"Street Fighter finally gets the live action treatment it deserves..." @joebiam

"Comics (Art + Industry)" or "Why do bad books sell so well?" by Michael Lagocki

Guest post by Michael Anthony Lagocki
Samax and I tend to talk about comics a lot. Increasingly, about the business of comics as much as the pop culture aspects. In a recent convo about the state of the industry, he asked me to share some perspective on American comic sales with you. So wrap your hands around a cold can or glass of your favorite beverage, and let's do this...

#nowPlaying- "Chilean Rap Terror" by Grey Matter

Movie Review-THOR

Thor Review and artwork by ZEES...

First off, I gotta say that I love superhero movies for the simple fact that I always wanted to see these characters in live- action…The coolest moment when I was 6, I got the whole series of the live-action Spiderman TV show on bootleg VHS.  It didn’t have any of the actual Spiderman villains in it.  Just mobsters.  I was happy with it because it was all that was out there.  He was a superhero dropped into a non-comics universe; it was the best I got.  But if you got a movie like Thor, a summer blockbuster, with all those fancy special effects, you have to introduce this character to a broader audience.

REVIEW- Shaolin vs Wu-Tang by Raekwon

Shallah's Shaolin Vs Wu-Tang
written by Wolf Windblade
I don't know the details of the beef in the old clan but this project sounds like Raekwon conspiring to dethrone the Abbot while he's taking scented baths in the royal white dragon lodge.
I've heard the criticisms about Rae, how he's stuck in gangstaland, how he keeps talkin that greasy cook up a key, flights to the Bahamas, slappin cats wit all types of hammers and ratchets lol. It's what he does, it's his chamber and don't you ever forget it...

3 the HARD Way...

guest post by Michael Anthony Lagocki...
I feel it's my patriotic duty to share a heads up about good reads lately that you can pick up in the comic shop. Allow me a brief moment & I'll direct you to a few books worth checking out.

Mohawk Storm + Warren Ellis + Kaare Andrews = YESSIR! (Alex Ross doesn't suck, either)

guest post by Michael Lagocki
I took a trip to the comic shop Wednesday and picked up a couple books I'm excited enough about to share the news... first up:
Astonishing X-Men Xenogenesis #1
by Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews

When I say "Who's The Master?" YOU say...

guest article by Michael A Lagocki, man of action

I love great books about people who create comics. While a lot of different publishers have tackled this subject from a lot of different angles, for my money the Modern Masters series by TwoMorrows publishing takes the cake. To date they've done 24 volumes, with the latest volume, featuring Guy Davis (BPRD, The Marquis) arriving in comic shops last week on March 1oth.

Black Aqualad and the Young Justice Cartoon Rumors

my dude Wallrus of BlackSuperheroBlog wrote: "The Web abounds with rumors about an upcoming Young Justice animated series and I have to say I like what I see so far. The biggest part of the series of rumors to date is that of Aqualad being Black and played by a Black voice actor." (to read Wallrus' full post click here) I feel comfortable reporting that these are more than rumors. 

Although they have yet to make a formal announcement, Warner Brothers is most definitely working on a new series called Young Justice League loosely based on the DC comic Young Justice (which itself started off as JLA jr).  Speculation of a black Aqualad makes sense as a diversity tactic, since they will not use any of the characters from Teen Titans Go including the team's black powerhouse, Cyborg. Whether they are retrofitting the existing Aqualad, or creating a brand new character is unclear. The Young Justice League line up will also not include Kid Flash, Robin, Speedy or Green Arrow, opting for Nightwing, Impulse and Arrowette instead. Also rumored in the line up is Conner Kent (Superboy) and Martian Girl. more news on this as it comes out...

holla!

samax.

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

a little NOIR-FU for ya

written by Corance,
of the mighty GhostWerks crew
you might not have heard of Dan Fu, but he's one of my favorite writer/artists. I've met him a few times over the years and have enjoyed his work, but he left the scene for a while. So one day, I just decided to Google his name to see if he had something out that I didn't know about, and sure enough I came upon his web-comic, The Retriever.

