Anatomical and Costume Study

I like that one website...

Flixster.com

Because I STILL GO TO THE MOVIES! BITCH!

@TheRock

The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

Challenges and Rewards

It would be a challenge moderating a message board folder dealing with so many people online for an established company full time, ON TOP OF being an online broadcaster and a online writer and journalist and webcomics artist, but I should really see if I can tap into that Asian Spirit and Lineage of mine. If anyone can handle working 24/7, it would be my Asian Quadrant. NOT saying it's easy being me and doing my jobs. It's not. It's very far from easy being this influential and active. But I thrive on challenges.

My success and power are increasing. And while I used to be very resentful and bitter about the "injustice" of my successful life, this newfound acknowledgement and acceptance from certain others in my life has made made me considerably less bitter about my life's circumstance. The world hasn't moved on, but I have, and that matters more to me than whether or not the world EVER WILL move on.

The truth is, everyone at the top has a love-hate status. Everyone at my level is the media good guy and bad guy, and alternates between the two roles. It's a love-hate thing, and it's a symptom of success. By now I'm not accepting of it,  but I do anticipate it, which makes it easier to deal with. I'm not alone, and therefore I don't mind.

My BIORHYTHM seems to be shifting. Suddenly, I've regained the miraculous ability to stay up all night and into the morning, working without tiring, and I'm not even using a five hour energy drink half the time. I don't know if my soul has been purified or what, but suddenly my energy levels are increased lately. I don't know how long this stability will last. But my mojo is in full effect lately.

The Warrior

I'm not motivated by love, politics, or religion. I'm just a proud warrior with a proud lineage.

And my story is only HALF done.

It's based on another drawing, but I figured I'd share...

I needed to practice my inking abilities, so I did an ink shading study of Goku. Linework not by me, copyright to Toriyama and all that,  I shaded it...Based on a genga drawing from the show...

How does he DO all that shit anyway???

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ZUj1IsOcrcTTlYV25GTm9yN28&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ZUj1IsOcrcS0NwcGFQQ2ZieWc&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ZUj1IsOcrcY1UzNEhiYUI5Rkk&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ZUj1IsOcrcclE4TFpNQmdLLUE&usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9ZUj1IsOcrcV1dDZHNnZUpYTFk&usp=sharing

Choreography, The Art of

I'd really love to devote more focus to the art and study of choreography and kinetics in cinema and TV. Everything from Dragonball Z and Yuen Woo-Ping, to Martha Graham and Maya Deren

One thing I'd REALLY like to do is make a choreography montage of a short film, featuring well done choreography, as a short film, something of that nature. I'm in love with motion.

My Franchise Character, Mono

The presence of animators and designers in America of my Mono Jubei Private Eye Samurai Warrior Archetype can be seen and felt on every major cable animation network in existence. Here's some that follow the mono archetype:

·       Ben 10 (Cartoon Network, Boomerang)

·       Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network, Adult Swim)

·       GI Joe Resolute (Adult Swim)

·       Danny Phantom (Nickelodeon)

·       Power Rangers Samurai (Nickelodeon, Nicktoons)

·       Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2013) (Nickelodeon, Nicktoons)

·       Generator Rex (Cartoon Network)

·       Magi Nation (4KidsTV)

·       Storm Hawks (Cartoon Network)

Parallax and End Times are like the modern day version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The creators of Ninja Turtles also modeled their vision after Frank Miller's best works, and wanted to make their vision very dark, scary, but networks compromises. Except this time, instead of using the actual idea, they "borrowed" from it's likeness.

"The Swipe" - Latest and Greatest Action Movie Joint

Getting My Creative Work Protected (from thieves) was a good idea...

Getting my first script registered with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is something I was very happy to do. I should copyright all my scripts and show and comics ideas, even though copyright and the Writer's Guild are EXACTLY the exact same thing. But they're similar. Only idiots publish their best ideas online...

DVD rip-to-broadcast Transcoding-to-Streaming Websites....Why has no one done this yet!!??

DVD rip-to-broadcast websites, where it transcodes the video signal and broadcasts it the same way YouTube does would be a GREAT idea!

