Spiderman 3 trailer...

oh yeah...
at the Superman Returns premier, they messed around and showed the Teaser for Spiderman 3! sam raimi is at the helm once again and Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco all reprise their roles (as Spidey/Peter parker, Mary Jane, and Harry Osbourne, respectively...) in the third flick of the most successful comics film franchise of all time (domestic, international and dvd revenues in the billions with a "B").

rumors of the rise of archvillain Venom are no longer rumors, and we catch a glimpse of the Sandman (not that old dude at the Apollo...) and a new GreenGoblin/Hobgoblin... and it looks like Pete's puttin' the mack on Gwen Stacy, too (even money she won't make it out of this film alive)...

if this IS the last spidey joint for the raimi/maguire/dunst trinity, they are pullin' out all the stops! it'll be a minute... spidey's scheduled to hit screens may '07, so enjoy this for now...

there's gotta be moore...

whaddup children! why don't you go cop a behind the scenes look at the coloring technique of my fellow Sketchbook All-Star homie Andre Moore?!
Click on the pic to get a behind the step-by-step of how 'Dre colored this fresh chica! he has madd skills, so ya might wanna peruse his blog while you're there, or just skip the foreplay and go right to his mySpace page.
that's between ya'll...

anyways, that's just a little sumthin' for the fam'ly!
holla!
samax.
www.samaxAmen.com

Superman Returns

superman returns was not the best superhero movie i ever saw. just wanted to get that outta the way... i had lots and lots of drama going on yesterday. amid all of it, i ALMOST forgot to spend my last few bucks on that midnight showing of Superman Returns (no, i didn't wait the extra hour to watch the IMAX version...). almost, but not quite!
it wasn't bad. for once (X-men and X2 director) Bryan Singer made a movie that wasn't in the top 5 superhero movies ever made, but to his credit, it IS better than x3, directed by his buddy Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon), making it the best comics adaptation of the summer! spiderman 3 comes out next year, and V for Vendetta came out in the spring, so he's off the hook there!
designed as a sequal to the 26 year old classic Superman II (you remember: "you will kneel, son of Jor-El"), i found Superman Returns a bit too derivative. there wasn't much attempt to make the new Supes, rookie actor Brandon Routh, distinguish himself from his predecessor (he often comes off as though doing an imitation of the late Christopher Reeves' Clark Kent), his Superman was good though, as i felt he nailed the good-yet-tough-guy persona that Reeves underplayed. Likewise, Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane was okay, but unimpressive (Terry Hatcher owns Lois Lane!). Don't get me wrong, they have their moments (the onscreen chemistry between Lane and Superman is date movie-worthy, and the scenes where Supes flexes his power are good), but... OH! Kevin Spacey (Usual Suspects, LA Confidential, Se7en) was great as Lex. still, go check Superman and SupermanII for the true genius of Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor. Lex's plucky galpal, Kitty Kowalski , was played brilliantly by Parker Posey (Blade Trinity), but she was strangely similar to Ms. Teschmacher ("But Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack...") from the original Superman. you'd think Lex would'a learnt his lesson...

Unlike his X-men films, this movie is a bit too long, clocking in at an overweight 154 minutes. having only seen it once, i'm not sure where the fat shoulda been trimmed from, but it does drag in places...

all that aside, there were lots of great, great character moments and surprising, ballsy moves by Singer and crew to give the Superman storyline narrative thrust... enough for me to recommend the film to superhero fans, or fans of the first two films.

i found a wide variety of reviews to Superman Returns, reflecting the differences in what people came in looking for. the Original superhero, Superman's continuing relevance as a character is constantly being challenged, so it's no surprise that the movie is getting a mixed responses. Still, i thought it was pretty good, just not quite Super! check it out, and let me know what you think...

for more of my movie reviews, go here.
holla.
samax.

