PREVIEW- "Staceytron: Mass Perception"

 I did a piece for internet nerdgirl demigoddess Stacey Owens' artbook project Staceytron: Mass Perception last year, and the book is finally out. The cover was smashed out by the venerable Dave Johnson and the book includes a laundry list of dope artists known and unknown, so it will be a great bit of exposure for me I think. Why don't you peep some preview art while I go pat myself on the back?

this is my piece, in case you missed it the first time I posted it. I also sell prints and cards with the image online here. I bought some postcards that I sell at shows. It's a popular piece, so Stacey, if you're reading this, Thanks for the inspiratron! What was I talking about? Oh Yeah... you can cop the Staceytron book on ComixPress now.
Here's the Sales Pitch:
Why, What, Who is Staceytron?More than 100 Artists - from passionate amateurs to industry professionals - from all corners of the Globe come together to create an all new being of unlimited potential.
Staceytron: Mass Perceptron is an immense collection of ideas and imagery specifically created to stimulate both body and mind.
With Cover Art by Eisner Award Winner Dave Johnson (Superman: Red Son, 100 Bullets, Punisher, Deadpool) along with 174 pages of explosively sexy and sexily explosive graphic art created by artists from all walks of life, each and every reader will draw different conclusions, different impressions, different perceptions of just who Staceytron truly is...
Are you ready to take her trip?
Cop it here.
holla!
-samax

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Getting good Feedback about our Luke Cage Tribute Issue!

Under cover of darkness, I sent out copies of that Luke Cage Tibute issue (lovingly referred to as the "Sweet Christmas Special" even though it's obviously NOT christmastime) to my subscribers, preorderers and other assorted deserving peeps last Wednesday, and the first reverberations started hitting my various inboxes this weekend...

"the new 'Luke Cage' issue of GhettoManga is off the hook! It rocks in sooo many ways. Loved the way you broke down Bendis' Luke Cage in Alias...."

-Mutantstar



"How did you get Mike Hawthorne to draw a pinup?!? He's one of my favorites artists!"

-Barry K.

"Mini Battle Men is my new shit! Tell Zees he got a winner on his hands, son!"

-Big Shane

"Wow! Dan Fu's work is very promising! His writing and art are both loose and sharp... a great find!"
-Sara Q.
Yo, I really appreciate that so many people took the time to drop a line, tweet, comment or whatever. The magazine is a labor of love, and every comic, illustration and article is chosen by me. I try to take criticism objectively and constructively, but I definitely take all the love personal.   And juuust in case you haven't bought a copy or subscription yet...

Here's the Sales Pitch:
The GhettoManga Sweet Christmas Special features a gallery of tribute art dedicated to Marvel's resident soul brother #1, with art by lots of underground talent that you need to get familiar with. There's also new comics from Zees Moreno (Mini Battle Men) and Dan Fu (The Retriever), plus articles by Jay Potts (World of Hurt), Corance Davis (GodBody) and more... Back issues of the 52 page full color magazine are already available on IndyPlanet.  You can order single issues for ten bucks each (includes shipping), or subscribe 
and get 4 issues for the price of 3!

GhettoManga Quarterly

4 issue Subscription $30.00 Single Issue $10.00

So, thanks again! Production has already started on the next issue, and of course, you know where to find me...

holla!

samax.

ghettoManga.com

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"I'm sorry I pimp-slapped you into that china cabinet..."

Black Dynamite by Samax Amen.
Haven't really had time to draw like I've wanted lately, so I took a minute and drew Black Dynamite, the afro-wearing badass from the 2009 action-comedy of the same name. The movie's producers actually put out an awesome Black Dynamite comic too! Click Here for a free preview of the comic. Anyways, I drew this picture straight into illustrator (with a mouse). For more Black Dynamite news, click here.

holla!

-samax.

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a salute to Moms Everywhere!!!

Hope everyone's having a great weekend... my wife is celebrating Mother's Day by engaging in her favorite pass time: Sleeping. I hope you are enjoying your mom (or mom substitute), and to all the moms out there, we at GhettoManga salute you!
♥
-samax

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Happy Easter, Scum!!!

I drew this years ago. It never gets old...
To read the backstory, click here.

"In a world where giant robots exist, those without them get stepped on..." -Corance Davis

Here's a few ads I designed for GodBody: Senseless Acts of Savagery by my dude Corance Davis, with art by Rasheed Hines...

Corance has been doing the due diligence on this comic, dropping a new page every Friday on the GhostWerks blog, hooking up the Project Wonderful account for the impending ad blitz, as well as writing the next episode. The 13 page story is sort of a prelude to a larger story that Corance is still working out the kinks to, but he and Rasheed are cranking this out pretty good.
The story takes place in a world where creating bigger and better giant robots (commonly referred to as "Godbodies") is the new arms race. Like any good giant robot story, the robot action, explosions and collateral damage are a pretty veil for the writers to address various social, political, and spiritual issues.
"I believe that giant robots are at their best when showing man's endeavor, through technology, to be God, and managing only to destroy himself in the effort" Corance explains in The God Hour, a series of blog posts that read like a director's commentary track to Godbody. "It's a story about geniuses. A brother and sister who compete through their engineering prowess; mentors who live vicariously through the skills of their proteges; pilots who can make these powerful machines do what no one else can. It comes down to man vs. man; via machine. In a world where giant robots exist, those without them get stepped on. I hope to tackle these issues with a uniquely American sensibility in regard to character, storytelling, and especially design."