Now THERE'S a need and niche that's not getting filled.

Well,

While I did fail as a cartoonist, author, and animator....

I succeeded moderately as an inventor, video entrepreneur, engineer, online broadcaster, editor, and digital filmmaker.

"Stupid Ideas"

"NO!"

points over in my direction

To wife, "I'm sick of him and his STUPID IDEAS screwing up and ruining all our lives!!!!!!" my father screamed at his wife while point a crooked finger at me, aggressively.

I Have More Than One Thing Going On

My Multiple Jobs:

YouTube

Engineer

Webcomics Cartoonist

Self-Published Comics

Independent Comic Books

Blog Writer

Tweet Writer

Writer

Seriously though, kids and business people....Technology isn't the only Answer...

Yes, I may or may not be a Technology God and Master of the Universe, but it's given me the opportunity to realize COMPUTERS CAN'T DO EVERYTHING. There is still the human element of the equation.

Case in point: I used to LOVE reading Blade of the Immortal and Neon Genesis Evangelion in printed format, from Dark Horse and Viz. I went to the comic book store EVERY week, excited by buy and devour the next issues.

But NOW. That magic is gone.

"Why"?

BECAUSE

It's gotten so tough to find legit new manga without "stealing everything" that you're left with only a very few, very bad options. NONE of which are actually cool.

To read actual NEW material for Evangelion or Blade of the Immortal (two of the greatest manga EVER), Borders closed, so no more of that option.

You have to:

A: "Pirate" new pages unwillingly, search 1,001 teenage pirate run scanlation sites, which kind of suck ass and distract from the manga itself.

B: Shell out $10 you don't actually have, through Amazon.

C: "Move onto new comics" (shit), and "be happy with what publishers and broadcasters throw at you like an empty beer bottle on a comedy stage. BAD!

All these options kind of suck compared to the old option, the only one I like, being:

D: Simply visit a local comic book shop which sells the floppy issues, in a comic book store that WASN'T stuck in the ghetto, the latter situation, which is essentially what you're dealing with.

I used to LOVE the manga direct market, before it went extinct where I live.

I have to go through so-called "scanlation" sites to read this issues "for free". EVERY FUCKING page is COVERED in ads. I never had to deal with that when those were comic books I could just thumb through at my leisure. Now just to find good art or good comics I have to dig through 5 million websites. One or two banner ads, like youtube I don't mind and I understand, because it DOESN'T GET IN THE WAY OF THE FUN AND ENJOYMENT.  But when it's polluting and confusing the composition and continuation or comic, book, or video footage or whatever, I suddenly realize I'm not living in the same world anymore.

Print comics have an intimacy and escapism to them that websites don't offer. But the new generation of young comics artist doesn't appreciate, respect, or honor any of this. It saddens me...

And computers are responsible for that disillusionment of the current generations. WE want computers to give us all the solutions and answers, but when those computers fail on us and don't offer the RIGHT answers or worse yet, dive into left field, people FLIP OUT. And with good reason. The ROBOTS....LIED TO US!!!!

So THIS is the future huh?

Everything in existence is literally and figuratively scanned and uploaded to some ENORMOUS Billion Dollar automated non-human Computer HTTP Bandwidth Database with a bunch of makeup clad "pretty" faces?

Where's the FUN IN THAT!!!!!

And what if I DON'T WANT to use a computer to accomplish everything, or do everything???

WHAT THEN HUH??? What does YOUR future of computer databases hold for me, the in person collector's item non-digitized guy? Depressing. Everything being on a computer and nowhere else in the world is a lil bit scary

Creepy Monotonous Zombified Girl with a boob job and too much Makeup:

But we're living in a BETTER world, with NO OLD PEOPLE, JOBS, COMMERCE, REAL ECONOMICS, FRIENDSHIP, SOCIALIZING IN REAL LIFE, KINDNESS, and PROPRIETORSHIP. It's a BETTER world. Don't you SEE???

