Factory 9ine

January!?

2010-01-06T12:38:00.002+09:00

Soooo, months are flying by. Had to finish off some quick Marvel work, fly home to be an uncle, came back, slept a bit and then went to Disneyland. My last 2-3 weeks in a nutshell. It's exactly how it felt. Bam bam bam! Happy New Year, btw!

Tak

December!?

2009-12-05T14:54:00.002+09:00

Busssyyyyy!!! Fack!! Seriously not cool. Although, I got big plans for next year cookin' so it's all good, yo. Just finished a coupla Marvel books and I've got another to polish off before the year ends. Gotta fly home in about 2 weeks time so hopefully I don't have to take any work with me. It'll be nice to bite into a juicy Harvey's ultra burger and drink some Timmy's. Most other luxuries I can get here.

So, the second half of this year has been pretty messed up. I like it though. Better than being bored I guess. Oh, shit. I just noticed Blogger has a spell check function. Win. Friends are having babies and I'm feeling a bit older now. The sis is having her's at around Christmas time so I'll be turning into an uncle. I'll be the nutty uncle she never sees. All these changes happening around me while I stay, uhh, pretty damn constant. haha I'm a rock!

I wish I could show you guys some art but a lot of the stuff is, well, prone for backlash from the people paying for it. I haven't done much personal stuff lately other than sketches and doodles. Oh, I bought a new computer!!! but haven't even set it up. It's just sitting on my coffee table. It's gonna be outdated by the time I get around to installing all the programs I need on it. lol Man, I need a bigger apartment... Watching Dexter. It's awesome. I'm hooked. So, yeah. That's been pretty much my life in a nutshell. Sooo thrilling, I know.

TAK

Public service!! Sai is awesome!!

2009-10-30T09:24:00.005+09:00

I just used this to paint a cover for Marvel. Can't recommend this little program enough for any artists out there who can't get there heads around Painter like me. I'm still trying to get used to the hotkeys and figuring out what does what but it's a quick and easy program that can give you great results. The basic look and feel is photoshop but with more powerful tools and drawing options. Best of all, it's free!! Go! Download it!!

edit: it's free for 31 days... My bad. Totally worth buyin' tho.

Otherwise, workin' like a work horse. Plowin' fields, yo.

TAK

Best 12 seconds

2009-10-29T12:31:00.002+09:00

TAK

Flip flip...

2009-10-03T08:06:00.002+09:00

Finally a nice day to do some laundry. These dreary fall days are nice and calming but get a bit dull after a while. Been inking like mad this past week and now I'm on to some different work. I had some time to pick up some new books in between jobs and they are:

I am a Hero #1 by Kengo Hanazawa. The guy who did Ressentiment. It's a zombie book and, on the surface, will make you compare it to I am Legend but is very different. The main protagonist is a manga artist and goes through his daily routine of visiting the studio working as an assistant and trying to spend time with his girlfriend. There are surreal moments and touching scenes of vulnerability peppered throughout. This first issue is a slow burn for character moments and world building. This guy's art has grown so much it took me by surprise. Heavily photo-refed and realistic, it helps to flesh out the everyday in order to show the shock of the undead pandemic creeping up around Tokyo. Recommended.

Mugen no Jyuunin #25 by Hiroaki Samura. Not much to say other than it was another awesome issue. The big showdown with Shira which everyone has been waiting for. I haven't been following the monthly installments so it was great ot be able to read it in one sitting. Brutal brutal stuff. Just when you think you've seen every possible way to slice and dice flesh another is tossed in your face. Beautiful art and compelling characters. Recommended.

Sister Generator by Hiroaki Samura. A collection of shorts I recall seeing in Afternoon over the years. Not sure if they've all seen print before since about half the book was new to me and I try and read everything he's done. Anyway, Samura awesomeness set in different time periods and locations with all the quirky moments, characters and light S&M you've come to expect from the man. Recommended.

It's been a good week for new reads.

TAK

Long weekend

2009-09-21T15:22:00.002+09:00

Nice to have some new tv to watch. Been following Top Chef and Hung. I watched the first episode of Survivor but that big guy was really annoying that I don't think I can watch it anymore. He's got nothing to gain except being an asshole! But I suppose every show needs a heel that everyone wants kicked off.

