ZOMBIE RELATED: The Horde REVIEW

TITLE: The Horde (La Horde)
YEAR: 2009
DIRECTOR: Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher
RATING: NR

The Horde is another well made zombie entry from France, this time mixing a crime face-off, with impending zombie uprising, to mostly good affect.

TRUE GRIT fan art!

After seeing True Grit, I couldn't help but do a fan art of Rooster (Jeff Bridges) and Mattie... Here is the line art finished up, but I still need to color it...



And you can see my review HERE

ARTWORK: sketch cards on eBay

UPDATE 12/22: Cards go off tonight (in roughly 12 hours), and a few now have bids... last chance!

I just put a big batch of custom sketch cards up on eBay for sale (at low prices), check them out HERE

UPDATE 12/17: Two have sold, but if you use buy it now, put notes in the payment and I'll include a copy of my 2010 sketchbook for free (or some other item if you have the sketchbook already).

Meanwhile at the Movies... Green Hornet early review!

The Green Hornet, most famous for it’s 1960’s TV show featuring Bruce Lee, gets the Hollywood movie treatment, but my knowledge (and I’d wager most of Amerca’s) on the history and details of this property are pretty fuzzy. It started out as a radio serial, then a TV show, but the show never got any rotation that I’m aware of, either in the 1970’s TV syndication, or post 1980’s via cable. Nor did it exist as a comic book or other property, so I’m not really aware of too many people anxious for a big budget film treatment, but regardless, Green Hornet is on it’s way to movie screens in January, and I had a chance to catch an early screening.

I should note, movie is being released in 3D, and I’m not sure, but I think it’s another 3D retrofit… I don’t think this was created with 3D in mind, and in fact, the version I saw was 2D. So, keep that in mind, but from what I noticed, there wasn’t much in the movie created for 3D effect, except for the minor 3D gotcha moment or two.

So, how was the movie?

First off, as you likely know if you’re around the movie/comic websites, or Comic-Con etc, this is a bit of a reimagining, and not a straight adaptation of the source material. With Seth Rogan in the lead, a notable comedic actor usually attached to subversive anti-hero type roles, and Michel Gondry, the offbeat French director of such films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Be Kind Rewind, Science of Sleep) directing. Also, Stephen Chow was at one time attached to direct and play Kato, then just play Kato, and then was no longer involved at all. Plus there was also some talk of reshoots or at least a rescheduling of some sort, leading to speculation the studio wasn’t too keen on the final product, with speculation (again) being, that it was perhaps too much of a skewed take on a superhero film for mainstream audiences (especially in light of the woeful performance of comic book movies that weren’t big budget made-for-the-masses adaptations in 2010 - not that this is really a comic book movie per se).

Now, I don’t know if the film was ultimately meddled with, or if it remains true to the Rogan/Gondry vision, but, being familiar with the creative flourishes of Gondry’s past works, Green Hornet plays pretty much like you’d expect a big budget Hollywood PG13-type superhero movie that aims to be different from the traditional comic book blockbusters. That is to say, it feels much more like a Seth Rogan film, with off color humor and antics, with Gondry supplying a visually solid foundation, that only occasionally takes to unique approach. Overall though, Green Hornet the movie is more of a character study than action film, and the combination of Rogan and Gondry bring enough of their styles to make that work.

The story itself is nothing fresh or original, borrowing elements from Iron Man and Batman most notably, mixed with a modern crime film sensibility. The main villain here is really just a generic crime lord, but in this case played subtly by last years breakout supporting actor and villain, Christoph Waltz, of Inglorious Basterds fame. In fact, the whole role is built around the fact that Christoph, or Chudnofsky in the film, is just that, a pretty forgetful kingpin, coming to terms with the fact that he may need to up his game, while Rogan and his mechanic, Kato, begin their heroes journey as the Green Hornet, posing as villains in the LA scene, but acting as heroes, thus ultimately setting the two on the path to an inevitable series of confrontations.