Me

Wow. You ARE corrupted. I'm glad I wasn't RAISED like you. Oh wait, that's right. You spent your whole childhood being raised by non-human computers and cameras. You DON'T HAVE ANY parents...Just computers and cameras.

Are Printed Comics DYING??? Or at the very least not popular and a dying art?

You read these articles and tell me

I hate to admit it, but printed comics aren't popular anymore...They're downright devitalized.

That ain't how it used to be...

Not JUST a Scorpio. Also a Sagittarius on the cusp.

I'm not JUST a Scorpio. I'm on the cusp of being a Sagittarius as well. That means a few things. I'm a natural filmmaker, I like things on a large scale, and (surprisingly) I'm good with kids in real life.

I think I gravitate to youth and adolescence online because there isn't any in my in person day to day life. Just young adults like my brother and sister in law, over the hill grandparents like my parents, and toddlers, the kids of relatives. I gravitate online (probably subconsciously) to what doesn't exist in my waking or offline life. Whatever isn't in my personal life (anime, adolescence, creativity, intellectualism, genius, popularity, romance, (and it's true, these things AREN'T in my personal private life) tends to manifest in my online life and persona.

These two energy fields end up being quite the opposing forces to one another, and I end up stuck in the midst of all of it. Kind of annoying. 

Uh...

Uh, I'd love to explore the "academic" nature of my writings.

I'll admit, some of my work has "educational value". But that was never what I set out to do. Teachers, Parents, and Politicians read too much into my work and think it's "Good for the kids" just because I avoid talking about sex, and all this despite how violent my work is. I happen to like killin people in my stories.

Being Me (And other things that really, REALLY SUCK)

Gee, don't you just WANT TO BE ME. I've got EVERYTHING going for me, don't I.

Fuck, man.

If I lose, everyone hates me.
And if I win and succeed, everyone still hates me.

Yay.

So.....

I went out to get the mail the other day, my neighbor was sitting in a chair in his driveway. He JUMPED BACKWARD and ghasped in what seemed like shock.. It was like he saw a ghost, and the ghost was me. I wonder....He wasn't confrontational or anything. Just in shock and awe over what I'm guessing is the fact that I finally left my house. I guess I surprised him. Note to self: Don't leave so house infrequently it scares next door neighbors.

Tank!

Honestly? It's a nice start. But since it turned out so well, I'll now have to do a million more drawings of it....

29 Year Old Anime Fan, Bordering on 30...Insights and Reflections...

Being Old: First of all, let me say, being a borderline 30 year old and liking anime is not the same thing as being a teenager who likes anime. Most full grown adult anime fans feel overwhelmed by all the wreckless newbies and "youngster", running around trying to sexualize, feminize, and overanalyze everything. I know I feel a bit overwhelmed by THAT.

"Watching": And second of all, I don't watch as much anime as I used to. NO ONE DOES. Well, no one who's a first second or third generation anime and manga fan who's as old as me and approaching their 30s does anyway. My excuse is I'm too busy writing and drawing it to watch it. I've got career aspirations just like the rest of you guys.

Pretty much it for now.

Manga Publishing....Things I didn't know before....

Manga is not built on a "lone wolf visionary auteur system" the way American and French comics are often built, with random submissions.

Based on what I've observed, it seems like one of the strongest foundations of anime and manga are relationships. Manga and anime aren't just built on talent and ideas. They're built on relationships...As in relationships between artists and publishers, artists and editors, manga-ka and editors. Japanese publishers seem to like the idea of mentoring and coaching artists they have a GOOD relationship with, one that is built slowly, carefully, over long periods of time...

Cross-Medium Debate...Advantages of Walking the Line

First off, let me say, I like comics, I like manga, I like animation, I like anime.

And there are plenty of people who are content working exclusively in any one of those fields. But I've always felt more for the commonalities between these four genres and mediums than their differences. They teach you how to be versatile and draw and write in different ways.

I honestly do feel that if you can learn comics, you can also learn animation (preproduction at the very least), or at the very least, write about it if you think your drawings "suck".

More skills and more mediums, media, and more genres worked in equals more work done, and if you do more work, there's a good chance that (in the long run) that will result in more paychecks for you (IF you do the work and do it well)...

