San Diego Comic Con 2008: Joe Hill
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Comic Books
Whoa! Joe Hill signing copies of Locke & Key at the IDW Publishing booth.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Giant Robot
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Here’s is the owner and founder of Giant Robot: Eric Nakamura.
Shown above are James Jean and Eric Nakamura from Giant Robot – below is a limited edition print only available at the con signed by James Jean.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: UNKL Toys
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
UNKL Toys booth: I made it to Kow Yokoyama’s signing. This limited toy is awesome. Pictured here is SUG. Also comes with a pet dog in same suit. We bought the set and MAK.Po!
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Strangeco
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
There was a line around the block for the limited edition re-release of King Kon from Strangeco.
David Foox is a professional artist, painter, and founding member of the Kung Foox Collective. You can see his work at kungfoox.com and his blog at kungfoox.typepad.com. His wife is Jessica Foox and you can find her artwork here.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Super7
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Brian Flynn founder Super7 explaining the infinite line of villains portrayed behind him. Note the Cobra Commander colorway. This booth is hot! Below is a Prototype of new line by Super7 and Gorilla Supreme:
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Merit International
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
What I spotted at the Merit International booth: This piece just made it here on time! The series is called STD which stands for Slick, Toonie, and Dez.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Spore Preview
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Videogames
Visiting the EA booth: Previously unseen bits and pieces of much heralded game Spore due for release this year.
David Foox is a professional artist, painter, and founding member of the Kung Foox Collective. You can see his work at kungfoox.com and his blog at kungfoox.typepad.com. His wife is Jessica Foox and you can find her artwork here.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: ToyTokyo Booth 5237
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Star Wars
Shown above: At the signing of Erick Scarecrow’s new toy line called Kissake (check out Esc Toys online).
David Foox is a professional artist, painter, and founding member of the Kung Foox Collective. You can see his work at kungfoox.com and his blog at kungfoox.typepad.com. His wife is Jessica Foox and you can find her artwork here.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Star Wars Again!
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Star Wars
The first thing that I spotted: An amazing full line of vehicles from the animated version of Star Wars.
David Foox is a professional artist, painter, and founding member of the Kung Foox Collective. You can see his work at kungfoox.com and his blog at kungfoox.typepad.com. His wife is Jessica Foox and you can find her artwork here.
San Diego Comic Con 2008: Getting Prepped!
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 25, 2008 in Star Wars
7:50am just before the doors open. All systems prepped and ready!
“Honey, will you be needing the X-Wing? “
David Foox is a professional artist, painter, and founding member of the Kung Foox Collective. You can see his work at kungfoox.com and his blog at kungfoox.typepad.com. His wife is Jessica Foox and you can find her artwork here.
Apogee & Perigee
Posted by Guest Author on Jul 23, 2008 in Japanese TV
Some years after Star Wars, but 24 years before a very similar looking robot from Pixar came along, a pair of Japanese robots named Apogee & Perigee released an album of songs that tell their story. Entitled “Chojiku Korodasutan Ryokoki” it was released in fairly small quantities as an LP and soon became a sought after though obscure rarity.
Unfortunately, in 1984 YMO had retired and the small label was running on a shoestring. Aside from this promotional video I don’t think the release got much publicity. A CD reissue from the 90s exists but it was only sold part of a high priced 18 album set.
Though I don’t think it’s a big surprise, in reality really it wasn’t a pair of robots making the album, it was semi-anonymously made by the short lived band Testpattern (Masao Himura and Fumio Ichimura), who were signed to Yellow Magic Orchestra’s ¥EN Records label. For this, their second project, they made a concept album billed to a pair of robots. On it they recruited many labelmates to contribute songs and perform more or less uncredited.
It’s kind of sad that maybe with a bit more publicity and spinoff media they could have had more success with a fun concept like this. This track is sung by Jun Togawa. She began her career as an actress in the early 1980s and soon found many singing opportunities. She was able bridge the gap between performance art and rock. She often appears but not exclusively with her band the Yapoos.
Sean’s Suggestions: New York Asian Film Festival
Posted by Guest Author on Jun 16, 2008 in Cinema
Editor’s Note: My long time friend and fellow Asian cinema fanboy Sean sent me this wonderful email giving his critique on the upcoming New York Asian Film Festival:
Films I’d Like to See
Accuracy of Death: All I have to say is “death and his telepathic dog” – Sold!
Dainipponjin, aka Big Man Japan: Okay, as someone who grew up watching Godzilla movies this fake documentary about a bumbling super guy who fights Tokyo’s giant monsters appeals to me.
Dead Time: Kala: Okay, more than one person has compared this film to Dark City a film which I think had such great unrealized potential! I will go see it just for that fact.