So it’s the typical super hero origin story, with Rogan in the role, as actor, of Downey Jr. - playing against type for what’s normally an A list alpha male role, and, as character, Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne - wealthy playboy with limitless cash and toys, to use for his own heroic ends. And GH does relatively well mining that Tony Stark/Downey Jr territory, as does the film, with Rogan a capable comedic actor with plenty of charisma in his own boyish, buffoonish way. Where it really shines, is where it difers from that template, and that is in the partnership that is formed with Kato, the estate’s mechanic and coffee maker, who’s really a jack of all trades that excels in particular at kung-fu, and mechanical design. And, with the original TV series being remembered almost entirely for this role, as portrayed by the legendary Bruce Lee, it’s here both in terms of the story, and casting, where Kato is again key. Because Rogan’s Britt Reid is nothing without his partner Kato, and the role of Kato, or the Green Hornet film itself, is nothing without a star turning performance form it’s Kato, and I must say, Jay Chou is amazing here in the role. He’s quiet cool, connects with the audience, and truly shines. You want your very own Kato to be "shon-di" or "brothers" with, and all the cool cars and toys that go with it. The only downside to Chou being, you don’t get the sense that he’s a bad ass martial artist, just that his character is in the film. So that’s either a credit to the filmmakers for making it mostly work on screen, or a failure on their part for not showcasing his skill more. I’m not saying the fight sequences with Kato are bad, there are plenty of them, but they’re just mostly reliant on post production gimmickry, that ultimately works fairly well (to both explain and illustrate his superhuman fight abailities), but the direction or editing keep things a bit murky whenever action ramps up in general, and Kato’s skills are lost to this somewhat too.

And besides the fairly unoriginal plot (that is, perhaps, the weakest part of the film), there are plenty of action scenes throughout, and they’re mostly cool, but they often felt like more noise and motion than actual substance. Like, “Okay, here’s a big car chase! Now if we flip over 3 vehicles, it’ll look cool!!” Those two things are what keep this Green Hornet from being a truly great film. As it stands though, it’s a lot of fun, with a good cast, that’s a lot of fun to watch, regardless. It’s just not a new classic in the genre like Iron Man, or The Incredibles. So yes, it is better than you’re likely expecting... and while the action can be a bit detached, Gondry and Chou imbue the whole thing with a cool factor that’s just fun to ride with!

RECOMMENDED

Meanwhile at the Movies... True-ly Grit-tastic!

I got a chance to catch an advance screening of TRUE GRIT last night, the Coen brothers adaptation of the 1968 novel, made famous in ‘69 by John Wayne.

Great Western.
Incredible story.
Amazing dialogue.
Brilliant performances.

Who doesn’t love Jeff Bridges, and while he got the Oscar last year, this is a performance, reunited with the Coens (Lebowski anyone?), where he can shine in a role and movie the masses can see and enjoy… the hell out of.
But he may not even be the best actor in the film, the thirteen year-old girl is really the lead, and she absolutely owns the role… and Matt Damon, in a change-up role here, is just fantastic (not to mention Josh Brolin's brief turn). The characters are so alive, and that’s the Coens adapting the screenplay, and their direction, elevating the top flight cast in a showcase of a Western epic of a tale, that, on the screen, is everything we love about movies.
A true journey in every sense.

I loved it! Just a joy of a film.
People will be quoting, and watching this new classic for generations to come.
So, as ol' Rooster Cogburn would say, “Fill your hand,” (with the movie ticket), “you son of a bitch!!”

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Thursday I'm going to an early screening of GREEN HORNET, which should be... interesting... and then hopefully TRON on Friday!!!

New Blog - Zombie Related

I love ZOMBIES.
Everyone loves ZOMBIES.
So I've started a new blog, ZOMBIE RELATED, where I link to anything to do with zombies, post zombie film reviews, and basically just share in the love and mania of the undead...

