deanobot things

Flashpoint Changes Everything

2011-06-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

DC Comics is relaunching their universe with 52 new #1 issues in September after Flashpoint concludes. New books, reboots and the creative teams. I have a feeling that Superman and Lois Lane will not be married with this relaunch, much like what Marvel did with Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Haven't picked up Spider-Man since then. Costumes have been completely changed (Wonder Girl of the Teen Titans) or altered (Superman has no red trunks and boots are different).

Of the 52 books, there is no mention of the The Justice Society or others from that series, with the exception of Mr. Terrific getting a series. The Wildstorm Universe of characters merged into the DC Universe with 3 books - Grifter, Stormwatch and Voodoo. Some of these were my favorites back in the 80's. DC's website has a complete run down of all 52 books.

I'm not sure how I'm liking this idea. They missed the bus years ago when they did Crisis on Infinite Earths. They've tried to correct it through the years, which made things even worse. Marvel also tried a similar thing with Heroes Reborn. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Avengers and Fantastic Four rebooted their history in an alternate universe. Reception on that wasn't too well received, even with creators like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld on the project.

Buttons.

2011-06-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday GR2 hosted a button making event with Christen Carter from Busy Beaver Button Co. You could draw your own, use pictures or collage from clippings to make your button. I made these three 2.25" buttons. Top one was my first and the gold one with the fish was that last.

Wasn't too sure what to draw for my first button, so I drew my bunny character. Think it would have come out better if I drew it in pencil first. Not good in using a pen/marker to draw with. My second one came out a little better... volcano erupting on an island. I thought this one out a little more when I drew it. The third one came out the best and my favorite. Found this piece of gold paper and was instantly inspired. This time I found a pencil to sketch out my piece first.

I hope GR2 does this event again. It was super fun to create these.

Getting Back On Track...

2011-06-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I haven't been on here in almost a year. It's time to get back on track with this blog, now that I have been able to put a few things back in order.

Being a graphic designer in the print publishing industry during these times has been rough, with publications being canceled or shifted and advertising down. It's gotten a little bit better through adapting and a lot of hard work. Just wish I could get some lost hours back...

Got bit by the Facebook games... Not good. Farmville, Frontierville, CafeWorld and Cityville are the ones I have been playing the most. These took up a lot of my creative time. Even the games I bought for my system consoles have been stacking up. Some I have yet to play... COD:MW, Halo: Reach and Fable 3.

I've been attending a lot of art shows and meeting artists there. Think that has helped motivate me to get things back on track. Inspiration might just be the key. Recently GR2 held Drawing Club and that that was the first time, in a long while, I had gotten creative with a pencil that wasn't a doodle on a notepad.

Hoping I keep this up again... SDCC and AX is coming up soon too.

Avengers Teaser Trailer

2010-08-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wish I could have made it to this panel at Comic-Con. It has been quite a few years since I have made it to any of the panels there. I am mainly running down the aisles of Hall H for exclusives or signings. But here is the teaser trailer they previewed at Comic-Con for the upcoming Avengers movie. Doesn't show anything but a logo and Samuel L. Jackson voice over, but at least it is something.

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury all in one movie. Got a long wait for this movie, since it won't be out for a couple of years. Heard they are already casting for the Wasp and Ant Man for Avengers 2.

DC Universe Online

2010-08-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

While I was going through the DC Comics booth at SDCC last weekend, this trailer really caught my attention. It was for the DC Universe Online video game.

I like this trailer for the game, but I'm not sure if I will buy it.

It's only for PC and PS3, neither one I have. Still not buying a PS3 just to play this or a few other titles. The demos of the game I have seen are okay and then there is the additional online fees. I'm more of a Marvel Comics fan than DC Comics anyways. But who knows... Maybe after the game gets released in November, I might have a PS3 and get it.

Back To The Blog.

2010-08-01T01:20:00.000-07:00

Finally been able to get back to this blog. Work has been getting a bit crazy with some of titles getting canceled or absorbed into an existing book, new work projects evolving into rushed deadlines, coworkers on vacation or sick and AX/SDCC happening in the same month. Just got so tired from working and planning my trip to San Diego to keep up the blog. Not even going to mention my addiction... or may be I will later...

At least I'll be getting a few more hours to replace the ones I lost for the next couple of months. Helping out our Colorado office with their magazine until they can find a replacement for their artist. That will help me with some extra cash for my next major vacation/convention in January 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Even though AX and SDCC are already over, I may post something about it here. Got some SDCC pics on my Facebook page though. I've really got to get back to working on some stuff too. Gotten a bit lazy and that's not good.

Mortal Kombat reboot?

2010-06-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Just saw this on CBR and Kotaku. Not sure what this is, but it looks to be either a re-imagining of the Mortal Kombat movie franchise or a trailer for a video game. I'm thinking it's for the movie. IMDB has it listed for a 2013 release, which is still a long ways off. Doesn't even list it as being in production yet.

It is very different from the 2 previous movies... very dark and set much more in a real world environment. Characters in the clip shown are: Jacks Briggs, Sonya Blade, Scorpion, Reptile, Baraka, Johnny Cage and Sub Zero.

I only recognize Michael Jai White (Spawn) as Jacks and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager) as Sonya. The other actors don't look familiar to me. This could be just a demo reel and the actors, characters and storyline could change drastically in the end.

Return of Vader

2010-06-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, some of the customized Darth Vader helmets from The Vader Project started to appear around L.A. Three at the Golden Apple comic shop, two more at Munkey King (both on Melrose) and about eight at Royal/T Cafe during the Culver City Artwalk.

These were some of the first signs that The Vader Project is returning to L.A. for one final time. For about one week only they will all be on display, just before they go up for auction on July 10 at Freeman's Auction House in Philadelphia, PA. All 100 customized Darth Vader helmets will be on display at 6812 Melrose Avenue., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Open daily from Noon-6pm, June 12-20. There will be an Opening Night Party on Friday, June 11 from 6-10pm. Then on Saturday, June 12 at 2pm a catalog signing with over 20 of the participating artists.

The auction catalog just came out over the weekend. I got mine from the JapanLA Pop Up Shop, in Hollywood, on Sunday. They had a signing with 3 of the artists that contributed their talents to this project: Mr. Toast (Dan Goodsell), Buffmonster and Gary Baseman. Cost for the book was $40. Over 200 pages with all 100 helmets beautifully photographed, a brief history of the project and small artist bios.

I got the chance to see this when the Star Wars Celebration was in L.A. back in 2007 and there over 50 helmets at that time. It's amazing to see them in person because you can see all the details. I am definitely going to make out there Saturday to get my catalog signed and to see the other 50 I missed.

More info. on this and the auction can be found at www.thevaderproject.com.

Dehara - Jizo Exihibit at GR2

2010-06-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

What is a Jizo? It is the Buddhist divinity who protects the departed souls of deceased children, babies and unborn fetuses. Its likeness can be found in cemeteries and on roadsides in Japan. These are the inspiration for Dehara's latest show. He calls them "Japanese stone angels."

There were over 20 custom painted Jizo and over 20 custom figures, J.J. sets, Jizo in regular grey color and special colorways stickers, books, keychains and other boxed figures. Each Jizo comes with matching rice ball accessory. His custom Jizo range from the cute (ONIGIRI) to the slightly bizarre (JUICY HOLE). The figures were absolutely amazing. I really liked the dog, HACHI. and the Jizo with J.J. sets. With so many figures to choose from I finally decided on the MENTA-kun Jizo. It was either that or KILLER CABBAGE. I also thought about getting one of the Jizo colorways, but the white one wasn't GID.

I got to meet Dehara for the first time. He is really nice. He was kind enough to do a Menta and Jizo sketch in my book. Even gave me some insight on how he came up with the Menta and the giant rock he painted on in Japan. These are the times when I wish I could speak a little more Japanese than I do now. David, Sun-Min and Mina stopped in to take peek at the show. Hung out a little bit with SuperBen too.

The exhibit runs through July 7 at GR2, so there is still quite a bit of time to take a look at some truly amazing pieces.

R2D2 and Ice-Bat

2010-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Got to do some relaxing over Memorial Day Weekend. No working... just a bit of sleeping. I did get out to head on down to Golden Apple Comics on Monday. Picked up the June Previews/Marvel Previews books, issues of Brightest Day #2, X-Force #27 (part 9 of the Second Coming X-Men crossover event), Avengers #1, Galacta: Daughter of Galactus #1 and The Last Unicorn #1. As I was looking around the store I saw this display case next to a life-size R2D2 statue with signatures and doodles on it. Never paid too much attention to the R2D2. But this time I happened to be crouched down in between the display and the R2D2, to get a closer look at the figures on the very bottom shelf. Just then, something on the R2D2 caught my eye... Ice-Bat's head sketched and signed by David on the front side. I pulled out my iPhone and quickly snapped a couple of pics.

I also found out that they will be selling the Vader Project Auction Catalog and the auction preview is happening down the street from the store. June 12-20 open to the public. On June 11 there will be and Opening Night Party with DJs from 6pm to 10pm. On June 12 there will be a catalog signing with over 20 artists. Golden Apple has a window display with 3 of the Vader helmets.

Been a little too busy over the past month and a half to really post anything. My regular work schedule has been getting bumped around a bit. A few publications got axed or moved, so I've had to reorganize some of my plans for the latter part of the year. Luckily none of it interferes with SDCC. A project I was working on involved creating some sketches of a bunny for a movie, but that fell through. Since they went with another designer for this plush bunny, I'll use it for myself. So I have my Ty looking over the sketches to turn him into a plush. Hopefully it comes out okay. I did finish up some planning for my dad's 85th birthday party in August. Booked the Chinese restaurant, picked out the menu, guest list done and date set. Only things left to do are the invites and the party favors. I have Ty making some small plush origami cranes as party favors. He has made them before and should work well with the party.

The Losers Screening

2010-04-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Last Friday a bunch of my friends and I went to the screening of The Losers. I think this is the second movie to be adapted from DC Comics' Vertigo line. The first was Watchmen... which I liked, even though the ending was not the same as the graphic novel. The Losers ran for 35 or 36 issues. I only picked up the first couple of issues. Just couldn't keep up with it, since I already had too many books on my pull list to read at the time.

Think I am going to be picking up the graphic novels after seeing this movie. I really enjoyed it! The movie is about a military ops team that are betrayed and framed by this guy named Max and they are out to get revenge on him. Along the way they are helped and joined by Aisha, who is also out for revenge as well.

Action and fight scenes are great. After seeing her in this movie, Zoe Saldana needs to be in more action movies with fighting roles. She can kick some serious butt! The character of Jensen, played by Chris Evans, is super hilarious! The whole elevator scene, before and after, is just great. It'll be interesting to see how he is as Captain America. I didn't even recognize Jason Patric as the villain, Max. His character is completely insane.

The movie seems to cover the first 2 chapters of the series. So I can see them adapting the rest of the chapters into a trilogy. Hopefully it does well at the box office to do so.

Clash of the Titans Premiere

2010-04-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I scored some screening passes to the premiere of Clash of the Titans last night. One of my favorite movies of all time. I absolutely loved the original! Mainly because I was really into Greek mythology... which started my interest into the myths of other cultures. Even steered me into taking a course in Archaeology in college.

This remake was a bit of a disappointment for me. The storyline is changed from the original and deviates from the myth of Perseus... especially the ending. The flow of the movie seemed rushed. The scene with Perseus' conception/birth might have been a better opening to the movie, instead of putting that near the middle. Bubo has a really small cameo, which is really a shame...

All the Olympian gods, except for Zeus and Hades, are all just background extras. Apollo and Poseidon have one line speaking roles. Then there is the shiny gold armor the male Olympians are wearing... what the hell is up with that. Made them looked like spaceknights. It reminded me of the anime series Saint Seiya, one of my favorite anime series. Looks good in the anime, but not the movie. And why the Black Pegasus too? I always thought heroes rode white horses...

On the other hand, the effects and 3D were really good, especially the Scorpions, Medusa and the Kraken. I really liked the throne room chamber of the Olympians. The floor was the landscape of the earth with clouds. The fight scenes were nice. There were some occasions where I could not tell who was fighting and getting killed.

There are other things in the movie I wasn't too keen on: face of desert tribe men reminded me of a Decepticon from the Transformer movie and Calibos. I had hopes that this movie would be as good as the original, but to me it's not.

