Fearful Hunter collected volume

fearful hunter

     If you've not read Jon Macy's Fearful Hunter, you are missing out on one of my favorite gay comics. Jon is a contemporary of mine in many ways, we both graduated high school from Monta Vista in Cupertino, California... the same year in fact, though we didn't meet until 2008. And we both make comics about gay werewolves. Fearful Hunter is a love story between a young druid, Oisin, who (against the commands of his superiors) falls for a steamy werewolf, Byron (who is not your average bloodthirsty lycanthrope).

fearful hunter

     I won't give too much away. I'll just say if you like Feral and the Ghost Skater, you will like this book. You can pre-order the collected volume via the kick-starter campaign, where there is also a link to a free digital download of the first chapter of Fearful Hunter, so you can see for yourself.

     The collected volume also includes short back-up stories by many fine artists such as Steve MacIsaac, Justin Hall, Dylan Edwards, William O. Tyler, Agnes Czaja, Rene Capone, Sean-Z, and Sina Sparrow... plus the 4 page story "When Hairy met Selkie" by myself, a story I am very proud of. 

when hairy met selkie

Do yourself a favor and check it out... download part 1 for free, read it, and decide to pre-order the collection. Or not. You have free-will. Buy it buy it BUY IT!

whoops

Shadow Geisha!

     I "accidentally" watched the film "RoboGeisha" twice. I went to watch it on Hulu + last night and realized too late I had already seen it. What took so long? This film has an ultimately forgettable plot, but so many memorable moments that I kept wondering whether I'd seen the film before, or just the trailer a few times. This film is so over-the-top as to be teetering on the cusp between "way too much" and "kind of awesome".      After a few rounds of reaching for the off button to end this crazy ride, only to be dissuaded by a totally hilarious bit of dialog, I eventually sat back and enjoyed the ride, probably exactly like the first time I saw it.
     Here's the story in a nutshell: Two sisters, one mean and popular, the other shy and bullied, are kidnapped by mad industrialists who are building an army of ninja-geisha in order to take over the world. Not satisfied with being mere ninja, yet not desiring to join the "goblin squadron", the two opt for robotic enhancements which turn them into naughty killing machines.

     Nevermind that the script seems written on the fly. There's some really funny shit in here. For instance: after being kidnapped and dragged to the geisha training arena to be forced to fight her sister, Yohsie screams "No! Not in THIS outfit!" "So embarrassing..."
Later, when confronted with the Goblin Squadron's ass-swords, Yoshie brandishes her own ass-sword, followed by the three of them murmuring "it's embarrassing..." for several seconds.

"it's embarrassing..."

...and then there's THIS:

     I would definitely recommend the english dub. The voice actors did a really good job re-translating and inflecting in the funniest way possible... something the subtitles fell slightly short of.
     Seriously though, the first 10 minutes are hard to get through. And if you end up hating it... I get it. It's a B movie at it's best... and, well, I'm kinda surprised I spent this much time blogging about it.
   

Instagram Tattoo Roundup

Here's a mess of tattoo pics from my instagram account. Follow me if you like :)

more animations

I guess I never posted a link to the final book trailer : Heaven's Rise . 

I also didn't post the last bit by itself, the one that squeaked in day of the deadline, more bluster added per request:

 

Also, I've been animating a Phil Hendrie bit, just for shits and giggles, practicing lip-syncing. Almost done with it, I started out by painting the characters, and then adding more mount and eye positions in photoshop, and animating in anime studio. 

book trailer

I've been neck-deep in animating a book trailer. Jasun Mark has been producing, I've been doing some original artwork and animating. The book is "Heaven's Rise" by Christopher Rice, which has an Oct. 15th release date. This is the first animation I've done in over 13 years. The art was drawn in photoshop, the animation in anime studio 8. These are very low-res versions of the sequences.

Ink Bastards

Auntie Navaro

Hey Droogies! Daniel and I have been blogging about Spike tv's Ink Master, the reality competition between tattoo artists. We've been giving it a go to review each episode of season 3. Check it out on our INKBASTARDS blog, and enjoy.

that "gay" Dredd story...

I finally got around to reading prog 1817 of 2000ad, the issue featuring the Judge Dredd one-and-done by Rob Williams (script) and Mike Dowling (art).

I wasn't purposely putting it off... it was among a handful of issues that Diamond skipped distribution of here in the states, so I eventually gave up on hard copies and read it digital-like (on my birthday tablet, thanks baby!).
The story is now 4 months old, so I think a synopsis is safe.

          ( S P O I L E R S )

     The story follows a young man named Taylor Cook, who is gay. He is busted in a raid on a fetish club, one where Dredd himself is the fetish. But that is skipping ahead... first, we are introduced to the club, and then to the protagonist.
     Taylor tells us a bit about himself and his story; mom has died, leaving dad even more distant. As Taylor discovers that his feelings for his best friend are more than platonic, his father finds them and beats the crap out of his would be lover. After weeks of avoidance from both his friend and his father, the catastrophe known as "Chaos Day" happens, and his father disappears.
     Regretting that his father never truly knew him, Taylor decides to hide his true self further in the closet. 5 months go by before he learns from the Judges and a surveillance video how his father died... at the hands of Judge Fear, the undead villain whose gaze causes one to die of fright. 
     Later, an online friend gets the young man to try the nightclub. Soon, he is attending in Judge garb. And then, the bust. The crime? Impersonating a Judge ("jimping") is a serious offence. Taylor has the chance to bolt unseen through a back entrance, but decides to turn himself in and not hide any longer, vowing to leave the closet behind in the "cubes" (prison) when he gets out.

Seems like a lot for a 6 page story, huh?
What I like about it:

• It's amazing that this idea hasn't been picked up on before, the idea of the fascistic, leather-clad #1 authority figure being used in gay role-playing scenes. It makes perfect sense, every single aspect is already in use by someone or another in gay culture. Bondage, leather, domination, submission, the cop from the Village People... and much more, all rolled into one fantasy. For gay Dredd fans, it makes a giggly fun club scene. 

• The poetic justice of his father, the homophobe's, death at the hands of Judge Fear. To imagine what his deadly fear might have been...

• The cat-call in the club. Perfect. Any more would have reduced it to camp, but the one added a bit of humor to the serious tone of the story.

• The handling of the issue at hand. There is no judgement by anyone, even the Judges, excepted Taylor's dad. He is the only person with a problem with homosexuals here. 

• The Dredd-as-foil story. This is what Judge Dredd, as a comic strip, does best. Stories about the people of this future city, where Dredd only shows up as a representative of the system... and then he really could be any Judge- it's just him because his name is on the book. The story is about Mega-City One. 

• Rob Williams. I've been reading a lot of his stuff lately, and really enjoying it. His series "Low Life", featuring Wally Squad (undercover) Judge "Dirty" Frank is top notch. 

Go ahead, pick up a copy, support positive gay characters in comics. I think you just might like it...

Prog 1817 from 2000ad online store