When I Get A Job...

...these cubist-inspired Chucks may be one of the first things I buy. Kind of loud, but cool.

A Little More WHO for YOU...

Came across this awesome little 'family portrait' of all 10 Doctors. Courtesy of Dave Perillo, who also did some fun horror flick caricatures I posted up during last year's AMBFAD Halloween Spook-tacular.

Be sure to go check out his other work spanning all your favorite folks from across the pop-culture universe!

Hippity Hoppity and You Don't Stoppity...

Taking the boys to the mall later this morning to see the Easter Bunny...who they're absolutely fascinated with right now. They think the whole concept of a walking, talking rabbit who breaks into your house to hide badly-colored eggs, cheap toys and sub-par candy is awesome. Ahhhh, to be young again.

(Kick-ass art courtesy of the brilliant Todd Schorr)

AMBFAD (Comic) Book Club

I know I should have knocked out 'Watchmen' while I was stuck sitting around at jury duty on Monday...but DC's 'Bizarro' collections am worst comix EVER! I had actually read the first TPB a while back, but the second has been sitting on my book shelf for a while. Figured a little levity would help make the time pass versus something (I never got called to a case BTW) as bleak as Alan Moore.

Anywho, for those unfamiliar w/ these both of these awesome collections, back in 2001 the usually stuffy DC Comics loosened their collective ties up a little and let more non-traditional/contemporary comic artists/writers take some humerous creative liberties w/ some of the cash cows of the almighty DC Universe. Between both books, you get some fantastic collaborations featuring folks like Harvey Pekar, Evan Dorkin, Patton Oswalt, Los Brothers Hernandez, James Kolchaka, Danny Hellman, Mike Doughty, Dave Cooper, Paul Grist and the list goes on.

Nobody is spared, from icons like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman...to more obscure characters like Kamandi, The Red Bee and The Demon. As I enjoy both traditional and more underground/alternative comics/art and have a pretty twisted sense of humor, 'Bizarro Comics/World' is the best super team-up ever! Both volumes have been out for a while now and should be easy to find at your finer comic shops. To note, the first is a little stronger than the second...but they're both so worth checking out.

BIG DADDY OF THEM ALL!

Outside of all my recent fanboy-ism over U2, i've also been knee-deep in a sort of Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth phase. I'm no gearhead, but i've always been fascinated by vintage Hot Rods and the culture around them. More on Ed later, but I thought i'd post up w/ some cool ads for his Revell model kits and detailing supplies.

Unemployed...but Busier than Hell?!

Way too much stuff going on today, but more poop tomorrow. Oh, cool pic above...NARA!

Now, THIS is Art...

By way of Electronic Cerebrectomy, a couple of pieces featuring pretty much a TV 'who's-who' of my youth. You can check out more cool stuff from the artist, Dusty Abell, at his DeviantArt Gallery.

Speaking of Yetis...

...how cool is the ultra-boss limited edition 'Big Vinyl Yeti' from Gama-Go?! Produced in collaboration with Ningyoushi in an edition of 1000, they've actually sold out at at Gama-Go.com. No worries, Yeti-lovers, you can still nab one at Ningyoushi.com for $90.

For those unfamiliar w/ the most excellent Gama-Go, in late 2000, Tim Biskup, Chris Edmundson & Greg Long started screen printing t-shirts out of the basement of Greg's house. The business grew to include other cool limited edition clothing and accesories featuring some of Biskup's characters. In 2006, Tim (still a partner) stopped working creatively for Gama-Go to focus on his illustrious career in fine art.

Fun stuff, available only in certain boutique-ish joints and online. For further fun, you should check out Tim Biskup.com for a link to his blog and some examples of his work...or just google him. I have been a huge fan for a long time now and really dig that Jim Flora album cover influence to his style. Retro-influenced, but w/ his own mark to it.

The Weather Here is So Crappy...

...even the obligatory AMBFAD Yeti joke has high-tailed it to Asia to escape the freaking cold/snow!

SAVE THE DATE!

The quality of the start of each new year is very contingent upon my calendar(s) at work. Don't know what it is, but staring at a great calendar in the midst of day of craziness is very zen to me. However, as I always like to try and get it for the inevitable after-Christmas 50% off...sometimes I end up having some trouble finding the one I actually want.

That was the case w/ the beauty above. As they didn't do a 2009 version of the Museum of Modern Art Vintage Monster Movie wall calendar I had up last year...I opted for the Vintage DC Comics Super Heroes deal you see pictured above.

It features archival-quality reproductions of Golden and Silver Age covers from the DC Comics pantheon. Each month's 11 x14 image is printed on heavy, 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks and (best of all) removes easily to fit a standard frame. Looks cool and is cool for the environment!

I saw it back in October at my local Borders and by the time I was ready to go and get it...gone. Same w/ the 3-4 other Borders, Barnes & Nobles and mall calendar shops I went to. Finally found it at a place nearby work and I was so close to ordering it from the publisher for full price. Nuts...I know.

...but is it as nuts as purchasing the same version of desk calendar every year since 2002? Call it superstition or OCD, but i've had the Cavallini Japanese Woodblock Painting one pictured above religiously placed next to my phone since then. *Serentiy Now!*

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!

Egads! Is the Easter Bunny taking advantage of the weak economy to make a power-play for a hostile takeover of Santa's operation? My guess is that said match-up would not end well, as illustrated in Todd Schorr's awesome 'Clash of the Holidays'...

BETTIE PAGE 1923-2008

Wow. The passing of a key figure in 1960s sexual revolution and icon to this day. Thank you, Bettie and God Bless.

Dan Clowes SPECIAL Bonus Round!