So you know, it gives me an excuse to validate some of the many movies we watch, plus of course, I've been putting together my own zombie comic for some time now. What really drove it home though, that I wanted to do something more with zombies, was exhibiting at ZomBcon and meeting George Romero.

So, what the hell. Check it out and follow it if you're a zombie fiend too. I've already got three zombie movies reviewed, and I'd love to see you there.

And, keep your eyes out for more info on my Con of the Dead graphic novel, of course Zombie Tramp, and maybe something more too...

ZOMBIE RELATED: Deadgirl REVIEW

TITLE: Deadgirl
YEAR: 2008
DIRECTOR: Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel
RATING: NR

Disturbing and audacious, Deadgirl is a twisted trek into some dark territory... the evils of teenage boys brought to life by a shackled zombie girl!

ZOMBIE RELATED: Aaah! Zombies!! REVIEW

TITLE: Aaah! Zombies!!
YEAR: 2007
DIRECTOR: Matthew Kohnen
RATING: NR

A zombie movie from the zombie's point of view??!!
That's certainly an original (and amazingly simple) idea, but does the movie work?

ARTWORK: P'ups Master Set sketch cards

I recently did a few sketch cards for the very limited "master set" series for 5finity's P'ups (pinups and puppies) card set.

Here are my cards, and you'll notice, all of them are chihuahua puppies, since we have a chihuahua, and artists had to work from a list of breeds on the regular cards (only being allowed to draw one of each breed)...


I also have one additional card available for sale for $75.
Email me if you're interested - jasinmartin@hotmail.com
(Or it's on eBay HERE)

ARTWORK: Vampirella commission

A recent commission for the famous horror femme, Vampirella.
My first time drawing the character.

Flash Gordon is love

Apparently it's the 30th anniversary of one of my all time favorite sci-fi classic movies... and no, I don't mean Empire Strikes Back. All you misguided fools can keep your precious second film in the Star Wars trilogy, yes, it's one of the greatest films ever, but better than the first?? the original?!? Hardly!!!

But I didn't take a moment to argue the merits of Star Wars over Empire (although I could, at length), no, I'm talking about another cherished sci-fi blockbuster from the Gen-X lexicon, I'm talking about a bolder, louder, stranger, crimson colored, gold plated gem... the one and only Flash Gordon.

And just like the merits of episode four over five, I could go on and on about dear Flash... how I still recall the first glimpse of the trailer on our old black and white 12" TV and proceeded to rave about it to my parents, even describing the color of Ming's crimson guards, despite only seeing them in gray scale... the jaw dropping moments of hilarity and fun upon first watching at theaters... and sharing the love of the film with friends on cable (as only pre-teen boys could enjoy and share in such a wondrous work of pre-teen fantasy brought to life)... Max Von Sydow's Ming is pure genius, the green blood, the tree stump, the death duel with Hawkmen, the perfect crescendo of a climax... but where's the time for that? I just wanted to pop in and give a quick mention of the milestone, and link to a page that's been making the rounds, a Flash Gordon fan page on YouTube... HERE

While there's not a terrible amount of content there, it is well done and interesting, comparing some differences from cable to DVD, and scenes with the final (and much cherished/maligned) Queen soundtrack, versus what was intended as a full orchestral score. Just an interesting spot for fans of the film, with hopefully more to come.

If anyone knows of more content/pages out there, be sure and let me know!

Now here's some old Flash Gordon fan art...

ZOMBIE RELATED: Mutants REVIEW

TITLE: Mutants
YEAR: 2009
DIRECTOR: David Morlet
RATING: R

Basically French zombies, that's Mutants.
It's a French film, in French, with subtitles, but the subtitles aren't a problem as the dialogue is light, and really, aside from the dialogue, the film doesn't feel overtly French or foreign.

ZomBcon wrap-up

ZomBcon this past Halloween weekend was a blast, and a huge success! Three days of zombies zombies zombies...