HipHop Promoters Need To Get Wise...

hipHop pioneer Wise Intelligent of the mighty Poor Righteous Teachers is looking to do more shows promoting the August release of his new record, Wise Intelligent is the Talented Timothy Taylor, which Wise describes as "the first period in a five CD box-set that I’m working on called, 'Back to School.' It’s what Hip-Hop is seriously lacking right now... "

Wise has made a commitment to making music that's jammin', but he believes you can still keep your mind's eye open "Some people say, 'Conscious Rap doesn’t sell,' and yet Public Enemy and The Fugees sold millions..."

so anyways, Wise has just come home from a successful Midwest tour, according to Born Free at Intelligent Muzik: "Total Respect to all the fans/friends/family in Minneapolis, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago for giving Wise all your love, energy and support and making this promo tour a complete success! I just got off the phone with the God and he said that every city he rocked was the SHIT and represented exactly what real hipHop is all about... We love when these events come off without a hitch because it shows and proves to all the haters and non-believers behind the scenes that the hipHop community still loves, needs and wants Good and Intelligent Muzik! SO ALL PROMOTERS AND CLUB OWNERS! Get at us and make it Happen!"

so all you Promoters (especially in Dallas, 'cause that's MY area!!) out there, get at Born and bring Wise to your city!!!
for more of the interview with Wise, go here.
also, peep my Previous Blog.

holla!
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com

Jurassic 5 Drops new LP!

my main man Cal Slayton dropped a jewel in my email today! my favorite old-schoolish Cali crew, the aptly named Jurassic5 ,are droppin' a new plate entitled Feedback next month (July 25th). and now that Cut Chemist has left the group (now there really ARE five of 'em!), it'll be interesting to see how it affects their signature sound.
as you might guess, they'll be on tour promoting said new LP, so check their website for tour dates (they'll be at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas on July 31st, fam'ly!).

get at me...
samax.
www.ghettoManga.com

the Gospel According to Mike

some people seem to think hipHop is a religion (it isn't...) but IF it was and you needed to illustrate its Bible, you'd want Mike Thompson. son has this rap ish sewed up! his fly pieces have graced Ecko, Rocawear, Timberland (not to be confused with Timbaland!), Vibe, Fader, and more PLUS he's been personally commissioned by the likes of Jay-Z (the JMJ tribute Pic at left) and Kanye West (for the "Jesus Walks" video)... the point being, his work is FIRE!

peep more of his work at his website, www.mike T
artworks.com or bounce over to his mySpace (like i did!) and give him a shout! and please, please, please... recognize a true, amazing talent!
holla!
samax.

corporations threaten your rights... again!

the House of Representitives has passed the COPE bill and rejected proposals to insure Net Neutrality. the bill, if passed, will limit the use of the internet for passing on unrestricted information, including blogs like this one.

according to hipHop pioneer/activist DavyD, "Those who sided with the Comcast and Verizon are well aware that the ability of ordinary people to communicate to the masses is a problem because its been the only thing holding them accountable. For the last 5 years, the biggest stories about government corruption, corporate swindles, global warming and no weapons of Mass Destruction have come through Internet bloggers who were able to push an issue to the masses and force Fox, CNN and other News outlets to pay some sort of attention..."
i don't wanna bore you, but this is IMPORTANT. read more about this and what you can do about it here.

actions speak louder than words fam...
holla.
samax.

Dallas Heads Back to Miami this July for another Chance at the Championship!

nah, not the Mavericks... that ship has sailed. I'm talkin' about Dallas' own DeeJay Nemeses of the Hypnotic Tunez clique will return to south florida for another crack at the title. the Guitar Center Spin-off '06 DJ Battles and will be flown to Miami for the Regional Finals in July.
Nemeses got to the finals in last years competition and came in second place. Be sure to pickup the Scratch Magazine from last month for an article on last year's events that features DJ Nemeses. if he wins the Regional its off to Los Angeles again for the Finals!!!!! for details on the Spin-off Battles go here.

holla!
samax

It's Offishall...

Canada's best-kept secret, Kardinal Offishall, has won three awards for his video and song "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" — best video, best director and the VideoFACT award- at the MuchMusic Video Awards (like the canadian MTV) in Toronto sunday night.

"This is real good right here," Offishall said on stage. "This is for all my hip-hop people from east to west.
"It's funny though, that I'm not in the best hip-hop category."

holla, eh?
samax.

new Rakim interview/Videos

peep the most respected rapper alive (well, jay-z's up there...) in a rare in-depth interview on The Breakdown. Rakim sheds light on his past, present, and future..Plus, get at a collection of Rakim videos from each time period of his storied 20 year career. This interview is viewable only at www.TheBreakdown.tv

holla!
samax.

Dallas Urban Arts Exhibition

Erykah Badu's Club, The Black Forest in Dallas will host a Hip Hop Arts Exhibition this saturday. in addistion to performances by Planet Asia, Self Scientific, and other rappers from parts south east and west, there will also be an Emcee Battle, B-Boy Showdown, Art Exhibit, & Fashion Show. that's all i know right now... i'll get back with more later.

holla!
samax.

Block Party on DVD

yo! cop Dave's concert movie on DVD now, Nyukkas! as you might expect, the unrated DVD includes extra concert footage and chapellian goodness. i haven't seen it, but i DO know there's a superfresh Blackstar song on the soundtrack! so somebody cop Dave Chapelle's Block Party and burn me a copy (just kidding, Dave!)! for real though, click the picture to go to the official site to peep some clips...

holla!
samax.

Comments...

i have removed the comment moderation from this blog. this means you will automatically see your comments after you post them, instead of having to wait for me to approve them...
this is meant to encourage comments (remember, i allow anonymous comments for the truly paranoid, also to allow non-Blogspot members to comment, because i want to hear from people who read my blog!) NOT SPAMMERS AND OTHER IRRELEVANT CRAP! let's play nice children, or i'll take up all the toys and send you in the house...

thanks.
samax (the linkyness means you can email me too...).

Felipe Smith for President!!!

i could be wrong, but i do believe Felipe Smith is the FUTURE of comics! this is hands-down the most dedicated comic book artist i have ever seen! if you don't believe it, click the picture to check out the Camp Out! this has 24-hour comic day beat!

and to save time, peep my previous post on Felipe and his KILLER manga MBQ from TokyoPop. once you're convinced he's the illest n#$%& alive, check him out at www.FelipeSmith.com or just go buy MBQ.
holla!
samax

Jamurai's Interests: Revenge!

here's another really good example of the kinda work that inspired this blog: the Jamurai by Underground Cartoonist Iceberg Slick. The Jamurai was created in 1998, as an excuse to combine Slick's passions for Comics, Kurosawa, cheesy Shaw martial arts flicks, and hip hop. soon after he and Dread Williams founded Dreadfully Slick Developements, a company dedicated to underground artistic expression in comics and animation. In addition to the Jamurai animated series they are responsible for Tales of Hip Hop Horror (co-created by the infamous Age Scott), Swiper (co-created by the wacky Jesse Vail), and Santa Claus is Coming to Die (soon to be animated on Christmas of 06)...
see what i mean? check him out at www.Jamurai.com
holla!
samax.

this strip cracked me up...

check this out:

the 'Food abides...

jim Mahfood is the real deal: a street-level-yet-somehow- still-avante-guarde comics artist, painter and all-around underground phenom! his style is consistant, but still manages to surprise me every time...
he alternately does it all: Live Art shows (a cross between painting and Freestyling), comics, album covers, and other artsy goodness, while maintaining his own style and vision...
it's harder than it looks fellas ("i make it look easy because it is to me..." black sheep)
anyways, props up to the Californographer! peep his mySpace page for a samplin' or get it straight from the horses mouth at www.40ozcomics.com

holla!
samax.

Droppin' Science...

when Dave Hanson was a teenager, he had a revelation: Artificial Intelligence will save the world! and whether he knew it or not, he's been on a mission ever since! i had the pleasure to meet Dave this weekend, and was invited to work with him creating a comic book version of the future he envisions. i'll post more about that when i can (i signed so many non-disclosure papers yesterday, it wasn't even funny...), but i thought i'd say a bit about Dave and his creations now.

Dave's company Hanson Robotics (formerly Human Emulating Robitics), creates "next Generation robots" that can recognise and react to not only human speech, but facial expressions as well. and if you've never seen a robot that looked and emoted like a human being, just check out Einstein!
David is one of those people who truly loves and believes in what he does. and it's been good to the accomplished (featured in Wired magazine, formerly employed by Disney) young Phd student/entrepeneur, who's currently planning a media blitz that has to be seen to be believed...
check out Dave's company website, and i'll get back to you with more later.
holla!
samax.

Girls, Girls, Girls...

the Joe Kubert School is the most well-known and respected school in America for comics artists, an industry dominated largely by men. fortunately, the school is turning out more women as we speak... no really!
i can see you don't believe me, so i'll prove it! QB Dolls is a clique of female students, all working to master comics and animation and give other young ladies a stronger voice at the school. to that end, they've banded together and put out the first QB Dolls Sketchbook 2006 to bring awareness to their group and it's talented artists!

peep a preview of the full-color sketchbook (and BUY it cheapskate!) HERE, and holler at my girl Arie on mySpace (one of the talented young ladies who put this joint together) while you're at it...
go on... like you got somethin' better ta do.

holla!
samax.

"Night Watch" Director tagged for two comics adaptations

That's right... Timur Bekmambeton, russian writer/director of Nochnoy Dozor (that's Night Watch to you, gringo!) the movie that's taken the Russian (and now american arthouse) film world by storm, will be directing not one, but two-count 'em TWO- comics adaptations: Mark Millar's Wanted and Archangel Studios' The Red Star.

okay, first of all Night Watch is the first installment of a trilogy based on the best-selling sci-fi novels by Sergei Lukyanenko. Set in contemporary Moscow, the story revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness. In ancient times, a truce was struck, but now, things are (as they say) amiss. it's apparently really, really good (sorry... came out same week as V for Vendetta. and only in select theatres... so i missed it). probably the most highly-touted foreign film since Trainspotting or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this film shows the director has the chops to direct films based on:

Wanted. written by Mark Millar (Ultimates, Chosen, The Authority) with striking art by the inimitable J.G. Jones (Marvel Boy). the graphic novel's premise is simple: Wesley is a white collar whipping boy (drawn by Jones to look every BIT like Eminem!) who knows his girl is sleeping with his best friend but is too much of a wuss to do anything about it. Until he finds out his long lost dad has died, passing on his legacy as the world's greatest assassin and membership in the dimension-hopping supervillain massive, The Fraternity. before long, Wes becomes The Killer, as he has inherited his pop's super-badassness (not to mention his super-hot Halle Barry lookalike sidekick/boytoy: The Fox!) and an endless arsenal of weapons. and that really is just scratching the surface (did i mention the Fraternity has long since systematically killed ALL the superheroes and taken over the world? oh... well they did.). Even if they can't get Em and Halle to star (please! please!), this will still be the jiz-oint!!!

The Red Star is a Cold-War inspired fantasy/scifi epic that immediately struck me as a natural for the fantasy videogame genre that's popular now, with its blend of revisionist political allegory, epic war drama, and gripping love story. the art (you can wake up now, i'm talking about the art!) on the comic, a blend of hand-drawn and CG, balances the fantastic technological and mystical elements with the very human drama of its characters flawlessly. in the hands of a skillful (not to mention Russian) director, this actually looks promising as a live action movie as well. Plus, it'll be produced by series co-creator Christian Gosset, so there shouldn't be any compromise of the series' great characters!

anyways, these films are far from done, so who knows... i've definitely got my fingers crossed!

holla!
samax.
www.samaxAmen.com

Free DangerDoom Tracks!!!

Research shows that Hip-Hoppers like free stuff... so Adult Swim and DangerDoom (i.e. Dangermouse and MF DOOM) are leakin' their own music! that's right!
take THAT bootleggaz!
anyways click the picture to cop that free DangerDoom joint : 7 free tracks you can download (including the Sofa King remix and the Madlib version of Space Hos!) for 6 E-Z installments of Nothin'... that even fits YOUR budget!

THAT'S wassup!
holla!
samax.

the infamous Johnny Blaze!

all Method Man/Wu-Tang fans have heard the name Johnny Blaze. now all you who are too illiterate (or maybe just too cool in your own mind) to read a comic and see what had the Ticallion Stallion so excited he needed to rip off his namesake, will finally get a chance to catch up...
what am i talking about? catch the first teaser for the upcoming (as in feb '07) Ghost Rider movie (starring Nic Cage as the aforementioned John-John Phenomenon...), based on one of the illest comic book characters ever created!

the short version: Johnny Blaze is a stunt-motorcyclist, who performs death-defying stunts for entertainment, similar to Evel Knievel (props to those out there old enough to know who THAT is). anyways, he sells his soul (idiot!) to save the life of someone he loves, inadvertantly binding himself to the Spirit of Vengeance, Zarathos. the bad news: this periodically (i think they're going with "At Night, In the Presence of Evil") and involuntarily transforms him into a super-violent, fiery chain-swingin' demon-possessed psycho biker. the good news: he kicks Asses that truly need kicking as the vigilante Ghost Rider! holla!

anyways, here's why i can almost guarantee i'll like this movie:

1.motorcycle on fire: check!
2.nic cage: check!

what are we missing? oh yeah! let's throw in
3.excessively hot Eva Mendes (Hitch, Training Day) as Roxanne Simpson.

plus, he's going up against the devil's bastard son, the ill-like-no-one-is Blackheart! what more can i ask?

peace.
samax.

X3... not the new hummer, the movie!

i went and saw X3 this weekend...
i enjoyed it. my expectations were that it would really stink (i'm still mad that Sony ran off brian singer), but it was okay. like most movie adaptations of superhero comics, it rammed too much stuff into too small a space.

Beast, played by Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) was awesome. he captured the tortured arrogance of Hank McCoy perfectly. there were many nice surprises in the film, and Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Family Man, Red Dragon) didn't mess up too many of them (i am exerting massive amounts of self-control in not giving any more away!)...

so anyways, this post is not to tell you all about the movie, but to tell you it doesn't suck (as you may have heard), and that you should go see it... go ahead, hurry up!
then, we can talk all about it!

holla!
samax.

p.s. superman (directed by some guy named Brian Singer) is gonna be the BOMB!

hard at work/hardly workin'...

little bit'a both... my current job will end soon (i try to stick to tempin' and freelancin'), but between it and working on side projects, i've neglected my blog... sorry fam'ly!
right now, i'm working on a couple projects, including getting the ghettoManga summer special ready to go to press in time for the san Diego comicon (more work than i thought!).

i'm also being an artsy flake and doing a lotta senseless drawing, movie-watching and concert-goin', so all excuses aside, i'm back in the saddle, so i won't leave ya'll hangin' anymore!!!

holla!
samax.

PUBLIC ENEMY #1?

once again back is the incredible... RHYME ANIMAL!
and comics will never be the same!

there is a new PUBLIC ENEMY comic coming out (in fact, you can order the first issue now...).

read more about it where i did: CBR.
HOLLA!
samax.

Kweli Logo Contest

yeah... so i saw this on Kweli's myspace page... he's lookin' for a new logo, and is holding a contest for it, so if you're inclined, check it out for rules and what-not...

i'm gonna do a li'l somethin' for it.

holla!

samax.

Mr. Blakes if you're Nasty...

"in the southwest, the story will forever be told/
the texas tea, bubblin' underground BLACK GOLD!
Jed and Jethro sold it for so many Millies/
Ellie Mae and the whole gang went from Hill Billies/
to Big Willies, mansion and swimmin' pool, got 'em!
now Bush an' Bin Laden got so much they rotten!
cats are robbin' each other for this rare resource,
i ain't even gotta drill it spill it par for the course"

-Bavu Blakes, excerpt from "Black Gold"

i've been following Mr. Blakes since 2001, when i lived in Austin, going to the Hip Hop Humpday every wednesday (as you might expect), watching this incredible emcee freestyle rhyming with other local cats for hours with a fresh live band (aaahhh, austin. gotta love it.) and had bought a couple of his records, and been impressed with his wordplay and presence on the mic...
anyways, i bought Bavu's Spring 2006 Collector's Edition compilation a few weeks ago (which came in handy, because i've had to suffer through the horror of commuting to my temp job)...