'Ghost World: The Special Edition'

While we're on the subject of Dan Clowes, I highly suggest picking up (or at least checking out) the recently released 'Ghost World: the Special Edition'. This new edition expands upon the original graphic novel (worth reading/owning in and of itself) from 80 pages into a 288-page, behind-the-scenes tour through the making of both the classic book and the subsequent Terry Zwigoff film-adaptation!

For those not familiar w/ either the book or the the film, 'Ghost World' is the story of Becky and Enid, two teenaged girls and best friends facing the common prospect of not only growing up, but growing apart from each other. Clowes paints a tender picture of this intellectually precocious, sexually adventurous (despite a mutual lack of experience), and formative period in their lives, filtered through a light blue hue echoing a world lit by the cathode rays of a television...the perfect metaphor for their post-nuclear existence.

This insanely lavish version features a new introduction and several pages of new strips by Clowes, as well as over 200 pages of extras including: the Oscar-nominated screenplay by Clowes and Zwigoff, dozens of pages of never-before-collected ephemera, including unused concept drawings, notes, movie posters, foreign edition covers, merchandise, artwork created for the movie by Clowes, Sophie Crumb and the cast, and much more, all of it annotated by Clowes himself! Damn.

Originally released in 1997 as a limited hardcover edition of 2,500 copies that sold out almost instantly, 'Ghost World' has subsequently gone through 14 softcover printings, selling in excess of 150,000 copies in the United States, becoming one of the best-selling and most revered graphic novels of all-time. Despite that success, the original, first printing was the only hardcover edition of the book ever published...until now.

So, be you fan of the book, the film or both...or someone familiar w/ neither who enjoys both great art and great stortytelling...for a meager $40, this book is worth adding to your collection. Seriously, you'll be a little cooler just for touching it...hipster osmosis...look it up.

Beautifully Bodacious Bodé Babe Bonus!

If the kicks weren't enough, you can own your very own World Famous BODE BROAD. Plenty a subway car has been graced by the voluptuous curves of this beauty and even today she continues to appear on a vast array of different media such as painted canvas and fine tattoos.

Created by Vaughn Bodé and now rendered by his son Mark, this figure measure up at 14.75 inches tall, w/ all the right curves int beauteous detail. This is a limited edition joint, so if this sweet baby makes you tingly in your nether-parts...better head to Planet6.com and get yours today. The Cheech Wizard figure released a while ago is sold out!

I'm Like Vaughn Bodé, I'm a Cheech Wizard...

A genuine icon to graffiti writers and influencer of street culture from the mid-70's to the present, Vaughn Bodé (1941 - 1975) was known to a great deal of folks as a cartoon messiah. Way back in 1957, Bodé designed a unique looking midget-of-a-wizard who wore an obscenely large yellow hat covered with red/black stars. He was to aptly name the infamous creation as Cheech Wizard, after being inspired by a can of Cheechy Nuts.

Personally, I was most familiar w/ and completely fascinated by his creation Cobalt 60, a comic that took place in a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max-like world inhabited by mutants, aliens and other flipped-out creatures. Its titular character embarks on a quest to avenge the death of his parents, murdered by the evil Strontium 90. His son, Mark Bodé did some additional Vaughn-inspired Cobalt 60 stories in the magazine Epic Illustrated back in 1984 that, as a young squirt, blew my fucking mind.

Anyhow, I totally missed it, but back in 2007, on the 50th birthday of his Cheech Wizard character, PUMA payed homage to Bodé with the limited edition Vaughn Bodé PUMA Clyde (and hoodie to match) above...forever immortalizing Bodé's influence by using the bold colorways and prominent star patterns made famous by Cheech Wizard himself.

This year’s collaboration dropped back in March and includes four new colorways on rarely used model - the Puma Basket II. While this offering still features Cheech Wizard and his stars, the pattern is more subdued on the four available colors (black/red/grey/white)...via a simple applied gloss and more vibrant treatment on the lining. Extremely boss...

For those of us who missed them when they originally dropped at select 'sneaker boutiques', we can pick them up now at FinishLine.com and, fortunately, they aren't that expensive. As sweet as those Clydes are, I do like that the newer kicks are a little less eye-popping...I could rock a pair of the white or grey at work even. Whoo!

Really, The Last Semi-Political Post...

More so a heads-up to an opportunity to own a boss little piece of history...FOR FREE! MoveOn.org is serving up 2 Million of the commemorative sticker above to mark Barack Obama's historic victory, designed by groundbreaking artist Shepard Fairey...the same artist who designed the world-famous, iconic 'HOPE' poster for the campaign.

You can get one sticker for free (even the shipping). For a $3+ donation, they'll send you 5 stickers. For a $20+ donation, they'll send 50 stickers. A nice memento for the Obama supporter and/or design junkie in your life...I ordered 5!

VOTE HOPE or NOPE!

Couldn't Resist. Don't worry, you won't have to listen to me talk out of my ass about politics after next week!

Kinder, Gentler Slasher Greats...

Some great interpretations of a few slasher film icons from Dave Perillo. You'd never think they'd decaptitate you just for giggles. Check out his other stuff at Montygog's Art-O-Rama!

Family Values

ADDAMS.

MUNSTERS.

Ummmm....

SKATE OR DUH!

I'm cleaning some old files off the laptop and realized I never posted up w/ these awesome decks from THINK Skateboards. Granted, they've all kind of toned things down outside of LiLo officially confirming she digs chicks (really though, who doesn't?), but they still make me laugh.

Seems she's in as much of a PR renaissance as a talentless pop star w/ fading looks can be as well, but the Good Brit/Bad Brit was equally as funny...

I realize I still read comic books, watch cartoons and play w/ toys, but my skateboarding days are WAY behind me. If I was a couple decades younger, i'd totally rock one of these. Kick, Push.