((I'm SO there...))


trailer for Brooklyn's Finest, starring Don Cheadle (Talk To Me, Traitor, Hotel Rwanda), Wesley Snipes (Blade, Passenger 57, New Jack City), Richard Gere (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Lord of War). Directed by Antuan Fuqua (Training Day). In theaters March 5th.
holla!
samax.
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Frogumentary: Disney's return to Hand-Drawn Animation


Peep the series of videoblogs that take us behind the scenes of The Princess and the Frog and Disney's ongoing return to hand drawn animation. props to slashFilm for the doc: Written, directed and edited by Brendon Connelly, camerawork by Martin Treadwell. For the Record, the Princess and the Frog hits DVD next month. to preorder, click here

John Lucas joins us in the 21st century!

my big homie John Lucas has a blog now. Yeah, really! click the sweet Batwoman pic to get a glimpse of his skills, then head over to his wordpress joint, leave comments and tell him to post more. He makes his money drawing stuff good, so he'll enjoy the feedback. To peep more of his original art than he currently has on his blog, click here.
holla!
samax.
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another Hardware joint

whaddup! Here's another drawing of Hardware. I did this one as a warm up while I was getting ready for a session of drawing in Photoshop. It's not as detailed as the other one I drew a couple months ago, because I set a time limit of one hour to work on it. I will probably go back and put more doodads and gadgets in it later (Hardware is ALL about doodads and gadgets!), but I'm pretty pleased with it as is.
hope y'all like it!
holla!
samax.
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Madlib + Strong Arm Steady = In stores NOW!


Best of Times by Strong Arm Steady f/Phonte off of In Search of Stoney Jackson, the new SAS/Madlib collabo album in stores NOW... Freaking EPIC, son! If you have doubts just peep the youTube heat! just the first of twelve new albums by madlib in the dime! it's gonna be a great year...

holla!
samax.
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freestyle collective interviews LeSean Thomas


here's a really nice interview of animator and graphic novelist LeSean Thomas.

in this candid interview, LeS talks about animation and anime, his influences and the arc of his work over the last ten years. The image shown above is from CannonBusters, LeSean's opusworthy in-progress graphic novel. In the interview LeS gives a shout-out to two of our favorites here at ghettoManga, Corey Lewis (Sharknife, Peng) and ghettoManga Award-Winner Felipe Smith (MBQ, Peepo Choo).
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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for Ninja Lovers only

I've been sporadically reading Gratuitous Ninja, the excessively ghettoManga webcomic by that dude D-Pi aka Ron Wimberly (Sentences:The Life of MF GRIMMfor a little while, but because of the way it's embedded in his blog, I haven't been able to go back to the beginning of the comic. the art is great, but I have no idea what's going on... so thankfully, he has collected the first 5 years of GratNin into a 52 page joint called Ninjaversary for just $20 on Lulu.com! This book includes the original GratNin that started as a love letter published in the Pratt Static Fish as well as Panel Space, the rarely seen GratNin art project done for Brooklyn International Film Festival. The book also includes pin ups by incredible talent like Ghostshrimp, Lesean Thomas and Raphael Tanghal.  as soon as I can cop this and read it, I'll hip you to it! also, feel free to go ahead and jump into the deep end at his blog at d-pi.com.
holla!
-samax
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more on the Sam L Jackson comic, "Cold Space"

so I already told you about Cold Space, the new comic written by Eric Calderon and Samuel L Jackson (last teamed up on Afro Samurai), right? now here's the cover to the first issue, which will hit your comic shop in April. In addition to co-writing, Jackson is basically starring in the book (lending his famous visage to the anti-hero protagonist)! here's the sales pitch:
From legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson and Emmy nominated writer/producer Eric Calderon, the team that brought you the Emmy-award-winning, best-selling Afro Samurai, comes their next original series - Cold Space! When an on-the-run outlaw crash-lands on a hostile planet on the brink of civil war, he finds himself caught in the crossfire between two warring factions. But in chaos lies opportunity... because where there's war, there's money to be made! A hard-boiled sci-fi action-adventure with covers by Eisner Award-winning artist Dave Johnson and Irredeemable cover artist, Jeffrey Spokes! 
I'll hit you guys up with more previews as i find 'em!
holla!
samax.
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Weekly Character Design #1