Cherry Blossom Time

2010-03-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom at Stoner Park in West L.A.

The publisher gave me Friday off, so I decided to go to Sawtelle Blvd. for some relaxing, shopping and eating. I had heard that the cherry blossoms had started to bloom in nearby Stoner Park. It's, more or less, ten blocks west of Sawtelle... so it's in walking distance. Luckily the weather was just right for a walk. Sunny, but mild with a slight breeze.

Cherry blossoms are definitely in bloom. I noticed one in front of the Buddist Church and by some nearby houses. But nothing can compare to seeing a whole bunch of the trees in bloom. These trees are all lined around Stoner Park. So all you see is pink when you stroll around the edges of the park. One of the coolest things is when a breeze blows through the line of trees and the pink petals float down.

Mr. Toast Party

2010-03-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was the Mr. Toast Party at Japan L.A. This was Dan's first time having a show there. He's been working on this one since the Hello Kitty Three Apples Show last year. I've mostly gone to Cons or event where he has a booth. or a group show he is part of. Think this is my first time going to one of his solo shows/events.

Dan and Japan L.A. went all out with this Party. The Grilled Cheese Truck was outside serving a special in honor of the event: grilled cheese with egg and bacon bits coating the top (real, not the artificial kind of bacon either). YUMMY! Handpainted goodie bags for the first 100 people with the purchase of $5 or more of a Mr. Toast item. Then there is the Party next door with Mr. Toast himself, which I missed...

It was to start at 7pm and I got there around 6:30pm. A long line had already formed by then, which should be an indicator of how popular Mr. Toast has gotten. There had to be about 75 people in front of me with more people arriving and standing in line behind me. If I had gotten there a few minutes later I would have been standing in the alley. The line moved with a good pace to get people into the store. The inside of Japan L.A. isn't very big, so they had to limit the amount of people going inside. Just before I was going in I saw Buffmonster talking with Dan.

The usual Mr. Toast plush stuff was there, necklaces, t-shirts (some I remember seeing at SDCC), prints, original mini-watercolors and a new tote bag. I picked up one of the last watercolors from the Hello Kitty Three Apples Show. This one had Joe he Egg and Tuxedo Sam. He had another one with Tuxedo Sam at the show that I had seen online, but was too late to get it when I went that night. I also picked up the Dance Party print. Got number 2 of 250! Hung out with Dan for a little bit in between his signing/sketching. Even had him do a sketch in my book. He is just great. One of the nicest guys too.

Went next door to get my goodie bag and check out the Party. There were some Mr. Toast, Joe the Egg and Shakey Bacon decorations hanging from the ceiling. Since Mr. Toast seemed to be taking a break from the dancing, I decided to head out and get my grilled cheese. While I was waiting for my grilled cheese order, I bumped into Brandi (Serial Nerd) and Travis outside. They were waiting in line to get into the store, one of the last few people in the line. Would have hung out with them more, if I wasn't rushing myself to the opening of the Patchwork Show at GR2.

Here's a picture of the two items I purchased. Print and small, framed, original watercolor. The other pic is of the handpainted goodie bag. Forgot to take a pic of the contents, which included: a Clem Lemon plush, Joe the Egg plush, 3 Mr. Toast keychains, a Mr. Toast and Joe the Egg Picnic button, 5 Mr. Toast greeting cards, 2 folded books (Mr. Toast and Gags) and some Japan L.A. postcards.

2002 Ice-Bat

2010-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

GR2 had their 2002 Ice-Bat release and signing event with Sun-Min Kim and David Horvath on Saturday (3:00pm-5:00pm). This Ice-Bat is modeled after the very first handmade ones that were first sold at Giant Robot back in 2002. These have 2 toes and 5 teeth. Limited edition of 300 and available through Giant Robot.

So glad the rain let up for this. The line for the event wasn't as too bad. I got there a little before 2:30pm, with only 6 or 7 people before me. Michelle started letting people into the store 6 at a time, just a little past 3:00pm. Everyone was limited to purchase 3 Ice-Bats per person. I had bought 3 post-it's from the GR2 Post-It 3 show last year and got them framed. The frame had two smaller areas that were perfectly sized for the smaller post-it's. So I put 2 blank ones there for them to sketch in to complete my frame. Was going to have them sketch something into my book, but I didn't want to hold up the line too much. I'm going to be going to SDCC this year, so I can get a sketch there. I bought my limit of 3, but needed to get 1 more for Justin. Figured I'd wait around outside until the end of the signing to purchase another one, if any were left.

While standing in line I got to catch up with Brandi (serial nerd) and Travis, who were just recently engaged. Finally met Hilda (hch05) and Corey as I was coming out from the store. We seem to always miss each other at these signings. Talked a bit with Eric while standing outside too. He and I were amazed at how many young kids were there.

The turn out was really great. Signing ended at just the right time too... it started to rain.

Street Food, Adventure and Tigers

2010-02-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

Had a busy schedule planned for myself for the President's Weekend. Plus, no thanks to the economy and corporate office, a non-paid and forced day off on Monday (1 0f 5 this year). There was the L.A. Street Food Fest and GR2 Year of the Tiger Opening on Saturday, then the Travel and Adventure Show on Saturday and Sunday.

I originally planned on going to the Travel and Adventure Show on Saturday, after the L.A. Street Food Fest. But changed my mind when I got to the Convention Center around 1pm. Decided to head to the Food Fest instead. I had been hearing about this for the past few months and really wanted to try some of the food trucks that were going to be there. Parked my car and walked to the area where the Food fest was being held. Which was about a mile from where I parked. I didn't mind since I was getting myself back into a walking workout routine. Really did not expect what I saw when I got there... the line for this thing was super long. It went zig-zagging around the block and into the parking lot nearby. Stood in line around 1:30pm. By 3pm we were being told that the trucks were running out of food and the lines to get the food was an hour wait. Everyone started to leave and I bailed as well. That was a total bust...

On my way back to my car, I passed by the Nokia Plaza. Saw that they had set some stuff up and a small crowd was around there. Found out that Justin Bieber was going to be performing there around 7pm. I had to get something to eat, so I just kept on walking to my car. Needed to do a few things and changed my plans on going to the GR2 Year of the Tiger Opening in the evening.

Sunday I went to the Travel and Adventure Show. Was pretty surprised at how many people were there in attendance and what they had there. There was a rock climbing wall, cowboy roping, zip line and mini scuba pool. Seeing some of the scuba diving exhibitors there got me thinking about getting back into it again. Although I am a certified advanced open water diver, but I haven't gone in about 8 years. Plus I don't have a lot of dives under me. After talking to some of them, I would definitely need to take a refresher course. There was a lot of places I would love to check out... Easter, Cook and Galapagos Islands would be nice. Revisit Yosemite. Japan would be my ultimate trip right now. Always thought about going there. Well, now I have all the materials to research them all. Not sure if I'll ever get to any of these places anytime soon...

Just stopped in for a quick moment to take a look at the pieces at the Year of the Tiger exhibit at GR2. Took a few pics while I was there. Didn't stay too long, since I was a little tired from everything and need to relax a bit. There were a few that were really cool and amazing to see in person. Maybe I'll go back again this coming weekend if I don't head down to Long Beach Convention Center for the one-day Comic Event.

Moshi Monster MoPod

2010-02-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

We got these things into the L.A. Parent office a couple of weeks ago. They were giveaway prizes at the booth for the California Baby and Kidz Expo. They are called MoPods. These were Series 1 of the Moshi Monsters edition.

I'm not too familiar with these Moshi Monsters MoPod things. There are 6 different characters to choose from: Luvli, Furi, Diavlo, Poppet, Katsuma and Zommer. They are little ring detectors that you attach to your bag or jacket and when your cell phone rings, the MoPod spins and lights up. It is supposed to alert you when your phone receives a call, text, email or voice message on your cell phone.

My editor gave me one to try out. When she saw the little characters on these, she knew I would get a kick out of them. I got the one called Furi. After opening the package, I removed the tab that blocks the battery power at the bottom. The MoPod did a little spin and flash, then stopped. I called my cell phone from the office phone, but nothing happened when my cell started to ring. Started to read the packaging and searching online. Found out that it does not work with CDMA networks or 3G enabled handsets. So it will not work with my iPhone... bummer. But there is a chance it could work with the 1st generation iPhones. Also it could activate due to the proximity of another person's cell phone.

Not a total loss though... each of these come with a secret code for a virtual accessory that you can use when you adopt a pet monster at moshimonsters.com. I went to the website site and it looks like one of those online communities for kids. Not sure if I will even use the code, but I might... Just to take a deeper look at the site.

2010 Plush Uglydolls Revealed

2010-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

David Horvath revealed the 2010 plush Uglydolls line on his Facebook page this past Monday. Well before Toy Fair in February. They are: Pointy Max, Picksey, Mynus, Ket, Nandy Bear, Ninja Batty Shogun, Cozymonster and Wippy.

4 of the new Uglydolls have already been seen before at the Dehara and David Have Mono show, at Stitch in Japan, back in September of 2009: Pointy Max, Ket, Batty Shogun and Cozymonster. These were handmade versions in different colors than these regular production versions. But it was unknown at the time if any of them would be part of the 2010 line.

Ket was one of the first to be confirmed as a 2010 release. When the Kiston Ket exclusive was released in November, it was mentioned that the regular release of Ket would be in a different color in late 2010.

Pointy Max and Picksey, are out in stores now. These were up for pre-order on the website at the beginning of December 2009. Mynus is up for pre-order on the Uglydolls web store. Won't know the release schedule of the others until Toy Fair. Along with the unveiling of the series 2 action figures, tin toy line and Ugly Hangers.

Jetfire and Presto Magix Box

2010-01-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

Needed to go through some old clothes in my closet. Since I had Martin Luther off and it was raining all day, I did just that. Think I had about a dozen chinos and slacks that didn't even fit me anymore and not too many shirts. Majority of my wardrobe consists of t-shirts and jeans. During my cleaning I came across a lot of old things, but I had to pull out these two out since they were right where I was cleaning... my G1 Jetfire (which I still call Skyfire at times) and this Presto Magix Transformers box.

Jetfire was sitting with a bunch of other stuff, on the highest shelf in my closet. Not in a box like all my other loose Transformers figures... not sure why... He looks in pretty good shape. Joints are all in good condition. Little bit of dust on him, but a wipe should clean him off. Some of the white parts are not as white. Seems to have dulled out from all these years unprotected in the closet. Think I am going to leave him out on my desk for a while.

Can't say the same for the Presto Magix box. The top of the box is a bit caved in from the pressure of other items being on top of it for so many years. Opened it up and the inside looks in good shape. All the peel and lift stickers are all there on the two sheets. For some odd reason, I thought I left all the stickers on the surface of the backboard. Must have put them back on their original sheets before I put it away.

Twitter and AIM

2010-01-17T04:30:00.000-08:00

First Facebook and now I'm on Twitter and AIM too! Actually I've been on Twitter for the past few months now and just recently got on to AIM (thanks Justin). Now I really won't have any personal time for myself... ever (again, thanks Justin).

You can check the updates to my Facebook and Twitter on my AIM Lifestream. Also, if you want to add me to a buddy list, my AIM screen name is my email. Deanobot is already taken (too bad guys) and I'm too lazy to think of another screen name to use.

I think I am now doomed...

Vegas and Back

2010-01-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Four guys traveling to Vegas... I'm so glad that this trip did not turn into something out of The Hangover. Left for Vegas last week Wednesday for 6 days of fun at the CES and AEE. Came back this past Monday, and I still wish I was on vacation in Vegas. I think this is a message to myself...

So the drive out there was nice, even though I felt like I was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland at times. Left around noon and got into Vegas around 7pm, making a pit stop to eat in Barstow and to shop at the CA/NV border. Had to buy a much needed new pair of pants to go with my blazer. Tried to make it to the badge pickup areas before they closed, but missed the AEE one by an hour. So we just went to check into our rooms at The Cal in downtown and eat at the buffet in the Main Street Station. We left our main luggage in the car and took overnight bags to the rooms. Didn't want to lug all our luggage up, since we were only staying at the hotel for one night. The rest our stay in Vegas would be at the Palazzo.

