JAVCON Saturday Night: El Muerto sketch dolls preview

Over the last couple of months I've shown some pics of my brand-new EL MUERTO SKETCH DOLLS. These are blank dolls that I actually draw onto, creating original sketch dolls each and every time. I started with two sizes, 5" & 8", but now I'v finalized the initial 4 dolls in the collection. I'll be using primarily the 8" dolls, at least for any dolls in color.


The original El MUERTO dolls were made with a 'natural' colored doll, but I looked around and found out I could get white dolls. I want white because then the markers I use aren't affected by color changes. Like drawing on a white sheet of paper versus a tanned one.


I may use the tanned dolls for other series, but for now, here's my first 4 sketch dolls, 8" and in color:


EL MUERTO and DIEGO DE LA MUERTE:

I figure it would be cool to have El Muerto in his 'secret identity' as well. And I like the idea of having a doll wearing a Guayabera!


Like most action figure characters, I wanted to have variant versions of El Muerto. So the first one I thought of was when he engages his power of resurrecting the dead ...


GHOST GLOW EL MUERTO:

This lighting in this pic washed out the color on the doll, but you can see still see what I'm going for with the variant.


Then I also thought it would be real neat to introduce some new characters no one has ever seen. Perhaps they'll show up in the comic....


EL VIVO:

I've always loved the idea of the evil/mirror version of the hero. Superman has Bizarro and Flash has Reverse-Flash, to name two. Visually though, El VIVO (Spanish for 'the living') makes a pretty striking sketch doll, with the Muerto colors inverted in a 'positively' wicked version of our hero.


Besides variant version of the main characters, often you see even more limited versions, sometimes tied in to an event. Well, with Halloween coming up, I thought I would make a seasonal special exclusive....


2010 HALLOWEEN MUERTO MONSTER: EL LOBO MUERTO:

Werewolf Muerto, how ya like that?!

I was thinking of a vampire, Frankenstein and then when I thought of the wolfman, that somehow hit the spot. Originally I was thinking of coloring him brown, but then I realized that a white wolf design would be a natural extrapolation from the white of Muerto's skull face, giving more weight to the 'Dead Wolf' angle. Plus it's a lot more rare to see a silver white werewolf (my first exposure to one was this stunning masterpiece, one of the first comic books I ever bought).


I'll be posting prices and ordering info for the sketch dolls shortly. Ideally I'd like to get people to 'pre-order' them online, this way I can create them 'to order'. But I'll have a few of each at the next conventions and appearances I attend. And I'll also post info about when the 2010 HALLOWEEN MUERTO MONSTER will be available to order. 


Thanks, and if you haven't, check out the previous days of the JAVCON, with lots of sneak peeks and images of current and future projects!

JAVCON Day 4: DIY Comics Crash Course in Whittier

I'd like to spread the word here today that if you're in the LA area, and are thinking about self-publishing your own comic books, I'm offering another DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE at GEEKS Comics in Whittier:

(Click on the image & send a copy to your printer. Then mail the Registration form to GEEKS)

This is the second time we're offering the class, and this time we're going to conduct it on Saturday morning (so set your alarm clock!). The previous class was held over a couple of evenings during the week, so I figure this could work for those with a heavy schedule during the week.


This isn't a class were we learn about drawing or writing, but it's for those of you who are already creating your comics, or about to start, but have questions about getting your book printed, branding your work, looking for ways to distribute your books and so forth. Basically, the core things you should know before you want to publish your own books. I'm drawing from my 12 years in self-publishing comics, building my brand, working with retailers/distributors and growing a fan base.  I'll also share my experiences as a gallery artist, my filmmaking stint with the EL MUERTO movie, and countless exhibits at conventions and numerous other festivals, because all of these are a result of, and extension of, making my own comics.


With your admission fee of $40.00, you'll also get the 'DIY COMICS CRASH HANDBOOK', which gives you an overview of my first few years of publishing, highlighting the strategies I used to get started. There's also a list of resources which will help get your publishing operations started. The deadline to register for the class, either in person at GEEKS or via mail, is Friday, August 6.


My focus is to motivate artists to get their own work out there. There's quicker money working in other people's properties, but remember that it's their properties. The money is better (and/or easier) working for them, but if you decide to create your own stories, and are prepared to put all your efforts and ingenuity behind it, then you're going to get a personal satisfaction beyond what you originally suspected. And you're gonna work even harder to find ways to make the dream profitable.