In terms of comics, I've been reading Homunculus and I gotta say it's one of the most intriguing books I've read recently. It's by the guy who did Ichi the Killer so I expected a lot of introspective and twisted material but it pleasantly surprises with it's depth of character and unpredictability. The art is painstakingly gorgeous as well. I can't believe how much information is packed into each panel. Recommended.

TAK

More creepy shit!

2009-09-14T12:25:00.002+09:00

I stumbled upon this last night and had to share. It's a 3D horror short called Hikiko. I was skeptical at first with it being CG and all but I thought it was rather effective and successful with the fright factor. It's got the usual asian girl with long hair but her movements and groans were pretty nice. It's unsubbed but I don't think you'll have a problem understanding it.

TAK

Endorsement for a reason!

2009-09-13T19:58:00.002+09:00

After buying and playing MGS4 and Killzone 2, my gaming ambitions were pretty much fulfilled. Haven't wanted any other game nor have the time to play them anyway. But. BUT. I seriously need to get 3D Dot Game Heroes when it comes out in November. It's basically an 8 bit RPG but in 3D and it looks pretty damn awesome.

TAK

Gone!

2009-09-12T14:34:00.002+09:00

It's been a busy week. With work deadlines and family visiting from Canada, haven't had much time to do much else. On top of that, my external drive went kaput on me and I had to race to get a replacement yesterday. I knocked it over vacuuming and that's all it took for the "click of death" to start. What a pain in the ass. I was able to pull enough of the important files from it so it wasn't that big a deal but I lost an entire day trying to salvage it and all that time was what I felt bad about losing the most. Oh well. Shit happens.

Some more art!

TAK

Another endorsement for no reason

2009-09-09T08:43:00.001+09:00

I'm lovin' this commercial. I can't get the damn tune outta my head... I invite you to be equally brainwashed.

TAK

Routine

2009-09-07T08:47:00.004+09:00

I fell off the updating wagon last week a little. My apologies. I've been working like mad and my life has been somewhat boring to be quite honest. Although, I did sneak a night of drinking in over the weekend I'm now, sadly, back to the grind.

Anyway, since I have nothing interesting to say at the moment I'll just post art. Continuing on with my current work reportoire:

TAK

What the??

2009-09-01T16:15:00.002+09:00

Disney buys Marvel! All the comic news sites are bursting at the seems with the news and speculations. Does this mean a Mickey and Spidey crossover done by Pixar with a soundtrack by the Jonas Brothers?? I have no idea... It'll be interesting to see what happens from here on in. It's good for comics, tho, no doubt. We may even see alternative outlets for the books and characters which would be great so, I say, win. Go comics!

Also, a piece of preliminary art from what I'm working on right now:

TAK

Shooooom!

2009-08-29T14:57:00.003+09:00

Next month is gonna be a crazy month with work and family visiting from Canada. So, I decided to completely overhaul my apartment and clean every nook and cranny. Don't want my mom seeing the squaller I live in on a usual basis. I even rearranged some furniture to make some extra room. Anyway, I was vacuuming my bathroom and accidentally brushed the head of the vacuum past the toilet paper and, man, it was quite the sight. Half the roll was down the tube in, like, half a second. It was magic. Call me Copperfield.

TAK

Umm...

2009-08-27T11:56:00.002+09:00

I'm finding I'm procrastinating a lot again lately. I had a good run with keeping on top of things and being organized with bills and peripheral maintenance stuff like that but I've been slippin'. I think the heat just made me generally lethargic and mono-tasking. For instance, my credit card expires next month and I have the new one here I have to activate but I just haven't gotten around to it. It's asking for a PIN number which I've forgotten so I'm just being lazy about calling and changing that friggin' number. I've had this card for about a month now! Been meaning to check out the local community center gym and get a workout but I've just sat on my ass about that, too. And the list goes on. I always fool myself into thinking I'll do it tomorrow. It's too easy! I seriously need to carpe diem my lifestyle a bit. Starting... tomorrow!!

TAK

Whoa

2009-08-24T15:11:00.002+09:00

The fireworks were pretty outstanding. As opposed to the last one I saw, there were no buildings or obstructions and traffic management was well organized. I also had a nice soft bed of grass to sit on. What more could I ask for? It was a nice way to top off the summer.

Also, when I think of summer I think of sitting around a camp fire and telling ghost stories. My dad is a pretty good storyteller and he used to freak me, my brother and sister out all the time. Right before bed. What a nice guy. Luckily, now I can just rely on youtube for my horror fix and I've picked out one for you guys below. It's from a Japanese series called 怪談新耳袋　or Tales of Terror from Tokyo and has had a long successful run on TV and rental DVD here. It's in Japanese and subtitled in Chinese but follow along and hopefully you'll understand.