this cat is AMAZING!!! he does exactly what i want a rapper to do: write thoughtful, serious rhymes and spit 'em over diverse beats. he is as prolific as they come, doing guest shots on albums and mixtapes all over the state, and he's worked his way into the favor of Bun B, Paul Wall, the D.O.C. by writing smart rhymes that don't go over the heads of his listeners, while still pleasing the educated ears of rap-nerds like yours truly!

anyways, this cat is the TRUTH!!! i mention him all the time, but right now, i'm TELLING you... check him out NOW. his music is getting better and better! he is a LOCK to blow up eventually, and you wanna be one of the ones who knew about him before it happened.

holla!
samax.

sketchBook Allstars!

it's a done deal!
ya boy (aka me) has been added to the line-up over at Sketchbook All-Stars... haul bootay over there and peep some drawings by me (my CAPE Sketches are on there, but i'll be postin' more new junk over there periodically...) and lotsa other ILL cats who humble me by lettin' me play in'a dere san'box!

anyways, check 'em (or US!) out...
holla!
samax.

Pencilism

yoh!
in the spirit of sharing and open communication you've come to expect from ghettoManga, i wanna take a minute to big up my man Pencilism!
"He does more drawing before 5 a.m. than most people do all day"
for real though... he's NICE wit his! i've run into this cat on just about every message board, blog and networking site i've been on...
slide over to his website and check him out...
holla!
samax.

Blade is Shifty...

as you may know, there will be a new Blade teevee show on SpikeTV... i knew that, but i didn't know he'd be played by Sticky Fingaz from ONYX...

i don't even know what to say!!
another blogger posted an interview with Sticky HERE, so i won't bother with any more commentary on that...

peep this ONYX profile some dude made...

"SHIFTY! LOWDOWN, GRITTY, AND GRIIIIIMMEY!"

ah... that was fun...
holla!
samax.

then came the Dawn!

normally, i feel like i have to say something clever about everything... screw all that, man!
just check out
Dawn Okoro.
her Art is fresh...
that's it. she's clever, so i don't hafta be!

holla!
samax.

If It Ain't Broke...

there's something to be said for the classic formats:
the three act structure.
the simple black suit.
the emcee/frontman, deejay/producer.
it worked for eric b. and rakim, kool g rap and polo, guru and premier, prodigy and havoc...
now we got blueprint and rjd2, better known as Soul Position.

but i'm getting ahead of myself...the email went somethin' like this:

from: I'mSoVain
subject: Soul Position?
"yo samax! we gotta hang out! you goin' to that Soul Position show at Haley's?"

from: Amen
RE: Soul Position?
haley's in Denton?i don't know who Soul Position is. are they tight?how much is it? lemme know what's up.

from: I'mSoVain
RE:RE: Soul Position?
S.P. is Blueprint and RJD2.it's $10 or something. even YOU can afford that (witcho broke a$$)!you need to come out!

...so i was like... Blueprint, Blueprint... where have i heard that name before..?

OH YEAH!! he did a song on Mars iLL's second joint (Backbreakanomics), and Vast Aire's solo debut (look, ma no hands)... he's pretty fresh. and RJD2's music speaks for itself... i'll check 'em out!
and soooo...

Soul Position holds down the tradition of the two man, beats+rhyme crew QUITE nicely! i'm well known for being the only person at a packed show who has never bought the records of the acts on stage, but hollerin' with 'em, participating in the show, rockin' the call-and-response, and ALL that like their #1 fan...IF the show is tight...

it was. (and their opener, michigan native One Be Lo was tight,too...) from what i could glean from my extensive internet research (i.e. google...) they have two full length records out, 2003's 8,000,000 Stories their new one, Things Go Better With RJ and Al.

based on the stage show i saw and the music i've heard since, this is a crew to watch!
holla!
samax.