July 13th – 15th brought us yet another fantastic TFcon experience in Mississauga, Ontario. I had a mostly great time. At least,  when I was able to. When I wasn’t, I was working on something! Let’s take a look at what went down.

It was great to see Transformers voice actors David Kaye and Gary Chalk at the show. They have both attended TFcon before a number of times, but having them both making a rare convention appearance together was great. Also there was Hal Rayle, the voice of Shrapnel and Snarl in the original series, who  fit right in, and David Mendenhall, who played Daniel. This was David Mendenhall’s first ever convention appearance and his insight on working on the show as a kid was amazing. He told a lot of fantastic stories and I made sure to tell him that what he shared with us was very special.

Here’s some costume pictures. There were a number of impressive entries but I think that the young ones stole the show this year. The little Grimlock was roaring and swinging his tail around all day!

Speaking of young ones, I did a “How to Draw Transformers” panel for kids on the Sunday afternoon. I showed the kids how I think about drawing a robot in 3D using basic shapes and a simple pose while drawing Optimus Prime. I did not go in with any planned material and just kind of made it up as I went. I was thinking that maybe the 3D aspect was going to be too complicated for the little ones, but that’s what they asked for!

I did another panel this year, this time about “How Transformers Changed Around the World“. It had information on what the Transformers brand was like when it came to other countries like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Italy, and Germany. It was the last panel of the show before the Organizers’ Q&A, and on one hand that meant I couldn’t really enjoy the show until it was all over, but on the other it meant that if my panel went a little bit over time it would probably not be a big deal. Well, that’s exactly what happened.  I had so much information to go through that I was about 5 minutes over time, and there was enough stuff that I cut for time that I honestly could have kept going for another 30 mins. People responded in a huge way and loved the Chilean laser shoes commercial and the Italian Beast Wars song. When it was all over, they were chanting my name!

I had missed out on a lot of the show because I was still working on the presentation. I couldn’t hang out much after hours and I had to pass on doing Faction Feud. In the end, it was all worth it. I enjoyed doing the panel and I’m glad that everybody seemed to like it. But next time, I’m going to have to find away to finish everything I need to get done earlier, because I don’t want to miss that much of the show again.

The highlight of the weekend was definitely the Annual Slurpee Run. Imagine a conglomerate of about 50 Transformers fans descending upon a 7-11 store at around 11pm on a Saturday night. Even though I had work to do, I couldn’t miss out. It was hilarious and amazing. Even guests Aaron Archer and David Mendenhall joined us. For those wondering, I had a sour watermelon flavored Slurpee and it was delicious.

And here’s all the stuff I bought. I did pretty good this year. Amung the highlights are Sixshot, Overlord, and Defensor all from Japan. You can read more about my haul on my Tumblr and keep an eye on there for more toy pictures.

This was the 15th time I’ve attended TFcon and it’s hard to imagine my life without it. The people I’ve met there have become some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and the convention has hosted some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced in my life as a fan of anything.

I’ll see you there next year. Till all are one.

Sayonara.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago today, I first posted my Justice League of Anime artwork on DeviantArt. I still remember going through the struggle, painting it in Photoshop and trying to get the characters looking on model while keeping true to the spirit of the original artwork from the Justice League TV series. It took a long time, but the result was worth it because the response I got was incredible. Since then, I’ve seen it spread out all around the Internet and I’m happy that it has sparked so many great comments and conversations about these classic characters and what it would be like if they were all in a shared universe. I still think about it today!

Of course, along the way, there have been a few comments about the characters I picked, with some people not understanding my motivations and not recognizing all the characters or thinking that some of them are too obscure. I’ve explained many times why I chose these characters, but basically I went with the most timeless characters possible, each from a different creator, who could exist at the same time in and form a diverse team together. I didn’t just want to do a drawing of some popular characters, I wanted to create a “what if” scenario that could spark people’s imaginations. And I wanted them all to have earned their place as important parts of anime history. After all, there’s plenty of art of whatever new and popular thing kids are into these days. I wanted to give the classics a chance to shine together.

So with that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to look at what new things have been done these characters in the past 10 years to keep them around in the public eye and make their stories available to fans outside of Japan.

Goku: This should kind of go without saying, but there has been plenty of new Dragonball content. New movies, video games,  t-shirts, home video releases, video games, figures, and other merchandise. And obviously, there’s a whole new TV series that started in 2015! Looks like Dragonball is going strong and there is plenty more on the way!

Lupin: Pretty much an evergreen franchise, but things have really picked up over the past 10 years. There have 7 TV specials since 2008, a live action movie in 2014, and a wave of new movies and TV series since 2012. In the US, he’s even been on TV! Plus, more and more classic content has been made available on DVD and streaming.

Sailor Moon: All the Sailor Moon manga has been released in English starting in 2011. The original anime has gotten DVD and Blu Ray releases since 2014. A new anime series, Sailor Moon Crystal, started in 2014, and new official merchandise can be found pretty easily.

Cutie Honey: The original 70’s anime was released on DVD in 2013. There was a new live action movie in 2016. There is new manga, and the original 70’s manga is going to be published in English in July 2018! The new anime, Cutie Honey Universe, has just started recently at the time I’m writing this, and the design on Honey looks a lot like the one I drew!

Captain Harlock: The 70’s anime has been available streaming on various sites for a long time, and was released on DVD in 2013. Captain Harlock SSX was released on DVD in 2017, as was the film Arcadia of my Youth. Other related things like the Galaxy Express 999 movie and Cosmo Warrior Zero are on DVD too. There was the CG movie in 2013. And finally, the English release of the classic manga begins in May 2018!