If you have any questions about the DIY COMICS CRASH COURSE, please drop me a line at misterjav@gmail.com.  GEEKS is located at 6747 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601.


Hope to see you there!


Program note: Later tonite on the JAVCON, the unveiling of the full line of EL MUERTO SKETCH DOLLS, including the Special 2010 Halloween Muerto Monster exclusive: "EL LOBO MUERTO"!!

JAVCON Day 3: 'Convention' podcast!

Day 3 here at the JAVCON! Last night I recorded a new episode of my podcast "JAVILAND The Podcast for DIY Comics". Our topic was 'Maximizing a comic book convention appearance'.
 
I was joined by three other cartoonists, Ted Seko, Tyler James and Ryan Dow who shared their perspective and experiences in exhibiting at conventions. Some good lively talk, with informative opinions. To listen to the podcast, visit the JAVILAND page.


Did you catch last night's programming here at the JAVCON? Scroll down or click here and you can see some recent artwork I created for two different projects. And if you want to start from the beginning of the JAVCON, you can go here.

JAVCON Thursday Night: New artwork for DITKOMANIA and more

Earlier today at the JAVCON, I showed you a sneak peek at my upcoming comic book, COMIC POP. For our evening programming here, I'd like to show you two recently finished illustrations I've contributed to other people's projects.

First up is my pin-up for my friend Grasiela Rodriguez, whose debut comic book is currently at the printing press:

 

Grasiela's first comic book has been an interesting production to hear about, as she's not shown any artwork from the book. (In fact, I think she's only just now posted the cover on her website). She's been pretty low-key about the contents of her story, and in fact when she sent several of us requests for pin-ups, she only gave us a few key words to create a pin-up from! Some of the words were 'romantic, feminine, strange, melancholic', so from there I thought about imagery that, to me, captured some of these elements. Right away I thought of the image of a woman playing a violin, and then I thought of a surreal image combining the graphic designs of paisley patterns and some ambiguous idea of a romance that no longer existed. I envisioned Steve Ditko-type surrealism and listened to Morrissey while working on this piece, if you want to know! I'm very anxious to read her book, and very curious to see the printed pin-up, as she told me she added an element or two to tie it into the aesthetic of the entire book! Now that's interesting...!

Speaking of Ditko (as I often do on this blog!), I also contributed another piece of art to the zine DITKOMANIA, #80. This one accompanies Michael Aushenker's DITKOTOMY column, which spotlights Ditko's 1980s collaborations with writer Bill Mantlo. Ditko worked with Mantlo on the last half of the ROM, SPACEKNIGHT series, so naturally I focused on that imagery:

 

I'm also going to be contributing my own regular feature to the zine, starting in issue #81:

 

I designed this logo using illustrations Ditko created for a behind-the-scenes feature he and writer Stan Lee did in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1. My column will take an artist's look at the more unique and imaginative looking characters that Ditko has created over his long career and highlight the reasons I think they're successful.

Those are two of the most recent projects I've contributed to. Now it's back to working on my own comics! Enjoy the rest of the JAVCON, there's plenty more coming for the next 4 days.

JAVCON Day Two:Sneak peek at COMIC POP comic!

Since 'sneak peeks' are quite popular at comic book conventions, I'd like to give you a preview of my upcoming comic book project:

 COMIC POP is a really special anthology. Besides having a brand new autobiographic story from me, 'DOS MIL DIEZ' (Spanish for 2010), I'll also be reprinting 5 short stories I've worked on that many of my readers may not be aware of. The cover is pretty much the final version, but once I'm done putting the whole book together I'll most likely tinker with some of the text and add the price.


Let me start with the reprints. Over the years I've worked on various comics with some good friends of mine. I work with them on a project, they work with me on a project. That's what friends do. Or at least the ones I have! When I got the idea for these, I asked each artist for permission to reprint the story. These comics, for the most part, appeared in their own titles, so I just wanted to make sure they would be okay with this. In each case, of course, permission was granted!


