The day FRANK avoided his BOSS

FRANKLAZY BASTARD

World of Mystery #4 (Dec 1956).

Mark Engblom covers Adventure Comics 270

Original cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye; DC 1960. Mark Engblom's site is here.

Alex Kim covers X-men 6

Original cover by Jim Lee and Art Thibert; Marvel 1992. Alex Kim's website is here.

Green Lantern movie review

Didn't hate it. Which is probably the most I can hope for in a super-hero movie, that it isn't too terrible.

Anyway, here's a piece of art copyright Fred Hembeck featuring Nova kicking Hal's butt, originally from RBCC #150 (1978).

Hmm. This art needs a script...

Panel 1: "Hey, Ring Slinger Lad! What's this about you hitting on my girl Ginger? She's only 16!"

Panel 2: "She looks 28!"

Panel 3: "Eat Nova-fist, jerk! Eat it through your heart!"

Panel 4: "Daddy!"

Yeah. That was more fun than the movie.

Damian DeMartino covers Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD 4

Original cover by Jim Steranko; Marvel 1968. Damian DeMartino's website is here.

Code Name: Gilda

I've had the phrase 'Weaponized Bio-Whore' stuck in my brain for weeks and finally photoshopped it out of my head where it can cease wreaking havoc on my gray cells. This must be what Ellis, Morrison and Moore feel like sometimes.

PREVIEW- "Malinky Robot" by Sonny Liew

You know how sometimes you have artists who you go crazy for, but you don't remember them until you see some more of their work... at which time you go crazy for them all over again? Maybe it sounds weird, but it perfectly describes my relationship with the work of Sonny Liew (My Faith in Frankie, Wonderland, Sense and Sensibility, Re-Gifters, Liquid City). So I went crazy yesterday when I found out that Image was dropping a collection of his comic Malinky Robot from the venerated FLIGHT anthology. Here's some random pages below that I repatriated from the internets...

Here's the Sales Pitch:

 Street urchins Atari and Oliver are out to steal bicycles, watch Giant Robot movies and spend some Large Denominational Bills!
MALINKY ROBOT collects five stories by Eisner-nominated artist Sonny Liew (My Faith in Frankie, Wonderland, Sense and Sensibility) set in a near-future city of San'ya.

A recipient of the Xeric Award and Best Science Fiction Album award at the Utopiales International SF Festival, and featured in the acclaimed Flight anthologies, MALINKY ROBOT blends dystopic sci-fi and indie sensibilities into a uniquely charming, oddball world.

PLUS! Pinups by Mike Allred, Roger Langridge, Skottie Young, and more!

I haven't read the latest FLIGHT joints (the series is ending with volume 8 by the way), but I have loved everything of Sonny's that I have read (I didn't read Sense and Sensibility, but my wife says it's awesome!), and I'm looking forward to getting this as soon as I can! Malinky Robot drops August 15th.

holla!

samax.

ghettoManga.com
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Take me to...Teen Street!

As part of the Disney marketing machine supporting the film In Search of the Castaways starring Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills, 1962 also saw the release of the elder and younger star hosting a concept album called Teen Street. Featuring a romance theme the idea behind Teen Street was that teenagers are not only the same all over the world but similar from one generation to the next. The album is a bit myopic culturally and has the standard Disney idealization of what life is like.

The album showcases established recording stars like Disney-staple Annette Funicello and relatively unknown performers getting some exposure that is surely low-risk to the studio. Billy Storm and Gary Shortall both have some good entries to the album. Annette Funicello and the Sylte Sisters add no surprises with entries pretty typical for the young teen market sought by Disney. One song listeners may take exception with is The Wildest as sung by Shortall (22:02). While not his fault the tune sounds so derivative of Dion's The Wanderer that lawyers for the Laurie label must have been high-fiving each other for months after the release, assuming Gary U.S. Bonds didn't have his people all over it first. Pushover by Storm and Rovin' Eyes by Shortall are good listens and I recommend them.

Disappointingly for most fans, Maurice and Hayley do not sing on this album. The soundtrack to Castaways would have been doing well enough at the time and Teen Street was undoubtedly using combined star power to promote sales. They serve only as hosts with Maurice doing most of the talking, introducing the songs in something of a cohesive narrative about young people finding love. The album is mostly referenced for the fun cover featuring Maurice and Hayley dancing on a cartoon street.

You can listen to the entire album as one file here:

Here is the track list:

Side One
Teen Street - Group Vocal
Walkin' and Talkin' - Annette
Pushover - Billy Storm
Double Feature Movie - Sylte Sisters
Rovin' Eyes - Gary Shortall
Cinderella Jones - Sylte Sisters

Side Two
Double Date - Billy Storm
Two Against the World - Annette
The Wildest - Gary Shortall
Good Girl - Billy Storm
Teenage Wedding - Annette
To Be Continued - Sylte Sisters

Leonie O'Moore covers Catman

Original cover by L. B. Cole; Continental 1946. Leonie O'Moore's website is here.

Lest We Forget

In the Brightest Day Aftermath mini-series The Search for Swamp Thing, John Constantine is puzzling out why the new Swamp Thing, this time around hosting the spirit of Alec Holland is acting like an Eco-terrorist and not the more neutral "Guardian of the Green" he is familiar with.