He bills it as a noir-fu comic, which sounds right up my alley. After reading the first 3 issues, I can say that this comic is pretty awesome!

The first thing that struck me when I started reading The Retriever, is how much Dan's art has improved. The first time I was exposed to his work was way back in the mid 90's when he did a short romantic story in an Antarctic Press anthology. Back then, his art was expressive and subtle, but light and a bit tentative. In The Retriever Dan seems to have surer footing. The black spots required by the noir atmosphere lend his art a weight and gravity without sacrificing the subtlety that entertains the eye.

This subtlety can be most appreciated in the character design. The main character, Jackson Lau, is a cool Bruce Lee in a trench coat; but beyond him, the bad guys, supporting cast and even peripheral back-ground characters have designs that seem well thought out and distinctive. No throwaways for my boy Fu.

The panel to panel storytelling is also strong, which serves the stories well. And it's the stories that are the real attraction here. As subtle and natural as Dan's renderings are, so is the writing. The dialogue is always funny and interesting, which serves a very rich cast. They go through stories that, at first, seem like your common private eye cases; until the twist endings, which are what really make this comic tic. And I hate to call them that because it makes it seem like a cheap trick, but the twists at the end of the stories are actually quite poignant. It's for that reason, I won't get into the specific events of the stories because you owe it to yourself to see them unfold with your own eyes.

But I will touch on the fight scenes; and yes, they do put the “fu” in noir-fu. Ya boy Jackson Lau got madd skillz! This fact is exhibited in the 1^st issue in a very humorous, yet definite scene where he takes out a group of thugs led by a pretty tough brother. They way the fight went kinda caught me by surprise, in fact.

So, if stories about people with madd skillz is your thing, here's some phat linkage for you: the-retriever.com

And if you're feeling what he's doing, holla like ya know him!

I am Corance.

in addition to being one-fifth the mighty ghostWerks crew, Corance is a writer, stand-up philosopher, and co-creator of Champion of Children, (the greatest Kids' Comic you've never heard of) and The Sparrow (an urban contemporary martial arts western). now that we have a black president, he is running out of excuses and will probably blow up soon.
-ghettoManga.com

comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

is that your Final Answer?

guest post and artwork
by Michael Lagocki
"A starring role as a reserve on a title team would have been the quintessential ending to his erratic, yet sensational career. He would get a final chance to score, captivate, and prove that the force driving him all these years was, indeed, winning.
Unfortunately, the same stubbornness which made him so brilliant is also what will prevent us from ever getting to see that happen."

-Adam Stanco
NaismithLives.com

I hope he's wrong. I've always loved Allen Iverson. My Dad first turned me on to him. Dad's a fierce fan of Philadelphia Sports and loved Iverson for his tenacity, his drive, and his willingness to throw his body amidst defenders with much more size and strength. It had an affect on me to see how quickly my Dad became a dedicated Iverson fan, despite the cornrows, tattoos and thug attitude (all things I would typically expect my Pops to despise). At the end of the day, if you played fearlessly, with that much passion, nothing else mattered.
Monday night Allen Iverson will return as a player for the Philadelphia 76ers, in a game against his former Denver Nuggets. That game will be broadcast on NBATV. I've been following the news on AI for the past several weeks. I've been annoyed by a lot of bad sportswriting (many writers I was reading kept bringing up Philadelphia's proximity to Atlantic City- sigh). I've also been struck by how AI's former teamates and coaches from John Thompson, to George Karl, to Larry Brown, to Mello, to Eric Snow all have commented that they think AI should return to the league and can still contribute at a contending level.