i just started participating in a Weekly Character Design challenge to help sharpen/develop my character design skills. for more details and some process drawings, click here.
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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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
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League of Extraordinary Gz- Concealed Weapons mixtape

my dude Bavu (a dope emcee in his own right) put me on to this mixtape by Austin collective The League if Extraordinary Gz called Concealed Weapons put together by the Dynamic Duo (Wes Sanders and DJ Knowledge). The thing about it is, if I saw this in the rap section at a record store (remember those?), I would buy it for the cover art alone! This mixtape has some nice joints on it. to give it a listen click here. at the very least, peep the KeepMovin'  remix by Southbound (featuring Bavu Blakes).
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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Fanboy Video Hollered at Me, Jim Mahfood, etc at DallasComicon


that dude Scott Hinze of Fanboy Video and DFW.com rolled through at Dallas Comicon this past weekend and shot interviews with all the cool kids, including myself, ghettoManga Award winning artist Jim Mahfood and others. My Interview was pretty lengthy, so I imagine they will post it all at some point, but here's a taste. I'll hit you with the full joint later. To read Scott's con report, go to DFW.com and leave comments and stuff, too. For the record, when he says "other creators who mentioned you..." to Jim Mahfood, those people are me! When  it comes to the crossroads of comics, gallery art, hip hop, graf, illustration, and general bad-assery, few people are chopping it up like your man FOOD ONE. for more of my geeking out and occasional actual analysis/reporting on Jim's work, click here.
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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Bendis and Coipel's SIEGE is on...

Cap's back. Thor's down. Help wanted...  The Siege of Asgard is underway! click the pic for a free preview of SIEGE #2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel. here's the sales pitch:
The blockbuster Marvel event of the year goes full-blown carnage and madness as the biggest and most brutal battle in Marvel’s history brings together heroes from all sides. Lines have been drawn, and an unlikely hero will save one Avenger, but they can’t save them all. The Siege has begun and it claims its first victim as AN AVENGER WILL DIE!!
Okay, so anyways this mess is pretty hard. it's in stores today, so go cop it!  for more new comics i recommend in stores today, click here...
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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Yeah, I'm featured in this book... so you KNOW it'll be good!

Comics creators and educators Damian Duffy and John Jennings (The Hole: Consumer Culture) have teamed up to produce an exhaustive 176 page book covering the expansive and diverse world of black comics.  Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture has an introduction by Keith Knight (The K Chronicles), and is so thorough, that I'M in it, along with Dawud Anyabwile (Brotherman), Arie Munroe (Mainasha) and more!
here's the Sales Pitch:
The immense popularity of comics and graphic novels cannot be ignored. But in light of the comics boom that has taken place over the past 10 years, the artists, writers and publishers that make up the vibrant African American independent comics community have remained relatively unknown – until now. Black Comix brings together an unprecedented collection of largely unheard of, and undeniably masterful, comics art while also framing the work of these men and women in a broader historical and cultural context.

With a foreword by Keith Knight and over 50 contributors, including Phonzie Davis, Jan-Michael Franklin, Frances Liddell, Kenjji Marshall, Lance Tooks, Rob Stull, Ashley A. Woods and many, more, the cross section of comics genres represented includes manga, superheroes, humor, history, science fiction and fantasy. This book is a must-have for comics readers.

Having talked to John Jennings on several occasions, i can tell you that these dudes are at LEAST as obsessed with the black comics underground as I am, and way more organized! my expectation is that the book is gonna be the BOMB! Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture is scheduled to drop in the late spring, but you can click here to pre-order that joint right now on Amazon.com and get a 34% discount.