L: Change the World: I’ll admit it, I saw both Death-note films and thought they were okay made for TV movies (but they weren’t made for TV), and a result I am interested in seeing this film which is part of the Death-note Phenomena…
Love On Sunday: So this one looks like a chick-flick but it’s directed by former soft-porn director Ryuichi Hiroki. I saw his first “commercial” film Vibrator (named for the fact that the protagonist leaves her cell phone on vibrate, but also a reference to her depressed feelings of no one being able to ‘hear’ her – so get you minds out of the gutter!) and very VERY impressed, plus the reviewer compares it to a John Hughes film. For those reasons I am willing to face what appears to be a chick-flick.
Mad Detective: Sounds like TV show House meets a HK gangster film!
Sukiyaki Western Django: I know it’s not going to be good, but there has been so much hype over Miike’s Japanese Western costarring… Quentin Tarantino in his first Japanese acting roll, my curiosity has gotten the best of me.
This World Of Ours: The review of this film really piques my interest. A manifesto written by a hikikomori (literally an anti-social individual who locks themselves in their room and won’t come out) ! How can I pass it up?
A-Kon: Texan Style Anime
Posted by Guest Author on Jun 4, 2008 in Fandom
Artist David Foox gives us his account of going to A-Kon which is the oldest continually running anime convention in North America which was held this weekend:
By the time Fanboy had requested we do an editorial/article on the Dallas A-Kon Event, I had already given the subject matter much thought. In fact, I had already drafted my overview of this fun day in my head. So putting it down on “paper”, so to speak, was quite easy.
We (and by “we” I mean Jessica (my wife) and I) arrived at the Adams Mark Hotel and found ourselves thrown in at the deep end of this pool of costumes, freaks, geeks, musicians, artists, and gamers. In hindsight, I try and imagine that space prior to the event and void of all the color and realize that it really is the people, art, and games that make this event successful. A dry, dead space with a good dose of desperation/depression was overcome by livery that only hardcore gaming geeks and artist nerds (of which I am proudly both btw) could muster up in good ‘ol DFW (editor’s note: DFW = Dallas/Fort Worth).
Crown Jewels of Anime: Planetes
Posted by Guest Author on May 21, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 10 on my top ten list:
Planetes
Before the world of anime clubbed me over the head and dragged me off to become its unholy bride, I was already head over heels for the US space program. It was and still is one of the few truly noble and unreproachable achievements of our country, and my only regret is that it isn’t moving as fast as it should be. Thus, I turn to stories about the potential future of space travel, and though space fantasy tales are great fun they lack the hard science that makes me feel like I’m seeing what could really happen.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Panzer World Galient
Posted by Guest Author on May 20, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 9 on my top ten list:
Panzer World Galient
The ‘real robot’ craze of the early 1980s inspired anime studios like Nippon Sunrise (now called simply ‘Sunrise’) to mash them up with every possible genre or setting. Writer/creator Ryusuke Takahashi was particularly good at this, pulling from many different tropes to construct his first two hits, Fang of the Sun Dougram and Armored Trooper Votoms, and a later one called SPT Layzner. He also crafted a little-known yet fondly remembered series that fit between the last two on that list called Panzer World Galient. It was barely a blip in the record books, but as with any Takahashi program, it stays with you forever after you’ve seen it. (Especially the bilingual opening and closing titles, both haunting and unforgettable.)
Crown Jewels of Anime: The Leijiverse
Posted by Guest Author on May 19, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 8 on my top ten list:
The Leijiverse
As one of those fans whose head was blown off by Star Blazers in 1980, I was an easy mark when it came to other anime by Leiji Matsumoto. After all, they looked just like my fave—or near enough. Turns out it was the same for Japanese fans. Matsumoto’s touch on Yamato naturally made them hungry for more, and he delivered it in spades: Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Queen Millennia, Endless Road SSX and numerous other projects turned him into a creative tornado. Then for some reason he went away for a while.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Giant Gorg
Posted by Guest Author on May 18, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 7 on my top ten list:
Giant Gorg
Among the pantheon of superstars who were responsible for all the best anime of the early 1980s was a phenomenal artist who works just as hard today as he ever did: Yasuhiko Yoshikazu. He rose through the ranks of character designers in the 1970s, contributing to Yamato, Combattler V, and ultimately Mobile Suit Gundam to explode into American consciousness with the phenomenal Crusher Joe feature film. As the director, Yas supervised the production so closely that in the end it was as if he’d drawn every frame in his signature style, which is a gorgeous combination of effortless organics and rock-solid mechanics. Crusher Joe was a triumph of design and story. And Giant Gorg was its successor.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Fist of the North Star
Posted by Guest Author on May 17, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 6 on my top ten list:
Fist of the North Star
You don’t have to see much of this series to find your tolerance level. It takes a really long time to watch (well over 100 episodes), a lot of the animation is bare-bones at best, the drama is so far over the top you can see right up its dress, and entire episodes can roll by with practically nothing accomplished. So what earns it a spot on my top ten list? Style, man. Pure, shredding, murderous, unapologetic STYLE.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Galaxy Drifter Vifam
Posted by Guest Author on May 16, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 5 on my top ten list:
Galaxy Drifter Vifam
1983 was a banner year for SF anime on Japanese TV. The best writers were producing their best stuff at this time, and despite the preponderence of seemingly endless dynasties of giant robots every story had new turf to stake out. Vifam was a shining jewel in this crown, artfully combining said robots with a group of 13 children (who pretty much summed up the target demographic of the time) who are forced to grow up fast after their entire planet is swarmed by an alien enemy and strands them on a spaceship in the middle of hostile territory. If that sounds a little like Battlestar Galactica or maybe even Infinite Ryvius, that’s because it is. But the resemblance ends there.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Blue Meteor SPT Layzner
Posted by Guest Author on May 15, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 4 on my top ten list:
Blue Meteor SPT Layzner
Sometimes translated as Blue Comet SPT Layzner
If dark, complex, emotional stories are where it’s at for you, this one has it all. Created by Ryosuke Takahashi (who struck gold earlier with Armored Trooper Votoms), it’s a hard-edged SF action series about a robot pilot named Eiji Aska, who gets stuck between a rock and hard place when he breaks with his own army to prevent them from invading the Earth.