Here's the rundown of the stories:


WEAPON TEX-MEX in "DESTROY ALL MEXICANS": 

This is actually my first-ever published comic, a year before the first El Muerto comic debuted. I was invited by the publishers of HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS to contribute a story to the latest book, and at the time I was already working on the first El Muerto story. I didn't want to knock out a quickie Muerto comic, so I came up with Weapon Tex-Mex, kinda in the vein of the Thing (Fantastic Four): A big lug with a heart of gold. So in 1997, when HOT MEXICAN LOVE was published, I had my debut as a published cartoonist. The original comic was in black and white, I added the gray tones this year when I published the WANTED:WEAPON TEX-MEX mini-comic for the Phoenix Comic Con. (A few copies remain in the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP) 



EL GATO CRIME MANGLER

Left, one of my pages, on the right, Michael Aushenker's cover

My friend Michael Aushenker's CRIME MANGLER series is filled with gonzo comedy featuring an oaf of a masked mexican wrestler and his misadventures in 1930s Los Angeles. For his NINE LOVES OF EL GATO (2003) romance comic, he had 9 artists each illustrate a chapter, dealing with an ex-girlfriend. He asked me to draw one of the stories, for which he provided a script. That was actually the first time I ever drew from a script, but the story was heavy on wrestling action so I had a ball with it. I even snuck in a cameo with the legendary WWE commentator team of Jesse 'The Body Ventura' and Gorilla Monsoon! This is one of the early comics I did where I used  Sharpie markers. They can be cumbersome for detailed drawings, but I liked the chunky look it gave the story.


MASKS OF SONAMBULO

Left, a page of art drawn by Ted Seko, script by me, on the right, Rafael Navarro's painted cover.


This was an interesting collaboration. Rafael Navarro, creator of the Xeric Award-winning SONAMBULO comic, was putting together his own anthology, featuring stories written and drawn by others. He asked me to contribute to MASKS OF SONAMBULO (2003), and I immediately thought to ask Ted Seko if he'd be willing to illustrate a story I would write. Ted and I had previously worked together on "SKYMAN AND MANGA MUERTO Vs THE MONSTER MEKS", so we had already established a routine for working together. For this Sonambulo tale, I wanted to do a story with Sonambulo as a young kid, where he meets an old witch who foretells the future he will grow into. It wasn't an origin story, but it was nice for Rafael to let me delve into Sonambulo's early life. 


EL MUERTO:MARK OF MICLANTEHCUHTLI

This mini-comic was created for the 2007 DVD release of EL MUERTO. When it came time to working with the distributor for ideas about what to include in the DVD, I suggested we include a comic book. After giving them a budget, I set out on what turned out to be an amazing final product. I wrote the script and provided loose pencil layouts and hired Mort Todd for the finished artwork, inks, gray tones and lettering. He's been working in cartoons and  comics since his teenage years, becoming Editor-in-Chief of CRACKED Magazine in 1985 at the age of 23. We actually met some years previously via an Ebay transaction, believe it or not! Mort's tremendously talented and prolific, and his production values, as evident in the above image, really made this story sing!


EL MUERTO MEETS BALDO

In 2008, El Muerto made his foray into the newspaper funnies! I had met the creators of the BALDO newspaper strip, writer Hector Cantu and artist Carlos Castellanos, a year previously when we were all guests of the SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL. We hit it off real good. So good that the day we were scheduled to speak to a roomful of schoolkids, we were scrambling to rush from our noontime lunch of Mexican food and margaritas! At the time the mentioned that they would like to have an appearance of El Muerto in their strip. So in 2008, I called them on it! They told me to come up with an idea, which took a little work on my part. Here was an established strip, a family with two kids and an aunt with an established fan base, and I had to come up with a way to bring in the Aztec Zombie! But, Carlos and Hector are flexible, and as long as the story worked, they were open to accepting ideas. It was challenging to work on the script, as I had to think of 4 panel installments, with 5 dailies. Our process was interesting, as Carlos would draw the strips per the script we all agreed on, and he would leave an empty space wherever El Muero appeared, then I would draw in my character in that spot. The Sunday strip was great, because it was not only the climax of the story (which they let me write myself) but seeing El Muerto in the Sunday funnies was very exciting. For the reprint in the COMIC POP book, I'll put the Baldo story at the back of the book, so the climatic Sunday strip can be printed in full color on the inside back cover.


Well, that's going to be some book! Reprints of my first ever comic, the El Muerto DVD comic, the Baldo/El Muerto newspaper strip and two other stories I worked on some years ago.
I'll post previews of the autobio comic as we get closer to the release date, which is scheduled for APE this October. While the JAVCON will be running through Monday, the good ol JAVZILLA blog will be here long afterwards, so make sure you keep coming back!


