DTLA City Tours, a Comic Expo, and other cool shit to do under $20

SHIT THAT'S UNDER $20 TO DO IN LA

LBC Comic Expo

FREE SUMMER CONCERTS IN LA (LIST) !

Nigga it's free so come thru

Mannie Fresh NPR DJ Set (with video and free DL)

VIDEO LINK

One thing I like about having my own blog is I can post porn when I can, and that's pretty gucci

Micheal Bay and Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2 Things that should NEVER mix

So TIL, Micheal Bay wants to adapt the NGE series onto film and as a fan of this series, I'd hate for this great anime to get tarnished.

Given that Bay's films are a hit and miss, the kid in me loved the aspect that my Saturday morning cartoons are alive and well and kicking major ass (Transformers) BUT the new TMNT however already looks/feels like shit, I mean they come from an "alien race" instead of the simple radioactive goo infecting 4 baby turtles and a rat in the NYC sewers origins...what, was too "complicated" to adapt?!

I know it's a change-up but idk why change a simple formula? 

The idea of changing something even something as small as that kinda irks me and as a fan and avid movie-goer I don't want to see the characters I'd grown to know and love just crash & burn in front of my eyes. 

Not to mention the casting; it has to be done just right...(Shia LeBoeuf for example as Shinji OR Megan Fox as Asuka would just fucking suck.)

That aside, Hollywood can make and/or break a franchise as easy as an Angel breaking through the city's defenses.

I grew up watching this series and its on my list of top animes and IF Mike Bay does decide to make it I hope he does it justice...I hope.

MUSIC/ Iman Europe & starRo - Diggin' On You [TLC Rework] FREE DL

MUSIC/ Wes Pendleton - "Everything Is You" FREE DL

John Holmstrom, punk, & CBGB

I love rediscovering new things, one of those things is the artist John Holmstrom.

I've always wondered who was the artist behind the album art of such acts as The Ramones (Road to Ruin) and the goofy and offbeat cartoons of the punk era and lo and behold, it was John Holmstrom all this time.

I suggest watching the film CBGB for the history of how the punk and underground came to fruition. Patti Smith, Blondie, the Police, and the Dead Boys. Almost 7000 acts came and went to that former country music club turned punk mecca, and I thank Hilly Kristal, the godfather of the Punk scene for his contributions.

Son of Batman toys that I'm probably going to use as reference models

TIL/ Kintsugi: the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold

(A former broken bowl fixed with gold lacquer)

Today I read about the ancient Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold lacquer resin.

The philosophy of Kintsugi is embracing the flaws and imperfections; an acceptance of change and fate as an aspect in human life.

QUOTE/ Jim Morrison

@StonesThrow #tbt Charizma & PB Wolf #music #537

Tank Girl (1995)

Spider Jesus #537

Keep on Truckin #537

REVIEW/ Batman Child of Dreams & Superman Red Son

During my post surgery stay in the hospital, it gave me time to actually settle down and finish up the graphic novels I've acquired over the past months.

This is a double review, Batman Child of Dreams & Superman Red Son. DISCLAIMER: I don't write these reviews just to stoke my nerdy ego, its just I really dig the comic culture and reading in general. So if you think this is biased whatsoever, well you're probably either a writer for LA Weekly or "movie critic" for VICE. If so, well go fornicate a rusty knife.

Anyways, my first read is Batman Child of Dreams by Kia Asamiya. This is a Batman tale in the style of Japanese manga.
The synopsis is a Japanese reporter trying to hook an interview with the Bats and weird things start to occur during her arrival in Gotham. Doppelgangers and drugs are rampant in Gotham and Batman will get to the root of the problem even if it leads all the way back to Japan.

Overall, I really liked the mix of Japanese styled art and the Dark Knight, the story was a great throwback to classic manga and the action scenes are way cool, and I dig the unique character design and intros. Its a quick read, not for anyone to just to pick up however but if you're a fan of anime then this is a boom for you.

Next up on my review is Superman Red Son by Mark Millar (Kick Ass, Wanted). This story has been in the works since 1995, and the wait is worth it. The storyline is classic Superman origins with a "red" twist meaning that the classic tale told in a great what if  scenario; where Superman crash landed in Soviet Russia instead of Kansas.

Superman keeps his values of protection of humanity yet struggling with being Stalin's and Communism's poster boy. Not only that, but there's also the side stories of Lex Luthor, his wife Lois Lane er, I mean Lois Luthor. Batman also makes a cameo along with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. The drawing styles are top notch, the plot is well written, and the comic's rich in hidden treasures. 

I suggest both these books highly and are both rather enjoyable if you're into variant story telling.

537

@thugclive your writing is as atrocious as the Holocaust, how dare you call yourself a journalist?

The Beatles Slowed down by 800%

ART & MUSIC COMBO: Shigeto - Escape From The Incubator

H.R Giger's (Alien) 'X-Shaped' Batmobile concept 1994

Unique “X” shaped design was to include articulated front legs/mandibles, retractable fins, and Gatling gun emplacements on each of the four pods on the sides of the vehicle. The design also combined side and forward intake ports with organic spines and a central pod connecting the four legs.

ART/ Perspectives

PICS/ The new Batman and Batmobile

MUSIC/ Hudsom Mohawke RMXs

It was all a dream...

I drew this on a "prescription baggie"

Bluntin

B & W

Chillin, bullshittin

Paper chase

Dice

Painted 

The Wu reppin

Shit I find on the Internet

My childhood Saturday mornings & after-school rituals all in one pic

Thank you Bill Hannah & Joseph Barbera

MUSIC/ J Dilla Changed My Life (Album) #537

How I found J Dilla was oddly enough from [adult swim] through their bumps.

After hearing the song "Airworks" I quickly searched it on YouTube and one video led to another, and another; next thing I knew I was hooked.

J Dilla opened me up to the beats world, to REAL hip-hop, and the culture. Dilla changed my life in many ways, it broadened my horizons and gave different music styles/genres a chance.

I still listen to Dilla when I skate, but best works if I'm in my studio drawing or my headphones on while in a coffee shop with my sketch-pad.

Dilla forever, rest in peace James Dewitt Yancey. Much love.

INSPIRATION/ 4 Tips on Creativity by Bill Watterson

1. You Have To Lose Yourself In Your Work
"My comic strip was the way that I explored the world and my own perceptions and thoughts. So to switch off the job I would have had to switch off my head. So, yes, the work was insanely intense, but that was the whole point of doing it."
2. Create For Yourself
"Quite honestly I tried to forget that there was an audience. I wanted to keep the strip feeling small and intimate as I did it, so my goal was just to make my wife laugh. After that, I'd put it out, and the public can take it or leave it."
3. Make It Beautiful
"My advice has always been to draw cartoons for the love of it, and concentrate on the quality and be true to yourself. Also try to remember that people have better things to do than read your work. So for heaven's sake, try to entice them with some beauty and fun."
4. Every Medium Has Power
"A comic strip takes just a few seconds to read, but over the years, it creates a surprisingly deep connection with readers. I think that incremental aspect, that unpretentious daily aspect, is a source of power."

PICS/ Hitchhiking from Woodstock

TV/ Oddly inspirational tidbit from Rick & Morty

Spider-Man? Spider-Man.