On Thursday we couldn't check into our room at the Palazzo until 3pm, so we hit the AEE at the Sands Expo Center first. Distributors only on the first day. One member in our group is a distributor, so he got the passes ahead of time. Spent the entire day there until it closed and then checked into our room. Concierge Level package = complimentary breakfast, afternoon presentation, evening hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, dessert and open bar. Luckily the sofa in the sunken living room was an L-shape and two of us were the right height to sleep on that.

Friday was spent at CES. 3D really is the emerging technology at this year's show. Lots of that stuff being shown around. Try playing Rock Band and COD in 3D... Wow! Show was smaller than last year with a lot less swag being given out. Microsoft and Sony seem to have the bigger booth areas with huge crowds in them. Lego Universe is a nice idea, but I'd wait a year to see how it expands. Got to play a demo version of the new Star Trek MMO at Microsoft. The girl that was demonstrating the game didn't really know how to play the game, but I was able to figure it out pretty easily. Played for almost 2 hours and lost my friends in the hall. AT&T's phone network was horrible there. Got call failed message, text not going through and could not use the internet on my iPhone. Took almost the rest of the day until we were able to get in touch with each other.

Saturday some of us spent half the day at CES while the others went to AEE. Sunday was all fan day at AEE, so that's where we all went. Ate a lot of food, planned to go to some of the clubs and got invited to some of the parties happening around town, made some money on the slots at the Palazzo and bought 3 new Uglydolls from FAO at the Forum Shops. That's just some of the stuff we did in Vegas, but you know what they say about Vegas too... what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I usually don't drink, but I did on this trip and it made me feel a bit more relaxed.

Drive back on Monday was really quick. Left Vegas at 11am and made it back to L.A. by 3pm. Although I did get car sick during the drive back, which is a bit unusual for me. Got some pics from the trip on my Facebook. I just wish the vacation was a bit longer... didn't really want to go back to work.

Facebook

2010-01-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

After well over a year of avoiding and putting it off, I finally got onto Facebook. Now the question is, will I have time for anything else?

Ready For Vegas?

2010-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Getting my suitcase ready for my trip to Las Vegas. We leave on Wednesday and will be there until Monday for the Consumer Electronics Show. It's the first of a few other trips or events I go to every year. The others being AnimeExpo and SDCC. I want to try and make it to Star Wars Celebration V, in Florida, this year and I don't see it happening with my deadlines conflicting with the event.

I'm excited to see what new things will be at this year's CES. From what I've been hearing, 3D will be the big technology at this show. There will also be a Mac-centric area, but I highly doubt Apple will be there. They are always at Macworld (except they are not exhibiting this year), which is held at the same time in San Francisco.

Cool Ornament

2010-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

A bit late getting this post up, but I got this really cool ornament from my co-worker, Terresa, for Xmas. A handmade felt Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba! One of the cooler gifts I received this past year. She made one of Plex for her nephew, which turned out looking very awesome! Along with these felt creations there were 2 unicorns for her nieces. She's become a crafty mom.

Most of the other gifts I got were the usual gift cards, but I think people have finally figured me out. A lot of times I got gift cards from places that I would rarely shop and then it would sit in my wallet for most of the year. This time 90% of them were either from iTunes, Best Buy, Gamestop or food places (In N Out, Jamba Juice, Starbucks). The places I go to the most. Maybe I will buy Modern Warfare 2 now...

Janie XY

2009-12-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am a huge collector of a lot of things. Plush creations being just one of them. Especially when they are really cute and handmade. So when I saw these items at Unique L.A. I had to get them. These are handmade plush by Janie XY.

Her booth was almost decked out like a fruit stand. Which matched a lot of her plush items. There were quite a few items to choose from: 2 types of bunnies, whales (small and large), 3 different color cats, eggplants, strawberries, oranges, pears and tomatos. All with names tags and a short bio on them. There was even stackable ice cream cones, which was really cool. The plush ice cream cone had different types of ice cream scoops that go on top of it (each piece sold separately). A magnet is under the material on the tops and bottoms, which helps them to hold together when they stack on each other. It wobbles a little when you have 2-3 ice cream scoops on the cone.

The item that really drew me to her booth was the round plush rabbit, Lars. The moment I saw it on the table I picked it up and gave it a squeeze, then a tiny shake. Thought there was a jingle bell inside, but I was wrong. The girl behind the booth looked at me and said, "It's really cute, huh." Then I said "This would be perfect if it had a bell inside it." She replied, "She can make it with a bell inside." But I was fine without one in it. Found out that the actual creator of these plush items had stepped away from the booth for the moment. So I didn't have a chance to meet the creator. I picked out Lars the bunny and wanted one of the cats, Ramses. There was a gray and pink cat too, but I liked the bright orange color of Ramses. As I was about to make my purchase I was told that if I got another item that totaled $40, I would get Ramses free. So I picked the orange, Nancy.

I may have to get one of the whales through her Etsy store. Thought about getting it when I was at Unique L.A., but I didn't have time to go back to her booth. I did notice some differences with the pics on her items in the Etsy store with the ones I purchased. The orange has a shape and face similar to the tomato. Might be that the pics have not been updated on the site yet. Even with that I think these are some really great plush items.

Kauzbots

2009-12-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

Went to Unique L.A. a few Saturdays ago. Been looking forward to going to this for the past few months, since Felt Club was not being held this year. I started to check out the Unique L.A. website and saw photos from a summer show they had earlier in the year. There was this one pic of a booth with these plush robots that I had never seen or heard of. They were called Kauzbots, robots with a heart.

Checked out the Kauzbots website to see more info on them. There are 10 different robots that all begin with the letter "K" and each support a different cause:

Kalvin (dark gray) - Hearts of Gold
Kruz (blue) - Lifewater International
Kale (green) - Arbor Day Foundation
Karthy (yellow) - TACA (Talk About Curing Autism)
Kiefer (black) - IRC (International Rescue Committee)
Karson (red) - AIDS Walk
Kourage (purple) - George Mark Children's House
Khloe (white) - NCOHF (National Children's Oral Health Foundation)
Kaprice (pink) - Breast Cancer Network of Strength
Karissa (orange) - Share Our Strength

10% of the sale price from each robot goes to support its specific cause. Same goes for the apparel and keychains. They all have the same body shape, but different colors, material patterns and antennas. There is also a pocket on the back of all the robots. Inside of the pocket is a little plush heart.

When I got to the booth and saw them, I just had to get me one. Picking out a robot was a tough decision. Do I choose by color or cause? Went with color this time around. Chose Karissa. But as I was waiting to pay for my purchase, I decided to get one more and picked up Karthy. I got a Kalvin keychain too. It looks like a miniature plush version of Kalvin. Found out that the keychain will no longer be produced in that style due to manufacturing complications. Instead they will be in the form of the robot's heads.

Love these guys... how can you not love 'em. They are cute robots that support a cause, which can make a difference in the world. Think my next robot will be Kale. Basing my choice by cause this time...

The Killing of a Chinese Cookie

2009-12-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the fortune cookie was actually invented by the Japanese?
It does not even exist in China.

Just went to a screening of The Killing of a Chinese Cookie, earlier this evening. It's a documentary on the history of the fortune cookie. It's a film by my former studio partner and high school friend, Derek Shimoda. He directed, produced and wrote this funny and entertaining look at the mixed up history of the fortune cookie. From its early beginnings in Japan (and its debated origins in San Francisco or Los Angeles) to a permanent staple at the end of a meal in a Chinese restaurant. There are interviews with many people, one of them being Giant Robot publisher Eric Nakamura.

Derek had been working on this for a year and a half, I think. He got to travel to quite a few different places like Japan and San Francisco. The film was released last year, 2008, mostly at film festivals. It is now available on DVD through Amazon.com and for free online at snagfilms.com.

There was also a cook-off before the screening involving fortune cookie inspired desserts. The winning dessert would be featured on the Geisha House menu for a limited time. There were 3 judges: Eric Nakamura, Brian Kito (Fugetsu-Do Confectioners) and a person from Geisha House. Winning dessert was a cheesecake-like dessert and it was very tasty too.

GR2 Post-It 4 Show

2009-12-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

GR2 had the opening of the Post-It 4 show on Saturday. Heard there were something like 1300+ pieces submitted by 150+ artists. My camera's battery was dead so I had to take pics with my iPhone, which isn't that great. GR2 pre-show pics here and here. Pieces were priced from $5 to $40 for single post-its and $40-$300 for post-its made up of multiple pieces. This was a great chance to get a piece of original art from an artist at a really great, inexpensive price. All are "cash and carry." So once you bought it, it comes off the wall and you take it home right away. You could only purchase one item from each artist, since some only submitted one and others may have submitted more than one.

I got there about 5:30pm and there was a handful of people already there. At this point you could really get up close to the wall and see the artwork... that would change in the next half-hour at opening. Once Michelle put the sign up sheet out to purchase art a little before 6pm, a line formed quickly. I was last on the first page of the list.

The place got packed really quickly and you could hardly move or get close to the wall to take a good look at the post-its. Michelle started calling names from the sign up list and pieces started coming off the walls. It took people a while to get their pieces because some were still looking and making their decisions right then. Pieces are coded on the back. Unless you know the artists' work or they signed their piece, it could be difficult finding something you wanted. It took about an hour until my name was called.

This was such a great show! Even after I left, about 8pm, there was still a huge crowd there waiting for their chance to make a purchase. I got a David Horvath, Sun-Min Kim, Mina Horvath, APAK, Saelee Oh, Gary Baseman and Le Merde. I got all the ones I wanted to get, although the Baseman one was my second choice. First choice was a post-it with his Toby character in it. I went back the next day and there are still a lot of great pieces left. All of David's were gone. There were a couple of Sun-Min's and Mina's still available. I think I got pics of all of their pieces here.

Friend or Foe

2009-12-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Saw these guys online this past weekend and I just had to get me a couple of them. So cute... They are Friend or Foe blind pack charms from Poketo. About 2.5" tall. Each is a unique and handpainted stuffed charm, so no 2 are alike. There are hundreds of different characters to chose from. But since they are blind packed, you don't know which ones you'll get. $12 each.

I ordered 2 on Sunday and they arrived on Thursday. One looks kinda like a lucky cat, while the other resembles a pig. The material they are made from feels like painters canvas. The whole charm looks to be handpainted too. I'm putting the piggy one on my backpack since the other one is white. Don't want to get that one dirty too fast.

Think I am going to get me 2 more of them later.

Handbags

2009-12-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Haven't been at the studio for a while, with all my daytime job deadlines and the usual stuff that happens at the end of the year bogging me down. I had to stop in over this past weekend to get a couple of supplies. Decided to work on something at home instead of the studio, just in case I get the urge (or time) to work on it. Going to need to pick up one other item from the store if I do get to working on it though.

When I stopped by the studio I saw a couple of handbags that my studio partner, Ty, finished up. They look really nice. The gray one has a zippered pocket in the middle and separates the inside into 2 compartments. The black one is a little longer and doesn't seem to have any compartments. Not sure if he made these for someone or for a show. I never know for sure since he is usually there when I am not, so we very rarely see each other.

We really have to get working on a collaboration of some ideas that have been floating around for quite a few months. Gotta find some time soon... hopefully by the beginning of the year...

Zombie Coconut

2009-11-24T16:10:00.001-08:00

While I was sitting at my computer last night checking my email, twitter, some forums and blogs. I was inspired to do this sketch. Zombie Coconut. Inspired by Justin and Bianca's Fresh Like Coconuts site (FLC). It came out pretty good for something that originally started as a rough pencil doodle. Then I started to get into it and tightened the lines some and inked it in. Had to use a fine point Sharpie, since my regular Sharpie went AWOL on me. Added a maggot friend on his head too.

Think I am going to take this into Illustrator and simplify it a bit... tone down the detail a little and give it some color. May even try a mini painting of this.

Luchador Mr. Toast

2009-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

I have got to get one of these! Luchador Mr. Toast. A DesignerCon exclusive. Edition of 25 at $25 each available this Saturday. If you are not able to get one of these, Dan said that he may get some more made at a later date. But those will have a different color mask.

Kitson Exclusive Uglydoll Ket

2009-11-11T23:49:00.000-08:00

David Horvath just posted on his blog that Kitson has an Exclusive Uglydoll. Ket Kitson Edition was just released this week in stores and online. The regular version will be released in late 2010 and be a different color from this one. Ket is the first Uglydoll to be a confirmed in the 2010 line-up of Uglydolls. The rest should be revealed soon.