The event was held just outside downtown Seattle at the Seattle Center, which is a large area that houses the Space Needle, Music Experience museum, Key Arena, Opera House, convention/exhibit centers, parks and more...

The exhibit hall entrance, and T-Shirt Bordello zombie removal service vehicle.

Having just been there last month for the first ever Jet City Comic Show, it's a good location, but also a bit odd, in that it neighbors the Opera House/Ballet center, so you get a wild mix of crowds, and also, the main hall of the Seattle Center (or at least the one that housed both Jet City and ZomBcon) is a bit of a dive... being a sub level hall, that's old and dingy... fitting for a zombie convention perhaps, but still rather uninspiring. However, on the plus side, there's parking across the street and many restaurants and bars nearby, and for the tourist inclined, you can't beat being beneath the Space Needle. Then back on the flip side again, for ZomBcon, many of the events, panels and activities lined up, were not actually in the same building as the convention hall, which is a bit odd, and caused traffic to dip and peak wildly as different events took place either on site, or off.

The exhibit hall itself is pretty small, and ZomBcon didn't even use the full floorspace, so it made for a fairly small convention floor. But with such a micro focus, zombies, the floor still offered a wide variety of exhibitors, and plenty to look at when not in line at a signing or at an event. I'd be surprised though if attendees didn't get their fill in one pass through, so there's still plenty of room to expand on what was offered...

For us, we had a nice corner booth, with plenty of exhibit space, which is always appreciated. It was our world debut for Zombie Tramp, and we were offering a free Seattle themed ZomBcon print with purchase of the book, so there was plenty of space to showcase all of that in addition to the full catalog of SRG books, and my personal stuff.

SRG booth, complete with life size Janey/Zombie Tramp!

Aside from plenty of space, we had a great location, just the other side of the main stage, where all guests and many presentations appeared. So, whenever a new guest entered the hall, we could quickly turn to see them and check things out... Plus, I could still operate the booth and listen to whatever Malcolm McDowell, Bruce Campbell, or George Romero had to say (or see when their line got small enough to get some face time myself!)...

Guests Malcolm McDowell and Bruce Campbell greeting rabid zombie like fans (and Ted Raimi forced to pose with Zombie Tramp)!

In addition to the big three movie guests, the con also hosted a couple huge literary names, Max Brooks (World War Z), and Chuck Palahniuk (of Fight Club fame). Both of which my wife was excited and tickled to see. And with the con being relatively as small as it was, it made for great access to the guests. For instance, when she went to get some free zombie make-up applied, she wound up talking with Chuck Palahniuk who was checking out the process while they worked on her.

Another big difference between this convention, and the comic book shows I've always done (this was my first non comic book convention), was that the fans were mostly in full zombie gear... Sure comic shows have tons of cosplay, but it's different to see all the costumes skew to one theme!

You'd think this girl was inspired by Zombie Tramp, as she was practically dressed in character straight out of the pages (so of course she had to have a copy), and then many cool new fans were made, like this gentlemen sporting his recently acquired Zombie Tramp tee the next day!


Some of the more inspired zombie costumes!

Overall, ZomBcon was a blast, and one of the best conventions I've done, both in terms of sales, and enjoyment. I'd hoped having a new zombie graphic novel would be a good fit with this type of event, and it proved to be true, so that wasn't too surprising. However, the combination of cool guests, focused programming, and smaller first time show made for a very enjoyable experience as a fan. The show wasn't without many flaws, but with the zombie prom (and it's awesome 80's retro band), access to guests, and many options on parties and activities, I'd think a zombie/genre fan would be hard pressed not to have a kick ass weekend! I know we did.

Not to mention meeting so many cool fans and exhibitors, like our neighbors at the T-Shirt Bordello (from whom I got a few awesome new shirts), and Zombie Cagefighter (and MMA star) Nate Quarry!

