PREVIEW- "Champion of Children Vol1: I'm Known as the Champ"

For those who have never read it, Champion of Children is about kid superheroes (because kid villains have to be stopped by kid heroes, right?). The greatest kid hero at any given time inherits the title "Champion of Children" along with the requisite privileges and responsibilities. The current Champion of Children is 5 year old martial arts powered hero Li'l Madd Skillz, but this particular short story Da Old School stars her big brother Junior Raw, and his friend Smash Boogie (whose name I only learned after drawing this story, by the way). To help promote our Kickstarter campaign, Champ co-creator and writer Corance Davis has empowered me to offer Da Old School in its entirety...

Nat Landry's videogame inspired paintings

Double Dragon's Billy (Red Hair version) by Nat Landry

That dude Nat Landry is at it again... He did these paintings for 8 Bit Art, a videogame inspired art show. Peep...

IN STORES NOW- "Glory #26" by Joe Keatinge & Ross Campbell

I didn't make it to the comicshop today, but I happen to know that the fourth issue of Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell's run on Glory hit the shelves today...

"Condemning ourselves, feeling depressed. Even if you don't feel it yourself, really you're blessed..." -Mi(ni)ster Blakes

Rock with and/or lean with this official video for Better 2 Be, fresh off'a Bavu Blakes' Kickstarter-funded new record Sanct EP. This track features Austin emcee BLAXsmith riding shotgun, and the mighty Reggie Coby on the boom bap.

I ♥ your mom. You should too!

yes. I really do have this tee shirt...

RIP Tony DeZuniga, co-creator of Jonah Hex & Black Orchid

Veteran Filipino comicbook artist and concept designer Tony de Zuniga passed early in the morning today May 11, 2012 from complications of a stroke he had in April. Tony was well-loved, especially in the community of Filipino artists working in comics, who conducted multiple fund-raisers to assist with his care.

GET FAMILIAR- "Vescell" by Enrique Carrion & John Upchurch

I never heard of the Image mind-bender Vescell before today, when series writer Enrique Carrion sent me a link to his interview with Complex Magazine. The Complex article did it's job of piquing my interest, so now I'ma do my job of dumping a gang of preview pages from issues 1-7 that I rescued from the jaws of CBR for you guys, followed by a little blahzay blah of my own...

Sketchbook Wisdom- "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" by Jason Quinones #ripMCA

No Sleep Til Brooklyn by Jason Quinones

FREE COMIC BOOK #4- "The Hypernaturals" by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

If you're in the mood for some of that futuristic, George Jetson, outer space superhero stuff in the tradition of Annihilation or Legion of Superheroes, you should get your mitts on a free copy of Abnett and Lanning's The Hypernaturals this weekend. Here's a preview...

"Inking through the page like prints by Jack Kirby..." -Venomous2000

Anybody that regularly reads this blog really ought'a like Venomous2000. I mean, by the end of track two on his most recent joint with Kingshon Still Connected, he has shouted out to Jack Kirby and Dragonball Z... plus, he's a card-carrying backpacker who is certified nice on the mic! What's not to love?

FREE COMIC BOOK #3: "The Ride" by Nathan Edmondson and Paul Azaceta

12 Gaugue Comics is dropping an episode of its thriller series The Ride for you to cop for 100% free at your local comic shop. Here's a preview...

more Brandon Graham sketchbook fire!

A Call for Risk by Brandon Graham

I have to apologize to all the people who really only follow this blog because they enjoy reading my Brandon Graham Stan sessions.
Here are some hella-tight joints I snagged from his blog.

Deviation of the Day #115- "Mini Trap-Jaw" by loveandasandwhich

Mini Trap-Jaw by loveandasandwhich

#KickstartTHIS- "Champion of Children Vol1: I'm Known as the Champ"

Okay, so just in case you somehow managed to not notice, my good friend and partner Corance (Minister of Wordery for the mighty GhostWerks conglomerate) launched a Kickstarter campaign for our hip-hop-flavored, multicultural, kung-fu-kid-hero comic Champion of Children. We need your help to get this book into the hands of parents, librarians, teachers, and kids of all ages around the world...

