Highlights! And I’m not talking about the Scholastic magazine either…
* I enjoyed the splendor of breathtaking Big Sur with the San Hos earlier in the month for our annual local getaway. We had a spacious (though slightly creepy) cabin, in which we overdosed on junk food, magazines, and soulful conversation. Photos.
The second issue of Electric Ant — a compendium of cool given birth by my pal Ryan Sands — will debut tomorrow at APE (Alt Press Expo). It’s definitely something you’ll want to check out if not POSSESS for your own library. And look at that juicy Hellen Jo cover!
CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY OF THE ZINE!
Some of my closest talented friends have contributed to it, and I guess I did too. I had the great honor of drawing a page for the comic jam. It’s a zany adventure of a scruffy guy, his cyberpunk-looking ex GF, a put upon pinniped, and a lovable tooth. Sci-fi overtones, lots of humor. Even better is that I came after the distinctive Ryan Germick and before Lisa Hanawalt — she’s one of my faves.
Check it out. Comics, stories, photography, interviews, illustrations…all kinds of goodies.
ps – I somehow ended up on a panel on comics, zines, community, and the Yay Area at APE tomorrow. Phoebe Gloeckner is on it too. GULP. Wish me luck! Please send me all your best eloquence / public speaking positive vibes!
Peg turned me onto the app and I usually check it everyday. Daily “outlooks” are written in such a sophisticated, peculiar style of “chinglish.” On top of relationships, family, and career, there’s usually advice about my kidneys, liver, bile buildup, etc.
ps – I apologize for the shoddy quality. Done last night before bed, plus photographed (I don’t have a scanner, take pity on me). And yes I know the three faces don’t match
I had the incredible honor of attending an installment of the Japanese Consulate General’s 2009 Spring Conferment of Decoration for one of the most amazing people i know: Fred Schodt.
Writer, translator, interpreter, intellectual, and all around cool guy, Fred was awarded this prestigious award (“Order of the Rising Sun”) by the Japanese government for awesomeness. He was instrumental in introducing manga and overall Japanese pop culture to the states. Of his many achievements, he and his posse, back in the day, had the balls to approach Tezuka about translating his works. And things blossomed from there.
We brought Fred on board for some work during the Tezuka exhibition two years ago, and it was one of the best things that happened to me/us. Getting to know him, and his fantastic wife Fia, goes down in record as one of my career highlights. (I basically aspire to be like this charming, lovely couple. Their bohemian-without-the-baggage live-and-let-live attitudes are the best)
The evening was superbly pleasant and chill, not weighed down with formalities. The tone was festive and moving. Jared Cook, Steven Okazaki, Takayuki Matsutani (pres of Tezuka Productions), Seiji Horibuchi (pres of VIZ), and many others were there. Watch this vid of Fred and some bandmates busting out a sweet song. The cheery guy in the middle is the president of Tezuka Productions! I just love when the guy busts out his fiddle (?!). And the Consul General is dancing too! Sigh. Happiness.
Fia, Fred, dorky me, and Ryan:
Consul General, Fred’s nephew, Fred’s “honorary son,” Fia, and Fred:
I like Rama Hughes. At least, I like him from the work of his that I've seen (especially portraits). His instructional how-to-make-a-comic makes it seem so easy. Just reading it motivates me to give it a college try. Then again, most how-to-make-a-comic/zine/mini/etc things usually have that effect on me.
The other image is I guess a gag cartoon by one of his seventh grader students? I just think it's so charming and clever. Super cute.
I wish we as adults could all draw with the pure, sweet abandon and unfiltered creativity that only kids can possess.
For more of his students' darling works, check out his Flickr.
i was recently reunited with two boxes of old photos (thanks, knuckles). sifting through them is such a trip. it’s time consuming and frustrating, trying to sort, organize, and jettison. i realize that wow, even during pre-, mid-, and post-puberty, i took a lot of pictures.
my batman geekery started at a young age, but flourished through high school and to this day. here are my halloween costumes from junior and senior year. i remember getting really into it, going to the goodwill in milpitas to assemble a proper joker wardrobe (i think i did a pretty good job). i got up early for both outfits, spending a lot of time on makeup. when i think about all the energy and earnestness that went into those costumes, it makes me sad because i don’t think i can duplicate that kind of effort or feel that excitement anymore.
here are some teasers from junior high days. i cherish these precious photos of me and the girls i grew up with. holy moly i just saw that i’m holding a rose in the photo with the guy. if you want more you’ll have to go to my flickr. happy friday y’all. i’m beat, got a long work weekend ahead of me.
via flickr.com
For our Bhutan exhibition — which, btw, is chockful of stunning eyecandy — we have two visiting monks from Bhutan (super sweet fellows) who protect the sacred art by praying for it, twice daily. There’s also a colorful altar to which they contribute offerings (photo shown). All the art in the show is religious and still in active use in temples and monasteries. It took years working with the Bhutanese government to allow these precious artworks to go abroad. They’ve never left the country, let alone their homes. So yeah, it’s a big deal.
Here’s a snapshot of one of the offerings made by the monks. Traditionally made from flour and (yak) butter, these are created from sculpey.
I really really love the one on the right because it’s so Woodring! Am I right? It feels so familiar.
A word on Himalayan Buddhist art in general — not only is it beautiful, meticulous, and painstakingly detailed, it appeals to my morbid sensibilities because of the sometimes gory motifs: severed heads, human skins, flames of wrath, evisceration, etc — all for enlightenment purposes.
Try to see this show if you can. And if you do, take the time to check out the facial expressions on the sculptures. I love them.
most if not all of you have already seen wired’s photojournalistic piece on comic store employees. ryan was the first to point it out, and i’ve noticed it’s picking up steam all over the internets. of course, as a former comic store employee, it hits home, and as a comics geek, i love it. conceptually it’s great, but two things (a minor grievance and a statement)
1) WHERE IS COMIC RELIEF?! i’m grateful that the bay area got some love with the presence of dr. comics & mr. games and amazing fantasy in the feature, but seriously, where’s comic relief? it’s a bay area institution, not to mention a real anchor and mainstay in the overall comics community all over the country. i wonder if it didn’t make the cut?
2) if there is a follow up edition, i want to shoot for it. i would really LOVE it, and i think my photos would pass muster. should i write the editors or something and make a pitch? what do you guys think? how do i get their attention?
sigh. that is all.
i was flipping through the latest VIZ book catalog and one thing jumped off the pages: OISHINBO A La Carte. WOW! a manga about japanese food?! that’s a killer double whammy in one lovely, enticing serving.
according to the catalog, the series synopsis is about this slacker who is designated with the task of coming up with the ultimate menu to celebrate his workplace's (a newspaper) 100th anniversary. even though he's a lazy, blunt guy, he was chosen because he has an exquisitely discerning palate, an encyclopedic knowledge of food and drink, and a masterful touch in the kitchen.
i'm sold! from what i can glean, the artwork is easy on the eyes; clean but not terribly stylized. and depictions of food are extra handsome and draftsman-like. also, word on the street is that not only is it decent storytelling, it's educational as well.
it's apparently regarded as THE food manga, the first volume sold over 1 million copies in japan (in general it was a perennial bestseller), and became a "virtual institution" that spun off anime, movie(s), and fan websites. let's hope VIZ's retooling and repackaging of this supposed gem is worthy.
here's a review that breaks it down in a digestible manner, and the comic reporter's take on it.
as a diehard kuishinbo, i absolutely can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
i’m sorry, but this makes me cringe a little. alas, despite the stiffness and stilted acting, i’m still xxxtremely excited and am counting down the days til march 6.
