LOVE WINTER TOKYO 2009 exhibition

Hello to all my peeps out there! All seven of ya!

From tomorrow I'll be in an another art show in Ginza. Doing group shows is always a good experience as I always learn something from other artists. It's also good to see your work among others'. It's humbling. I remember at one show where after I put up my work I was thinking, "hey, my junk is the best junk on the wall!" Then one last artist comes moseying in a bit late and throws this gorgeous detailed work on the wall blowing my work out of the water. Oh, well. You can't win 'em all. What's that you say? Art is about self expression and communication and touching something deeper in the soul and shouldn't be cheapened or made into some kind of contest? You're right. I'm letting my pride blind me to the true beauty of artistic expression. Each work has its own value and should be enjoyed in its own way. I've learned my lesson. I'll be good. (on a side note, that one amazing piece didn't sell, but I sold my pieces and prints of them as well. In your face!!)

Back to the show info.
"Ginza's nicest day" is the rough translation of the show opening at Gallery G2 in Ginza. It's part of a larger show called "Love Winter Tokyo". From what I can tell, it's mostly illustrators, but there are plenty of "fine" artists exhibiting as well.

Date: Feb. 12 - Feb 17. 2009 (thursday to tuesday)
Time: 12 - 7pm (last day closes at 4pm)
Place: Gallery G2
2-8-2 Ginza, Himurasaki Bldg. 1st Floor
Chuo-ku, Tokyo tel: 03-3567-1555 HP: http://www-gallery-g2.com/

Directions:
Take the Yurakucho line to "Ginza 1 chome" exit 11. Go up the stairs, turn left. Cross the street, go past the Neuhaus shop and it's a small entrance on your left.
If you can get to Ginza it's not too far from the Mitukoshi. From Mituskoshi go towards Kyobashi and turn right at the Melsa. Cross one side street and it's on your right.

Also you can check out the Love Winter Tokyo HP at: http://www.love-winter-tokyo.com

So I've been drawing faeries a lot lately. Is there something you'd like to tell us, you say? Yes. I'm a secure heterosexual male who cries at movies and likes faeries. There I said it. Yes, I read my wife's favorite comic Candy Candy whenever I used the 1st floor bathroom and I cried. What's the big deal? Okay there's nothing more pitiful than a 37-year old man on the pot, reading a girl's comic and crying. I admit it. So why am I even telling you this. Because I'm cool with it, and if you're not, then who needs ya! I like that me. That pitiful me. Besides! Faeries are cool! and innocent. and are inspirational. and are a little bit cute and a little bit sexy. C'mon, admit it. Tinkerbell gets you hot.

That's enough ranting for now. I gotta go draw some unicorns and rainbows. (reality check: actually I'm drawing Bugs and Elmer for a puzzle book coming out in March. I got to choose which story I wanted to do so I chose my fave "What's Opera Doc?" You know, Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit! Kill da WAbbit! You wanna see a taste? Here's a rough of Elmer. Ok. Byeeee!)

Ninjas vs Cowboys, Top 10 Cowboy Manga

I talk about US ninja comics and Japanese cowboy comics on Tim Young's Deconstructing Comics . Listen to it here ! I based on the lecture I gave last year at the Koshi Manga Museum . First slide from my Ninjas vs Cowboys presentation. Here are my Top 10 Cowboy Manga: 10. Bullet Tommy 『弾丸トミー』by Shige SUGIURA This is a classic, one of the earliest comics. It's a "gag manga" for kids and so pokes fun at the various Western movie tropes. The art resembles Shoney's Big Boy, doesn't it? 9. The Cactus Kid 『サボテン君』by Osamu TEZUKA This is one of Tezuka's early Western manga when he had only seen a few westerns at the time. I like the idea of a guy who wants to turn his parents' saloon into a milk bar. 8. The Belle Starr Gang 『ベル☆スタア強盗団』by Akihiro ITO Ito is known for his Geobreeders saga, but this is his take on the real-life outlaw Belle Starr and her gang. I like the art and the attempt to incorporate real-life events into the...

I'm lovin' movie Harley Quinn

Of course, I'll always be a huge fan of Harley Quinn's original design by Bruce Timm. But the Suicide Squad design is based on Harley's recent look which is pretty awesome in itself. Check out these screencaps from the new Suicide Squad trailer. It looks like she's a HUGE part of the flick. Carla Whatsherface's Enchantress (did not like her in Paper Towns so not expecting much from her), Will Smith's Deadshot (always watchable), Jared Leto's Joker (could be insane), Killer Croc, fire dude, whatever... Margot Robbie's Harley steals the show!

Manga treasures - super rare KoroKoro comic reprint

My good friend Mr. Fujita passed on one of his treasures to my mentor Mr. Hashimoto BUT FIRST he allowed me to share some photos and a quick flip through with you, loyal readers. In this box is a tiny reprint (a minibon) of the first issue of weekly anthology magazine CoroCoro comics (5/15/1975, featuring Doraemon) which was given away to only the people who attended the editor’s end of year party in what I assume was 2005 as it says 30th anniversary on the box and inside. I love the mini-bon format and I was sorely tempted to buy the set of Tezuka mini-bon that were sold once. But they’re not the best for research or for reading when your eyesight starts to go like mine has. In the poorly filmed flip-through below, you can see some early Doraemon, a few other series, and some color inserts related to Sadaharu Oh, a Japanese-born Chinese baseball legend who played on the Yomiuri Giants team and holds the world lifetime home run record of 868 home runs. A ...

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