Ket was first seen at the Dehara & David Have Mono Show in Tokyo, Japan back in September of this year. There were 2 black handmade versions for this show.

I stopped by the Kitson store on Robertson, while on my way home from work, to see if I could pick one up. Wasn't too hard to spot. They were in a clear cube holder, on the floor. Not too far from the entrance aisle walkway. Might go back later this week and get at least one more.

Hello Kitty Meet the Artists Party

2009-11-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Meet the Artists Party at the Hello Kitty Exhibition at Royal/T was on Saturday, 7pm-11pm. Went with my co-worker's blog partner Cecy and her friend. She was going in as media to interview the artists that were there for their mommy blog and I was assisting her. Just like being her Executive Assistant for the show. Since she wasn't very familiar with the artists, and I was, I could help her out by identifying who's who and give her background info.

There was a line to get into the pop-up shop in the front and another in the back to get into the gallery. But since we were media, we got in without any line waiting. Even got to go into the VIP lounge area for free beverages and appetizers. Some of the artists were in that area chillin' out before stepping out into the main gallery area.

I got to meet so many of the talented artists that took part in this show: Camilla D'errico, Angry Woebots, Deph, Misha, Dan Goodsell, Melissa Contreras, Peekaboo Monster, Gary Baseman, Jason Han, Thomas Han, Luke Chueh, Buff Monster, Natalia Fabia and Melly Trochez are the ones that I can remember at the moment.

Live painting started earlier in the day with Peekaboo Monster at 2pm, Angry Woebots at 4pm and Camilla D'errico at 6pm. Then there was the artist jam session during the Meet event where all the artists in attendance collaborated on one canvas. Paintings were auctioned and proceeds went to charity. There was also Live T-shirt Screenprinting at the event with art by: 64 Colors, Crowded Teeth, Buff Monster, Plasticgod and Mark Dean Veca. New print releases by Angry Woebots, Camilla D'errico and Peekaboo Monster, plus some of his custom The Birds resins too.

Would have taken more pics, but I was recording some of the interviews on my iPhone. Just in case Cecy missed writing anything down. She also purchased one of the Three Apples exhibit books to get the artists to sign. They are putting it up on their mommy blog, thatsitmommy.com, as a fan giveaway prize package. I picked up 2 watercolors by Dan Goodsell. He posted a bunch of them on his blog, but the 2 that I really wanted with Keroppi and Tuxedo Sam were already gone. Those 2 are my favorite Sanrio characters. Ended up getting one with Chococat and another with Sweet Coron.

Ultimate Alliance 2: DLC Pack

2009-11-03T01:09:00.001-08:00

Looks like the first DLC Pack for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is coming out this Thursday, November 5th. 800 Microsoft Points and $9.99 PSN Store. The Pack will include 5 new characters to the game: Carnage, Psylocke, Cable, Black Panther and another soon to be announced character. Also the Juggernaut pre-order DLC, that was a Gamestop exclusive pre-order, will be available on that same day. 160 microsoft Points and $1.99 PSN Store.

I pre-ordered this game at SDCC back in July just to get the DLC for Juggernaut. Still have not gotten around to play this yet. Trying to finish another game before I start this one. I really loved the first one, even finished the game too. Can't wait to start playing this one.

**JUST ADDED**
The mystery 5th character in the DLC Pack is none other than mutant master of magnetism, Magneto.

Character Sketch

2009-11-03T00:03:00.000-08:00

Found these 2 sketches a few days ago in a pile of papers pressed within a sketch book. The first one was my initial detailed design, in pencil, for this character. I know I had some really loose and rough thumbnail pencils that I worked on first, but those may have been on some small pieces of scratch paper. I seem to use those, since I have them on my desk at all times. I try to recycle some of the waste paper from the printer/copier. Should really use my small sketchbooks more often... some of these pieces of paper get discarded afterwords. Especially if they have writing or phone numbers on them from notes or messages.

I knew she was going to have 6 arms (thought about 4 too) and armed with guns and blades. Her look was going to be very Amazon warrior-like with some hi-tech pieces to the uniform. She was part of the Strikforce team I posted in a previous sketch I did. That's about all I had as an idea for her at the time. It is quite a few years old and I vaguely remember some of the other characters that were created for this. Think her name might have been Shiva or Armada or Riot... Shiva sounds more familiar though.

The second one was going to be a much tighter, stylized pencil study of her with design tweaks. Only thing is that it was abandoned... never did finish working on it. Not sure why...

GR Biennale 2 @ JANM

2009-10-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Little late in getting this post up. It has just been really busy for me at the moment, with work and happenings around town. But anyways... I went to the opening of the Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 Years Art Exhibition and Celebration. Got there really early, about 4:30pm, and decided to walk around J-Town a bit. Had not been around there for a long while and some of the stores and eateries I used to go to have changed. Even the area I used to work at during my college days has been developed into a parking lot for the Metrorail. So as I walked through the Village I bump into Justin, Bianca and his mom. I met them at SDCC this past year. I guess I should say Justin and his mom only, since Bianca wasn't there. Made a quick stop at the Yogurtland nearby to pickup a Tokidoki character spoon. 2 are out now: Mozzarella and Latte. 2 others come out Nov. 23: Donutella and Captain Coco.

After the stop, we went to stand in line at JANM for the opening at 6pm. There were only a few people in line there at the time, but the line didn't get too much longer until close to the time of the opening. Doors opened and we were let into the museum to view all the great art work for the show. They even laid out the red carpet for this opening with a Giant Robot backdrop that featured 62 issues of GR.

The main artists like David Choe, James Jean, Souther Salazar, Jeff Soto, Jack Long, etc. were in the upstairs part of the gallery. While the collaboration of Le Merde, David Horvath and Dehara was in the downstairs one, along with 50+ other artists. We started in the bottom gallery since it seemed that is where everyone was heading. There was a long line to get into that part of the gallery as the night progressed. Lighting was dimmer than I expected it to be in this area.

The figures that Le Merde, David and Dehara made were just amazing. The 3 Le Merde customs of My Friend Dave, Kaiju Ice-Bat and Kaiju Babo were... how can I put this... Gorgeous! Sun-Min's first resin, Sun-Min's Monster, were great to see! The eyes on some of them are a little cross-eyed. Loved seeing the colored blank My Friend Dave customs with handpainted details on them. Dehara's pieces always look great too. The collaboration figures they did were awesome you can totally tell which ones each artist worked on and the different heads they come with are a very cool addition. Sun-Min also had these half gourd-like sculpts hanging on the back wall too with her signature painted flowers. Those were pretty interesting to see.

There were so many pieces to look at in the bottom gallery that we almost forgot about the other one upstairs. But we had to make a stop at the food and beverage table in the main hall area, at least before the stage presentation started. There was some wraps, chips and salsa provided by Wahoo's and beverages provided by Honest Tea... delicious and satisfying. George Takei started off the presentation by introducing Eric on stage. Eric in turn introduced some GR staff (Martin and Michelle went on stage), then many of the artists taking part in the show. He even gave each of them a certificate from the City of L.A. After the ceremony, we decided to view the silent auction area, see the other gallery, plus meet and mingle with the artists. Got to talk with David and his sister Kerry, Eric Nakamura, Martin Wong, Jack Long, James Jean and a couple other people.

After the show we decided to try and get some noodles to eat nearby, but most of the places that I knew there were either too crowded or closed. Even Chinatown, although close by, was pretty deserted. So we grabbed a bite at the Denny's that I knew of down the street from where I used to work. Justin had 2 prints he purchased from the Three Apples show that he did not want to take a chance with on the flight back, so he wanted to know if I could ship them to him. I told him that I could, so I went back to their hotel to get them.

All in all, it was a very interesting night. Going to have to go back to view the show again. Just to spend more time to admire the pieces and take some better pics when it isn't as crowded. It was a little difficult in trying to get pics of the larger pieces. You are bound to get a few people not paying attention in your shots.

Three Apples @ Royal/T Cafe

2009-10-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Went to the VIP party for the Three Apples 35 Years Hello Kitty Celebration Exhibition @ Royal/T Cafe last night. Pics are not the greatest since I took them with my iPhone. I didn't bring my camera with me. The opening started at 7pm and there was a huge crowd there even before then. I got there about 7pm and didn't get in until somewhere around 8:15pm-8:30pm. Missed Kimora Lee and Paris Hilton. They left the party just before we even got in.

Place was packed with people and missed out on the goody bags just when we were about to get in too. Got to eat some Hello Kitty cake and appetizers. Other than seeing Kimora Lee and Paris Hilton, I saw a lot of the artists that contributed pieces to the show: Buffmonster, Luke Cheuh, Joe Hahn of Linkin Park, James Jean, David Choe, Gary Baseman, Angry Woebots, Tim Biskup and Tokidoki. Found out way later that Miranda Cosgrove, Dave Nevarro, Pete Wentz and Tera Patrick were there as well.

There is an Hello Kitty Pop-Up Shop in the gallery. Some items are exclusive to the show. A Hello Kitty plush doll box set ($100), 2 Hello Kitty vinyl figures ($12), plus there is the exhibition photo book with pics of all the artwork in the show ($35). Some limited edition prints of some of the pieces are available: Luke Cheuh, Gary Baseman and 4 others are available in limited amounts.

All of the pieces were amazing. There were already red dots on some of the artwork. Didn't find the price list sheet until just when I was about to leave though. Wouldn't have mattered much anyway, since the prices on some of them were way out side of my price range.

I will have to go back to the show another day when it is not so crowded. Could not spend as much time as I wanted to view all the artwork and items. Have to go back anyways to pickup that photobook. Need to save some of my money for the GR Biennale 2 show at the JANM on Saturday. The show runs from October 23 - November 15 with lots of fun events happening throughout the shows run at Royal/T Cafe.

Back Online!

2009-10-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Finally got my replacement DSL box. Which was a 2nd replacement to my original replacement box. The lights and power was not activating on the first one I received. So I had to call my provider so that they could send out a new one. Two weeks without internet at home drove me nuts. Couldn't get online to check emails, read news or work on things.

Oh well... all that is fixed. Now it's the busiest time of the year at the magazine. Have to work at an event on Saturday, the 10th. Company is having holding a Cover Kids Contest at the Skirball Cultural Center. 3 kids, from 3 different categories, will be on 3 different covers of the magazine. The winners will also get a photo session with Valerie Tabor Smith and a gift set from Paul Frank. They'll be other random prizes being given away at the event as well. Like goody bags, toddler bikes, scooters, Uglydolls, Mr. Toast items, DVDs, CDs, games, books, video games and toys.

Scarium of the Pacific event is on the 24th and 25th at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Since we are a sponsor of the event I have to help out on one of those days. Goody bags, costume contests, arts and crafts will be going on throughout the day there.

Next 3 months is going to be back-to-back deadlines with 6 magazines to be published in that time period. Lots of long days are ahead for me.

Disconnected!

2009-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

My DSL box died over the weekend, so I've been living without internet connection at home the past few days. Kinda sucks right now, since the only way I can access my email or the web is at work through webmail and my iPhone. Had to contact Earthlink to check it out and they sent out a replacement. Hopefully it gets here by Friday...

SDCC 09: DKE Sample Sale

2009-09-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is a bit late on posting, but oh well... On the last day of SDCC, the DKE booth had a sample sale on almost everything in their display cases. Everything except for items that have not been released yet. So I have to wait to get the white Camilla d'Errico Kuro plush and Miss Cupcake figures by Olive47 that come out in a few months. That did not mean that I did not purchase anything by any means...

I was able to get a Green Guni-Guni from the World of DreaminGirl. I saw a review about these on Plastic and Plush a while back and wanted to get one of these. Thought the design was very unique and interesting. Lucky for me the DKE booth had one in the display case... and it was a green one too. The only thing it did not come with is the black drawstring bag and mug, but I think those were for the first 25 orders on the website or NYCC in 2007.

I could not resist picking up thse two Little Miss Egg Tarts by Cutesypoo Toys. One is happy the other is sleeping. From what I know about these is that they came out last year and are limited to 500 each. If you like garden gnomes, they have these really cool looking, handmade, cone-shaped plush ones on their website. Hopefully they get some mass produced or I may have to get one of these instead... Or the Miss Rocketpop plush.