My 2 cents...

OKAY, I ADMIT....

Technically, I'm no longer the top dog of WATCHING new anime. Ever since inflation hit the anime market by an increase of 1,000%, I don't know up from down. There are DOWN Syndrome fans who are really compulsive who have watched more anime than me online.

And technically, I never was the greatest anime artists. Plenty of fans can kick my ass in that area, too...

But neither of these cold hard truths seem to change the fact that things are nonethless changing in my life. A tiny little bit of it for the positive. What that positive is exactly I'm still sorting out. But I'll be sure to tell you. When I finally know.

In the meantime I'll just stick to what I've GOTTEN BETTER AT:

Drawing comics.

One Shot, Current Issue 2.0 (Now WITH Writing!) - 27 pgs.

How I've discovered music throughout my life...Stages and Phases

Early 1990s: Cassette Tape Collections of relatives and friends of family, hanging out at people's houses, browsing Circuit City and Peaches Music
Mid to late 90s: Local alternative rock and metal and hard rock radio stations and programming blocks
Late 90s to early 2000s: Music Videos on MTV, MTV2, and VH1
Early to mid 2000s: MTV, MTV 2, underground basement radio, Real Music Weekends, radio in car
Mid to late 2000s to current: YouTube, Sirius XM, Pandora, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3 Downloads, music genre research.

Sorry, but I'm behind the times.....

I used to keep up with all the news and TV, UNTIL they began taking a 1.1 million pot shots at me and whatever it was they perceived the public to associate with me, however temporarily or permanently (a combination of both probably, I wouldn't know, I ain't watching most of that shit, so I'M lost).

I used to like stuff like that, until they tried to implicate me in the midst of all of it, in which case I literally said to myself "Fuck em. If they hate me that much why the fuck WOULD they need me", other than as a goddam punchline laughing stock of course for late night TV.

Don't Fret Rejection

Failure in successfully approaching the big mainstream publishers, whether it's failed PR or a thousand and one rejection letters of your comics pages, or both, is the majority reason most webcomics and self-published comics exist to  begin with. Everyone from Rob Schrab to Jhonen Vasquez to Jim Mahfood to McFarlane and Dave Sim. Well, all my favorite classic now-famous artists anyway.

At some point you stop giving a fuck about making money and just throw stuff out therefore the hell of it on a web comics site or a gallery at DevianART or a blog update or whatever. You know, whatever's coming hot off the presses of your PC printer paper your doing ink drawings on for the day or whatever. Ain't no shame in this game. I'm actually still a bit of a lurker in the publishing industry. But I realize that could always change at some point. I'm not putting any stock in that possibility just yet though.

You do what you can to get bye. Even if WHAT YOU CAN DO is just a page or two of web artwork no one will see at the moment. Everything builds on everything else in your career. Small things can become big, and big things can fail. Be prepared for anything, including hazards. Financial, Emotional, Public Relations, or otherwise. 

How would I describe myself? Like this...

I'm the latest tech-guru, auteur, prodigy, to walk the line between altruistic artsy fartsy storyteller and big business visionary leading billion dollar companies.

Drawing Muse: Quality Control

I'm definitely not entirely in control of the quality of my artwork and each of my art pieces. Only the Lord-God is in control of that. My personal higher power, my Buddha-Cognizance, my lightning rod, my muse, the powerful element of my consciousness controls that. I can control how I move the pencil, pen, and paintbrush,  but not what comes out of it (lines, forms, images, rhythms).

Ultimately, I don't decide the final outcome. I don't decide, nor am I in control of how good my art will actually be. But I am in control of when, how, what, and where I apply pencil or pen to paper. 

Psychic Channeling and Visionary Art: TV Analogy

Channeling is like watching satellite cable TV. The spiritual vision is the TV Signal that gets beamed to my mind, sight, perception, emotions, and mind's eye, which are the satellite. And the TV shows we see come through a screen the same way visions are made manifest on a piece of paper or computer screen through pictures and words. Seeing what I've drawn is like watching my favorite shows on TV. The nature of Lord God and Broadcasters is actually one and the same, when one thinks about it. The signal is beamed from the source to the destination. Anyone can create their own storyboards for a TV show, anime, or movie, right there on the page, as opposed to the obvious, which is TV shows, websites, and movies.

