys? Then again the market was for Boy Scouts, who were presumably more mature and able-bodied than the precious little snowflakes of today.
Samstag, 28. August 2010
Cowboy Sahib - Chapter 1
Here's an updated link to the first appearance of Leonard Starr's almost-forgotten gem, Cowboy Sahib!
For those not familiar with Cowboy Sahib it is the tale of a garsh-shucks modern American cowboy transplanted via war to India. Once there he fights despots and Cossacks and all manners of vile sorts and along the way manages to win the hand of a beautiful princess.
There are quite a few awesome images from comic books that are eternal, usually featuring Batman, but the drawing of a cowboy firing off his six-shooters while riding a tiger into battle is one for the ages.
Freitag, 27. August 2010
Crying Fist
Korean fight picture. So you know it's gonna be brutal. Not that the Korean people are indigenously any more brutal than anyone else. However, between the Japanese, Americans, Russians and their own various home-grown military dictatorships, these people were brutalized for the better part of the twentieth century, and that kind of thing doesn't just go away. Fortunately South Korean filmmakers have been sublimating this brutality into their work over the last decade or so, creating something like a national catharsis. Don't get me wrong, they also crank out their share of sicky-sweet, sentimental fare. The cumulative result is a national cinema that offers a broader emotional range than its neighbors to the north and south.So yeah, Crying Fist (2004). I didn't get a chance to see it when I was writing Asia Shock, so it's not included in my profile of the great Choi Min-sik, one of the picture's two stars (the other being Ryoo Seung-beom). No one who's seen Oldboy (2003) is likely to ever forget Choi Min-sik, Korea's own Lawrence Olivier/Robert DeNiro/Gerard Depardieu. If you check the years, you'll shrewdly deduce that Choi was still down at his fighting weight from the Oldboy shoot when he made this film (he's been much pudgier on other outings). That said, he's still 42, not a good age to be staging a boxing comeback as his character, Kang Tae-shik, plans to do in the film, particularly when he's been making his living on the street as a human punching bag. Literally. For 10,000 won (roughly $8.50) you can wail away (he supplies the boxing gloves). Yep, he's pretty down and out, and this daily abuse isn't helping his head -- he's starting to show signs of brain damage.
Then there's the parallel story of Yoo Sang-hwan (Ryoo Seung-beom). He's a petty criminal with natty dreads and a beard who finds himself in the slammer (minus the hair) after a mugging goes horribly awry. The prison population soon learns that he's nobody's bitch after he chews off a guy's ear Tyson-style on his first day. He's immediately recruited into the boxing team where perhaps his natural talent for violence can be honed and refined -- see where this is going? Of course Yoo and Kang are on a collision course, but just how they meet I'll leave for you to discover.While I'm not particularly drawn to the genre, I thought this was a great boxing film. Gritty, bloody, populated with a fascinating array of urban losers and grimy locations -- you can almost smell the garbage and B.O. The supporting cast is great, featuring Oh Dai-soo (A Bloody Aria), Nah Moon-hee (The Quiet Family) and the diminutive character actor Ki Joo-bong (he's been in everything -- one of those "oh yeah, that guy" guys).
Style-wise, Crying Fist changes up on you -- it gradually shifts from elliptical jump-cut indy at the beginning to a more conventional ending, but it all works out. I have one minor complaint, but it concerns the ending, so I'll have to sit on it. I'll wait 'til you see it and then I'll tell you ...
Donnerstag, 26. August 2010
Fresh "King City" Poster
King Poster by Brandon Graham
This artwork will grace the inside covers of King City #12. The double page spread below is from issue 11, which will be out soon.
and here's a sketchbook drawing he did of Sexica from his Oni Press book Multiple Warheadz. I didn't notice the elephant in the background at first, but now it's my favorite part of the drawing (but then, I love elephants). From my understanding, Multiple Warheadz will be Brandon's next book, after King City ends. Looking forward to it! That's all for now. To read more of my ramblings about Brandon and his comics, click here.
holla!
-samax.
What to the Up
Okay, had enough sleep! Coming soon...Mondays are going to be Mysta Mondays for a while.
Updating Cowboy Sahib. Had to clean up the scans. Probably Fridays.
The Dreaded ORANGE NUT ROLL.
Satan lives! In your old toys.
Books, books, books. And magazines.
My First Big Book of Noir. Featuring the Namesake Killer!
Let Me Tell You About My Flair. Mmm-hmm, yeah.
Realms Apart. A story about the dark side of sunny San Diego.
Charlie Goubile's BLACKBIRD graphic novel is OUT NOW!!!
If you've been reading GhettoManga very long, you already know I straight cheerleads for Charlie "Fab" Goubile, and especially for his martial arts vigilante comic Blackbird. Now Goubile has collected his first miniseries into the brand new trade paperback Blackbird:Growing Pains, and it looks really dope!
In case you're new here, Blackbird is the story of Antwon Jenkins. When Antwon loses the only family member he has ever known to the streets, he is moved to bring justice to the city by becoming the crime fighting avenger Blackbird. With the support of his new family and friends Antwon struggles to rid the streets of crime and corruption, as well as deal with trials of being a young adult.
