Usagi Yojimbo 25th Anniversary

There were a lot of great geek moments at Comic-Con this year, but, on a personal note, I was very happy to find out that one of my drawings was published in the “Comic-Con 2009 Souvenir Book” (page 188).

I made this illustration especially for the 25th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo and it was the first drawing I made this year.

Also, I was invited to include this illustration in a Gratitude Portfolio, a collection of small “thank you” notes, as a gift to creator Stan Sakai, which was given to him in book form at Comic-Con. You can check out the online version here and Mr. Sakai's reaction here.

This is what Michael Takahara from the Usagi Yojimbo Dojo wrote:

‘Hello Ismael,

I got your fan art thank you for Stan. Thank you so much for contributing. Stan is going to love it.

Peace,

Maka’

So cool. Thank you, Comic-Con International and Michael Takahara for your consideration.

...

Hubo muchos buenos momentos “geek” en la Comic-Con de este año, pero, en lo personal, me dio mucho gusto descubrir que uno de mis dibujos fue publicado en el “Libro Conmemorativo Comic-Con 2009” (página 188).

Hice esta ilustración especialmente para el 25to aniversario de Usagi Yojimbo y fue el primer dibujo que hice este año.

También, me invitaron a incluir esta ilustración en un Portafolio de Gratitud, una colección de pequeñas notas de “agradecimiento”, como regalo al creador Stan Sakai, el cual se le entregó en forma de libro en la Comic-Con. Pueden ver la versión en línea aquí y la reacción del Sr. Sakai aquí.

Esto es lo que escribió Michael Takahara de Usagi Yojimbo Dojo:

‘Hola Ismael,

Recibí tu ilustración para agradecer a Stan. Gracias por contribuir. A Stan le va a encantar.

Paz,

Maka’

Cool. Gracias a Comic-Con International y a Michael Takahara por su consideración.

Snake Dance

A couple of friends and I decided to start an Art Jam as an illustration exercise. We thought it would be a good idea, but we just needed a theme. So, we picked our favorite subject of all: ZORRAS!

The one above is mine. I recently saw a stripper perform with a live snake and decided to do a tribute to her. God bless them Zorras, they bring nothing but happiness!


Unos amigos y yo decidimos comenzar un Art Jam como ejercicio de ilustración. Pensamos que sería buena idea, pero sólo necesitábamos un tema. Entonces, escogimos nuestro tema favorito de todos: ¡ZORRAS!

La de arriba es la mía, Recientemente vi a una stripper bailar con una serpiente viva y decidí hacer un tributo a ella. ¡Dios bendiga a las zorras, ellas no traen nada mas que felicidad!

Pearl Jam's "The Fixer"

Pearl Jam debuted the song “The Fixer,” the first single from their upcoming studio album ‘Backspacer,’ yesterday on their MySpace page and it’s now playing on the radio. I can’t wait to listen to the whole album in September, their first independently released record. I have to say that this is the most “pop” Pearl Jam song I have heard. But still, it’s melodically tight and fun. I really liked it.

Pearl Jam debutó la canción “The Fixer”, el primer sencillo de su próximo álbum de estudio, ‘Backspacer’, ayer en su página de MySpace y ahora se está tocando en la radio. No puedo esperar para escuchar el álbum entero en septiembre, su primer disco lanzado independientemente. Tengo que decir que ésta es la canción más “pop” de Pearl Jam que he escuchado. Pero aún así, es melódicamente tenaz y divertida. Me gustó mucho.

The Sausage Bandit Strikes Again!

I recently posted something about the mysterious Sausage Bandit, and now Señor Maquino pointed us to this in the news:

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile loses control, crashes into Racine home.

Tony, where were you on July 17, ehm?

Tony Loves Chorizo

This is an inside joke we've had with the Nerdmigos during the last 4 months. It all started when our friend Tony declared his undying love for chorizo (no gay connotation here, mind you, we all know he is all about the pussy, but, he's just a guy who, well, loves chorizo… in his mouth… I mean… to eat it… that is… ok, let's move on). Then, we started reading about these weird stories in the news involving sausage incidents ("Assault With An 8-Inch Sausage," "Sausage breaks drivers nose," "Meat Hero: Man Gets Struck By Lightning While BBQing, Only Utters 'Sausages'"). It seemed odd that Tony and this mysterious "Sausage Bandit" were never seen at the same place and time. So, anyway, for some reason this image came to my head.