Being a Psychic Medium

As a Medium, I do my best channeling of visions of other realms of existence and consciousness, on the page. My art is channeling. My writing is channeling. I don't know where it comes from. Drawing and writing stories, visions, and narratives, for me, is a little like Transcendental Meditation, which I also do.

FACEFUCKERS INC. - Brian and his Little Death Note Murder Thing....

Wow Brian. You make murder look so uncool.....Heh....

Gee, I wonder if his parole officer is aware of his previous activities as a social engineer, hacker, cyberbully AND cyberstalker.

Who knew fat guys could be so venomous.

Gee, how ever DID "Adam Fraudface Pena" become your Comedy Channel "Protege" anyway...Phil. Odd how you suddenly "know" such an evil child.

It's okay, Phil good buddy. I still love you. They've done enough "attempting to disgrace your legacy"

I'll take it from here.

*Lines up Brian and Adam, then shoots them, in the face, with a Shotgun.*

TARGETS TERMINATED

Networking: The Birds of a Feather Rule.....

If you luck out and meet famous writers, artists, voice actors, animation directors, storyboard artists, production designers, and animators.....Don't expect a voice actor to be able to introduce you to designers.

The truth about anime in Japan and America is: Artists genuinely know people who do the same profession they do, mostly from working on certain projects together.

• Voice actors know other voice actors
• Producers know other producers
• Artists and designers know other artists and designers
• Writers and Directors know other writers and directors. 
• Japanese know other Japanese
• Americans know other Americans
• L.A. Workers know other L.A. workers
• Americans Living in Japan know other Americans Living in Japan

Makes enough sense...

There are exceptions, but mostly this is a rule of thumb. If you meet one celebrity in one field, they're genuinely only going to introduce you to people who work in the same field as them....

Think of the Children, Namely, ME.

So Mom, I said. What do you think is going on with the whole "espionage/corporate espionage malware" thing. Why do you think they do that sort of thing.

Mom: They DON'T KNOW what they're doing. They do it because they're insecure.

Me: Yeah, that DOES make a pretty decent alibi....

Hmmm.

Scene 1, 12 minutes into the show

You see, Mr., Mrs.(?), actually I'm not SURE which gender you are. You see, Mr. Slimey anime tentacle rape monster. For some reason people find our star crossed love "taboo". Don't know WHY exactly. What did you ever do to them. Did you cheat on them too? Aww. That's a shame.

It's NOT YOU. No don't worry. PRETTY SURE it's not YOU. It's me. I know I should have been MORE TRUTHFUL about me being unattainable and overweight. Those just misled you.

That's okay, I'll pick up the check. We cool? You okay with "getting dumped". Why I bet you're the smartest, prettiest slimey tentacle anime rape monster in your entire class. You've got SOME future ahead of you. Shame I have to move on to see other people.

What? You're flipping out like Jerry Maguire, rampaging around town.  Now you SEE?? This is why I broke up with you in public. I KNEW you'd attempt to go on a city wide rampage with SWAT Teams, Drug Dealers and Helicopters.

Shame it had to end like this. And he/she had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. A REAL GOOD APPLE.

Well. Bye!

I often don't get credited for my contributions, like most INTPs. Places where I HAVE been credited:...

The First Season of Bang Zoom!'s AnimeTV ("Reviewer")
Animation Magazine (Pitch Party 2012 Contest Participant)

And that's pretty much it...

Do you REALLY think I'm that successful, Piro??

While I understand Fred Gallagher or "Piro" as he calls himself is successful at the whole manga industry thing, and that he does consider me a colleague and "worthy adversary" on some level, much like Kristy and Mr. Kubo, I've never understood why. They have things in their life I'll never have...EVER.