But, for me, the highlight of the event, and one of the highlights of any convention I've done over the years, was the chance to meet Mr George A Romero, get a picture with a living legend, and talk with a true inspiration to me as an artist and creator. Plus, turns out, he's incredibly nice and easy going, which is always cool, because many creators and celebrities can turn out to be quite the opposite. I asked him if he had anything lined up post Survival of the Dead, and he said that he was still actually traveling and debuting that world wide... so nothing brewing yet (that he was willing to share with me)!

So yeah, ZomBcon? Two thumbs up from this guy!
See you next year!!!

ZomBcon this weekend!!

No sleep for the starving artist/publisher!!!!

In a mere couple hours I'll be taking the fully loaded SRG-mobile up the highway to sell the first copies of the brand spankin new Zombie Tramp graphic novels (due in shops next month kids), as well as ZT shirts and prints (one of which is the special one we did for the show, pictured in my last post) at ZomBcon in the Seattle Center.

Not to mention, I've created a life size Janey, the Zombie Tramp, for kids and grandfolks to get their picture with as they buy all these undead goodies!!!!

And although nearly all my time of late has been Zombie Tramp related, I'll try and do some zombie slash good girl art this weekend myself, and maybe show off this snazzy new WIP promo (with fabulous line art by John Fortune) for my upcoming GN, Con of the Dead?!?!


Plus, the wife and I will be hitting the Zombie Prom (aka Halloween party)...

Oh, and, BONUS ROUND! I also get to pick up the copies of the book, just released from customs (after being delayed since last Monday, 10/18), which are also in Seattle, while at the show (to turn around and ship to Diamond upon my return to Portland Monday!)

Whew!!! I'm tired already!

Sigh, if only I could get some rest first...

See ya there, or on the other side!!!

Hack/Slash sketch cards available!

I had five "artist exclusive" cards available from working on the 5finity Hack/Slash set.

All five cards are pictured above.
Cards 3 and 5 from the picture have been sold (the middle and final cards pictured), and all cards are $50 each. Email me if you're interested in any of the remaining cards!

ZomBcon on Halloween weekend!

Just a heads up that I'll be exhibiting Halloween weekend at ZomBcon, the first-ever dedicated zombie event, in Seattle WA 10/29-10/31, alongside convention guests and genre luminaries like George Romero, Bruce Campbell, and Malcolm McDowell!!

I'm thrilled to be a part of the event, as I'm a HUGE zombie fan, and it's also the perfect place to launch ZOMBIE TRAMP... a zombie convention?? on Halloween weekend??!!

Also, while Zombie Tramp creator Dan Mendoza can't make the show (he's exhibiting at Long Beach Con the same weekend), we've created a special one of a kind print featuring brand new artwork to offer only at the show!
The Super Real Graphics booth at ZomBcon will be the only place you can pick up the print, and to also snag a copy of the book before it's available in stores!

I'll also have some of the other SRG catalog of books, as well as more zombie prints and artwork!

If you're a zombie fan too, hope to see you at the show!!

ARTWORK: Hack/Slash sketch cards

I was fortunate enough to do a handful of cards for the Hack/Slash sketch card series from 5finity, which is due out 10/15.

Here's a sample card of mine, the title character from the comic, Cassie Hack, the serial killer, er, killer...

Meanwhile at the Movies... 2011

Another Redline clip... with word that the film will hit at least some US theaters next year... add this to Snyder's Sucker Punch in March, and The Thing prequel in April for can't miss films at the theater (along with Disney's 3D Tron Legacy this Christmas of course!)

More inspiring music videos...

Genius, star-studded, mini movie, oddities... with great music too ;)

Underworld - Always Loved a Film: Brilliant fun had with a simple twist...


Yeasayer - Madder Red (with Kristen Bell): Effects/creature driven WTF...


Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside (with Christina Hendricks): Sci-fi movie goodness...


MGMT - Congratulations: More creature driven oddness...