It starts with 2 friends bumping into each other. They haven't talked since they graduated junior high a few months ago. Miki is pretty gloomy and asks Yumi if she could come over and stay a night or two at her place. She's been seeing a ghost in her room and wants to know if it's real or something psychological. Yumi agrees and has dinner and meets Miki's parents. Everything seems normal and Yumi wonders if her friend was just lonely wanted some company. That is, until bedtime...

Enjoy

TAK

Run Wikus!!

2009-08-22T04:12:00.002+09:00

Stoked for fireworks tonight! Probably my last chance to see some this summer. I hope the weather holds up.

A public service announcement: District 9 is pretty awesome. I was really taken by this film and it reminds me of the awe and wonder I felt when watching Children of Men for the first time. It's hard to believe it only cost $30 mill to make since it looked better than most big budget blockbusters to come out this season. It really is fantastic. It's not a perfect movie mind you. I think the general consensus is that it's good enough to over-shadow and forget the flaws though, which is pretty much how I felt. I would sum up the film as "seamless". In every way. From the effects to the themes and characters being portrayed; never once did I doubt the realism being shown. Wholeheartedly recommended.

TAK

Pigging out

2009-08-18T22:43:00.004+09:00

Got bit by a mosquito right between the eyes today. The mosquitos here are like stealth bombers, man. You can't hear them and they're deadly! I miss dumb Canadian ones that announce their arrival with their piercing buzz. At least they're giving you a chance to fight back. Very courteous.

Been eating too much lately so I'm back to managing my diet. I used to really look after my carb intake over the last coupla years but fell off the wagon a few months ago for some unknown reason. Probably started with the summer and all the drinking that goes along with just hanging out. It's difficult to break that chain of ramen, sushi and beef bowls once you're caught running in that delicious wheel of J-comfort food.

And finally, I have more artwork for sale! I just sent a package to my dealer Leonard with pages from the following:

Spider-man Loves Mary Jane #15 - (my last issue on the title)
Avengers Fairy Tales #3 - (the Avengers in Wonderland)
X-men: Manifest Destiny #4 "Work it out" - (Nightcrawler-centric short story)
Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1-3 - (Skrull mayhem!)
And also pages from an Amadeus Cho short I did with Hulk scribe Greg Pak

If you're interested please e-mail Leonard here.

TAK

Amazing

2009-08-17T07:21:00.003+09:00

Stayed up all night to watch Usain Bolt win the 100m title. MAN, that was crazy!!! 9.58!?? He was flyin'!! That breaks down to covering 10 meters in under a second. Like, holy shit!! I have a feeling no one will touch his record for a looong time. I witnessed history!

In other slightly depressing news, Grave of the Fireflies was on tv Friday night. They always play it to commemorate the end of the war here. Anyway, it's a film I suggest watching once but never twice. I had to quickly turn the channel or else I woulda started balling. Just hearing Setsuko's voice makes me choke up. And that ending montage?? Holy fuuuuck... Youtube "Grave of the Fireflies - final sequence" and arm a box of tissues. I refuse to embed it here.

Oh, and back to happier news!! I've been asked to draw a one shot for none other than Brian Bendis! Pretty stoked! Yay, me!!

TAK

Going... going...

2009-08-14T18:22:00.002+09:00

It's obon season and practically everyone is on vacation. Everyone except me! Bah! Actually, it's already starting to feel like fall for some reason and I feel like I've missed out on anything summery this year. Didn't go to the beach or out to the country for a breather. I still need to see some decent fireworks before I accept defeat, tho. I've got plans to get utterly smashed tomorrow so I'm aiming to replace this summer with one night of mayhem. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, I hope you're having a better time than me!

TAK

Plug for no reason

2009-08-12T21:10:00.003+09:00

I'm not a big fan of SMAP (one of the biggest pop bands in Japan), although I like Kusanagi (second from left) since I love his late night show Pussuma and the fact that he got drunk, naked and billigerent a coupla months ago too but this new Softbank commercial is pretty rad. Just sayin'.

TAK

Yeah, right! but... maybe

2009-08-12T01:02:00.002+09:00

Another earthquake this morning! Okay, this is getting kinda rediculous. I recall my mom freaking out about me moving here cuz of the possiblity of a "big one" crushing Tokyo, which I scoffed at, but something tells me she isn't as paranoid and crazy as I'd like to give her credit for. So, now she's been downgraded to only slightly crazy.