"I love manga," he continues "but I don't want to just bite the Japanese. We can do better than this OEL stuff. God Body isn't a giant robot manga. It's a giant robot comic! And, I'm hoping to drop a jewel that proves to be singular on the comics landscape; both here and Japan. I believe the stories that will unfold from the God Body universe have the ability to illuminate something of human nature, and our relationship to our technology, our governments, and each other.

That, and they'll blow stuff up real good."

word. To get started on the 13 page GodBody: Senseless Acts of Savagery by Corance Davis and Rasheed Hines, click here. Look for more news about GodBody here soon!

holla!

samax.  

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My art + Playdough's Music + your Chest = WINNING!

Playdough has started taking preorders for the Hotdoggin' Limited Edition Package which includes the CD, poster and the limited edition T-shirt (with fresh to death art by yours truly) for just $25! The album will be fresh, by the way: features include Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, Mr. Dibbs vs The Black Keys, PicnicTyme, For Beats Sake, Deepspace5, DJ SeanP, DJ Bombay and more.ONLY 100 shirts will be printed, so if you wanna be one of the cool kids, get the lead out and click here to order!

holla!

samax.

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Hot diggity (for those who missed it)...

As you may know, I was commissioned to do a tee-shirt design for one of my favorite emcees, Playdough of the mighty Deepspace 5 crew, to coincide with the release of his new album Hotdoggin'...


The deadline was very tight, and I was restricted to only 2 colors (on a black tee), both of which made this somewhat nerve-wracking (plus, I REALLY wanted Playdough to like it)... After struggling with some other complicated ideas that were not working at all, I watched this promo video for inspiration and decided I HAD to draw him skateboarding in a hotdog suit.

I like trying complicated stuff, but my talents are suited to keeping it simple. The final teeshirt artwork actually has text on it and a different composition (I'll post it up whenever Playdough starts taking preorders), but I will include this as a page in my artbook I'm working on whenever it comes out.

Here's another ballpoint pen sketch that I didn't use... I may actually finish it and make prints if I have time. The release party for the album is in Dallas on April 29th, and area art crews ArtLoveMagic and the Just.Us.League (both of which I am a part of) will be in attendance creating live art, so I want to produce of few printed treats that will appeal to the rap nerds and art geeks (again, I belong to both groups) that will be floating around the room sipping brew...
These days, I'm loaded with stuff I need to work on, and I don't get nearly enough sleep (yeah, I have a 2 year old daughter too...), but dang it, I sure am having fun! Well, back to the drawing board...

holla!

samax.

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start the day off Right w/Bavu Blakes

I found a couple new songs from the mighty Bavu Blakes last night...



yup. Bavu gets his "grown & sexy" on in the "spit at 'er" track May I and the "cheaper to keep 'er" track CSI, making full use of the baritone broadcast drawl. As most of my readers know, I'm a HUGE Bavu Blakes fan who has had the pleasure of having my art on his merch (see above)...
Like the best r&b songwriters, Bavu manages to simultaneously idealize and be realistic about romance, love, and marriage. I'm sure the Garland Globetrotter will be in Casual City (Austin, TX) for SXSW, so if you're gonna be there, look for him and get your hands on the Spring 2011 Collection... and tell him you know the artist who supplied the art... It might not get you a discount, but it couldn't hurt!

holla!

samax.

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new Iron Man drawing

I did this Iron Man piece for a commission for  DwainIBe of my Twitter familia. I started to cop out and do the 80's Iron Man, but I thought I would try and do a version of the one from the movie.

Geez that thing is complicated! I realized I don't like drawing Iron Man in a way that makes him look like a robot. This armor looks like it could easily walk around by itself... I tried to hint at the man underneath.

I always enjoyed renditions that stressed that Tony is a super hero, not an armored stormtrooper like a SHIELD Mandroid or whatever. He's flashier than a soldier would be in the suit.
Anyways, I hope you like it!

holla!

-samax.

ghettoManga.com

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"Black Moses Barbie" and more Harriet Tubman tidbits

Be Free or Die by Chris Miller
It's Black History Month (or African-American Heritage Month for you pee cee types), so black people are running around Googling our ancestors and sending mass emails, so I guess it's only appropriate that I join in on the festivities in my own way. As it turns out, I have crossed paths several times in the past couple weeks with the story of the mighty Harriet Tubman, the mother of the Underground Railroad. In case you're drawing a blank, the Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by the slaves to escape to free states (and Canada) with the aid of a network of people sympathetic to their cause. Anyways, a few days ago, I was checking in on Chris Miller, who did some art for my magazine, and ran into the awesome Harriet Tubman drawing above. "She knew that if the slave did go back he or she would probably be tortured into giving up the routes to underground railroad." Chris reveals on the artist comments. "So the slaves either had to continue on with Harriet to freedom or die on the spot."