Astro Boy: The English version of the original manga has been re-released in omnibus format. There was the CG movie in 2009. The prequel manga Atom: The Beginning got an anime version in 2017, and the famous manga Pluto is said to be getting an anime adaption as well. It seems there has been a lot of talk about other Astro Boy projects, like a reboot anime series and a live action movie, so we’ll see what else materializes.

Cyborg 009: The film 009 Re:Cyborg was released in 2012 and is on home video. Cyborg 009 VS Devilman (AWESOME) is on Netflix as of April 2016, as is the new series Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, released in 2017. And in the best news ever, the 2001 anime series is getting a complete DVD and Blu Ray release some time in the future!

Judging from all of that, I’d say that none of these characters are too obscure. They are all probably more famous around the world now than they were when I first made this artwork! I chose these characters not just because of their classic status, but because they have stood the test of time. I think they continue to do so. They are still famous, relevant, and popular in their own ways. In fact, I’d say that today, they are thriving! I never needed justification in my choices, but if I ever did, there it is.

So what’s next? Should I make some new artwork with these characters? Maybe someday. I have ideas I might like to explore. Should I add more characters to the League? I’m not taking suggestions, but I’ve thought about it. Maybe if it reaches 5000 +favs before the end of the year, I will see what I can do.

As it stands, it’s certainly the most popular, most widely seen, most discussed thing I’ve ever made, and I’m still immensely proud of it, even after all this time. Maybe that’s not saying much, and of course I want to aim higher with my own original ideas, but for now, I’ll take it. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who liked it and who has left their comments and posted their thoughts on what it would be like if this were a real show. I still wish it was!

Sayonara.

Today I am the featured artist on Artist Connect, a blog that showcases artists and links to resources and inspiration. They found me on my Instagram and asked me to answer some questions for an interview. It was fun to think about the answers and I actually had to put some serious thought into it.

You can read my feature right here!

I want to thank Artist Connect for getting in touch and giving me this unique opportunity. And keep an eye out for more because I’ve got some interesting new pieces in the pipeline.

Sayonara.

2017 was most certainly a series of months that occurred on planet Earth in this Galaxy. That’s about the most fair and unbiased commentary I can make on the past year. But hey, it wasn’t all bad! In fact, there were a few really great things that came out of last year, and in some cases, it was hard to pick just one for each category. Let’s take a look at what was good.

Favorite Game – Super Mario Odyssey The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an amazing masterpiece of a game, absolutely worthy of every accolade that has been bestowed upon it. But, for me, it has one flaw; It’s not Super Mario Odyssey. Surpassing all my expectations and continuing to give even after you think you’ve seen it all, Super Mario Odyssey is nothing but fun, joy, surprises, and imagination. And that ending sequence is one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in any video game, ever.
Favorite Book – The Art of Splatoon I don’t think I got any new books for my collection last year. I’ve taken a look through this one and I’m sure that I’ll add it to my collection. I love playing Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Even though I hate when I’m losing, I always go back to play more, thanks in part to the amazing visual style captured by the artists who worked on this game. I’m very glad that this fantastic art book got an English language release.
Favorite Toy – Transformers Titans Return Sky Shadow This might be an unorthodox pick, as I feel this figure has been overlooked in some ways. But for me, the imposing stature, foreboding color scheme, creative transformation, and general complete feeling make Sky Shadow awesome. There is very little about this figure that could be better, and that’s saying something these days. I know it was retooled into Overlord, who is a more sought-after character, and someday I am sure I’ll get an Overlord. Even still, Sky Shadow has the edge.
Favorite TV Series – Samurai Jack Season 5 16 years ago, Samurai Jack became one of my all time favorite TV series. But after 4 seasons, it ended without resolution. After so long, it seemed that it would never have a proper ending, and we all just had to accept that as part of the series’ appeal. But at last, a final season was bestowed upon us, with artistry that was just as good, if not better than, the original run, and a conclusion that suits the honor and dignity of a Samurai story.
Favorite Anime – Attack on Titan Season 2 This was the only anime series that I did my best to watch week-to-week as episodes were released. Honestly, it was hard to watch at times! Seeing characters getting crunched, one after the other, was not always enjoyable. But the twists and turns of the story line kept me intrigued, as did the great animation and use of color. I was going to pick “Your Name“, which is an amazing movie, but technically that is a 2016 release, so AoT it is!
Favorite Movie – Spider-man Homecoming There were a lot of great movies in 2017. Logan, Kong, Baby Driver, Thor, Wonder Woman, Star Wars, and more. Even still, it was not a hard choice to pick Spidey as my number one for the year. Yeah, this was not the first time Spider-man has been rebooted for the movies, but for me, “Homecoming” was Spider-man the way he was meant to be. If Spider-man was a real person, it would be like this movie. It was so good, and I knew as soon as it was over that it would be my favorite movie of the year. Even after all the other great films, that’s still true.

That finally concludes 2017, and not a moment to soon. Time to think ahead to what’s happening this year, because I certainly spent way too long thinking about what things to put on this list and what else to say about them besides “it’s really good”, especially since it’s hard to get to everything I want to experience.

Let’s look ahead to what 2018 brings. On my radar already are movies like Black Panther, Infinity War, Pacific Rim, and Ready Player One, classic manga releases like Captain Harlock, and toys like Predaking and Optimus Primal. There is a lot to look forward to, and I’m going to do my best to check out as much of it as I can.

Sayonara.