More @HOODRATZinSPACE previews by Erik Reeves

I got a some more inked as well as a couple colored and lettered pages from my dude Erik Reeves' upcoming sci-fi action joint, Hoodratz in Space that I snagged off the Hoodratz blog! Peep...

SANCT is for the babies...

I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) by Doug Wagner and Jose Holder

Every book from 12 Gauge Comics has that "comics as action movie" feel. I don't mean that in a bad way or anything... One way to expand the audience of comics would be to try to pull in fans of the highly popular action movie genre. For all I know, every 12 Gauge Comics project is just a movie pitch in disguise. I got no problem with that, as long as they're good comics. This comic I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) by Doug Wagner and Jose Holder (and Brian Stelfreeze on cover art) looks pretty good. Peep some preview pages from #3 and #4...

"What's so GREAT about MF DOOM, anyways?" or DOOM @ the Red Bull Music Academy

MF DOOM is one of my favorite emcees. I was not immediately struck by him when I first heard his music, nor do I have some AHA moment to point to when I finally "got it"... The art of what DOOM stands for has just grown on me over time. The light bulb did not come on all at once like a switch being thrown. For me, the light of DOOM is on a dimmer switch, getting brighter with time. Anyways, here's an awesome interview/ lecture the villain did at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2011 (I think). I've been watching snippets here and there, but I finally watched the whole thing...

PREVIEW- Defenders #6 (mostly because Misty Knight's on the cover...)

 I like all the characters in The Defenders, but for some reason, putting them all on one team under that moniker almost guarantees the book will be super-lame. I know there is a legion of people who love the kooky Defenders stories of times past, AND I see that the book is written by The Immortal Iron Fist scribe Matt Fraction, but that doesn't get my hopes up either. On the other hand, Misty Knight's on the cover of this one, so...

Kirkman + Stelfreeze + Silvestri = HELLS YEAH!

HOLY CRAP! This is freakin' HARDBODY*!!! And I would say that even if it WASN'T written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze (but it is, and that makes it even more so!). The Silvestri cover doesn't suck either...

PREVIEW- SOS the Comicbook #8 & 9 f/Vast Aire's Carlos The Midget

As if I needed another reason to love Vast Aire, it looks like the Can Ox/LXG front man is creating comicbook characters now... Issues 8 & 9 of the Canadian hip hop caper Song of Songs the Comicbook feature the foul-mouthed, gun-toting mini-thug Carlos the Midget, created by Vast Aire...

Kickstart THIS- "Goblyn: Volume 1 + 2" by Solomon Mars

I'm letting you know now so you have plenty of time: the flash-based fantasy joint Goblyn by Solomon Mars is probably my favorite webcomic, and he's just launched a Kickstarter campaign to get up the bread to print the first couple volumes. This is your chance to get down with something fun and original by a talented young visionary, so don't say nobody let you in on it...

"But expect it to be at a cost. To be sold, not told. The age old protocol of a boss..." -Nesby Phips (via @SkiBeatz)

Nothing much to say here. That dude Ski Beatz dropped this hot jazz rap track Blue and Green on youTube. A tribute to the late great musical genius, Miles Davis...

Sketchbook Wisdom: iPatch?

iPatch? by Samax Amen

In Stores TODAY: VOODOO #8

"She said WHAT?! I will scratch that bitch eyes out..."

#KickstartThis- "Antler Boy and Other Stories" by Jake Parker

My Kickstarter addiction continues to deepen... I'm not made out of money or anything, but I get a kick (no pun intended) out of backing Kickstarter projects. I realize however that I can't afford to back 'em all, so I was gonna pump the brakes... Then I saw THIS today...
Damn you, Jake Parker... DAMN YOOOOOOOOUUUU!!!

#BegBorrowSteal- "State of the Art" by Honors English

guest post by Adofo aka Wolf Windblade
For years I've been saying that Hip Hop is old enough for a discourse between artists that should resemble the highly literate music diction of Jazz greats and enthusiasts.
Hip Hop is now officially a Senior and can become an Elder IF we had more artists who, yes, acknowledge it's poverty stricken street origins but also do the math in intellectualizing and analyzing it: not only as a social phenomenon but as a craft... as ART. I think I found a cat who'll frontier that cause explicably, in practice and in form.
This upgraded approach could easily be called HONEST-E...