Black Moses Barbie (Harriet Tubman Commercial) (1 of 3) from pierre bennu on Vimeo.
My long-time internet friend and wordsmith Ti (no, not the rapper) pointed me at this video today,which characterizes Harriet Tubman's mission in comedic and easily digestible fashion. And finally, I was recently commissioned to draw a visualization of an African time-traveler who meets Tubman on her deathbed.

I did this for Jay Kelley, a Houston-based writer and stand-up comedian I met on Facebook. I posted some preliminary sketches I did for this on my art blog Ziontific. Just click here to check it out. Anyways, to learn more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, click here to hit the Wikipedia, or here to check out some books and DVDs on Amazon.

holla!

-samax.

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Yeah, it's that time again...

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, friends...
To peep a selection of Valentine's Day worthy cards with my art, just click here.

holla!

-samax.

ghettoManga.com
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Bavu Blakes CD/Button art by me!

Hello, friends! The mighty Bavu Blakes posted this photo of his Spring 2011 Collector's Edition ceedee and button set Sunday, featuring artwork by me. Bavu is one of my favorite rappers, so when he commissioned me to do this, I was honored and excited. On top of being paid to do the work, the thrill of someone choosing to actually PRINT my artwork onto something in the digital download age makes me feel very accomplished every time it happens! Anyways, click here to get more Bavu in your life!

holla!

-samax.

ghettoManga.com

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DALLAS- Live Art Auction benefitting Hero Initiative

Time	Saturday at 9:00pm - Sunday at 1:00am
Location	2826 Arnetic (Deep Ellum) 2826 Elm Street Dallas, TX
Created By	ArtLoveMagic
More Info	A NATIONWIDE live art event to take place January 22, 2011. Citites all over the country will hold live events that will feature artists you can watch creating art, then bid on their works in an auction and take the art home! Proceeds from the art sales will go to benefit the Hero Initiative (http://www.heroinitiative.org/), a charity whose mission is to provide financial or medical assistance to the comic creators who gave us th...eir stories, their labor, and their love but all too often ended up without pensions, royalties, or insurance. This is a serious problem for artists who created work in the golden and silver ages of comics, before creators had fair work contracts. Writers and artists who created the characters you cherish are now in their latter years and facing poverty. Comicpalooza reached out to artlovemagic because of our ties to the local art community and asked us to be involved. We reached out to a number of friends including Arnetic to hold the event, ROB VICTUM to provide live DJs, and an array of local artists to create live comic book related masterpieces. Live artists include James O'Barr (the Crow) Samax Amen (you know that guy...) Khalid Robertson (Champion of Children) David Rodriguez (renowned Dallas painter) Jerod Alexander (graffiti artist) Isaac Davies (graffiti artist) Bob Luedke (Eye Witness) Michael Lagocki (ghostwerks, artlovemagic) Trayce Cochran (street artist) Lawrence Alexander (painter) Cal Slayton (Shades of Blue) Christopher Garcia (Marvel/WildStorm/CrossGen colorist) Joe Skilz (graffiti artist) Come be a part of a special night that benefits the people who created the characters that shaped our lives. Incredible music, mind blowing live art, and rare comic collectibles for sale to benefit the charity. 18 and up. Only 3 bucks to get in.  Hope to see you there!!

-samax.

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"Monsters 101" swimsuit pinup? yeah, that's right!

After seeing the strip Muhammad Rasheed drew of Dare, I did this pinup of his characters Mort and Pugroff chilling at the beach...

Rasheed published the fourth volume of his fantasy OGN series Monsters 101 (which stars nerd sorcerer Mort and bully-turned-monster Pugroff) this past spring. Rasheed has been showing art on his Facebook albums teasing a proposed Monsters 101 "swimsuit issue" which would be a really cool treat for fans of the series, so I whipped this up! Hope you enjoy it!

holla!

samax.

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New MED Mixtape! (with cover art by your boy)

The pride of Oxnard, California contacted me to do some mixtape art for him last month, and this is what I did. Yeah, MED dropped a new mixtape in time for Christmas... and by the way, it's dope.

The Sounds of VTech / BangYaHeadIII Part 2

“I’m celebrating my birthday and the holidays by releasing this mix." MED told fans through the fine folks of VTech, who helped him dropped the mixtape. "Be sure to download and enjoy.”

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. It’s Your Life prod. by Exile
3. Ain’t Bragging feat. Guilty Simpson prod. by Waajeed
4. Yoyo Affair (Official Unreleased Remix) prod. by Beat Konducta
5. SupaMan Prod. by J. Rocc
6. Purest Form feat. POK Prod. by HouseShoes
7. Amazing Prod. by Miss One
8. Hold U feat Aloe Blacc (Mixtape)
9. Prices (full version) feat POK Prod. by Medicine Man
10. Sure Shot (Disrupted Remake) mixtape Oh No
11. Heads Up feat LMD Prod. by Madlib

Mixed and Mastered by Dj Romes
All Cuts by Dj Romes, except Supaman cuts by J Rocc
enjoy!

samax.

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