The first Earth people he approaches with this story, a group of refugees who narrowly escape an attack on their Mars colony, aren’t sure what to make of this (and neither is anyone else for that matter). As time goes on, Eiji wins the hearts and minds of a select few, but the opposition stacked against him is not only enormous — it’s personal.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Mobile Suit Gundam
Posted by Guest Author on May 14, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 3 on my top ten list:
Mobile Suit Gundam
If you’re having trouble sorting out one Gundam anime from another, you’re not alone. If you’ve heard that Gundam is a legendary saga that everyone has to see, you heard right‹but it’s not the current stuff (the latest being a TV series called Gundam Double O) that earned it this reputation. If you want to cut to the bone, you need to go all the way back to 1979 for the original no-extra-title-added Mobile Suit Gundam. It’s inescapably clunky and rough around the edges, a low-budget show even by those early standards, which was prematurely cancelled but went on to become a theatrical blockbuster.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Armored Trooper Votoms
Posted by Guest Author on May 13, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 2 on my top ten list:
Armored Trooper Votoms
You gotta hand it to a series that starts out riffing on a movie you really like and then blows way past it into completely new territory. For me, the movie was Blade Runner (1982) and when I saw the first few episodes of Votoms I thought, cool‹a Japanese take on one of my faves! And then Votoms kept going?and going?and GOING. By the time it got all the way to its finale in episode 52 it had left Blade Runner far behind and found its own path to become something wholly original that has never been equaled, though some well-meaning imitators have tried.
Crown Jewels of Anime: Space Battleship Yamato
Posted by Guest Author on May 12, 2008 in Animation
In this exclusive series our guest author Tim Eldred picks the top ten crown jewels of anime:
As a guy who started watching anime in 1980, I was lucky enough to catch the virus when the medium was in a creative upswing the likes of which simply hasn’t been seen since. Of course, there was great stuff before that, but never in quite so much abundance. The early 80s in particular were chock full of shows that had the power to make me (A) cry like a baby or (B) leap out of my chair like a sports fan. And any show that could do both became a crown jewel in my eyes. They haven’t all been officially exported yet, which means a lot of people still have an opportunity to experience them for the first time. Here’s number 1 on my top ten list:
Space Battleship Yamato
How does one objectively describe an anime saga that changed one’s life? You can’t, so there’s no point in trying. Space Battleship Yamato is simply the greatest of them all. The proof of this is that you didn’t even have to see it for it to change your life. If you became an anime fan after the year 1977, you have Yamato to thank. That was the year the first movie hit theatres in Japan with the same impact that Star Wars had here. (It was a compilation of the inaugural 1974 TV series, but that’s beside the point.) It was the first ever ‘anime boom’ and everything that’s come out of Japan since then has been an echo of it.
We Loved Vampire Loves
Posted by Guest Author on Apr 23, 2008 in Comic Books
As part of our ongoing campaign to support the destruction of superheroes I’ve decided to shine some light on publisher :01 First Second books. What I like about these folks is that they’ve done an amazing job bringing high quality yet quirky graphic novels to a world that’s been lost to the epic battle of comic book clichés. So here’s a title from their back catalog reviewed by indie comix expert Jenny Gonzalez:
Reading this book I couldn’t help but picturing it’s protagonist, Ferdinand the Vampire, being ill at ease in the NYC vampire scene, a notion that made me chuckle. He’s an anachronistic lover of acoustic folk music, cats and three piece suits. He never kills when he feeds—in fact, he bites his victims with only one tooth so it will be no worse than a mosquito bite. And despite the sensuality and romanticism that has flourished around vampires in recent decades, his love life is in shambles: