Final Fantasy by Maja
Anime by Maja
so this cat Maja (like "major") is one of those people that loves anime subculture so much that he actually learned Japanese, and breaks into it (and spanish, for good measure) while rapping. before you make up your mind to dismiss him, peep the influence of real hip hop on songs like Final Fantasy (the best song of his that i've heard) off of his first album, The Amalgam Project
holla!
-samax
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Nerdcore like Quickdraw mcGraw...
a born Loser...
if you were able to watch Star Trek without falling in love with Zoe Saldana (The Terminal, Drumline), then you are made of sterner stuff than me, homey! you'll get another chance to show what a heartless bastard you are when Zoe shows up on screen as the tough-as-nails Aisha from the movie version of the bangin' Vertigo Spy-fi Conspiracy comic The Losers, due to hit next spring. you can go here for my review of Ante Up, the first Losers TPB, but suffice it say, there's lots of shooting, government corruption, and blowing stuff up.
The Losers (which will also star Idris Elba, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Columbus Short) will be directed by self-proclaimed girlfight fan Sylvain White (Obsessed, Stomp the Yard) so hopefully Aisha will be as much of a jawbreaker in this as she is in the comics. the source material lends itself to an easy movie adaptation, and so far, the cast is mustard. let's all cross our fingers in anticipation of a great movie. The Losers is due out April of 2010.holla!
-samax
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be-WEEYOTCHED!
that dude Brian Stelfreeze hooked up this fresh watercolor portrait of Samantha from Bewitched for a commission. if you've ever seen him work (he does the best demonstrations at conventions) you know it is a real treat. if you're going to Dallas Comicon August 15-16 (and you oughta be, since me and the rest of the mighty ghostWerks crew will be in attendance), you can get a chance to witness the Stelfreeze phenomenom first hand. for the rest of you silly jokers, pop over to his Work In Progress blog, and see the stages of developement for this piece.holla!
-samax
this explains a lot...
i joined this drawing blog called ArtJumble recently. last week's theme was "Captain America"... i didn't have time to do a new piece, so i just submitted the one i drew last month, but i figured i'd post this one by Dave Pryor here on ghettoManga since it featured the Star-spangled Avenger shaking hands with that dude president O. see, i just assumed Cap was a Republican, but after this revelation, Civil War actually makes a little bit more sense...
holla!
-samax
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if you got a problem with the Knux, Two Words...
click the pic to listen to and download the track F*ck You by talented New Orleans duo The Knux. i never heard of these dudes before, but they dropped one album Remind Me in 3 Days...in 2008, and this joint is the first leak off of their next one. here's an interview with Ruby Hornet.
RH TV: 5 Minutes w/ The Knux from Ruby Hornet on Vimeo.
here's an Album i'm not gonna buy
but i like the album cover, so here's Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3. i generally don't care for sequels in movies, and i really think they are stupid for albums. very few records actually have themes, plotlines, or characters that we need more of (the legitimate justification for movie sequels), so it just seems like a lack of imagination. if there is any legitimate thread that ties these albums together, i'd love to hear it... anyways, the newprint will drop (like it's predecessors) on September 11th. feel free to flood the streets with it.holla!
-samax
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okay, they got me...
i can't remember the last time i fell for a hoax e-mail. don't get me wrong... i get just as many pyramid-scheme/international bank fraud/attempted phisching/identity theft emails as the next man, but somehow i had shielded myself from spreading them. but they did manage to get me this time.i'm referring to my recent post of a press release i got supposedly from the Urban Institute about the Non Urban Dictate. i left the post up so you could go back and see what i posted and corrected it at the bottom and in the comments. it's embarrasing to get caught being wrong, but i would rather be honest than hide from it. as it turns out it was a hoax, and not a new one. after a little googling, i found webpages debunking this going back as far as 2002.
i intended to research it further anyways, in order to be safe to put in my magazine, but a big thanks to commenters who questioned me on this and sent me back to the lab earlier.
holla!
-samax
the MAYHEM continues...
Tyrese Gibson's foray into comics is well under way, even though the book doesn't officially hit stores until August 6th (this wednesday). Tyrese hit San Diego Comicon in a big way, selling thousands of copies of a special variant made just for the convention. but the Singer/actor didn't stop there. today, he signed leftover copies for anyone who came in or called to the Golden Apple to order. in one hour's time, they sold 75 copies of the signed variants at $10 each. why do I care? because Tyrese is doing what the big publishers should be trying to do: bringing people into a comic shop who have never been in one before. Tyrese and company have already broken the single store preorder record, but they ain't resting on that accomplishment. dude is relentless! now he's intent on driving more fans into stores for the August 6 debut date. i'm sure after the book drops, he will start pushing for reorders, and sales of #2... stay tuned.holla!
-samax
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Hip Hop's in Good Hands...
VohnBeatz and M-Pak presents Peer Pressure (The Mixtape Trailer) from symbolyc on Vimeo.
11 year old VohnBeatz teams with 15 year old emcee M-Pak to create Peer Pressure: The Mixtape Album. If that dude S-1 of Strange Fruit Project says they're tight, they pro'lly are...
Not U, Dog...
according to The Urban Institute, NUD (Non Urban Dictate) is the acronym for a very subtle and little-known marketing term specifically directed toward people of color. It essentially means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. A NUD label means that a company does not want their marketing and advertising materials placed in media that claim an "urban" audience ("black people") as their main target. There are legitimate reasons for companies not using urban media. It may be that Blacks don't index high in certain categories or that a company's strategy is to market to the Black consumer down the road after they have established a strong position in their primary target. But, NUD usually means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. Companies evade discrimination liability by embracing it as theory rather than policy. As a service to Black consumers, the Urban Institute will list all companies that have a NUD policy. Armed with this information, we feel that Black consumers will be able to make informed buying decisions.Here's a list of Companies with NUD policies:
1. Starbucks
2. Jos. A Bank
3. Comp USA
4. Weight Watchers
5. Keebler
6. Life Savers
7. Continental Airlines
8. Northwest Airlines
9. America West Airlines
10. HBO - Apollo Series
11. Paternal Importers
12 Calico Corners
13. OMScot
14. Pepperidge Farms
15. Ethan Allen
16. Busy Body Fitness
17. Mondovi Wines
18. Builders Square
19. Pottery Barn
20. Lexus
21. Aruba Tourism
22. Ciba Vision
23. Kindercare
24. Grady Restaurant
25. Eddie Bauer
26. Don Pablo
Please spread this information on to any other consumer that you consider a friend and advise them to do likewise. Remember, you CANNOT act wisely unless you are informed wisely.
The Urban Institute can be contacted at 2100 M Street, NW Washington,DC
UPDATE!!! [ this post is wrong. a little research confirmed it's based on a hoax. i posted a cool retraction here. loveyougottagobye!]
Jigga Knows What's Up...
i have never been a huge Jay-Z fan, but i always give credit where it is due. no, this isn't about his rhymes per se, but about his great taste in literature. seems that Jay's "comeback" album Kingdom Come is named after the opus-worthy miniseries of the same name where Superman returns from retirement to bring order to a world gone mad.
series writer Mark Waid breaks it down: In 1996, artist Alex Ross and I worked together on this graphic novel called Kingdom Come for DC Comics... a story about what happens when Superman retires then is drawn back out of retirement by this next generation of superheroes who have gone awry because they don’t have that North Star. They don’t have that…he didn’t realize what an inspiration he was to them and what a guiding force he was to them. He retires and then everything in the world just goes hilt, and he’s got to come back. So, a couple years ago, Jay Z, he’s been running Def Jam for a while, and he’s thinking about coming back into the studio and doing something new, and his engineer gives him a copy of Kingdom Come and he sees such a parallel between himself and Superman in the sense of ‘I’ve been away, I’m not sure I like the way things have gone in my absence, I’m coming back’ that he based the comeback album on this graphic novel. The title song talks about Superman, Bruce Wayne, and comics in general and that’s what I call a career highlight.
of course none of this is news to Jay-Z fans, who have already consumed the album, measured it against his other work, and moved on. but i nevered payed the record any mind, so i figured i'd give the man his props now. way to go, Jay. if you've never read Kingdom Come for whatever reason, i'm telling you to go read it now. it is simply one of the best comics ever made, up there with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. i doubt it will ever be adapted to film effectively, since the budget would be similar to a third world GNP. but the beauty of comics is they are only limited by the imagination and talent of the creative team. and Waid and Alex Ross are two of the best, and were at the top of their game on this one... COP IT by any means!holla!
-samax
ghettoManga.com
Sale at Vintage Limited
in case you're in the market for a new ball cap, teeshirt or even a hoodie (cop that and store it to break out in the fall!), there's a sale going on over at Vintage Limited! i got my eye on the Art Addiction Fitted Cap myself, but whatever you choose, get 20% off your entire order by entering the code THANKYOU at check-out! this code is valid through friday August 7th... so roll by VintageLimited.com and see if anything suits you!holla!
-samax
Avenger Intervention
Jim Rhodes is a positive black man. but you know when a brother starts handing out beatdowns his white friends are gonna be concerned... so his old West Coast Avenger team mates -Ronin (the artist formerly known as Hawkeye), Mockingbird, Tigra and Wonderman (i didn't name him)- decide their boy War Machine needs an old-fashioned intervention. but he's not addicted to her'on or meth, he got it bad for handing out high-tech vigilante justice on a regular basis! click the pic to peep a free preview of War Machine #8! this book is still only three bucks, so if you like it, get yours before marvel decides to apply that anti-stimulus they're so fond of lately!holla!
-samax
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Wu-tang Once Again
House of Flying Daggers by Raekwon Ft. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & Method Man (off Rae's upcoming spinner Cuban Linx II)
not bad. ghost and Rae are extra real on this. the track is a'ight. but this many Wu first-stringers on a track is note-worthy. (sounds better on the 2nd listen)
enjoy...
-gM
today's deviation
Ororo ro row your boat by ~royalboiler aka comicbook artist Brandon Graham (King City, Multiple Warhedz).so Brandon dropped this on dA recently. it hit me like an ELE comet smashing the supercontinent. in his words "I have strong feelings on mohawk storm being the greatest advance in Marvel technology since the invention of Jack Kirby. If they had any self respect the cornrow/mohawk would be the next logical step." only crazy artist types even SPECULATE about marvel having any self-respect...
i took this as a personal challenge from Brandon to me about who can draw the better cornrowhawk Storm, so expect to see one soon... i think many X-men artists resent the fact that Storm is black, because they make NO attempt to reference any black fashion or hair styles when drawing her... but i digress... speaking of getting off the subject, here's another piece Brando drew recently (i think it will appear in an upcoming issue of King City), no extra charge, because he's got a great li'l drawing of KRS ONE in there... and i'm here to support shit like that...holla!
-samax
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Up Above My Head...
Who's That LMNO & Kev Brown
man, i got this off Kev Brown's blog... his blog is like 100% dope music. can't stress it enough. Kev doesn't rap on this one, just beats. he also happens to be a top notch rapper, too... peep his music and order/download some fly music!
holla!
-samax
Armor Wars!
click the pic to download Ghostface & MF DOOM in HEAVY METAL. i haven't heard it yet, so i have no comment... but i figured y'all would wanna know.
holla!
-samax
Iron Manga
somebody decided it would be a good idea to get Warren Ellis and Madhouse together for an Iron Man anime... ya think? this mess looks HARD!!! (if only it had ghostFace on the soundtrack...)
um, yeah check it out...
-samax
the Wages of Syn...
upstart Dallas comics crew Space-Gun Studios has a new anthology coming out called Synesthetic, and this is the cover to that joint by Evan Bryce and Matt Warlick! if you come see me at Dallas Comicon (Aug 15-16), you'll be able to bounce over to holler at the Space-Gun crew while you're there...-ghettoManga.com
Quotable...
"Emceeing is an AGGRESSIVE art form. That is just the way it is and there is nothing wrong with that! In order to best the best you had to have a strong fighting spirit and that is one of the unique qualities one must have to push forward in this constantly evolving artform." -Nat Landry
emcee, painter, teacher, comicbook artist
(Bring Da Pain Jermaine)
Nat is one of my favorite unknown comicbook artists, and an evolving young talent. peep the rest of his comments on the hip hop/samurai connection here.
word.
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Cold Case Files
in addition to the his Original Art Sale, my man Jamar Nicholas is pushing copies of Detective Boogaloo: Ill Crimes Unit Case File which collects (in a neat manilla-file folder) the first 25 strips from the super-fresh Detective Boogaloo: Hip Hop Cop webcomic, presented in a police file format (with authentic coffee stain)- black and white interior, complete with never-to-be-seen-again insider info on the DB Universe - an official Ill Crimes Unit Rap Sheet on Boogaloos' nemesis ICE TRE. if you've caught Jamar at conventions, you might already have it, but i never got my hands on one, so my order went in right before i wrote this. for all the cash-strapped cats out there, you can read the whole run of the hip hop cop at DetectiveBoogaloo.com! the rest of ya'll pony up and get at Jamar for your copy before they're all gone, seen!-samax
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Fresh T'ing from Jim Mahfood!
ghettoManga Award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Jim Mahfood has signed and numbered, limited edition Raygun prints and Color Ink T-Shirts for sale. click the pics for a preview! Both items printed out friggin' sweet! Most sizes in shirts available. Printed on american apparel. Both items are just $25. Hit him at jimmahfood@gmail.com if you'd like to cop something, and tell 'im ya heard about it on ghettoManga.com!
Can I Kick It?
okay, first thing i gotta say: i did NOT make it out to Kixpo 2009... i mean, i'm still rockin' the white shelltoes my wife bought me for my birthday in '08. but that ain't stop me from downloadin' that shoe-centric Official Kixpo Mixtape, and it shouldn't stop you, either! if you're not from Dallas, you may never have heard of these cats... but there's some nice stuff on here homey. if you ever listen to me, you already heard Playdough, Chucky Sly and Headkrack, plus dallas alumni Astronautilus is in the house over tracks by beat-celeb-in-the-making Picnic. click the pic to pick and choose or cop the whole thing. either way, it's free!holla!
-samax
that Jim Lee MAYHEM cover...
here's Jim Lee's final black and white artwork for the wrap-around cover for the TPB of Tyrese Gibson's MAYHEM! issue #1 of the series hits stores August 5th, but fans who went to Comicon are already holdin'... Gibson was in attendance to sell 1,500 copies the first day of the convention, meet Stan Lee and pretty much just kick it like it was out of order. when i get a copy in my hands, i'll let ya'll know how it was!holla!
-samax
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this sheet's full'a Poop
so this dude over at Poopsheet Foundation reviewed Mine All Mine, the 16 page collection featuring one page tales of wanton theft written by indy madman David Hopkins (Karma Incorporated, Antigone, Emily Edison). he seemed to like it... even though he made no mention of the page i did (phillistine!), you may still want to read his little review. i still have a few copies left, so if his review convinces you that you just gotta have it, you can cop one of 'em below for three bucks (with FREE shipping, homie!).it's critical beatdown, girl. put your seat down...
BOOM! by Grouch & Eligh f/Slug (beat by Amplive from Zion I)
the Jacksonian Era
my girl SmoovArt hipped me to this slick freebie! click the pic for free downloads of the classic Jackson 5 cartoon series episodes. they can play on a Blackberry, but you can also watch them with real player or quicktime too!have at it, fam!
-samax
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hey, mister VEE Jay
Knight Vision Vol 1: The Cool by DJ M.Knight
because he's a futuristic cat, that dude DJ MKnight has taken to supplementing his mixtape game in the video arena. dude's new series of video gumbo Knight Vision, blends those kissin' cousins Hip Hop, rnb and soul music so well, that if you can peep The Cool without at least crackin' a smile, i challenge your humanity! feel free to listen to something with more autotune, ya robot! nah, for real... these some dope joints! peep the full track list here.
listen to the way i SLAY....
my man Cal Slayton drew this fresh image of everyone's favorite gunclapping 3 year old, from my comic Manchild. He hooked it up as an art trade in exchange for a drawing i'm doing for his comic Spookytown... in typical Cal fashion, he banged out his end of the bargain before i got to mine. but i'm gonna see him at the Dallas Comicon next month, so i'll have his ready by then!holla!
-samax
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Today's Deviation
pool girl by =killaCaravagioanother joint from one of the artists i follow on deviantArt.com, because
it's a girl cyborg with a pistol and a fat booty, enoying a martini (or maybe a margarita) by the pool. what's more ghettoManga than that?
Like It's Golden...
there's a great interview of my friend and ghettoManga enthusiast goldiGold over at defCulture.org. Goldi is building a one-man-movement with his iconic vector illustrations for recording artists in the ATL and beyond. click the pic to get all up in his business!holla!
-samax
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they left the 2 behind...
updated Tron: Legacy trailer (yes, they changed it from that goofy Tr2n logo they had before) from Comicon.
Bart Reigns Supreme
those crazy kids at the Guinness Book of World Records announced today that The Simpsons is the longest running sitcom ever. the previous record of 435 episodes was held by Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. most people agree that the show is past its prime, but also agree that it can probably keep going. series creator Matt Groening (who didn't know about the record) added “There is no end in sight, Simpsons forever.”so there you go.
holla!
-samax
Yeah, i'ma Buy this when it drops...
Robot by KRS ONE & Buckshot off their upcoming collabo record Survival Skills, due out this September.
new page, new beats, new fan art...
yo, here's page ten from Permanent Residents, the story i'm working on for my client. i really like this one, for some reason. in case you didn't notice it, i REALLY recommend you cop that free beat tape, Who's Harry Krum? by Playdough. that joint has revitalized the playlist on my computer! making comics is solitary work and you just can't do it without good music... so if you're reading this, Thanks Playdough!
in other news, i've been keeping busy lately. besides working on Permanent Residents, i'm also writing, illustrating and editing for the latest issue of ghettoManga Quarterly, which is available for preorder now (in case you somehow missed it...). the new issue will have the first installment in the series of illustrated articles Movies That Should Be Comics. the pic you see here is for that first article about Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse spinoff/mock-trailer-turned-actual-upcoming-movie Machete, whose star Danny Trejo was so easy to draw that I was able to knock this out in one sitting. the article was co-written by that dude Rod Buddah, boss over at PLANET GRIFFIN. you should read his blog fam, it's mustard! anyways, i gotta get back to work...holla!
-samax
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Who Is That?
Who's Harry Krum? Beat Tape by Playdough
in addition to bein' one of my favorite smiley-faced battle rappers, that dude Playdough also happens to be nice with beats as well. just feast your ears on that youTube video, then go ahead and click the pic to cop the FREE dowload of the Who's Harry Krum? Beat Tape so's you can boom it in your jeep.
Ghostface gets Mushy for tha gushy
when he's not doing Cameos in Iron Man or dropping graphic novels, that dude Ghostface Killah (of the indelible staten island massive The Wu-tang Clan) makes the hip hop music as well. so click the pic an' go listen to Baby, the new single from his forthcoming RnB album The Wizard of Poetry. the super-deformed abstract flow is a little more comprehensible than normal to allow the shorties to get down with it. all my ghostFace fans, peep it and let me know what you think...easy now,
-samax
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