• They have a solid traditional print fanbase. I don't.
• They have 100,000's of fans and readers. Or in Kubo's case, millions. Not here.
• They all actually HAVE a real audience. No such luck. 
• They have a strong presence in the press and comics journalism. Nope. I don't. Sorry.
• They finish pages and books consistently. Or at least at a rate that doesn't piss off their readership. I'm lucky to finish 2 pages a YEAR. 

So what EXACTLY are they basing their perception and resentment of my "superior popularity" and "epic cult-like following" on. Imaginary statistics from Candyland? Heh. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

That's funny, because I've never, EVER gotten a single email or even response from anyone, ANYwhere that would ever indicate such a thing.

They're the mainstream big shot's, not me.

Wanna See an "Article" I wrote? About my best most scandal worthy friend? HUH HUH HUH?? DO YA DO YA DO YA

NowhereVille, USA, 6:09 ASSOCIATED PRESS

JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM  JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM JIM

There, now you know his name! Hell, with the great job I did you might actually even bother to REMEMBER HIS name! I decided to go light on his scandal, I'm still brainstorming how to fabricate that part with my journalist partners in crime team.

I accept Pulitzers and even Nobel Prizes. SOMEBODY PAY ME!!!!!

1,000 Years of Solitude: Whatever Happened to Socializing in Real Life?

That's weird how a reclusive lifestyle almost seems to be encouraged by middle America nowadays. Whatever happened to socializing anyway? Internet, Social Media, School, Work, and Conventions are where everyone socializes. BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE THINGS??? Socialization has gotten so categorized and organized, it's actually a bit scary. Whatever happened to just hanging out and talking to nice people, like I used to actually do? I kind of HATE this new "internet lifestyle" that's gone so mainstream with everybody. People with active social lives are now embracing the internet lifestyle that was originally intended for people WITH NO social lives. That's fuckin' WEIRD, man!

Goals

I'm actually not that good of a cartoonist. I'm okay. The honest truth is I'm a better inventor than I am a cartoonist. I believe I'm one of the first to pursue both fields...

Power Struggles and the Land of Obscurity...

I've been trying to manage my Power for at least a few years now, ever since I became aware of it.

I'd love to Master my Power. But it's not easy. It can be hard to find outlets suitable for it. Creative outlets like comics, novels, and scripts are nice, but those take a LOT of energy. And I've got a LOT MORE POWER than I do INNER ENERGY! I've got a lot of Raw Power from my experience, but no outlet to master and control. All end up making me fatigued, unable to express my chi for extended duration.

How to Draw Fighting Anime and Manga

How to Design Fight Poses

(Brainstorming, Daydreaming)

• Daydream of fighting. Use your Movement and Motion Imagination
• Study and Analyze movement and stillness of fighting poses on DVD and streaming video online, as well as manga, comics, and production artwork from more established productio
• Pick a Pose or some poses: (i.e. fist punch, leg and foot kick, leap, air leap, sword swipe, strike, gun, block
•  Think in terms of filmmaking: Think like a choreographer-cinematographer
•  Give your poses depth, 3-Dimensions, (shadow, shading, lighting, exaggeration, foreshortening, weight)
•  Capture motion and speed (speed lines, blurring effects, impact effects, streaking effects
•  Think like a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, or manga-ka
•  Don't Draw Small Frames. Draw Big Frames. Draw Cells and Storyboards At Full Screen-Page Proportions and Ratio
• Don't think that just because no one attempts to draw it that it's not worth drawing. Martial Arts Fighting has been drawn for decades or more in Japanese comics and animation, well, ever since Toei did Dragonball Z anyway. Don't get discouraged if your fighting choreography on the page in pencil or pen isn't perfect or looks crude initially. Just remember in terms of America you're one of the first or second generation of Americans to attempt drawing martial arts style action on the page, in America, as opposed to Japan or Hong-Kong. 
• Don't just draw TINY THUMBNAILS WITH NO FORESHORTENING of LIMBS/BODIES for sketches. Even if you lack confidence to draw fighting, draw it anyway (if it's what you really want to draw), Draw all your poses and compositions on as large a scale as possible, both literally and figuratively. Draw in 3-Dimensional Hong-Kong choreography and anime mode, not arcade 16-bit Arcade Fighting Game Mode, where every character is flat and the same size (that's actually how I started off, until I realized how flat it looked in reality.