I hope you've enjoyed this preview of my next comic book. We still have lots more content to share here at the JAVCON, including some never-before-seen storyboards I did for the EL MUERTO movie, the CD artwork I created for an indie band, and a never-before-published El Muerto comic! I'll be recording an episode of my D.I.Y. Comics podcast JAVILAND later today, so look for that here tomorrow as well.

JAVCON Wednesday Night:Sketchbook pages, Shel Dorf and Bat-Mite!

Well, our first day of the first ever JAVCON has generated some great feedback (and traffic!). Thanks for checking it out.

So I'd like to show you some more pages from another one of my books. (Previously I shared with you some pages from EL MUERTO MISHMASH and MANGA MUERTO Vol 1). This time check out my brand-new THE COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK: 

 The SKETCHBOOK (which you can see the cover to in the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP) features 44 pages of b&w sketches from the last couple of years. Many of the pages come with commentary where I'm talking about my ideas and approaches for the individual drawings. There are lots of character designs and studies in the book, as most of my creative ideas start initially with a character, as opposed to a story. Sometimes the characters will immediately inform the story, other times I look at the character and start thinking of the reasons for it's existence, meaning that subconsciously I was probably thinking of story elements that informed my creation of the character. It's kind of like reverse-engineering one of my own visual creations.


The drawing of the alien from THEY LIVE (standing in front of the word 'OBEY') is actually drawn on the inside front cover of the COMIC POP SKETCHBOOK. Every book that gets sold will come with a unique drawing from me, created with black and gray markers. 


I'd like to show you another piece of art, this one a 12" x 12" acrylic painting w/marker outlines. BAT-MITE:

BAT-MITE's a brand-new painting, created as a donation to the Shel Dorf Artist Fund. They'll actually be holding an art show this weekend in San Diego to sell this and lots of other donated artwork. Shel Dorf started the San Diego Comic Con forty years ago. He passed away last year but his brother started the Artist Fund in his name to provide scholarship money to young artists. A great cause, and I'm honored to be able to participate. Thanks to Matt Lorentz for extending me an invitation. The AFTERCON Art Show is being run concurrently with the San Diego Comic Con, Thursday-Saturday from 8pm to Midnight at the Suture Gallery. 

So even though I won't be in San Diego myself this week, I'm glad I have some artwork showing in this very worthy cause. Several of my friends are in the show, and I have to tell you it's quite a  kick professionally to be listed on a show that also has Ray Bradbury! 

More JAVCON stuff in the next post!

Welcome to Day One of the JAVCON!

Welcome to the first ever JAVCON!

 
San Diego Comic Con runs this week, and if you've never been there before, lemme tell you it's one huge show! With attendance now upwards of 125,000, that is one humungous sized comic book convention. I won't be exhibiting there this year, but I thought it would be a neat idea to run my own convention of sorts here on my blog. For those of you not attending San Diego either, perhaps you can find some interesting things here for the next 6 days. Yep, this is gonna be 6 whole days of special, exclusive content right here at JAVCON. (And if you forget to shower one of the days, no problem!)


So, what do I consider 'special'? Howzabout some previews and sneak peeks of upcoming projects I have in the works? Also, I'd like to open up my archives and share with you readers of the Javzilla blog some past events, artwork, projects and happenings you may not have been aware of. I started this blog back in 2006, but started publishing my comics since 1998, so there'll be things to post here that will be new to many of you.


My elmuerto.com website is currently offline, so in the meantime I have the address pointing to this blog. I've switched servers and will be in the process of rebuilding El Muerto.com from scratch, but in the meantime, since my online store from the site isn't available I've built a brand-new shop here on this blog. (Thanks to my friend Jim Lujan, cartoon movie maker extraordinaire, for giving me some info about doing this on Blogger.


So to kick off Day One of JAVCON, I'd like to introduce you to the JAVZILLA WEB SHOP. As with any convention I've exhibited at, the top priority is to sell my work (followed very, very closely by meeting new fans, making new friends, networking, branding, eating, etc....), so... here are some of my comics and DVD for sale!

 To visit the shop, just click this link, or click on the link JAVZILLA WEB SHOP  located just under the JAVZILLA banner at the top of the page. The shop contains all my current comics in print. I've done numerous mini-comics or limited edition books over the years, but I don't usually keep those in print indefinitely. Usually they're made for specific conventions, such as the Alternative Press Expo. But there's a good variety of books available in the shop!