After returning from being exiled in space as an unintended consequence of an assassination attempt, ST attacked and killed almost all of those responsible for the attack. All of the deaths were ironic or horrific in nature a la The Specter but the following pages from Swamp Thing #63 (August 1987) are the most grisly.

Prior to "The Anatomy Lesson" the Swamp Thing was a character that things happened to. He was a spectator and often a victim. Afterwards he was a bit more pro-active and became less the warm and cuddly cabbage patch doll. This time the difference is that the spirit of Alec Holland might be a bit peeved at being murdered and is lashing out (even though Alec eventually found peace over the course of several stories). The result may be a nut-job spirit that needs to be exorcised from the Swamp Thing.

start the day off Right w/ C-Rayz Walz

After listening to Montana and Menace build with the mighty C-Rayz Walz on CWR last night, I was in the mood to listen to more rhyming from the Sun-Cycle Emcee, so I went looking and found this on Bandcamp...

I am Numba Four is a concept joint that features 16 tracks spanning from 1999 to 2009 that were each the fourth track on whatever album they appeared. For a prolific rapper like Walz, this actually works, because even as a fan of his, I have never heard half these tracks. If you're not familiar, I am Numba Four will work as an introduction to the Sun Cycle Emcee. For late-pass kids like myself, it works as a refresher. Click here to cop I am Numba Four on bandcamp for $4.44.
Have a great day!

holla!

samax.

ghettoManga.com
comics. hiphop. news. art. culture

CWR interviews Cormega, Jean Grae, C-Rayz Walz & more! #hipHop

Conspiracy Worldwide Radio is back again with another great show. Cormega dials in to speak on his Haiti benefit song I Made a Difference, his upcoming double disc best-of joint Raw Forever, and more. That's cool and all, but I did a serious double take when I heard Jean Grae dropped in bigging up her new DJ Drama mixtape and (of course) teasing her long-awaited studio album Cake or Death. Besides being one of the sickest rhymers you'll find anywhere, she is really deep and the CWR cats delve into some good stuff.  Being that I am in middle-school-intensity love with Jean in general, I would tune in just for that... but C-Rayz Walz has been on my mind lately too, so his appearance on my favorite hip hop interview show was right on time! yeah, we're talking close to six hours music, interviews, etc from the my dudes Menace and Montana.

C-Rayz Walz is one of my favorite emcees, so it's good to hear him speak on his upcoming releases, including his upcoming album All Blvck Everything: The Prelude. I had no knowledge of this new joint, or the fact that he was coming on, so my eyes pro'lly bugged out when I saw that he was coming on. I haven't heard much from Walz since he got out of jail, so it's good to hear from the emcee.

Besides that, there's lots of records spun from the usual suspects like Nas and Canibus, and lots of good stuff I wasn't familiar with. Dope. Don't forget to click here to cop that Cormega single I Made a Difference which they played on the show. Proceeds will go to Sean Penn's organization, which has boots on the ground, actually getting things done in Haiti.
holla!

-samax. 

ghettoManga.com

comics. hiphop. news. art. culture

PREVIEW- Comicbook Comics #youMustLearn

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (aka Evil Twin Comics) earned their stripes pushing the boundaries of what you could do with comics with their awesome edutainment comicbook series Action Philosophers, and they are out to teach us the history of this comicbook shit with their new series Comic Book Comics. Here's some previews I snatched off of Indyplanet...
Here's the Sales Pitch:
You only THINK you know comics history! Comic Book Comics tells the inspiring, infuriating, and utterly insane story of the American comic book industry in the same irreverent style of Action Philosophers and is (as far as we know) the first-ever comprehensive graphic history of the comics art form!

 As comics enters its Golden Age and the United States slides closer and closer to war (no coincidence there), Joe Simon & Jack Kirby have to fend off the draft - and their own publisher! "Our Artists at War" tells how Will Eisner revolutionized the Pentagon's training program - using comics! "All You Need Is Love" details the true confessions of romance comics! "The House of Fear" details the birth of - Gasp! Choke! - William M. Gaines' E.C. Comics!

 Get ready for non-stop action, action, action -- LEGAL action, that is! The incredible, insane true story of the American comic book industry continues with the ALL-LAWSUIT ISSUE! DC vs. Fawcett! Disney vs. the Air Pirates! Jack Kirby vs. Marvel over his stolen artwork! Steve Gerber over Howard the Duck! Don De Carlo over Josie and the Pussycats! And that pales next to the all-out war over the rights to Miracleman! All this, plus the Creators' Bill of Rights, too! Don't like it? Well, sue us! (Wait. No. Please don't.)
So yeah, I just found out about this new stuff... There are three issues of Comic Book Comics (including the All Lawsuit Issue!) out that I know of on Indyplanet. Click here to cop 'em.
holla!

-samax. 

ghettoManga.com

comics. hiphop. news. art. culture

No Cake, but Cookies will do!

So everyone who has any sense is waiting feverishly for Cake or Death, the long-awaited album from Jean Grae. This isn't it, but her Cookies or Comas mixtape with DJ Drama will work for me for the time being. Here's some youTubery and a download link...

so yeah... You know Cookies or Comas is dope already, so go ahead and and click here to see cop that... you're welcome.  
Cake or Death is coming in August... maybe. hopefully...
holla!

-samax. 

ghettoManga.com

comics. hiphop. news. art. culture