End TImes: Not an End After All

About drawing manga and anime. I still draw End Times. I still like End Times, and will continue to draw End Times indefinitely, most likely. BUT (and this part is key), I do not plan on making it the only major project I work on for the rest of my life. I've been observing stuff like MegaTokyo, and it's pretty good what Piro's done with MegaTokyo. But I can't help but wonder, is he going to only be drawing that 1 series for the rest of his life, since he's the most successful manga-ka in America? I feel like enough people pay attention to my work I do now. But I don't want to ONLY draw End Times for the rest of my life. I'm definitely planning on taking up new series ideas in the future. Building upon the work ethic I already have built up, but on different worlds, characters, story arcs, and design looks, or maybe the same design look. Whatever I'm comfortable doing. I've come to realize I feel like I've gotten a little too comfortable doing the same series and stories nonstop for, (what is it?), 9 years now?

I don't really have anything going on outside of End Times. Outside of End Times I pretty much have nothing, just a lot of impatience, disharmony, and unhappiness accumulated from years of unpaid, uncredited work on comics projects.

Focusing too much on 1 thing for so long uses up so much of my power, it's a great load off of my shoulders.  I actually feel like I'm able to live a more normal life again, as it's not overshadowed by ENORMOUS LIFE-CONSUMING, LIFE-DRAINING PROJECTS.

Needless to say, this shift in direction comes as a big relief to me. 

Networking in Anime (the Japanese industry)

One effective technique for communicating with people in the anime industry, and gaining insights about how to work in Tokyo, Japan, is to establish a communication with Western artists (French, Canadian, American) (rare as they might be) or "foreigners" who are already employed in Japan and already working in the Tokyo industry. I've found it's easier to strike up a conversation with English-fluent French or American anime studio employees, as they seem to better understand the desire to move to Japan as a Westerner than Japanese workers do. Birds of a Feather applies to pursuing anime in Japan too. If you really want to move to Tokyo and Japan to find work in either anime or manga, I've found that if you aren't of a Japanese ethnicity foreigners already working in Japan who come from a similar cultural experience expats, even if they came to Japan or Tokyo from countries outside of the U.S. will be more than happy to share their experience and knowledge with you. I don't know where this notion comes from that if you want to draw anime or manga "you only gain credibility from speaking to Japanese people, not Caucasian or French foreigners and expats who already speak partial or fluent English, but who are still working in the Tokyo industry nonetheless". This is caused by speculation that say the only people working in Japanese anime are the Japanese. Though they're in the minority, foreigners make up a small percentage of Japanese anime and manga production. You may not know who these people are at first, but if you look around , you just might be lucky enough to find a few people of this sort who are willing to share experiences, life stories, and professional insights with you. 

In other words, as a foreigner who aspires to work in anime, it's a very, VERY bad idea to discriminate against other foreigners who work in anime or want to work in anime, just because they're NOT YOU.

If you ask me, the real thing responsible for killing the prosperity of foreigners working in anime or manga isn't "cultural ignorance", "lack of hard work or talent" or "Japanese discrimination". These things aren't NEARLY as much of a problem as "Aspiring Professional American Foreigners Discriminating Against Aspiring Professional American Foreigners Online" The point isn't to have a FEW foreigners working in the Tokyo market, but as many as can handle the workload. Community, INCLUDING the American-Tokyo Expat Anime & Manga community should be supportive of one another, NOT discouraging. Just because the percentage of American workers in Tokyo in manga and anime is SMALL is no reason to hate on it online. If someone a young artist (yes, even naive ones) wants to and dreams of one day working in Japan once they grow up, get funding, and graduate school, male OR female, it is not my or any other American online persona's place to hate on them and discourage them. Why would I discourage that? Because they're young and naive and not me? Just because someone's NOT YOU but wants to do what you or I do doesn't mean people should be discouraging them. For all we know they WILL achieve their dream. Crazier things have happened. Dreaming and Aspiring to succeed in Tokyo as an American expat anime and/or manga artist should be no less discouraged than wanting to work for companies like Cartoon Network or Disney, for it is people like those very ones who WILL go on to build their own industry, assuming they have the right network of people, skills, resources, and ideas.