Anyway, have to prepare for a meeting tomorrow. I'll try and keep the posts regular.

TAK

Rumble rumble...

2009-08-08T03:30:00.003+09:00

Had an earthquake hit tonight! Woohoo!! Although, it was pretty big and kinda scary. The TV told me it was about a 4.0 on the Richtor scale after it was all over. When I have to brace my monitor from flopping over it's time to slightly panic. As a matter of fact, nature is kicking-ass and taking no prisoners at the moment. With the typhoon in Taiwan and these flash rainstorms pounding Tokyo and parts of Southern Japan, what are we puny humans to do?

Work is going okay. Still inching ever closer to that big dream of mine. It's still gonna take a little time it seems but I'm still on track! Honest! I'm juggling a bunch of things all in varying degrees of seeing light so stay tuned.

Oh, I watched the horror movie Orphan the other day. I was expecting to be disappointed since most horror movies are (statistically speaking) baaaad but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The dad in the movie was in denial the entire time and was annoying but the twist along with the little thrills and scares were pretty nice. The house they lived in where most of the film took place was freaking awesome, btw. Geez. I wanna live there. Recommended!

I'm itchin' for some fireworks. I went to the big Sumida River festival a few weeks ago and was sorely disappointed. It's not like we got there late or anything but we had to pack up and constantly move due to all the fuckin' buildings and people crappin' our view. We settled on sitting on an unfinished foundation of a house with an apartment standing and blocking about half our view. Yay. SO, yeah. Tamagawa fireworks! 22nd! Stoked!!

TAK

Bionic

2009-07-08T13:29:00.004+09:00

Pretty miserable weather for the last while. The rain is getting a bit old. It makes everything humid and sticky too. All the paper in my apartment is all wobbly and shit. haha

So, I was walking home from the grocery the other day and a nice old lady about 4 feet tall trips right and front of me and face plants. When I say "old" I mean OLD. I was kinda freaking in my head about not knowing what to do or who to call. 911 is 110 here. Actually, I think that's for the cops. Who knows!? Anyway, I'm the only one around so I rush over and hope to bjesus she ain't dead cuz I've never seen a dead person and I didn't exactly wanna break any records that second but she, like, pops right up! She's kinda rubbing her face and asks me if there are any marks on her cheek which I reply with a negative. She had a scrape on her knee but aside from that she was fine and was on her way. So, yeah. Lesson for the day: old people are pretty resilient.

TAK

New things!

2009-07-01T11:44:00.004+09:00

I bought Moebius's new book 40 days dans le desert B the other day. A handsome wide format hardcover for 50 bucks. Worth every yen!! He's got such clean lines, man.

I also picked up Urasawa Naoki's first issue of Billy Bat. It's awesome. After the first few chapters I was worried it would tread familiar Urasawa territory with the plot folding into itself and things becoming over-complicated but I was pleasantly and mind-blowingly corrected by the end. I'm always amazed at how accurately he captures the time period in all his works. Anyway, if you're a fan you must read this one.

I also won a pink Ipod Shuffle at a work party last night! Yay! I'm still rockin' out with my B&W 2nd gen tank of an ipod I bought almost 5 years ago so this one will be easier to carry around and jog with. Nice!

TAK

My hovering thumb

2009-06-23T08:12:00.002+09:00

It's officially too hot and too sticky. My fan is on pretty much non-stop and I'm tempted to hide under the A/C soon but not yet! I like seeing a cheap electricity bill... Oh, speaking of bills... I realized I was being double billed for my internet since I forgot to cancel my old service. I switched to a super-fast service earlier this year and failed to, uh, follow up on the paperwork. All it took was one phone call actually. A phone call that cost me about $250 bucks! Dammit!

Kinda curious to checkout the Life-sized Gundam in Odaiba. An abundance of pics and video footage have been flooding about already but I know it won't compare to seeing the real deal. As far as I've found, only the head swivels with smoke effects from the chest and legs. I was hoping for more movement but it IS just a statue afterall.

I watched X-men 1 & 2 last week while working (I skipped 3). I was reminded how good those movies were. They really are. The claws through the swat guy and into the fridge scene with much manly panting afterwards by Wolverine is my favourite. That one scene beats the entire Wolverine origins movie. lol

TAK