Here are some sample pages from 2 of the books, EL MUERTO MISHMASH and MANGA MUERTO Vol 1. Coincidentally, both of these books are anthologies, which between the two of them contain 7 stories and 10 pin-ups from guest artists:

 From EL MUERTO MISHMASH: On the left is a page from the El Muerto short story "Dead Forever" and on the right is a page from my autobiographic "Dos Mil" (Spanish for '2000'). Both written and drawn by me.

From MANGA MUERTO Vol 1: On the left is a page from the story 'Manga Muerto and Skyman vs the Monster Meks!", script and layouts by me and finished art/inks by Ted Seko. On the right is a page from "A Day at The Beach", story and art by me.

During the course of JAVCON, I'll be posting more pages from all the books, plus lots more content. So take a look around, buy some stuff, and cook yourself a hot dog (way cheaper than the $7.00 Convention dogs, for sure!). And check back daily for new stuff, maybe even twice daily.

A tribute to Peter Fernandez of SPEED RACER

Peter Fernandez, the actor who played Speed Racer in the 1960s cartoon, passed away on Thursday, July 15. He had been battling cancer. He was 83.

I say 'played' as opposed to 'voiced' because he not only performed the voice of Speed Racer, but he also wrote the English scripts and directed the cast. So he really had a complete role in creating that character. (He also wrote the English lyrics for the theme song!)

A painting I made back in 2008.
 
As a kid, in the early and mid-seventies, I was transfixed by SPEED RACER. The high-octane action, the unrestricted violence (that was back in the day that us kids could watch car crashes, fist fights and machine gun battles and not go ape-crazy at school the following week shooting up the entire class...). The world-hopping travelogue aspect of the show, the championship car races, the strong sense of love and togetherness of the Racer Family....All of these elements made for captivating entertainment. But it was the central character, Speed Racer, that really made the show for me. Not seeming that much older than me at the time (he's identified as an 18 yr old), Speed was a young hero who stood up for values such as family, honor and justice. Sure, he could be a competitive hot-head when pushed up against the wall, but he stood for the 'right' things. He was polite to people, a gentleman with the ladies and respectful of authority. But always ready to bring out the fisticuffs when injustice (and cheaters!) reared it's head.

Peter Fernandez was the voice, and soul, of Speed Racer. Peter really epitomized the innocence of the character, as well as the rock solid determination of a young man seeking to be the best racer in the world. Remarkably, Peter also voiced Speed Racer's older brother, Racer X! It's amazing to me to watch the cartoon now and think that those two different voices are from the same actor, especially as they're in so many scenes together. Peter's career in acting extends back to the 1949, so he was a seasoned pro by the time he worked on SPEED RACER in 1967.

Of course, we shouldn't for a minute forget Tatsuo Yoshida, the original creator of 'Speed Racer', named Go Mifune in the Japanese manga, MACH GO GO GO. Yoshida is one of the giants of Japanese manga & anime, who, after MACH GO GO GO, created other titles, including the GATCHAMAN manga, which was also turned into an animated series (known as BATTLE OF THE PLANETS once it hit the U.S.). But Peter Fernandez was charged with writing all the English scripts and directing the episodes, so SPEED RACER definitely carries his storytelling imprint.

In 2008, I was hosting an internet radio show, PLANET COMIC BOOK RADIO. Most of the interview subjects were comic book creators, particularly those who self-published their own work. But occasionally, I would have guests who I felt fit within the independent focus of my show, or other aspects of comic book culture. With the May 2008 release of the SPEED RACER film (see my glowing review in a previous Javzilla post) I thought it would be very appropriate to interview Mr. Peter Fernandez himself. And to be honest, I really just wanted the chance to at long last talk to the man!

I looked up his contact info online and sent him an email asking if he would be kind enough to appear. I'd like to share that email with you here:

Dear Mr. Fernandez,

My name is Javier Hernandez and I host a comic book podcast called Planet Comic Book Radio. The show is based out in LA. I would like to invite you on my show as a guest.

Of course I'm asking you to talk about Speed Racer. I am, I will tell you, a life-long fan of the show. And I absolutely loved the movie. I cannot believe how great the film was! And seeing you in it only added to the experience. The filmmakers really got the spirit of SPEED RACER: Family first, then all the fun, crazy action. I got choked-up several times during the film!