I'm happy this story is returning to the city that it started in. Philly has great love for AI. As bad as things have gotten, this is a chance for him to return to a team where he has a legacy, and a lot of support. I'm happy for my Dad. Philly's been loosing a lot of games by one or two points lately. He'll be a lot happier when they start winning those games.
I'm throwing my bet behind AI's success: that he'll improve their game, will stabilize himself, and will still be there at the end of the season (maybe even in a playoff spot). I'm willing to make that bet, not just because it's possible, but because I'd really love to see it happen.
Thinking about all this, I drew this portrait (based on an uncredited photo I found online).
-ML
-Micheal Lagocki is one-fifth of the mighty GhostWerks crew, as well as being the driving force behind the pleasantly notorious art activist massive called ArtLoveMagic, dedicated to overcoming Evil with good art.
-ghettoManga.com
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

THIS JUST IN!

submitted by ghettoManga correspondent Michael Lagocki
Dear GhettoManga readers,
Killer issues alert. Marvels trying to sneak a few gems by you.
They hid them in Annuals of books you're probably not reading.

Dark Avengers Annual #1
by Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo.
(this one rocks- Noh Var with brilliant Bachallo art- even for Bachallo fans, this one's off the chain. Some of his very best work. whooooo- bring on the new Captain Marvel)

and

X Force Annual #1
(X Force Annual? Really?) Yes. This mug is written by Robert Kirkman (Invincible) and drawn by... (wait for it)... Body Bags maestro Jason Pearson!!! Since Pearson only draws a full story between ice ages, you might not want to miss this gem. It's a Wolverine one shot- gritty and grimy.
(click the pics for a free preview)

Both came out this week and are on your local comic shop shelves now (but may not be for long, cause each is better than they should be and retailers probably under-ordered)

That's all.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled whatever.
And remember- friends don't let friends miss good comics.
word.
-Micheal Lagocki is one-fifth of the mighty GhostWerks crew, as well as being the driving force behind the pleasantly notorious art activist massive called ArtLoveMagic, dedicated to overcoming Evil with good art.
-ghettoManga.com
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

people, get ready...

post by Corance (eerily accurate cartoon portrait by samax).
For everyone who couldn't make it to San Diego, Dallas is having it's own version. Dallas Comic-Con will be at the Richardson Civic-Center on August 15-16, and the mighty Ghostwerks Crew will be in attendance. I've been to this one quite a few times and it's always fun. I'm really looking foreward to this year because one of my favorite people in comics, Brian Stelfreeze will be there, along with Jason Pearson, Bill Sienkiewicz, and local greats Erick Reeves, Josh Howard and pretty much everybody else in comics who's tight. So if you're in the metroplex August 15-16, stop by and holler at us. Anyone who comes to the GhostWerks table and yells "GhostWerks is tha skwod!!!" at the top of their lungs gets a free ghettoManga keychain!
Here's a link to the con's web-site. bring a sketchbook and commission a sketch from one of the artists, and i will spit battle raps by request!
yes, yes, ya'll...
-Corance
in addition to being one-fifth the mighty ghostWerks crew, Corance is a writer, stand-up philosopher, and co-creator of Champion of Children, the greatest Kids' Comic you've never heard of. now that we have a black president, he is running out of excuses and will probably blow up soon.
ghettoManga.com
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

Today's Black Superhero: Static

guest post by Wallrus
There is probably no teenage Black superhero with more universal appeal than Static. He's got brains, versatile abilities, a big heart, and a major sense of duty. It's no wonder he was the only superhero from Milestone comics that made it to TV albeit in a different form.

Unlike in the Static Shock animated TV series, the original Static had short hair, wore a Malcolm X hat as part of his uniform and it was his Mother he was left with; not his father. Static's abilities were electromagnetic in nature enabling him to mentally manipulate multiple forms of electricity and magnetism. He flew by levitating a manhole cover while standing on it.