More Fun With Ninjas


Can YOU name ALL the Ninjas?
comicbook artist, illustrator and confirmed ninja lover Jim Rugg (Street Angel, Afrodisiac, The Plain Janes) was commissioned by a magazine (that will remain nameless, but it wasn't ghettoManga Quarterly...) to draw this exhaustive ode to ninjas, and the silly bastiches didn't even USE it! well, we are happy to give this piece its proper shine here (and Jim, the invitation to do something for ghettoManga remains open!). for more of my posts about Jim Rugg's work, click here. Or click Here to buy his books on Amazon.com.

Holla!
-samax
ghettoManga.com
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Scott Pilgrim Saves Giant Robot (sorta)


Giant Robot Magazine, the asian diaspora pop culture/ arthouse publication is looking for help to keep the magazine going at full strength in a hostile publishing market. "Reducing pages, going from bimonthly to quarterly, or becoming an online entity are not options," says co-publisher Martin Wong "and our editorial and production staff of two full-timers and two part-timers (intact since issue 18) is already as lean as can be." In an effort to assist, ghettoManga-Award-winning cartoonist Bryan Lee O'malley hooked up the fresh Scott Pilgrim piece below for auction on ebay:
Cast of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'malley
Click Here to bid on this piece. Proceeds will go to the Giant Robot Donation Drive. In addition to O'Malley's auction contribution, the donation drive is bolstered by original art and print incentives from such fresh jokers as James Jean, David Choe and more! to peep the swag and donate to the cause, click here.
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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preview MILESTONE FOREVER #1 (in storesTODAY!)

if your comic shop doesn't have Milestone Forever #1 on its shelves, call the NAACP on them and arrange some kind of protest, because obviously they don't care about black people!  Okay, maybe i shouldn't go all Kanye on 'em, but really... why ELSE wouldn't they stock this joint? the people have been waiting on this story for over a decade, and they went back and got the original players: Dwayne McDuffie, JP Leon, Mark Bright, Denys Cowen and more have returned to break you off 48 pages of funk, so stop playin', and click here for a free preview, courtesy of the fine folks at Newsarama. feel free to geek out with me in the comments, then go to your comic shop where you can cop this joint! for more new comics i recommend in stores today, click here...
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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(Cannon) Ball 'Til You Fall...

Got a couple pages by Corey Lewis (Sharknife, Peng, Rival Schools) from Marvel's upcoming Nation-X anthology. His short story features Cannonball of New Mutants> X-force> X-men fame, 'longside a couple X-girls (Surge and Magma, maybe? It's been a while), drawn in his distinctive graf/videogame/anime style.
"I used Google Sketchup Pro to help draw the jet." Corey revealed, in a behind-the-scenes moment on his DeviantArt page. "I would position it the way I liked it and then light box it later. It was a cool experience. It felt almost like working on a movie, as if my comic was a big production or something. 'This is my Jet', kinda feeling.I really like panel 5 with the two X-Chicks looking very Ranma 1/2 like.
I colored all 8 pages in 3 days. That was intense. I feel this is some of my best comics work... And now that I think about it, probably my first published COLOR work..."

I first became aware of Corey (aka the Reyyyy) when Khalid brought Rey's ballsy urban fantasy OGN Sharknife (one 'k' please) to my attention, and I was blown away by the total lack of restraint in his fight scenes. He further cemented his place as an indie legend (in MY mind, at least) with the sci-fi kickball epic Peng. The two books are tied together because the protagonists are brothers, Caesar and Rocky Hallelujah.  Lewis has been teasing a Sharknife sequel for a while now, but now that he's on Marvel's radar (he already did that Longshot story for Marvel Tales, remember... no? click here), who knows when it will happen. I encourage you to cop Sharknife and Peng if you don't have 'em, so maybe that will help coax Lewis and Oni Press to speed another visit to the world of the brothers Hallelujah along! Besides that, they are worth checking out for the FUN of it.
holla!
samax.
ghettoManga.com
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NEW Kick-Ass redband trailer!