I used to catch the show here in Los Angeles in the 1970s. It would often air on an UHF station, called Channel 52. Another show you worked on, GIGANTOR, was also shown on that station. We were into anime before anime was even a known word back then!

My show podcasts live every Tuesday at 5pm (Pacific Time). If you are interested, I do have Tuesday, May 27th available (the day after Memorial Day). I would also have Tuesday, June 10 available. This would be by phone of course, and I figure I would take up about 45 minutes of your time, if that's okay with you.

In any case, please let me express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful work you did in bringing Speed Racer to American audiences. The show remains my favorite cartoon of all time, and the movie is pretty much right up there.

Best,

Javier Hernandez

His response, the very next day:

Javier, PLEASE call me Peter!
I'd love to do your podcast. Tuesday, May 27th would be fine if your slot then is still available. My home phone is: xxx-xxx-xxxx.
All good wishes,
Peter

(The 'PLEASE' was capitalized by him.) The very next morning after the interview he sent me this:

It seemed to go very well last night!
Thanks!
Peter

Emails are of course, unlike letters or postcards, intangible. You can't put them in a scrapbook, or pin them on a corkboard (unless you print them out). I haven't read these emails in over two years, but I have to say right now I treasure them as if they were handwritten. It's sad to realize his Inbox will never be opened by him again.


For the sake of the podcast, I wanted to conduct an interview that shared his extensive experiences and professional career with my listeners, and his process in actually creating the episodes. There are some really interesting things to hear, and the fact that he was the one telling us makes this priceless. But to be honest with you, I really just wanted to be able to talk to Speed Racer for an hour. It was truly a selfish act, and a totally fanboy thing to do, and thank God I had the chance to do it. That I now have a recording of me and Peter Fernandez talking about SPEED RACER, well, that's something I can look back upon fondly.

I won't delve into it too much here, right now, but I can say that Speed Racer is as much an influence on my creation of El Muerto as other childhood heroes, like Peter Parker/Spider-Man. A few years ago I was working with Mort Todd on the exclusive El Muerto comic book that came included in the EL MUERTO movie DVD release. I wrote the story, and sent Mort very loose pencil layouts to work from. He certainly was more than capable of drawing the whole book on his own, but I wanted to at least provide the layouts for the story. When I got back the first couple pages, Mort had added heavier wrinkles on El Muerto's face, probably more in line with the type of zombies and monsters Mort was used to drawing. I told him to think of El Muerto more as a pretty-boy Speed Racer/Peter Parker type, and if he could please 'smooth' up the face! Mort ribbed me for that, but of course complied like a pro. If you ever wondered why I draw long eyelashes on Diego de La Muerte, wonder no longer!

My rough pencil layout, and below that is Mort's final, finished piece.

By the way, I have to mention that some years ago Mort wrote & illustrated a SPEED RACER newspaper strip, and I had mentioned this to Peter in an email. Peter wrote back asking me for Mort's current address, as he wanted to catch up with him. And I just now am realizing, as I write this, that an artist who worked on a Speed Racer strip also has worked on an El Muerto comic!

Back in 2009, the Planet Comic Book Radio website was hacked into and screwed up. That and the fact that we had some poor file back-up strategy meant I stopped doing the show for awhile. Eventually I got busy with other projects and had to pull the plug on doing Planet Comic Book Radio. The whole site had to be rebuilt, and all those interviews had to be uploaded (and the show notes would have to be rewritten), and at that time, I just found myself not being able to devote the time to work on it. Well, with Peter's unfortunate passing, I made a trip back to the studio where I recorded PCBR and searched for the old podcast interviews. But I also found out we had the podcasts archived on another server, and now I'm very pleased to be able to present to you, once again, or for your first time, this most special podcast interview with Mr. Peter Fernandez. Click on this link here. Once the page loads completely, there will be a Player located right under the SPEED RACER graphic. The podcast is in 3 parts, so after each one ends scroll down the bottom right hand corner and click on the 'Next' Arrow.

My condolences go to Peter Fernandez's family and close friends. His work on SPEED RACER definitely is a milestone in the history of Japanese anime finding a foothold, and audience, in the United States. I'm grateful to Peter for appearing on my show, and hope all of the SPEED RACER fans find value in the podcast. When you listen to the episode, you'll hear Peter talk about how he had recently met a fan, in his 40s, and how between tears the man tells Peter how much the show meant to him. I know exactly how that fan feels.