While Static is an original character you could see traits in him that showed up in great heroes of the past. He had an intellect, wit, and sense of duty like Spider-Man. He was able to see the good in people and the overwhelmingly positive effect of his parents was not unlike that of Superman. Like Black Panther, he was a positive role model and exhibited much of the greatness that Black people can and do achieve in their real non-super lives. Look for him in the pages of DC Comics' Teen Titans as this character joins the mainstream comic universe and hopefully, once again, in his own comic.

..............................

Wallruss is a teacher, traveler, comic book nerd, techie, and internet phenom. he can teach you a thing or two on his BlackSuperhero Blog, and if you're REALLY down, hit him up at Tanjectory.com

-ghettoManga.com

comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

Black Superheroine: Ant

post by gM writer Wallruss

I originally ran across the comic book character Ant while she was at Image comics. When I went out to find out more about her, I discovered that the story about Ant's creator is interesting in it's own right. According to his myspace page, Mario Gully came up with the idea for Ant while he was incarcerated. While he was in the cell, an ant crawled in and gave him inspiration. When he got out he started as an Independent comic book creator, and since then, the character has been through three comic book companies.

Ant is an African-American girl named Hannah Washington who grows bulletproof red skin, and has super strength, speed, agility and various sensory abilities. Her origin is unclear and much of her story is about the search for clues to her unknown past. I read somewhere that Ant is like the girl next door that can kick your ass. She's no nonsense and relatively down to earth. She's also one of those few Black female Superheroes that is actually shaped like a Black woman.

Mario Gully is the African-American owner and creator of Ant who's arrival in comics began at Arcana Studios. The series told the story of a little girl who dreamed that she was the world's greatest hero. The book exceeded expectations and proved to be quite a success. The first issue sold out. The series ran for four issues and it's success brought it to the attention of Image Comics. Ant moved over to Image Comics and right away began interacting with superheroes like Savage Dragon, and Spawn (these issues are collected in the TPB Ant Vol1: Reality Bites). The art and story seemed to feel right at home with Image and the series seemed poised to do quite well. Distinct from the previous volume published by Arcana, the story took place years after but acknowledged the previous story. The little girl had grown up and more of her mystery was revealed. Problems began to develop behind the scenes and despite compelling story and artwork the series ended after the 11th issue.Mario Gully's talent enabled him to work on other projects. After some time he decided to bring Ant back to the public and did so through Big City Comics. This latest series is entitled Ant Unleashed and is a more mature comic in imagery and theme. Again it is kept distinct from previous volumes as the story takes place after the others while acknowledging what transpired in them. The last issue seems to be #6 which was published back in 2008. Publishing challenges aside, each time Ant shows up she commands the room and each series has surpassed the previous in both art and story. I don't know where and when she'll show up again but I'm looking forward to checking her out when she does.

..............................

Wallruss is a teacher, traveler, comic book nerd, techie, and internet phenom. he can teach you a thing or two on his BlackSuperhero Blog, and if you're REALLY down, hit him up at Tanjectory.com

-ghettoManga.com

comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

more Watchmen Virals

by Becca the Promomami

I love good viral marketing (see HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE) and I love Watchmen. I suggested in August that the company responsible for WATCHMEN Marketing should stage Keene Act Riots to promote the film, like the 'Take Back Gotham' and 'I Believe in Harvey Dent' campaign demonstrations in downtown Chicago for The Dark Knight.Here's what they came up with. I like it!

Rebecca O'neal is a freelance promoter and writer. She's well-informed and highly opinionated. If not for people like her, we might be wracked with constant fear that President McCain would die any day and we would have to endure a President Palin. get familiar with her...

ghettoManga.com

comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

An American Icon Passes

post by Mike Lagocki
Andrew Wyeth, a painter of significant importance in the American landscape, died today. He was 91. When Samax and I were in art school, his images were shown to us often. There's a lot to learn about painting in Andrew Wyeth's work.

look who's RASLin'...

a heads up from Mike Lagocki
RASL Volume 1: The Drift came out this week.
It's an oversized edition of the first 122 pages of the new comic saga from the creator of BONE. This is a gorgeous volume and to be only $13 at this size is too good to pass up. [NOTE: i found it on amazon for under $11... click the link or the pic on the left!]