Not sure how I missed these when they were released, but I did. These are 2 of the 3 Doolie Boxes by Anna Chambers. I have a few of her other limited edition plush items that she released: Lucy Owl (burgundy), Suzy and Sammy. These 2 are: TooBaa (in purple) and TeeHee (in blue). The one I am missing is BooHoo (in green). All are limited edition and stackable. Which makes it easier to store and display.

The last thing I got from the sale (and did not take a picture of to post) was the Mothman/Flatwoods Super Market figures by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. I am not sure why I didn't have these before then, since they were only $10 when they came out. Think I got them for $7. They came without the bag and header card though.

There may have been a few other items I wanted to pickup, but really need to control my spending a little. I hope they have this sale again next year. Will really have to take this into consideration when planning my budget for next time. Found some really good stuff that I was not expecting to get at all.

SDCC Items: Deviled Haminal

2009-08-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

I try to roam around the Small Press Table area of SDCC a couple of times or more. That area is on the other end of the Con, which can take 15 minutes or more to get there. It usually depends on the timing of the exclusives being released at the other booths though. In the past I found some nice looking prints and plush items being sold there. Even Kerry and Darth had a table promoting their Evil Ice Cream there once.

This year there were 2 items I really had to get from from there. One was from Crystal Chesney Thompson the other from Camilla d'Errico.

I think it was at SDCC 2007 that I bought the first Haminal from Crystal Chesney Thompson's booth. I remember seeing one of the plush Haminals at Dan's Mr. Toast booth. The pink Haminal plush came in a rectangular can (like Spam) with a styrofoam pineapple slice (which does not fit in the can). The can itself looked a bit hadmade and the lid did not stay closed. Have to use a rubberband to keep the lid on. I loved the way it looked and just had to have one of them. Another reason I needed to get it was that it reminds me of Spam and I grew up eating that stuff since it is a popular food staple in Hawaii (mom's side of the family is from there). I asked him where he got that from, he pointed me in the direction and I got it. When I heard that she was releasing a Deviled Haminal for SDCC 2009, I had to get that one too. These are limited to 500 pieces. Each plastic can is numbered on the bottom, which she also signed. I got number 30/500. The lid on these fit perfectly, but the pineapple slice still does not fit inside the can. I even picked up a mini plush Haminal. Crystal also has a book, shirts and a plush sushi Haminal plush too. Next time I am going to have to ask if she can do a sketch in my book.

Camilla d'Errico is an illustrator/artist with a manga influenced style. Her brightly colored paintings and prints are gorgeous. She has done some work in manga and even has her own series of books, Burn and Tanpopo. Some of her art style in the books reminds me of illustrations from Serial Experiments: LAIN. The item I had to get from her table was the plush Kuro from her Tanpopo series. He is limited to 1500 pieces. This one is in black. I did see a white one, which is not yet available, on her table and another at the DKE booth. The white one has an open mouth. Unfortunately when I went there to get it she was away at a panel, so I didn't get a chance to meet her. Maybe next year...

SDCC Items: Poketo

2009-08-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

So when I went to SDCC this year, I picked up the many exclusives that I wanted to get from the different booths. Got stuff from Hasbro, Mattel and some from many other booths. But there were some that were unexpected pickups for me. First up are a couple of items I got from the Poketo booth. Saw these on Saturday and waited until Sunday to get them. Needed to see how much cash was left by the end of the Con.

A handmade, Limited Edition Poketo x Cupco plush ($40). They are called Gaza Kids and limited to only 9. Each one came individually bagged with a header card, 3 stickers, a removable scarf, Arabic writing printed on the back and a different image on the front shirt. Like all of the plush dolls that Cupco creates, these also have the removable and interchangeable heads (link here). Since these are much, much smaller than the regular Cupco plush dolls, you can only swap the heads between the 9. I have 2 of their regular-size handmades that I picked up from a gallery show years ago: a Green and a Teal Devil.

Then there is this mug ($10). After talking with Ted, one of the co-owners, for an exensive time I spotted the mugs. He showed me about 6 or 7 of them. There were about 3 that I wanted to get (Peskimo and Apak being the other 2), but I only chose this one. I don't know... something about the cute, playful images made me like it. Silvia Portella is the artist on this mug (link here). Hopefully they will be at Felt Club this year so I can get the Peskimo mug and matching shirt.

SDCC 2009 Sketches

2009-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Every year at SDCC I try to get some sketches in my sketch book from some of the many artists signing at the booths during the Con. I discovered Debbie Huey's Bumperboy character about 4 years ago while strolling through the Small Press Tables. Thought her characters were really cute on the books, buttons, stickers and shirts she had. Stories in the book are kinda aimed toward a younger audience, but I thought they were very cute and entertaining. She always has a new book or mini-book, buttons or item at every SDCC. I make sure to pick whatever it is up, plus a sketch of a different character. So far I have Bumperboy, Bumperpup, BAM! and now Hugga Hugga Bear.

I got 3 sketches from David Horvath, co-creator of Uglydolls, this year. Would have had a fourth, but I got 2 sketches on postcards for some fellow boardies on the Uglydoll site. Think me and Justin went to almost every one of his signings. He did one of Super Sentai Babo, one of Kaiju Target and one of Bossy Bear and Turtle (could not believe that I did not have a Bossy Bear sketch in my book yet). Didn't get a sketch from Sun-Min, but I heard she was around the Con with Mina and David's sister, Kerry. I did see David's brother-in-law, Darth, but he was working and I didn't want to interrupt him for a sketch at the booth he was at.

Was even lucky enough to get a sketch from Kozik of a Monger Booger surfing and a bear from Luke Cheuh. These two are a first for my sketchbook, so I'm happy about that. Should have gotten on from Crystal Chesney Thompson (creator of the Haminal) and another from Dan Goodsell (Mr. Toast). I can get a sketch from Dan another day, since I see him at other conventions all the time.

This year was a little crazy as mentioned in a previous post, so I wasn't able to get sketches from other artists that I wanted. I can't wait to get more next year though. Hope it's not as crazy...

SDCC 2009

2009-08-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

SDCC 2009 was a few weeks ago and I know I am late with this, but the most unexpected thing came up the Sunday I came back from the Con. I got sick with the flu. This thing laid me up in bed for almost 3 days and I still have a slight cough lingering. It didn't help my body to recover when I have a publishing deadline while sick either.

But anywhoo... this has been, by far, one of my worst SDCC experiences. This year I could not go to Preview Night, since I had a deadline to finish that afternoon. Plus I had to buy individual days since 4-day passes had sold out the day I was going to buy them in April. Driving down to SD that night was pretty bad. Had I known that they were doing construction on the 5 that night and reduced the freeway lanes to one, I would have taken the long way around. I got to my hotel at midnight, starving and ready to get some sleep.

So first day line to pick up the badge was unbelieveable. Think I got there a little after 7:30am. I have never seen the line get that crazy. I mean it went out behind the SDCC building, through a parking lot and right to the edge of the docks. It took me almost 2 hours just to get my badge. Which by that time I missed the first exclusive I wanted to get... the SJ Dunnys. Heard that release had all kinds of problems too. Then I heard that some of the other exclusives had sold out on Preview Night... which sucked. Hasbro and Mattel had given out all the tix for their booth. Mattel's were gone until Saturday. Crowds were insane in some areas of the building. Wasn't even able to get the Wonder Twins w/Gleek and He-Ro figures since they sold out Friday.

Eventhough the first day went a little crazy, the rest of the days were much better to get my passes. In fact I was able to get my Hasbro tix right after I got my pass since they were in the same area. The line to get in from upstairs in the Sails Pavillion was really short and went in a few minutes early. Which really helped.

Now the entire experience wasn't all bad. I got to meet and hang with a lot of boardies from KR and Uglydoll. Met SuperBen and his friend Danny; hung out with Just1nj; saw Noella, Ray and Elora; Jmonsuko gave me a tix for a cool Human Target shirt; saw hch05 (didn't get a chance to meet though); saw Josh and always visited Dan's Mr. Toast booth. I think I got a sketch from David everyday of the Con at almost every one of his signings. I picked up everything I need to for the people I muled for. Think I got almost all the items I wanted, even some I just unexpectedly bought, like at the DKE sample sale I got a Green Guni-Guni, 2 Doolie Boxes, 2 plush Tarts and Mothman/Flatwoods Supermarket figures. Then there was the LE Mini Cupco plush and mug from Poketo, Bossy Bear Mimobot from Mimoco and Big Monger Booger from Kozik. Then there were a few action figures that I could not pass up at 3 for $10. Really wanted to get an Uglydoll jacket, but the price was a little too much for my budget.

I'm hoping next year it is not as crazy, but I already know that it will be. I know that the prices for passes will be higher. The advance ticket price for SDCC 2010 was $100 with and without Preview Night. So it's going to be a little more than that next year. Parking was at $20 in areas, hopefully that doesn't go up too much. No matter what, I'm going to go next year... even try to make it to Preview Night I hope.

Bumperboy

2009-07-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to work in a medium that I am not very familiar with... Sculpy. Got the idea right after attending the AnimeExpo. But then I got additional inspiration after receiving Debbie Huey's Bumperboy Newsletter. She had a Bumperboy and Bumperpup that she made by felting.

So I decided to try my hand at working with Sculpy and chose Bumperboy as my first sculpt. Had a little bit of trouble in the beginning. Just wasn't sure the best way to build the legs.. individually or molded together. Finally chose to just make the legs as one piece and sculpt it. Formed, shaped, baked and sanded it. Probably could have sanded it a little better, but not bad for a first try.

Here is what it looks like after I primed and painted it. Used a pearlescent additive to the white to give it a little bit of a shimmer. Think I am going to try Bumperpup next and then one of my own creations.

Anime Expo 2009

2009-07-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Anime Expo started on Thursday, July 2nd and runs through Sunday, July 5th. I got my usual 4 day pass this year. Decided to pick up my badge the day before since I thought it would save me some time from standing in line to get in on the first day. Guess everyone else had that same idea too. Badge pick up hours for Wednesday was 3pm to about 10pm. Think I got to the L.A. Convention Center around 3:30pm. Could not believe the line of people picking up their badges... it was insane! The line started outside, zig-zagging back-and-forth, in the afternoon sun. Then once you got into the building, you had to stand in somemore lines. By the time I left there it was about 6pm.

At least I didn't have to go early on the first day to pick up my badge. Saved some time for me there. Thursday's hours are shorter with AX starting at noon and ending at 6pm. There was a pretty substantial crowd that day. Even the Artist's Alley seemed a bit busy. That area seemed to be filled with a lot more artists this year and twice the size from the year before. There was a bit more plush and craft stuff last year. Picked up a handmade plush item from there. Not too many companies were there with booths this year, like Gaia, Maple Story, Wizards of the Coast, Tokyo Pop and Viz. Visited the Tomy booth to try out Naruto Shippuden 3 for Wii and Pangya for the PSP. Those games were fun. Some of the costumes people dress-up in are crazy detailed.

Friday was pretty packed, since this was the day that the Jpop group Morning Musume was performing their concert that afternoon. Had to get there early in the morning to get a seat in Christina Strain's 2-hour panel on Photoshop Coloring 101. After that, I tried out a demo for a Wii game called Little King's Story. Might have been there for over an hour with that game. Noticed that quite a few of the items some of the sellers were selling in the Artist's Alley were no longer on their tables. Handmade plush being one of them.

Saturday had an even bigger crowd. I still needed to get there early for part 2 of Christina Strain's 2-hour panel on Photoshop Coloring 102. This is the intermediate class, day before was beginners and Sunday is the expert. Going to have to do it again on Sunday. Picked up a few figures and a Chip N Dale UFO plush set. Got a few more freebies like a Gatchaman watch and posters. Even hung out at Dan Goodsell's Mr. Toast booth for a few hours on all 3 days. Now there is just one more day left for the convention.

Kimono Pillows

2009-06-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

As I was fixing up my work space and taking some pics at the newly, redesigned studio. I noticed a few things sitting on the restaurant booth. There were these sofa pillows sitting there all packaged up and ready for selling. They are made from Japanese kimono fabric. They are really gorgeous! You have to see them for yourself, since the pics don't do them justice.

I thought that my studio partner, Ty, made these. Found out later that someone had given these to him for helping out on something. I really thought he produced them since he makes handbags using similar materials. Even kids clothing using Hawaiian printed fabrics. He needs to get his website back up and running to sell these things.