#nowPlaying- "Grind Time Daily" by Poet Substratum & DJ MentPlus ft. El Da Sensei & V2G

Venomous2000 dropped this video on me... it's fresh...

"God almighty split the hydrogen in two. Vex took in oxygen, grabbed the mic and blew..." -Vex da Vortex

#begBorrowSteal- "Ultimate X: Origins" by Jeph Loeb & Art Adams

Guest post by Michael Lagocki

The Ultimate X: Origins graphic novel is a must buy for superhero fans. I’ll try to quickly (har) break down why and then leave the rest to your good senses.

Boba Fett is DEAD? Oh, HELL NAW!!!!

I was never much of a Star Wars fan... but I CUTS for Boba Fett, son (That helmet is the ILLEST!)! Looks like my dude caught a bad one... But this is issue one, so maybe he will come back from the dead? Yeah, I'm in full-blown denial, buddy!

Avengers VS Wolverine VS X-men? #screamPhoenix

When I started reading comics, Jean Grey was already dead, a casualty of The Dark Phoenix Saga, probably the greatest X-men story ever. Professor X was headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Wolverine was the X-men's resident hothead. These days, Jean is dead (again) and Wolverine is headmaster of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, as well as being on the Avengers. Now, the Phoenix is back, and the Avengers are knocking on Wolverine's door on some "Who you WIT'?" type isht...

Preview- GLORY #25 by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell

I was speechless when one of my friends recently said that he didn't like the art on the newly resurrected Liefeld superchick comic Glory (which, for a chatterbox like me, is saying a lot).  Every man is entitled to his own opinion, I guess. I will just like it enough for both of us...

PREVIEW- (H)AFROCENTRIC Vol 2 by Juliana "Jewels" Smith

My dude Tres recently told me about this comic (H)afrocentric by Juliana Smith and illustrator Ronald R. Nelson. 

"Ghetto Gospel for the masses. My novel's graphic..." -Napoleon Da Legend

Good morning, children... slow down and peep the new video Junk Yard Dog featuring one of my favorite emcees, Napoleon Da Legend. This joint was shot by hip hop documentarian Crazy Al Cayne for his video & album series The Sugar Cayne Experiment...

PREVIEW- Wet Moon Volume 6 by Ross Campbell (MAD SPOILERS!!!)

To make up for the delayed release of the sixth volume of his girl-infested slice-of-life(ish) graphic novel series Wet Moon, Ross Campbell is leaking pages periodically on his blog, but if this preview will give away the cliffhanger ending of volume 5, so don't cry to me about spoilers if you decide (of your own free will to peep the preview below!

I'm Famous #10: me and Corance interviewed by KungFuJackKnife dot com

Not tryin'a brag or anything, but since I'm FAMOUS and stuff, you pro'lly wanna peep this innerview from when the fine folks at KungFuJackKnife dot com ran up on me and my loyal manservant Corance at STAPLE! Indie Media Expo back in March...

IN STORES TODAY- Thunderbolts #172 #NewComicWed

After being crazy excited about Luke Cage running the team, I lost track of Thunderbolts for the most part once it looked like he would be taking a diminished role. Of course, I'm sure it's still dope... Jake Parker is a great writer! Anyways, looks like the time-traveling T-bolts are going up against the earlier incarnation that started it all... They even got creator/artist Mark Bagley out of mothballs to draw the cover!

PREVIEW- "Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human" TPB

Full Disclosure: I'm a huge fan of Walt Simonson, so I decided to post this preview of the Terminator/Robocop: Kill Human trade way before I saw that he only drew the cover... but since I figured this book would probably reenforce my robophobic beliefs, I decided it was only right...

Rap Avatar #2: Vast Aire

Here's a new drawing of one of my favorite emcees, the mighty Vast Aire. I drew it with Adobe Illustrator. I was joking around with my friend Adofo geeking out on looney Vast Aire lyrics and decided I needed to channel that energy into some art...