Opinions and Journalism

So I have 2 seperate blogs currently.

1 where it's all opinions, theories, and life,

& 1 where I'm sort of a journalist of pop culture, and report on....things. Creative pop culture, from all sources. As long as it interests me somehow I repost it, review it, or report on it...

Blog Number 2 was inspired by my recent friendship I struck up with the editor of Animation Magazine....

Much as the U.S. likes to promote sellout trends and superficial get rich quick on stupid SHIT schemes...

Being liked and trusted isn't necessarily something you can buy. Nor is it something you can earn right away.

It takes time to build trust. Being well liked in the press and media takes time. Sometimes tons of it....Or so I've read...

Why I Don't Put on Airs

I despise pretension. To me, the ultimate sin is being pretentious. Wanting to look smarter or cooler than you actually are, ESPECIALLY when you're neither of those things, yet for some odd reason you still want to sell yourself to the masses as those things.

To  be quite honest, I'm not comfortable placing myself on a status level that goes any higher than the people I admire the most. I'm not comfortable being "more famous" than my personal heroes are. AS FAMOUS, maybe, but not more. I'd never be comfortable placing the value of myself "above" mentors and friends.

I avoid that particular "brand" of pretentious at all costs. It feels offensive and thoughtlessly superficial to me.

Why the f*** would anyone want to be more popular than the people he admires? That makes zero sense to me. Which is the reason I avoid things like media attention and groupies. Those type of things (self-indulgent, self-proclaimed popularity) reek of pretension.

Anime and Thomas Romain

So I've somehow managed to be fortunate enough to be in open contact with and get some advice and input from famed anime and franime designer Thomas Romain (Code Lyoko, Oban Star-Racers, SATELIGHT anime Studio), and speaking with him offers many insights...

Thanks...

Thanks for all the YouTube video comments people.

I appreciate the 1,001 comments I got....

Don't tell my MOM!

My mom: "Mr. Thomas Romain. Hello, nice to meet you. I RESPECT what you do I really do. But what is this I hear about you animating French-Japanese Animated Feature Films with my son. He's a good boy, he really is, but he's just not ready for this so-called "anime career" thing. I don't know what's got into my boy. As soon as he gets home, I'm going to discipline him. Straight to the hospital with him! You've done quite enough for my boy. You are sending him home, right?"

Hmmmm....Scratches chinny chin chin

Tricks and Pitfalls in Webcomics Art Re-Sizing Land

ArtResize software is great. It's a great auto-formatting option for End Times. Formatting your pages to your WCN account is half the challenge. Uploading my webcomics to WCN is now twice as easy, because ArtResize software makes it automatic. Does this sound like a commercial to anyone? Good. You earned that one, ArtResize Software.

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/jm/mono

So...

I was GONNA publish my invention concept a patent list on my website to show it off....UNTIL I was overwhelmed by dramatic public outcry against the decision by protective family, industry colleagues and friends. "NO! Don't do it, Joe!" They all yelled at me, "They've TAKEN SO MUCH FROM YOU LIKE COMMON PETTY THIEVES. DON'T LET THEM TAKE THAT TOO!!! THEY'RE CRIMINAL THIEVES!!!! NOOOO!!!!!"

And so, after a dramatic outcry, I took the list down, realizing it ISN'T Such a good idea to share your thoughts all the time, because you won't get a penny for them, but other people will most definitely try to.

Lesson learned. 

I'm Workin' On It....Well, for me anyway..

I'm working on an Imagineer-style computer hardware and software system, exclusively built, engineered, and prototyped for my home and my home only. Once everything is built once I finally have the resources to do so, my entire house will be a working technology laboratory and computer network, connecting my entire house, room to room.

Just tossing some ideas around (with myself of course). I'll Eventually build it though.