This drawing is an homage of the Action Comics #1 cover, famous for introducing Superman back in 1938. I know that hot dogs are not the same as chorizo, but whatever. I found several versions of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, but I decided to go with the original 1936 Carl G. Mayer-designed vehicle since I thought it would be more fitting. For the Sausage Bandit costume I used the classic underwear over tights thing and I decided to loose the cape, since I couldn't think of a reason why he would use one. He really doesn't have any superpowers, hence the crane holding the car. For those who haven't purchased a comic since the days of Donald Duck in the 30's or haven't been to a comic book store since the silver foil-stamped embossed hologram covers in the 90's, $2.99 USD is the average price for an issue these days.

So, there you go.

This one's for you, Tony. Happy Birthday buddy!

P.S. Give'em Hell Sausage Bandit!

UPDATE:

This is so fucking creepy.

Meat-processing exec Oscar Mayer dead at 95

Did somebody show him my drawing today? Hope I didn't have anything to do with it... or the Sausage Bandit :s

Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs...

Nothing says 4th of July better than... hot dogs!!!

. . .


:(


Ok, whatever (you're no fun).


Last month I drew this mascot as kind of a commissioned work for a local hot dog stand (or more like someone's get-rich scheme) that didn't get off the ground. I guess they never used it, since I never got paid. Hence, it never got past the pencils & ink phase. Still, it was fun to draw because it was really fast, really simple, and I didn't have to worry about detail. So, what did I learn from this experience? It's really hard to draw a cartoon hot dog that doesn't look like the Wienerschnitzel mascot. Making it wear Converse tennis shoes doesn't help either.

El mes pasado dibujé esta mascota que fue más o menos un trabajo por encargo para un puesto de hotdogs local que no se pudo levantar. Supongo que nunca lo utilizaron, ya que nunca me pagaron. Por lo tanto, nunca pasó de la fase de lápiz & tinta. Sin embargo, fue divertido dibujarlo porque fue muy rápido, muy simple, y no tuve que preocuparme por el detalle. ¿Entonces, qué aprendí de esta experiencia? Que es muy difícil dibujar un hotdog de caricatura que no se parezca la mascota de Wienerschnitzel. Ponerle tenis Converse tampoco ayuda.

Top 10 Misheard Lyrics

I know a lot of people who love to sing along to their favorite songs, but they just don’t know the lyrics. I really don't mind that they are horrible singers, if it makes them happy, but they really stand out when the exact words are definitely not what they are singing, and they don't even know it. It turns out that there is a word for this phenomenon. It's called "mondegreen," and it means "the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase, such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song." I picked my favorite misheard lyrics from Getback.com, KissThisGuy.com, and, of course, that great SNL "Wayne's Wolrd" skit from the 90's.

10. MADONNA - Like A Virgin
Misunderstood lyric: "Like a virgin touched for the thirty-first time."
Correct lyric: "Like a virgin touched for the very first time."

9. PETER GABRIEL - Shock the Monkey
Misunderstood lyric: "Jacque the Monkey."
Correct lyric: "Shock the Monkey."

8. THE CLASH - Rock the Casbah
Misunderstood lyric: "Sherri don't like it. Rockin' the casbah."
Correct lyric: "The Sharif don't like it. Rockin' the casbah."

7. ELTON JOHN - Benny & The Jets
Misunderstood lyric: "She had electric boobs."
Correct lyric: “She's got electric boots.”

6. MICHAEL JACKSON - Billie Jean
Misunderstood lyric: "But tu quieres una manzana."
Correct lyric: "But the kid is not my son."

5. BON JOVI - Livin' on a Prayer
Misunderstood lyric: "It doesn't make a difference if we're naked or not."
Correct lyric: "It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not."

4. ALANIS MORISSETTE - You Oughta Know
Misunderstood lyric: "It's not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me."
Correct lyric: "It's not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me."

3. This one is a classic, and I'm definitely guilty. I spent my whole childhood singing it like this.
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - Bad Moon Rising
Misunderstood lyric: "Don't go out tonight, or it's bound to take your life. There's a bathroom on the right."
Correct lyric: "Don't go out tonight, or it's bound to take your life. There’s a bad moon on the rise."

2. This one the granddaddy of misheard lyrics.
JIMI HENDRIX - Purple Haze
Misunderstood lyric: "Excuse me while I kiss this guy."
Correct lyric: "Excuse me while I kiss the sky."

1. But my all around favorite has to be this one from Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready
KISS - Rock & Roll All Night
Misunderstood lyric: "I wanna rock and roll all night and PART of everyday."
Correct lyric: "I wanna rock and roll all night and party everyday."