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&amp;from=sp&amp;vid=df8e1600-9d67-47ce-9b2b-6171d203b64d" target="_new" title="Kick-Ass - Trailer">Video: Kick-Ass - Trailer</a>
s#!+ yeah...
Peep this new redband trailer (i.e with cussin' and guts and stuff) for the big screen adaptation of Millar and JRJr's ultraviolent superhero bloodbath Kick-Ass! for more trailers sneak peaks and fanboy gushing, click here.
holla!
-gM

All six episodes of "Who Is The Black Panther" are on YouTube (for NOW anyways)


this player has episodes 1-6 of Black Panther for your viewing convenience (until the Marvel/Disney one-time pulls 'em down, of course). much thanks to my dude Marcus for keeping an eagle eye on the internet, and letting us know when this was ready! Yeah, the animation is not up to the level of the story, but this mess sure is fun to watch! It's following the Hudlin's Who is the Black Panther storyline pretty closely... good stuff! If you've seen the early ones already, feel free to skip to episode 5... after all, who knows how long it will be on there!
-gM

Underground was Dope!

I drew this joint live at my table at the Underground art show Saturday using a ballpoint pen, sharpie, and watercolor brush pen on paper. I also added the zip-a-tone via photoshop filter, because that's how i roll right now... BIG thanks to all the fine folks who came out to the show and supported.  even if you didn't have the bread to buy anything at the show, thanks for checking us out. ghettoManga is a movement, and it's good to have you on board!  there was way too much going on at the show for me to report on by myself, but I can highlight a few things...

(above, Justin Nygren of Shirts Equals Awesome. photo by Jenice Johnson) 
I hear a lotta people copped the limited Keep It Underground Teeshirts that my man Justin Nygren of Shirts Equals Awesome screen printed live at the show based on my design (if you ordered one last week, i gotchoo). Justo had several designs cued up to be printed to order EXCLUSIVELY at the show, and funneled the profits to help with relief efforts in Haiti. Justin is a little guy, but he's got more heart than that little dude from Captain Planet! plus he knows his way around a screen press!
My man Corance (writer/co-creator of The Sparrow and Champion of Children, and 1/5th of the mighty GhostWerks crew) worked the wingman position while I was drawing. We had a good location in the big hall and survived the crowd that tried to crush us while the b-boys were doing their thing, because we're built to last! while he did not write it, Corance is currently starring in Spontaneous, the freestyle comic I'm drawing for my artbook series of the same name. The next volume will be out soon. If you want a preview of the comic and other stuff in the book, click here.
Despite crowd hazard, the spot was worth it 'cause it gave us a great view to watch ghettoManga Award winner/live art pioneer Jim Mahfood and ArtLoveMagic co-founder David Rodriguez collab on this ILL live art piece. for more about Jim Mahfood click here.
the mighty DJ Viz was on deck in our area putting on a clinic, spinning hip hop breaks and the original songs that classic rap joints were sampled from.  He was very humble about it, but he was giving several hundred people an education, myself included! anyways, all that added up to a dope experience for me and a ton of other folks... like I said at the show, I welcome feedback from any of the new fans out there (and you old-timers, too!)
holla!

-samax 
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AUSTIN: Hip Hop Benefitting Earthquake Relief this THURSDAY

-gM

Start the Day off RIGHT--------->


Auditorium by the mighty Mos Def, featuring the ruler, Slick Rick (youngsters, get familiar!)

The Art of Storytelling by Outkast featuring Slick Rick

Hip Hop Police by Chamillionaire featuring Slick Rick

Children's Story by Slick Rick the ROOOLAH!
Have a GREAT day!
-gM

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