For those who already own the original comics, Goubile includes lots of extras to sweeten the pot: Production sketches and designs, cover and promo art, guest pinups from a who's who of underground artists (Mshindo, Ashley A. Woods, John Jennings, Shawn Alleyne, Stanley Weaver, M. Rasheed and Kanji), and intro from Brotherman creator Dawud Anyabwile. PLUS, Fab is dropping a preview to Blackbird 2: Street Wars including 10 story pages, promo art and character designs... anyways, to order Growing Pains on IndyPlanet, click here. Or go here to read more of my posts about Charlie "Fab" and Blackbird.
Mittwoch, 25. August 2010
subscribe to GhettoManga Magazine and get a FREE print!
speaking of giving people what they want, you can preorder the new issue of GhettoManga Quarterly now for $8 (2 bucks less than it costs in stores) or you can order a 4 issue subscription (or extension) for $24 AND get a FREE print of your favorite character (yeah, any one you want*) drawn by me! Yeah, that's some Sports Illustrated type isht! I'm really looking to get my subscriptions up, so I'm going a little bit crazy with this promotion! But get at me ASAP! This offer ends September 3rd! [UPDATE: Offer Extended to "until I get tired of it"]
*If I have an existing drawing of the character you want, That's the one you'll get (like, say this Batman Beyond piece). If not, I will draw a new one for you. If you want your own original character drawn, you must supply an existing picture of the character. I'm happy to draw them, but I'm not designing them for you. If you want a copy of an existing print I have, that is probably okay. For an example of the kind of drawings I will be doing, check the 30 minute drawings on my art blog Ziontific. There's a shipping charge of three bucks on all orders, but I might have to get you for a little more if you're in another country, so be advised...The books will get back from the printer late September. As for the drawings, it just depends on the response. If you have a reason you need your drawing sooner, let me know.
holla!
-samax
ghettoManga.com
Black Milk + Elzhi + Royce = HELLYES
As you (should) know, I was already psyched about Black Milk's new record before hearing this song, and this only raised the bar...Elzhi can do no wrong in my eyes, and Royce is a solid addition to any track. The next person to say anything about hip hop being dead in my presence is getting slapped in the face. If they take me to court, I will plead "Black Milk"...
no jury would convict me...
holla!
samax.
Dienstag, 24. August 2010
5 Fingers
Been watching a lot of noir lately and came across this poster for the movie 5 Fingers (1952).Poster art seems to be a lost skill these days as research shows that big giant, recognizable heads heads on a display is what sells tickets and DVDs. Compare the original 5 Fingers poster with the DVD packaging for the 2006 remake Five Fingers, loosely-based upon the original.
But it isn't the evolution of movie art that moves me today. Fashion is. The original 5 Fingers poster inspired me to make a proof-of-concept glove inspired by the poster.
I could totally see some hot, dangerous, billiards-playing woman wearing a glove with LUST, GREED, PASSION, DESIRE and SIN embroidered on the fingers in heavy, silver metallic thread. Any wolf that got fresh with her would end up having those words bruise-embossed into his forehead.
Hmm. This idea will probably be ripped off and for sale in a Hot Topic or an Etsy store within the month.
Invisible Target
Man, what a kickass flick! I realize that isn't a terribly scholarly pronouncement, but this ain't that kind of film. This is balls out action, everything's on the table: Urban crime thrills, martial arts, parkour, shit blowing up, gang fights, a seemingly unlimited supply of plate glass to fling people through, and of course guns, lots of guns. Shame about the crap title (how can a target be invisible? And what does that have to do with the price of rice?).Boiled down to its essence, it's a cops and robbers picture. An elite criminal gang blows up an armored van, inadvertently killing the fiance of police detective Chan Chun (Nicholas Tse). Six months later, the tragedy has turned him into something of a rogue I-just-don't-care-anymore cop. When he isn't moping around the apartment, he's blowing a stake-out by chasing after the perp through the streets of Hong Kong in a dizzying free-running sequence. Then there's Carson Fong (Shawn Yue). He's another detective, more of a slick dick, but just as explosive and high-kicking. Rounding out the inevitable trio is straight-laced rookie Wai King Ho (Jaycee "Son of Jackie" Chan). On the other end of the equation is that group of baddies I mentioned earlier, led by Tien Yeng Seng (Jacky Wu, one of the toughest movie mofos I've seen in quite some time).
This film had me involuntarily laughing and whooping, delighted as an eight-year-old completely lost in the fun. If you've got a drop of testosterone in you, you'll likely do the same. Invisible Target (2007) is the perfect synthesis of Hollywood and Hong Kong action, with a little Parisian flair thrown in. The fight sequences are breathtaking -- fast and tight, they raise the bar considerably on what you usually get in this kind of film, even employing a touch of wire fu. Like I say, everything's on the table and director Benny Chan is on his game.
"That's all very well and good, Pat," I hear you saying, "but what's so shocking?" Well frankly, considering the bad title and generic box art, I wasn't expecting much. What's shocking is how damn good it is! Jackie Chan's kid acquits himself admirably; Nicholas Tse shows what a shape-shifter of an actor he is (in comparison to the character he played in The Beast Stalker); Shawn Yue and Jacky Wu are just plain awesome. While I'm not big on the historical epics coming out of Hong Kong of late, these crime flicks are just getting better and better. Of course I miss the more quirky, crazy, fried vibe of HK films of the 80s and 90s. Luckily there's a ton of those on disk when I need them; this new stuff, while more streamlined and Hollywood-influenced, well, I'm still liking what I'm seeing. Keep 'em coming, Benny Chan!
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