Now that I think about it, the both of us need to get started on that plush project we were going to do a few years ago. I have a couple of different characters I want to do first, but not sure on how that will work in plush form. Hmmm... will it be Diablo... Chowdah... Fang... or someone else...

Rearranged and Functional

2009-06-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that the floorplan of the studio was being rearranged to accommodate my new studio partner. Wasn't sure how this was going to work out, but I knew it wasn't going to be too much of a problem. My other studio partner and I really never had a lot of things in there to begin with. Basically there was only the 2 desks, tv, sofa, small fridge, restaurant booth and a magazine rack. Majority of Ty's stuff was sewing equipment, supplies, materials, fabric, worktables, cabinets, racks and a few other things. It was a little tough to figure out how to fit them in, but I think it worked out in the end.

The platform with the restaurant booth and the sofa/tv were a bit of a problem. My previous studio partner and I built the platform just for that booth. Only thing is that we anchored it to the floor. So it really can't be moved. The sofa we have is just a little too long with all the stuff there now. TV has a similar problem with it being about 30"-32" and needed to be in an area you could see the screen. Plus the cable connection is there. TV stayed in the corner where it was and the sofa is against the wall next to it instead of in front of it. Think we're still deciding on selling it.

Thought about attaching the corner piece to form my desk into the "L" shape it was originally purchased at. That way it would fit perfectly in the corner of the studio where it was located before. That didn't quite work out. The only way I could make it work is by putting the longer desk behind, me against the wall, with the smaller one in front of me. Actually this worked even better because I have a better window view now. Still have to figure out where I am going to put that color lazerprinter... I think I just worked out the placement of the scanner.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Screening

2009-06-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing a screening of the new Transformers movie, Revenge of the Fallen tonight. Got to see this at the screening theater on the Paramount lot, which has an incredible sound system and seating. All I can say about this movie is... OMG!... Unbelieveable! This one was way better than the first one. Now I can see how Shia LaBeouf hurt his hand during the filming of his stunts. The action is just incedible and Megan Fox looks absolutely smokin' HOT! Lots of laughs... Mudflap and Skids are two of the funniest Autobots in the movie. Then there are even more Transformers in this movie... there are even Insecticons and a Prentender in this one...

Everyone from the first movie returns to this sequel, along with some new characters. Finally we get to see the Constructicons and Devastator, Soundwave, Ravage, Jetfire and Arcee in the film. Although not quite in the same form as their cartoon and toy counterparts. A little disappointed with that, but can live with it. New Autobots: the Twins (Mudflap and Skids), the motorcycle sisters (Arcee, Chromia and Moonracer), Sideswipe, Wheelie, Jolt and Jetfire. New Decepticons: the Constructicons (plus Devastator), Soundwave, Ravage, the Doctor (Scalpel), Demolishor, Sideways, Rampage, the Fallen and more in their protoforms.

I really, really did not like the first movie. Mostly because the CGI designs of the Transformers and their choices on who they used in the film. But this one has much better CGI in it, I can actually tell what Decepticon is fighting. Sadly some of my favorite Autobots don't look like they survive this one. One thing that seemed kind of odd to me - Are bullets really that effective against a giant metal robot? Maybe a granade/rocket launcher would be a better choice... I'm just saying...

I am definitely going to see this movie again over the weekend.

Reborn

2009-06-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

This July marks the two year anniversary of Captain America's death at the end of Civil War in the Marvel Universe. To celebrate this event Marvel is... bringing him back?

Captain America #600 went on sale this week, which is also the launching point for the upcoming Captain America: Reborn mini-series. With all the media attention it's receiving, a sell out is pretty much guaranteed. It has already sold out at Diamond Distributors and a second-printing of this issue is should be out in a couple of weeks or so.

Everyone knows that in comics heroes, and some villians, never stay dead for long... especially legendary ones. I was wondering when they would bring Steve Rogers back from the dead. I really hope they do this in the right way and not make it stupid or senseless. Like Spider-Man: One More Day, which I still hate. Plus what is going to happen to Bucky Barnes, who became the new Captain America. Is he going to revert back to Winter Soldier? Don't think they can have 2 Captain Americas in the Marvel Universe. Guess I'll have to wait and see in 2 weeks.

Total Drama Action!

2009-06-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

The series spinoff to Total Drama Island made it's long awaited premiere last Thursday to huge numbers for Cartoon Network. It was the most watched among kids 6-11, 9-14 and all boys for the day. This propelled the network to its best Thursday performance year-to-date.

15 of the original 22 contestants (Chris and Chef also) make their return to this cartoon version of a reality game show. Instead of a camping/wilderness setting this series takes place in an abandoned movie studio. All the challenges revolve around movie themes. The elimination ceremony that took place around a bonfire with marshmallows for awards has been replaced with an awards ceremony and Gilded Chris Statuettes in place of the marshmallows. Storylines and relationships are carried over from TDI which add to the growth of the characters.

I loved TDI and can't wait to see what happens in this series. Think my favorite characters are Duncan, Gwen, Leshawna, Bridgette, DJ and Izzy. Now I can't wait for Stoked and hope they make another season of 6teen.

Who's Side Are You On?

2009-06-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is one of the games that I really wanted to try out at E3, but was not able to. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the sequel to Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I was able to see some of game play footage and a new trailer on the huge video screen they had at the Activision booth. Trailer can be seen here. Release date, September 2009.

Deadpool looks so awesome in the game! I hear that he even runs his mouth off throughout the game when you play as him. They don't call him "the merc with the mouth" for nothing. Over 20 playable characters to include: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Storm, Deadpool, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Juggernaut, Songbird, Venom, Green Goblin and possibly Bishop, Nick Fury and She-Hulk.

Main theme of the game seems to follow the Civil War storyline that appeared throughout the Marvel Universe line of comics. It involved the Superhuman Registration Act being activated with Iron Man for it and Captain America against it. Heroes, friends and allies all took a side... hero vs hero... friend vs friend. Some heroes went underground, some even quit, while others were hunted down, arrested and put into a super prison.

Studio Restructuring

2009-06-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Going to be rearranging the studio a bit in the next few weeks. Not going to be any big construction, just changing the layout, adding/switching out some furniture and another person is moving in. The main reason for the rearranging. Ty is joining me here in the studio, since it has been only me there. I've known him for a long time and he is a very talented designer. He does a lot of sewing projects like baby/kids clothing and handbags using Japanese/Hawaiian printed materials. We were supposed to collaborate on a plush project a few years ago, he was living in SF at the time and I was in LA, but things got busy for the both of us. Now that we are in the same studio that plush project may be coming back. So you may see some characters I drew in plush form. I'll post some later on. I have to say that I have not been very motivated, within the past year, at using the studio. But maybe this is just "the kick in the butt" I need to be creatively motivated.

It's been a a few years since we last changed the studio. In the beginning phases of getting the studio remodeled there were 3 of us partnered in on the project: Ash, Derek and myself. Just before finishing and relocating to the upstairs unit Ash left on creative differences and we were left with the 2 of us. In 2006 we were set and ready to go. Derek had used the space to edit and film a documentary movie on the history of the fortune cookie, but hasn't been there since the beginning of 2008. It has pretty much been just me using the space.

E3 2009: Square Enix, Konami - Days 2 and 3

2009-06-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

No surprises from the Square Enix press conference, other than the previously mentioned Final Fantasy XIV. Can't believe they are announcing this when Final Fantasy XIII has not come out yet. Really no news but FFXIII stuff.

At least Konami announced Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (yes... finally a Castlevania game!) and the previously announced Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot and Peacewalker. In addition to those there will be 2 more Metal Gear Solid games: Rising and Mask Project, plus Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Saw, another DDR and Karaoke Revolution, Pop'n Music Wii, Deca Sports 2 and Wireway.

The last 2 days I was not able to stay for too long at the shows due to deadlines. But I was able to play a lot more of the games. Got to play some of the other games in Wii Sports Resort, Tony Hawk: Ride, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, God of War 3, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Left4Dead 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Sonic All-Stars game, Harvest Moon puzzle game and the PSP Go.

That brings this year's E3 to an exciting close... wished this was longer and not during my deadlines though... Picked up some swag stuff here and there... not a whole lot, like the previous E3's I attended. Fewer shirts and bags. G4TV has already announced that the E3 dates and location for 2010, will be at the L.A. Convention Center again on June 15-17.

E3 2009: Nintendo, Sony - Day 1

2009-06-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

The first official day of E3 begins today at noon when the doors to the exhibit hall opens. Nintendo gets things started at their press conference at 9am. Announcing Wii Sports Resort, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario Bros. Wii, Metroid: The Other M, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Kingdom Hearts: 365/2 Days, Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers, Style Savvy, new Golden Sun game and Dead Space: Extraction.

Sony's press conference followed, not too long after Nintendo's, highlighting: Uncharted 2, MAG: Massive Action Game, Hannah Montana PSP bundle, PSP Go, Gran Turismo PSP, Final Fantasy XIV, Metal Gear Solid PSP, modNation Racers, Last Guardian, God of War 3, Assasin's Creed 2, Eye Toy 2 and a new motion control.

Excited about Super Mario Bros. Wii with 4 player co-op, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and... Metroid: The Other M... Team Ninja + Nintendo = AWESOME! Although not announced at the press conference, a new Zelda game should be coming out in 2010. Only things from Sony that caught my interest was the 256 player MAG: Massive Action Game and God of War 3.

There were just so many games to play on the exhibit floor I wasn't sure where to start. So I headed to Nintendo first and worked my way around to all the other booths from there. Some of the games I got to try out at the booths were: Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort (amazing), Rabbids Go Home (hillarious), Toy Story Mania (based off the ride itself Disney ride), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Katamari Forever, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, Afrika (graphically stunning), Marvel Super Hero Squad, TMNT: Smash Up, All Star Cheer Squad 2, Tatsunoku vs. Capcom, Lego: Rock Band, Samurai Showdown: Edge of Destiny and King of Fighters XII.

E3 2009: Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft Kick It Off

2009-06-02T00:28:00.001-07:00

Microsoft, EA and Ubisoft had their press conferences on Monday. There's a whole lot of stuff coming up from all three of them. Microsoft seemed to have the biggest news so far. Showing off trailers and previews of Rock Band: The Beatles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Halo: ODST and Reach, Left 4 Dead 2, Crackdown 2, Tony Hawk's Ride, Forza 3 and Final Fantasy XIII. Gotta see the Project Natal controller... unbelieveable! Facebook, Twitter and LastFM streaming coming to the 360. Metal Gear Solid Rising an Xbox exclusive...?

The main thing I can't wait for from Ubisoft's announcements is Rabbids Go Home. A new Raving Rabbids game and No More Heroes 2 for the Wii. I love those Rabbids!! I this new game you have to collect objects to be used in a pile of junk to build a bridge to the moon. Splitter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2 look incredible! Their fitness game looks very interesting and could give the Wii Fit some competition. Ubisoft seems to be putting a lot of effort in its tween oriented titles for the DS, making them more interactive and online. Not too sure about the Avatar game based on James Cameron's upcoming 3D movie.

Missed hearing most of EA's announcements, but they do have all the sports titles and have added MMA to that long list.

Missed listing some stuff, since so many things were announced by these 3 publishers. What a start to the 2009 E3! Nintendo and Sony have their press conferences Tuesday, while Square Enix and Konami have there's on Wednesday. Let's see if they have any surprises to top this!

I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost... Or Am I?

2009-05-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

There's a new game being developed for the Nintendo DSi that might just creep me out. Especially if I were to play it late at night... all alone... by myself... in the dark, if that's even possible.

The game is called Ghostwire. It's being developed by A Different Game based out of Sweden. It's kind of like a ghost hunting/research game... Think Ghost Hunters on your DSi. The game takes advantage of all the capabilities of the new DSi system by incorporating the camera, microphone and touch controls. Use the camera to search the area for spirits that will appear on the top half of the screen. Bottom half seems to use ghost hunting equipment, like a frequency modulator for tuning in the spirits. Once you have found the spirits, you can document them and find out why they are there. The ghosts can also give you riddles to solve that will help them find peace.

Not sure how far in production this game is in, but it did win 1st prize in Nokia's N-Gage Mobile Games Innovation Challenge 2008 earlier this year. That version of the game was for your cell phone or other mobile device. I'm hoping it will be at E3 next week. I'd like to see how this looks.