And lastly, it's just awesome to see this storyboarded version of the latest Gorillaz!!!

Zombie Tramp and Super Real Graphics updates

Well, I was supposed to be in New York this weekend for the big New York Comic-Con, but fate conspired against that. So instead I'm spending some much needed time updating publishing and business things...

To that end, for those who've seen me promoting Zombie Tramp over the last year, you probably know I'm officially publishing that book by my friend Dan Mendoza, as a graphic novel collecting his entire series, and that it's due out in the next month (most likely in comic shops in early November). I can report that the book is printed and came out looking great! I'll be sure and update the sites once we have the release date more firmed up.

However, for those who've picked up the series from us at conventions, in single issues, many are looking for the third and final issue of the book in that format. If you don't want to double dip and pick up the entire series in one book (with extras), that's certainly understandable. So, if you are in need of issue 3, we now have that available from the SRG store in digital PDF download for only $1.99.
CLICK HERE
And with the third book being 36 pages of sexy zombie chaos, that's some pretty good value for your money!

If you must hold a copy of the third single in your hands, hold out a bit longer, and Dan will have those available via ComiXpress (and again, I'll update the sites with that info as well).

Stay tuned for more updates, including developments with Super Real Digital!

Viva le double!!

As much as I embrace our digital future, Rich Johnston touches on one of the biggest pitfalls to the new format (especially on smaller handheld devices)... the limited canvas that all but wipes away any chance to dramatically increase scale during the story with double page splashes (and to an extent, single page splashes).

He even includes a nice gallery of double page splashes that are a visual feast HERE

I know a lot of people are detractors of the splash page, but for me comics are an art form, and are art first and foremost, so limiting it's potential canvas is worrisome, so as much as I'd love to see comics expand their reach digitally, I hate that it comes at a cost.

Jet City Con this weekend!

I'll be jetting up I5 with some compadres tomorrow, oh so early, to exhibit the brand new Jet City Comic Show. Jet City is a new show in Seattle Washington that's put on by some of the folks that promote the incredible Emerald City Comic-Con, so I expect good, if much smaller, things :)

I'll be in artist alley space 48, with prints, new sketch cards, books, and whatever else I think to bring!

The show is located at the Seattle Center, and runs from 10AM to 6PM.

Come by the show, it should be awesome!!

I WATCH ANIME: Redline!

Redline is still looking to be... quite possibly the coolest thing ever!!!!!

Sym-Bionic Titan

I really dug the new Genndy Tartakovsky show on Cartoon Network, Sym-Bionic Titan. Genndy of course is behind such hits and quality works as PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack, and the original (and epicly awesome) Star Wars Clone Wars micro mini-series. The man is an animation master, who happens to work in a crude and deceptively simplistic style. Here, with Sym-Bionic, he cribs from giant robo anime, to much success.

While I was leery about taking our cast of teenage aliens in the undercover high schooler direction, the first episode all works brilliantly, and shows Genndy still has his touch. Any fan of animation, comics, anime, and the like, should give this one a shot!

I WATCH ANIME: cool anime stuffs!

I haven't watched anime in forever... half way through Gurren Lagann, from like a year or two ago... but haven't seen too much new stuff that's enticing. Here's some enticing anime and related stuffs though (pulled from the AICN anime column)!

Hey look it's Gurren Lagann... The Movie: The Lights in the Sky are Stars - Second compilation



Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (Gainax) - This looks like an insane mash-up of Genndy Tartakovsky, Junko Mizuno, and Jhonen Vasquez!!!



RoboGeisha - Finally gets a domestic release on Blu/DVD in November



Lion Force Voltron USB flash drive anyone?

ARTWORK: Ambush Ladybug commission

I recently had the good fortune to pass the 100,000 view mark on my DeviantArt gallery page, and as is customary, I shared the love by offering a free commission to the lucky (unlucky?!?) person that captured the 100K screen (or closest to it).