Happy 4th of July...from La CALACA AMERICANO!

La Calaca Americano, one of the superheroes from my CALACAS OF JUSTICE project. Characters inspired by the great work of Jose Guadalupe Posada, the Mexican printmaker who popularized the calacas (skeletal figures) seen in the folkart of the Day of the Dead. 


These are mash-ups of classic comic book archetypes and the Dia de Los Muertos folkart. With DC and MARVEL tripping over themselves to create the most decrepit and ghastly undead versions of their properties, I figure a much more fun and friendly approach to afterlife superheroes was in order! Thus the Day of the Dead comes to the rescue again... (You may have heard of EL MUERTO?)

Check out this Gallery on my DeviantArt page for my two previous Calacas of Justice. And have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

GEEKS CON reviewed (hint: Two Thumbs Up!)

GEEKS CON came and conquered, for sure!

Held at GEEKS Comics, the first-ever GEEKS Con took place on Saturday, June 14. Among the many great things I liked about doing the show was that it was about 10 minutes away from home. That comes particularly handy when I'm driving home at about 11pm, exhausted by a full day show!
 
Here's me setting up. To my left is Ted Seko, cartoonist (BILLY COLE & the SUPERMONSTERS franchise) and podcaster:

EL MUERTO comics, movie and sketch dolls taking up one whole corner. It's Signature Character Korner, Kids!



Jim Lujan not only debuted his brand-spanking new GHETTOMATION GARDEN DVD at the show, but he had time to record several interviews throughout the day, alongside the ever-loving creator of CRYING MACHO MAN, Jose Cabrera (in the baseball cap):

Raul Aguirre Jr. setting another young artist on a strict path of discipline and serious Art Fu:

 (photo courtesy Hortencia Aguirre, used with permission)

Raul's an animator, cartoonist and the host of the MAN VS. ART podcast. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it!! If you've ever talked to Mr. Aguirre, you've no doubt been swept over by his gale force windstorm of artistic knowledge, passion and inspiration. The very reason I've christened him '¡El Bombastico!'




This crackerjack of a comic book artist, Rafael Navarro, has a long history with me:

Rafael is both a Xeric Award-winning comic book artist, and an Emmy Award-winning storyboard artist. But mostly he's the guy I can sit and talk with hours about such topics as Frank Robbin's INVADERS comics, Jack Kirby's CAPTAIN AMERICA and Dick Sprang's BATMAN work. When he's not working on his Sonambulo comic book or freelance gigs, he knocks out stunning pieces like this one:

Yep, this wickedly, wonderful drawing is a pin-up of my WEAPON TEX-MEX. This guy Navarro is a real keeper, believe me!


Here's a pic of (l to r)Rafael, Michael Aushenker, me and Alex Vallejo:

Michael, no stranger to readers of this blog, is, along with Rafael, one of the guys who proceeded my first self-publishing efforts back in 1998. Mikey's the creator of EL GATO, CRIME MANGLER, as well as his current series of comics, CARTOON FLOPHOUSE. He also writes regularly for BACK ISSUE Magazine, and even writes a column for the DITKOMANIA zine (which I occasionaly provide an illustration for). Me, Raf and Mikey were 2/5ths of the 'legendary' LA indie comics group, BIG UMBRELLA! One day, the book will be written on that era (probably by me!) and by Asgard, the tale will be told. Our good friend Alex drove up from San Diego to join us for this show.

Among the other cartoonists joining us at GEEKS CON was Sherm Cohen, the very talented director/storyboard artist from such shows as SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and  KICK BUTTOWSKI:

Even outside his table, Sherm gets mobbed by young fans!

Between all the hoopla of selling comics and meeting fans and drawing in sketchbooks, we even found time to inaugurate another artist into the Cartoonista fold! Co-founder Jim Lujan and I had discussed this some months ago, but we figured this was as good a time as any to spring this on the unsuspecting artist:

Arvie Villanueva of Agimat Entertainment, newly crowned Cartoonista. He and his lovely wife Adonna have had great success with the brand-new video game that Arvie created based on their webcomic, Shadow Candy: SUGAR RUSH. The game is available through iTunes, and I congratulate Agimat on their successful launch. No mean feat, considering how many applications are submitted to Apple every week!