SDCC Sold Out - All Days

2009-05-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

It's official... SDCC for 2009 is completely SOLD OUT! Sunday passes finally went earlier today. So if you planning to get your tickets and go... you're a little too late. I've been checking out the Spring Issue of the SDCC Update, I recently got in the mail, and checking to see what exhibtor booths are in there. I should have my "get" list for the exclusives set by the end of June. Once that's done I can tell how many things I can "mule" for people.

Here's something that I came across in a posting on the KR website. Pretty good tips for attending SDCC. There are a few that are quite humourous, but true. Check out the link!
http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/comic_con_by_the_numbers_200_tips_insights_and_cogent_observations_regardin/

Strikeforce

2009-05-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, here is an old sketch I found cleaning out an old portfolio. I had to photocopy it to reduce it down so that it would fit on the scanner. Can't remember how old it is... maybe 15 years old or more. It's in regular pencil, on 11" x 17" paper and in an unfinished state. This was an early idea for the characters there and a few have changed since then.

I've come to notice something going through some of my sketches... I seem to have quite a few of them. Some in a rough state, others in a completed state. To top it off, I never do anything with the ideas either.

Unfortunately that's not the problem with this one. I drew this on the beach at a huge family outing. See the blotchy spot toward the top center? That's where a bird decided to add it's own handiwork to my drawing and that was the end of that. I did wipe it off, but that's the stain it left.

Power Rangers (re)Unite!

2009-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Announced in April, members of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers are heading to the 2009 Anime Expo for the largest Power Rangers reunion to date. Rangers in attendance to include:

• Karan Ashley - Aisha (Mighty Morphin’ Yellow Power Ranger)
• Steve Cardenas - Rocky (Mighty Morphin’ Red Power Ranger)
• Walter Jones - Zack (Mighty Morphin’ Black Power Ranger)
• Catherine Sutherland - Kat (Mighty Morphin’ Pink Power Ranger)
• Johnny Yong Bosch - Adam (Mighty Morphin’ Black Power Ranger)
• Robert Axelrod - Lord Zedd

Just last week even more Rangers from the franchise were announced:
(Check the Anime Expo website for scheduling since some of the actors will only be there for one or two days)

• Barbara Goodson - Empress Rita Repulsa (Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers)
• Nakia Burrise - Yellow Power Ranger (Turbo)
• Blake Foster - Blue Power Ranger (Turbo)
• Patricia Ja Lee - Pink Power Ranger (Turbo and In Space)
• Dan Southworth - Quantum Power Ranger- (Time Force)
• Cerina Vincent - Yellow Power Ranger (Lost Galaxy)
• Reggie Rolle - Green Power Ranger (Lost Galaxy)
• Amy Rolle - Trakeena (Lost Galaxy)
• Brandon Jay McLaren - Red Power Ranger (SPD)
• Monica May - Yellow Power Ranger (SPD)
• Chris Violette - Blue and Red Power Ranger (SPD)

I haven't really seen any of the shows after Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. So I'm not too sure who some of the other actors are. I only caught the repeats on Jetix of SPD, Mystic Force, Overdrive and Jungle Fury just last year. Most likely I will be checking this out when I go there.

Marathon Weekend

2009-05-26T01:41:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day Weekend was more like a marathon weekend for me... well at least Sunday and Monday.

Saturday I decided to trim the hedge at the studio and stop at the comic shop to check out the sale they were having over the weekend. It was a pretty good sale too. Picked up a nice $10 stack of comics at .25¢ each and 5 regular sized Uglydolls at 25% off, $15 each (Trunko, Winkolina, Blue Fea Bea, Orange Ox, Plunko).

On Sunday and Monday, Cartoon Network had a Total Drama Island marathon. They split the series between between both days, so it ran half-and-half. Monday they had a 6teen marathon which only consisted of only 6 episodes, not much of a marathon there. Then Boomerang ran a Teen Titans marathon. On that very same day SciFi aired their Land of the Lost marathon from 8am-4am... totally forgot how campy that show was and how I used to like it. That same morning was the L.A. Marathon too.

Needless to say that I hardly got anything done on Monday. No way was I about to go out in the morning/afternoon to deal with street closures and detours from the L.A. Marathon. Decided to just watch TV instead. I did try to organize some sketches that I found. May put a few up later.

SDCC Sunday Only Now

2009-05-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

The Thursday passes finally sold out yesterday or the day before. That now only leaves Sunday passes left. Here are more exclusives that have been announced recently. See older posts for previously announced exclusives:

Uglydolls:
• GID Ice-Bat Blind Box Figures (6 per case = 1 full set per case)
Colors are Blue, Orange, Purple, Green, Yellow, Clear

AFX:
• Marvel Minimates - Thunderbolts boxed set (Norman Osborn, Penance, Radioactive Man, Venom)
• Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees Mini-Bust with Removable Mask
• Gothtropolis Blue Feline Action Figure (250 pieces)
All the Minimate sets are $20 (2000 pieces ea.), Gothtropolis is $20 and the busts are $60 (Jetfire 600 pieces)

Dark Horse Comics:
• Translucent Domo Qee (Yellow Variant)

Mr. Toast:
• Ninja Joe the Egg (1000 pieces - only 800 at SDCC) $10 - 2 per person limit

ToyQube
• Mini Sharky - Kieth Poon x ToyQube Box Set (Pearl Black, Pearl White, GID, Clear)

Kozik:
• Happy Beaver - Kozik Evil Beaver Variant (tentative SDCC release and booth TBD)

Kotobukiya:
• Black Widow (blonde) Marvel x Bishoujo (500 pieces)

NECA:
• Street Fighter 4 Guile Figure (Charlie's Classic Costume)
• Dead Space Issac Clarke Figure (Unitology Suit
• Gears of War Locust Grenadier Figure (Lambent)
• TMNT April O' Neil with Mousers Figure
• Special Edition Coraline Bendable Figure in Star Spangled Sweater

Diamond Exclusives:
• Dark X-Men: Beginning #1-Sketch Variant (7500 copies)
• Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia-Sketch Variant (7500 copies)
• Red Skirt Dawn PVC 7" Statue (1000 pieces)
• Transformers G1 Animated Megatraon Bust (600 pieces)
• Marvel Minimates - Dark Avengers boxed set #2 (Ares, Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye)(2000 pieces)
• Ghostbusters Minimates - Venkman & Stay Puft Marshmallow Man 2-Pack (2000 pieces)
• Ghostbusters - Angry Stay Puft Marshmallo Man Bank (1000 pieces)

Star Wars:
• Force Unleashed Stormtrooper

Sideshow Collectibles:
• Gunmetal Grey Iron Man Mark III 12" Figure
• 1/6 Luke and Han in Stormtroop Disguise 12" Figure Set
• Subject 16566: The Butcher 12" Figure
• Mount Doom Frodo and Sam Diorama
• Crimson Cobra Commander 12" Figure
• Runaway Brain Mickey Mouse Vinyl Figure by Medicom Toy x Disney
• Mort - Black and White Edition Vinyl Figure

Shocker Toys:
• Black and White Dick Tracy Standard Action Figure
• Black and White Dick Tracy Variant Action Figure (Available at SDCC only)

Terminated

2009-05-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

I guess it's now official... Sarah Conner Chronicles is over. Fox announced their line up for the 2009-2010 season and this is not on their schedule at all. What a bummer... Think it was a bit premature of them to cancel a show with so much potential. Especially when they have a big summer blockbuster of a movie coming out this week.

They could have given it a 13 episode run. Dollhouse got picked up for a 13 episode 2nd season. Even Heroes and Chuck got renewed by NBC for the same number of episodes.

Kraken

2009-05-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I will sketch/doodle things on pieces of scratch paper, while I'm on a phone call or taking a break from the computer, at work. A lot of them are on small pieces and usually with work notes on them. Not too often do they turn out as detailed as this one.

Kinda had an idea for a character like this for a while now, but really wasn't sure about the look. May be one day I'll get the rest of him done. For now it's just a head sketch for a starting point.

Terminator Salvation - Hollywood Premiere

2009-05-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

Went to the Hollywood premiere of Terminator Salvation on Thursday night. The part that sucks about going to a premiere is that you have to line up around the corner across the street from the theater. So you can't see any of the stars walking the carpet and you're far away. Also, you get a ticket with an assigned seat that is way in front or way in front and off to the sides. I remember getting some really bad seats for the premiere of Batman and got decent seats for the Watchmen premiere. The good thing is that you are in the theater and are able to see the stars, if you can recognize them. They even had a few of the terminator robots outside the entrance of the theater and the after party. The after party had a rebellion outpost/military look and feel to it, with camouflage netting, scrap metal and wreckage.

This movie is going to rock the house! The action is great from beginning to end!
3 great action movies to start off the summer.

Hello Kitty

2009-05-18T01:54:00.000-07:00

So about 2 weeks ago my dog starts barking near the corner of the garage and retaining wall in the evening. I go to check it out and find out that a cat has decided to hang out in the space between there. Not only that, but it brought 2 kittens along with it. One beige the other black and white, mother was calico colored. Since it was already dark and late in the evening, I thought it best to not do anything until morning. Also hoped that the mother cat would move them now that it knows my dog is there.

The next morning I go to check and they are gone, or so I thought. That afternoon both kittens were hiding nearby with no sign of the mother. So I went to try and catch them before they went back into the crevice between the garage and the wall. Unfortunately the black and white one took off and somehow squeezed through a neighbor's chain link fence. The other one wasn't as active but still would not budge from the crevice. I finally had to maneuver it into a fishing net from there, then put it into a box with a bowl of water. It seemed a bit scared and I really didn't want to stress it out anymore than it was, so I left it alone for a bit in the box out back. I think I left it for about 10 minutes and when I went to go check the box it was empty. I started looking all over the backyard for a couple of minutes and found it in a corner of the yard hiding in a yellow patch of grass. Picked it up with gardening gloves and put it back into the box. This time I covered it with a mesh. This kitten felt really thin when I picked it up, so I gave it some soft doggie treats and dog food. It was pretty hungry. In the meantime, I am also texting my editor to see if she wants the kitten. I had heard that her sister's cat recently passed, so I thought she might want it. Only problem was that her sister lives in New Mexico and they would have to figure that out, but she did want the kitten.

Later that evening, about 2am, the kitten is crying and a lot more active than this afternoon. I decide to get up because now my dog is barking and neither one of them seems to be stopping. So I block off the door leading out of the pantry area and let the kitten out in there. I give it a bit more food and seems to be getting used to me, but it still does not want to keep quiet. By now it's about 3:30am and I need to get up around 6am. I decide to turn out the light in the room and just sit there and sleep to keep the kitten company. Finally by 4am it has found an area to hide in and falls asleep and I go back to my bed.

The next morning I get ready to take the kitten into the office, but find out that the other one came back and is hiding in the space again. Not sure how it got back in there since I blocked both ends off. This time I used the fishing net again to catch it and put into a really tall box, since this one is way more active. Unfortunately I had to take the black and white kitten into the animal shelter, since I could not find anyone to take it in right away.

My editor did take the beige one into the vet before taking it to New Mexico over the weekend. I found out from her that it was a boy, when I thought it might be a girl, and it had some fleas, but didn't seem sick or have any other problems. If I were a cat person I probably would have kept him, especially since he had a nice disposition and very cute.

Terminator Salvation Screening

2009-05-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from seeing a screening of the new Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation tonight. This movie is great! Way better than Rise of the Machines. It is non-stop action from start to finish. Effects are just amazing! ILM has been really working overtime... considering they worked on this, Star Trek and the upcoming release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. So far this is starting to be a great summer movie year.

I do have to say something about how the screening was handled though. I got to the screening a little before 3pm and was the first person there (screening was at 7pm). They were letting VIP and media go in before us, after checking in, and there were quite a few of them going into the theater. By 6:45pm, which was the time they were letting us in, there had to be over 200 people in line. When they started to let us in, we were told to sit in the first 3 rows only (about 25 seats per row). About 85-90% of the seating was reserved for VIP and media and we got the first 3 rows? WTF?! It looked like about 35-40 of us were let into the screening before some of us noticed that the very first row was empty and some of the seats around us were not getting filled. In fact there were quite a few unoccupied seats scattered around. We later noticed that people with the screening passes had not come through the door since all of us first came in. Then a few minutes later the curtains went up, lights went out and the movie started. All the seats were never filled and 150-200+ people still waiting in line to get in never did. That really sucked for them cause another 75-100 could have bit fit in easily. If they only knew of all the unoccupied seats...