The person who captured it (and on the money) requested artwork by me of the DC Comics character, Ambush Bug, a cult favorite who launched a tongue-in-cheek mini series in the early/mid 80's (with a few follow ups over the years)...
However, they also requested that I draw the character as a girl (but otherwise unchanged). So, I thought it'd be fun to do a new female version of the first book's cover, and here you go...

Machete fan art finished

Here's the finished Machete fan art!

Machete fan art

Here's a MACHETE fan art I'm working on... of Michelle Rodriguez's character, She!



More to come!

Recent sketch cards

Having finished prepping Zombie Tramp for publication, it's back to the drawing board, and the various spinning plates that had all but fallen and broken...

These cards were some quick ones donated to the March of Dimes charity auctions Steve Frank (of 5finity) is hosting on eBay starting this Saturday!


And these were a couple of commissioned artist exclusive blanks from the recent Pulp Girls card set of mine (via 5finity)


And here's a couple more...


I still have Pulp Girls AE blanks available, please email me for info!

Meanwhile at the Movies... Machete Kills!

So yeah, went to see Machete Friday afternoon at the new Living Room Theater downtown (Portland)... which is part of a new chain I guess (though it looks like there's just one in Portland and one in Florida) - cool smaller theater with six screens that show mostly indie movies, and the theaters have big recliner seats and food/drink service, with swanky style food, and alcohol, for the price of regular theater concessions... which seemed the perfect way to view Machete, with cerveza in hand!


So the movie?
Well, anyone who was a fan of RR and QT's Grindhouse were a shoe-in to rush to Machete, with it's fake trailer being one of the highlights of that glorious cinematic effort. And not just because the idea of Danny Trejo as a Mexi-CAN out to settle a score via no-holds-barred violence is a slam dunk, but also, to see just how Rodriguez builds a movie around something originally crafted as a two minute highlight reel, with awesome cast (plus mondo additions) in tow.


And well, if nothing else, the frenetic opening prologue scene to the film, is a glorious note perfect accomplishment. From there though, things quickly settle into a much more measured and expansive direction. Therefore, the opening is a bit of a tease, giving us the visceral pace that never let up in Planet Terror, along with the faux grindhouse projection, only to diminish that flavor, once the opening title hits. Leaving us with a more pure representation of the genre, and not the everything all at once thrill ride send-up we perhaps expected. All the gore-tastic fight sequences are there, all the cool characters, the bug nuts casting, the raunchy flourishes, the demented cool of unhinged storytelling where nothing is sacred or out of bounds (shooting pregnant women, swinging from intestines, nailing Cheech Marin to a cross)... it's just not strung together faster than you can comprehend here... it's unspooled instead of unleashed.


So, in terms of comparing Machete to it’s Grindhouse/Planet Terror roots, they are quite different, and Machete does not live up to that standard. All that being said, it does come quite close. Mostly where it falters, besides the pacing issues the film has outside the fast start, and a rather furious finish, is it starts to feel a bit too pastiche. As if Rodriguez and his co-writer cousin, are literally connecting the dots between the beats of the original trailer. And whereas in Planet Terror the expansive cast wove in and out of the story with ease, here it feels like there’s too much setup work into weaving each of the very many characters into Machete. It all feels a bit forced... but then Trejo gets cornered, shit blows up, bullets fly, and ass gets thoroughly, creatively kicked! So who fucking cares?!? That's all we really wanna see right? Because, the more I write this review, the more I realize how much I liked this fucking movie!