The quick skinny:
This is NOT Bone. RASL is a very strange story about a dimension hopping art theif, his loves, his addictions, and the strange "lizard face man" who's been following him from one dimension to the other, trying to kill him. It's fast, creative, edgy sci-fi.

This was my favorite book of 2008. I love the boldness of it, and for the creator of BONE to be doing something this far out there is really inspiring to me. It really feels like a book by an artist/writer who's made his mark, and is now just having a blast. The art is of course clasic Jeff Smith ('nuff said). You can be sure that the same beautiful rendering that worked for Bone, works for this kind of book too.

I had heard that Smith's original plan was to publish RASL very large, maybe even 11x12. Ultimately they went with standard comics size for the individual issues, so it's great to see that the trade was printed with such large pages (it's about magazine size).

Skip a meal this week, this one's worth it.

-Mike Lagocki is one-fifth of the mighty ghostWerks crew, as well as being the driving force behind the pleasantly notorious art activist massive called ArtLoveMagic, dedicated to overcoming Evil with good art.
ghettoManga.com
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

in Dog we Trust!

guest review by corance aka the Holy One

a singular comic, Dogby Walks Alone came to my attention through a preview in another Tokyopop book. It was basically the first few pages of the story, enough to get the gist. A Disneyesque theme park called Happy Place is invaded and robbed by mascots from a rival park, and Dogby must save the day. What surprised me was that the story is actually a noir detective plot with the skin of a comedic farce. This guy Wes Abbott really pulled something off here.

I believe this book is an example of how good comics can be coming from a writer/artist that has chops in both areas. His art is crisp and expressive. He seems to have the ability to draw anything convincingly, which aids the fact that a lot of the humor comes from men dressed as mascots involved in the action. I'll stop there, so as not to give any spoilers, but Dogby Walks Alone will be a candidate for book of the year in '08. COP IT in the gM online store.

in addition to being one-fifth the mighty ghostWerks crew, Corance is a writer, stand-up philosopher, and co-creator of Champion of Children, the greatest Kids' Comic you've never heard of. now that we have a black president, he is running out of excuses and will probably blow up soon.
-ghettoManga.com

Speak softly and carry a big HAMMER

review of Thor trade #1
by Michael Lagocki
J.Michael Straczynski and Oliver Coipel have Thor on lock. What I like about the new Marvel series is the sense of power behind everything here. Thor isn't a superhero...he's a God. And Gods don't need a lot of dialog. The book is brilliantly underwritten and overdrawn. I mean that in the best way. Thor looks like he weighs about two thousand pounds in these drawings. He looks strong. He looks like he can kick the entire Marvel universe's ass. And he doesn't have a lot to say, but he does have a lot to do.
The first six issues cover Thor's return to earth and the rebuilding of Asgard. The illustration is lush throughout with Coipel really investing the time to draw the Gods' intricate outfits, and seemingly really enjoying Thor's imposing stance over everyone else. There's a lot of "holy $&%*" moments in here where you get the sense of what it feels like to be staring down the last son of Asgard.Iron Man takes it on the chin too. The whole book's worth it just to see Tony try to face down Thor. (Hint- it's not much of a fight). Last note- Laura Martin proves once again why she's comics' best colorist. All in all a great book and a perfect example of how to make a comic with it's own identity. I just feel like the team on this book had a vision that they were confident in and stuck to, one that really got at the source of what makes their character cool.
Looking forward to trade #2.
-Mike Lagocki is one-fifth of the mighty ghostWerks crew, as well as being the driving force behind the pleasantly notorious art activist massive called ArtLoveMagic, dedicated to overcoming Evil with good art.