Star Trek Screening - IMAX Version

2009-05-08T01:10:00.001-07:00

Got to see another screening of Star Trek this past Thursday. But this time it was on the IMAX screen. Seeing it on the IMAX screen made was way cooler than the previous screening I attended. Effects were just outrageous! Most of the seating in the back were taken and middle was reserved. But the ones we got weren't too far forward that made it awkward while viewing. They even played previews of Harry Potter - Half Blood Prince, Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen and Night at the Museum - Battle at the Smithsonian.

If you are going to see this movie, then see it on the IMAX screen. You won't be disappointed. I even saw the Tribble this time around.

SNIKT!

2009-05-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Given the fact that the work print to this movie got leaked onto the internet and downloaded by millions of people way before its release, it still made quite a bit of money. Eventhough I had heard things about it, I still went to see it over the weekend.

There were some slow areas in the film and I would liked to have seen more of his team in the beginning... Deadpool was just great there. I know that this is a Wolverine movie but I would have liked to see a little more action with Gambit and Deadpool (before the alterations). At least they changed the end from what the work print showed to reflect a possible spin-off. But from what I have been hearing the film is being shown with both endings, depends on which ending the theater got. Noticed a few little things were edited out that were in the work print.

It wasn't a great movie, but it wasn't a bad one either. Being a big Marvel/X-Men fan it was cool to see some of the other characters in this movie. I guess a sequel is being thrown around with the story reflecting his life Japan... which would mean the villians might be Silver Samurai and The Hand. Plus a Deadpool spin-off too.

Goodbye Foster's and Friends.

2009-05-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is coming to an end. The last 5 episodes air later today, right after the Foster's marathon. Just like many other popular cartoon series that have aired on Cartoon Network that have ended while they were still popular, like... Teen Titans, JLU, Dexter's Lab, Power Puff Girls, Samurai Jack, Kids Next Door. I missed the past few season's episodes, so I hope they put seasons 3-6 on DVD.

I'm going to miss seeing Foster's, but I can't wait for Total Drama Action and Stoked to air. Hoping that there will be a 4th season of 6teen too, but as far as I know that ended after the 3rd season in 2008 on Canadian TV.

Free Comics This Saturday

2009-05-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, May 2, is Free Comic Book Day at many local comic book stores across the country. All you have to do is just go down to your local comic shop for your free comic book or books. It will all depend on what they limit their giveaways to. Some places let you have only one, others my let you have 3 or more than that. Store will even have artist signings and other types of giveaways. I know that William Shatner will be at the Golden Apple on Melrose signing his comic Tek War from 1-3pm that day, in addition to other artists.

MvC2 for 360 and PS3!

2009-04-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

Marvel and Capcom just announced they are re-releasing one of my favorite fighting games this summer. Marvel vs Capcom 2 (MvC2) for the 360 and PS3. They are both going to be available by download through Xbox Live and Playstation Networks. Think the 360 version is going to be priced at 1200 points ($15.00). Don't think there is anything different about this re-release, except that all characters will be unlocked and the online multiplayer capability.

It's been so long since I played this. I still have my Dreamcast version of the game, along with a bunch of other ones. This game was one of the reasons I bought a Dreamcast back then. A lot of the Capcom fighting games that came out for the system played much better and closer to the arcade versions than the ones that were released on the Xbox and PS2.

Since Capcom finally released Street Fighter 4, and now this re-release, they really need to follow it up with Marvel vs Capcom 3 and a sequel to Project Justice. I can't wait for this to come out.

Busy Events Weekend

2009-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of events happening this weekend, work and not work related.

A non-work related event is the Festival of Books over at UCLA. Lots of authors, celebrities and performances to meet and see. Going down there mainly to see David Horvath (co-creator of Uglydolls), Dan Goodsell (creator of Mr.Toast) and DJ Lance + Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba!

The publication I work for, L.A. Parent, is a sponsor for Baby Celebration (Saturday and Sunday) at the L.A. Convention Center and Kids4Kids Run/Walk (Sunday) in Century City. I don't think we have a booth at the Baby Celebration, but free issues of our Expecting! L.A. baby magazine will be available there. We do have a booth at the Kids4Kids event, so I'm going to be there to help out manning it. We'll be handing out some goodie bags and t-shirts, plus some facepainting. There should be some games, food, entertainment and celebrities. Last year I remember seeing the kids from Nickalodeon's "iCarly" and skateboarder Ryan Sheckler (MTV's "Life of Ryan").

Star Trek Screening

2009-04-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got home from seeing a screening of the new Star Trek movie. I am not a huge Star Trek fan, but like the series and grew up watching it and the movies. Kinda hard to avoid when some of your friends huge fans of the series.

The new movie takes us to where the characters from original tv series meet for the first time and started... much younger and attending Starfleet Academy. So it takes place well after the Enterprise series and way before the original series. The actors did a very good job portraying these iconic characters for young and old fans. From recognizable phrases like, "I'm a doctor, not a..." by McCoy and Spock's "facinating" to Chekov's accent. I thought that Karl Urban's portrayal of a younger Dr. McCoy was the best. Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, got the least screen time, since he shows up way later in the film. Would have liked to see him a bit more. ILM did a very good job with the visual effects.

The film relaunches the Star Trek franchise in a new direction with this new group of actors, some really nice effects, action, funny moments and a pretty good storyline. Although I thought it could have been a little longer (2 hour movie). Do I think there will be another movie (or two)... Oh Yeah! Don't see why they wouldn't... Star Trek for a new generation. I'm kinda on the fence about the storyline, only because it has to do with altering timelines/reality of Star Trek history. But I can live with all that if it continues the franchise with movies like this.

Canceled? Maybe...

2009-04-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Is Dollhouse and Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles canceled? It's being rumored that Dollhouse has already been and Sarah Conner Chronicles might not be back for a 3rd season (2nd season just recently finished).

This would make this the 2nd series that Joss Whedon has done that was not as successful as the Buffy series. I don't think it was doing well in the ratings too. Only watched a couple of episodes of Dollhouse and thought that it was pretty good. But I wasn't hooked on it like when his Firefly series aired. A series based on his Fray comic series could work... or not... maybe?

As for Sarah Conner Chronicles... it doesn't quite make sense to kill a series that seemed to be doing okay in the ratings and quite popular. Plus with the new movie coming out soon, you would think that Warner Bros. would be able to market the tv series around that. Think this has a better chance at returning for another season than Dollhouse.

Without these two shows it makes Fox's Sci-Fi night dead... maybe the SciFi network (or is that Syfy now) will pick them up. That seems to be the place that all these failed sci-fi-type shows go to a some point: Threshold, Firefly, Dark Angel, Invasion, Jericho, Moonlight, Jake 2.0, Wolf Lake, Tru Calling...

SDCC Friday Passes... Gone.

2009-04-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

Friday passes sold out on Sunday. With that here are more SDCC Exclusives that have been announced:

Hasbro:
• Transformers Optimus Prime Mighty Muggs (detachable cannon, metallic finish and commemorative box)
• Marvel Logan/Wolverine Mighty Muggs with retractable claws
* Deadpool Mighty Muggs may/may not be an SDCC exclusive

AFX:
• Marvel Minimates - Champions boxed set (Hercules, Black Widow, Angel, Ghost Rider)
• Terminator Minimates - T2 Attack on Cyberdyne box set (Sarah Conner S.W.A.T. Gear, Terminator Muscle Shirt, Miles Dyson, Scortched Endoskeleton)
* Another Minimates box set with 4 figures soon to be revealed at the AFX Blog

Haminal:
• Deviled Haminal plush

Star Wars:
• Rebel Pilot Luke Skywalker figure with ladder attachment for X-Wing

Nintendo DS Gets An Upgrade

2009-04-18T02:49:00.000-07:00

The Nintendo DSi came out a couple of weeks ago. Not going to get one right away or trade my DS Lite in for one though. The features are nice... camera, downloadable games, Wi-fi, online play and music player.

Only thing that makes me not want to get the DSi right now is the backwards compatibility feature. Cartridge slot is now gone, so no older DS games and Guitar Hero. Maybe if some of the downloadable games are the ones I play occasionally, then I'll upgrade to the DSi.

6 Hours and Over A 1000 Eggs!

2009-04-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Gaia Online's 2009 Easter Event ends tonight at midnight. After playing for 3 hours on Sunday night, then another 3 hours on Monday, I finally got my 2nd badge (the last one for the event). Had to race and fight other players to get the egg first, then deal with a lag from their servers.

I still need to finish the 500 egg hunt, which means I have to do a page refresh every minute and find the flying egg on the page. Completing this one gets me the last event item for this category. I should finish this one before tonight though. Think I'll go back into the town and hunt for more eggs just for the prizes and be a little greedy... =)

Grimshaw

2009-04-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Going through some old files I came across this sketch I did a few years ago. Haven't done any pencil drawing like this in a long time. Forgot about how much I liked this guy, so I know I'm going to have to do something with him. Just have to find the time now...

Freezer Isle

2009-04-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Went to a gallery opening last month down in Orange County. Normally I would not drive that far for just any show, but I had to do it for this one. Lazysmash was part of the Freezer Isle group show at Phantom Gallery. Lazysmash is Kerry Horvath (Uglydoll co-creator, David Horvath's sister) and Darth Rimmer, the creators of Evil Ice Cream. The last show they were in Kerry had a new plush creation named Broccoli Boy and a Berry Burgler/Lactose Ghost plush. Missed out on that Broccoli Boy... grrr... That was almost a year ago.

Very surprised at what they had there... new plush creations and polystone figures. I picked up one of each Evil Ice Cream figures (Evil Ice Cream, Ice Clown, Zit Chip, Creepsicle), a Nosey the Narwhal, a purple Walrus Pop and the only Cauliflower Boy plush.

Darth told me that the vinyl Evil Ice Cream is not coming out since Wheaty Wheat is out of the business and the plush versions are on hold for now. Although they do have the polystone figures with the other characters waiting in wings to be made.

SDCC 09 Exclusives

2009-04-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

SDCC '09 is only 4 months away... 4 day and Saturday passes have sold out, with Friday not far behind them. Some companies are starting to reveal some of the exclusives they are going to have at the show. Here are some of them:

Hasbro:
• Transformers 25th Anniversary Soundwave figure. A re-issue of the original 1984 G1 figure with 4 cassettes-Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ravage, Ratbat (What the heck...? No Rumble or Frenzy...? geez)
Mattel:
• 3 3/4" Anti-Monitor figure (for 50 Anti-Monitor points you get it FREE).
• 30" Anti-Monitor figure (1 raffled each day, 25 Anti-Monitor points for 1 raffle ticket).
• DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins 2-pack (Gleek comes poly-bagged separately and only at SDCC).
• Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern Origins 3-pack
• Masters of the Universe Classics HE-RO figure
• Cars - Rescue Squad Mater 3-pack
• Ghostbuster Classics Dr. Egon Spengler with Slimer figure
• Toy Story - 3 3/4" Buzz Lightyear with movie acurate packaging
*Some limited quantities will be available after SDCC on the MattyCollector.com website

McFarlane Toys:
• Halo Griffball Spartan figure

AFX:
• Battle-Damaged Jetfire Bust

Forbidden Planet:
• Doctor Who figures of the first two Doctors (one with Dalek, other with Tombs Cyberman) in color and black/white, sixth Doctor in "Real Time" costume

Gentle Giant:
• Blackhole Stormtrooper statue
• Ralph McQuarrie concept Boba Fett bust (2 interchangable helmets)
• Limited Edition Breast Cancer Research pink Darth Vader helmet

Let's Try This Again...

2009-04-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at this blog stopped not too long after my dog, Miki, past away a few years ago. She was my "little buddy" and it was hard for me to take. A lot of time has past since then, more than enough to start things up again...

With all that said, I've decided to refocus and start this all from scratch. So I'll be putting some things that I might be working on - from work (movie screenings, events, products) to personal (drawings, ideas) - and stuff I'm interested in on here. I'm heading to Anime Expo and SDCC this year (maybe E3 too, CES for 2010), so I should have some posts about that in a few months.

I've put up a temporary banner with a logo that I've been playing around with for sometime. Still unsure about the typeface for it... but I'm happy with the robot thingy.