Among the personal highlights I like to remember: Seeing one of the students from the 4th Grade class I spoke at a few weeks ago show up with his mom and use his own allowance money to buy a comic book from me, the fans who took home my Muerto Sketch Dolls, the friends who came by to say 'Hi', other artists like Will Caulfield (ADVENTURES OF BAT BAT) and Lalo Alcaraz (LA CUCARACHA) stopping by to show some support. 


Also, this young man, Andrew, asking for an El Muerto drawing with half his face peeled away! And he insisted on the eyeball dangling from it's socket!! Remember the good old days when kids would ask for a drawing of a cowboy or a dinosaur?!

 I have to thank all the artists who showed up and helped us pack the room with fans. Thanks to Jim Lujan for gettting the ball rolling on GEEKS CON, and of course to my pal Sal Felix, owner of the shop, for opening his store up to GEEKS CON and all the other shows we've had in his store over the last two years.

Making our comics and cartoons and art is our passion, and we'd do it anyways (or go plum loco). But to be able to have a time and a place to show it, share it and sell it...Well, that's what us artist types want! Thanks everyone who played a part in GEEKS CON!

EL MUERTO Sketch Dolls coming to GEEKS CON!!

You say you never heard of 'sketch dolls'? Well, that's cause I just created them!!

These brand-new, fresh-off-the-assembly-line dolls are made from blank fabric dolls which I literally 'sketched' a Muerto drawing onto. Instead of drawing on a sheet of paper, I drew on a blank doll, thus...a sketch doll. We have sketchbooks and sketch cards, I figure I'm  taking the next step. (If someone's done this before, or if anyone out there can send me a link or a pic to other sketch dolls, I'd like to see 'em.)
 
I've always wanted to produce my own EL MUERTO action figures, and in fact have had friends make me some custom figures over the years:

But when I got the idea to make these sketch dolls, I jumped right on them. They're not too time-consuming to make, and they've gotten some positive responses from some folks who've seen them. I like the fact that these dolls are literally 3D representations of my art, and I also like that each and every one is unique and one-of-a-kind.

The little one on the left is 5", and the other one is 8". I'll have only a very, very limited number of these at the upcoming GEEKS CON this weekend, but I'm definitely going to be making more, including some with color and perhaps a special two-pack version as well. I even created a new toy brand for the dolls:

In addition to more dolls, I'll also be rolling out some other products under the KLONKO label, adding them to my comics, DVD and anything else I can concoct and unleash upon fandom! If I wasn't such a fan and collector of toys, memorabilia and other tsotchkes myself, there probably wouldn't be any Muerto sketch dolls or a KLONKO toy brand. Now wouldn't that be a shame!



Be the first to get your hands on the sketch dolls this Saturday, June 19 at GEEKS CON in Whittier. Info on the show, as well as the full line-up of creators, on my previous blog entry....

GEEKS CON, June 19, in Whittier!

Saturday, June 19 will be the debut the first-ever GEEKS CON, a mini-comic book convention being held inside GEEKS Comics!

GEEKS CON is FREE to attend, and will be held inside GEEKS Comics, the friendly, neighborhood, upscale comic shop in Uptown Whittier. The show runs from 12 noon-10pm, perhaps making it one of the longest, single day comic conventions around!

Uptown Whittier has plenty of restaurants and shops, and even a movie theater just down the street from GEEKS. So come on out and build a whole day around GEEKS CON.





There will be over 20 creators exhibiting at GEEKS CON, believe it or not. Independent artists who work in various mediums, such as comic books, animation, video games, fine art, web comics and probably a few others as well! For a complete list of participating artists, check out the GEEKS CON Facebook page.


I'll be bringing, besides my usual catalog of goodness, a brand-new button featuring my comic book mascot, FLOPPY the COMIC:

Copies of my brand-new WANTED:TEX-MEX mini-comic, created for my recent trip to the Phoenix Comic Con:

My current sketchbook, featuring over 40 pages of art from my sketchbooks:

And...some new items from my newest entrepreneurial, artistic endeavor. Check back later next week on this blog for pics on these one-of-a-kind items!


Geeks Comics is located at:
6747 Greenleaf Ave, Suite A
Whittier, CA 90601
Ph.: 562.696.9393


GEEKS CON is Saturday, June 19 from 12 noon- 10 pm!!