Sure some of the stunt casting isn’t maximized, and could be dialed up a bit more (Deniro plays it pretty cartoonish... so push him to go more that direction - Seagal is bloated, we know this, have fun with it!), but Jeff Fahey still rocks hard, and Danny Trejo assaults goons with a weed whacker (and hedge shears, and while eating a breakfast burrito)!!!
And sure the ending kind of fizzles and doesn’t surpass the start, but there’s a Gatling gun on a Harley, Michelle Rodriguez in a matching leather bikini and eye patch, and Steven Seagal committing seppuku…
So ya know, you can only put so much syrup on your flapjacks, but I like A LOT on mine... so I would've liked more than a few seconds of Trejo mowing down border vigilantes with a Gatling... I wish "She" didn't wait til the last scene to show up... I want more Lindsay Lohan in a nuns habit licking a revolver!!!!
Is that so wrong?!?
Machete’s not perfect, it’s not even that close, but it is a damn good bad-ass piece of cinema, with plenty of blade to spare! And had we not already had Planet Terror, or had the climax been as sublime as the opening, I'd probably appreciate the film as a whole, a whole lot more.
It definitely goes on my short list of favorites though, but you know, I like my shit big, loud, and crazy... so let's get a reshoot for the climax here (or edit down about 20 minutes), and set this one off right! :D

RECOMMENDED
I can't wait for MACHETE KILLS, and MACHETE KILLS AGAIN (or maybe SHE KILLS??), but come on RR?!? You know you should have given us a damn preview for the sequel!!!! Sacrilege!!!

Cool videos

Some amazing recent music videos...

MIA - Born Free
Ginger's beware...


LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
Insanity on film...


How To Destroy Angels - The Space in Between
Otherwise known as Mr and Mrs Trent Reznor...


I also recently discovered/explored some of the expanded music video channels on our cable... I was pleased to realize that MTVU is a fairly decent facsimile of the early days of the network (IE mostly cool tunes with hardly any commercials).

So while these videos aren't as cool to watch, here's some of my fave new sounds...

Dominique Young Unique - Show My Ass
Stoopid beats, and fresh rhymes...


The London Souls - The Sound
More then a little Kravitz, and more than a little heavy groove...


...then there's Die Antwoord, a category all to themselves...

Die Antwoord - I'm A Ninja
It's like if the Morlocks formed a b-boy crew...

PULP GIRLS sketch cards

A couple notes for those still looking to get some of the super sweet Pulp Girls sketch cards (from the recent 5finity Jam series)...

1) I have exactly 10 unopened packs left, and have posted them on eBay HERE



2)And while I didn't get any return "artist exclusive" cards on the set, as all 50 cards I did went into the 600 pack circulation, I do have a limited number of blank AE cards available. You can get custom cards with any Pulp Girl character from me for either $20ea for full color bust, or $25ea for full color 2/3rd body shot (or a bit more for more involved cards).
Just email me - jasinmartin@hotmail.com



(Or, if you're looking to score cards from some of the dozens of other cool artists on the set, hop over to the DeviantArt Pulp Girls page and you can link to their respective pages)

Full info on the sketch cards and the hub for Pulp Girls goodness is of course available at PulpGirls.com!

Publising a new book, Zombie Tramp!

I'm happy to report that Super Real Graphics will be offering a brand new volume from the Super Real Graphics Presents series of original graphic novels this October, with my buddy Dan Mendoza's Zombie Tramp!

The book will be offered to comic book shops by Diamond Comic Distributors via their August Previews catalog, and is listed in the comics and graphic novels section on page 314 (just look for our half page zombie ad next to Mark Millar's CLiNT magazine!).

The book contains the entire 3 issue series that we've sold to much success at conventions over the last year. There's also a really cool newly painted cover by Lee Moyer (of IDW's Starstruck - whom I met at the Things From Another World FCBD event earlier this year).

112 pages
Full (4) color
9x6 perfectbound
$11.99
DIAMOND ORDER CODE: AUG10 1130
ISBN-978-0-9802498-3-5

Dan's a big grindhouse/horror/zombie fan, and ZT is his comic inspired by that lethal combo...
Like all his stuff it's gory and/or dangerous, yet sexy and/or cute -- with zombie action, zombie outfits, zombie convicts, voodoo queens, and LAPD lowlifes!



Orderyourcopynowplease!