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Nathan Jurevicius – 8″ Flocked Dievas Dunny

Scarygirl creator Nathan Jurevicius re-imagines the divine Dievas of Lithuanian lore for his first-ever 8″ Dunny, The Dievas for Kidrobot. Nathan has been entrancing us with his rainbow tipped feathered friends for years. His psychedelic Scarygirl underworld of Swamp ghouls and squid women took things to an entirely different level in 2009/2010, so it is only fitting that Nathan is kicking off the 1st Quarter of 2011 with a kick-ass 8″ Flocked Owl!

The new release of the 8″ Dievas Dunny, a ebony flocked Dunny with bright geometric eyes, an orange beak and gradient-tipped wings is described as a “soul-escorting owl, that shepherds spirits on their eternal journey” – heavy stuff for such a brilliantly fuzzy flocked friend! All kidding aside, I think this is my favorite 8″ Dunny of all time! A strong statement, I know, but there is something so incredibly striking about this figure that I am willing to say for sure it’s my fav! Check out all of the Dunny’s in stock at Neon Monster HERE!

Nathan J has been something of a powerhouse over the past year, with the release of his Scarygirl Artbook in October of 2010 and his 2 Limited Edition Art Cushions for the super hip UK brand Click For Art, not to mention his Hit online Scarygirl game and first large-scale resin figure produced with Bigshot Toy Works. Nathan’s multi-platform design and brand success has been fun to watch, but even more fun to interact and play with!

Topping our list of recent favorite releases, is Owls, a 15″ limited edition cushion which features the artwork printed on the front side of the 8″ Dievas Box, and Birds, an equally alluring collage design of brilliantly plumed Owls, each designed by Nathan and produced in 2010 by Click For Art.

Each cushion costs $59.99 and comes with a Limited Edition Certificate of Authenticity certifying its Edition of 250 pieces. Each cushion is made from super soft Faux Suede, filled with Feather Down and printed with non-toxic waterbased inks. I like to think of these as artwork for the couch! Literally they are maybe the softest pillows I own, and certainly the ones that receive the most compliments. Check out all of the Click for Art Limited Edition Cushions HERE!

Nathan’s legacy in the designer toy and art world only continues to grow, and the 2011 release of the Kidrobot 8″ Dievas Dunny is an awesome start to the New Year. Pick up your 8″ Dievas Dunny limited to just 1500 pieces and priced at $75.00 HERE – or check out some of Nathan’s past works, like his collaboration with Jim Woodring on Mr. Bumper (the Nathan J. Edition) for $29.95, or one of the super limited Black DIY Scarygirl Snow and T-Bear Mini Figures priced at $14.95 each!

ART DEBUT: King City’s Brandon Graham draws Paul Pope’s THB

King City’s Brandon Graham is a long-time friend, going back to even before when we had him and Beast’s Marian Churchland hanging out with us at APE!

We also think his comics are freakin’ awesome, from the aforementioned King City to his upcoming full-color ongoing series, Multiple Warheadz.

So imagine how stoked we were when he did up an all new illustration of one of his biggest influences and another one of our favorite comics, Paul Pope’s THB! Big thanks to BG for allowing us to debut this all-new piece with the world!

Joe Keatinge and Alph-Art, pt 1: On Angouleme 2011

I don’t like the term ‘Eurocomics’.

I also don’t like term ‘Manga’. I’m not a fan of whatever we’re calling North American comic books.

I just like ‘Comics’. Big C.

It doesn’t matter where – or even when – they’re from.

They can be giant albums from a 70-year old European master of the medium or a Portland based 20-year old stapling together their own mini-comic. They can be from France, Japan, North America, South America, Korea, Africa, India, China or wherever living things make comics. The world’s too big and now too connected to limit yourself to who your source for comics is and where they’re from. Furthermore, with our Golden Age of reprints upon us it’s not hard to reach back into our century plus history for comics from the world over.

My goal’s to absorb it all or, at least, as much as one can in a lifetime. I want two color autobio web comics, four color superhero single issues, giant science fiction epics and everything else in between.

The trick is finding them.

Even with the advent of The Internet connecting pretty much every single artist across the globe in a click, I find the best way to do this is in person with the artists, writers and cartoonists making the books. In America, I’m particularly fond of the Baltimore Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con and Alternative Press Expo to name a couple of the most prime examples and am looking forward to my first Stumptown Comics Festival. They’re comic-centric and attract a wide variety of artists, both established and otherwise. You can get a big charge out of meeting new people and seeing their projects.

Still, even with these great shows I found some aspects of comics missing.

Even at the gigantic shows like San Diego and the New York Comic Con I found certain types of artists lacking. While I felt the Asian scenes were represented, seeing someone like Milo Manara sign at the Dark Horse SDCC booth last year was more of an exception than the rule. If I wanted to flip through stacks of Hugo Pratt, I had to go elsewhere.

In 2010, I found such a place.

Just a week ago, I returned.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kidrobot’s Dunny Azteca Series 2 – Midnight Release!

On the tails of 2007’s hotter-than-habanero Series I, the second celebration of Dunny Azteca includes designs by anais e3, Oscar Mar, Jose Leandro Cordova Lucas, Izzie Ramirez, OCHOstore, Michelle Prats, Tepetonga, Luis Mata, Dani Bravo, The Beast Brothers, Jesse Hernandez, MARKA27, MIGUEL DE LA BARRACUDA, and Saner.

Dunny Azteca Series 2 Figures and Sealed Cases will be available online on Thursday, January 20 at Midnight Eastern Time and in-store at our San Francisco location starting at 11 AM!

Purchase a full case of 25 Dunny Azteca II ($248.75 each for a case of 25) and you’ll also get a FREE extra special Dunny by Marka 27 while supplies last! The giveaway Dunny will be given to case purchasers both online and in-store! No Case Limit =)

Neon Monster’s Top Ten Gift List!

Okay – so the holidays got away from us and we didn’t get this up in time, but sometimes the best holiday gifts are the ones you buy for yourself! So, just in case you didn’t get what you wanted, we thought it might be nice to compile a list of our the top ten holiday gifts from 2010! From stocking stuffers to the classic Red and Green trimmings, to some of the most coveted items of 2010, here are our top picks of vinyl goodies that will look festive anytime of the year!

#1 – The 3″ BURGLARS DUNNY by SANER – No Dunny collection would be complete without Kidrobot’s annual 3″ Holiday Dunny. This superior specimen created by SANER is a 3″ blind box Dunny with a 1/6 chance of scoring the Burglarcille chase figure. However, the 5/6 Santa Barbaja Dunny is nothing to sneeze at, this foe shows the slightly edgier side of Santa during the holiday season. Score your 3″ Burglar Dunny HERE for $14.95.

#2 – Heidi Kenney’s 3-inch YUMMY DONUT MINI PLUSH ORNAMENTS – Okay, so maybe not totally intended originally as ornaments, but they look cute as a button and certainly as Yummy as other ornament! Packaged in a blind box fit for a sweet tooth foodie, these Yummy Donuts are perfect as stocking stuffers, white elephant gifts, and ideal for gifting the co-worker who has just about everything – they also make awesome gifts for Birthday’s. Sweet, calorie conscious and priced at $7.95 these little yummies are certain to go fast! Stock up on a case of a dozen YUMMY DONUT PLUSH Here for $85.00 or try a single for $7.95 HERE!

#3 – The Hi-Fructose Volume #2 Limited Edition Box Set – This is the trifecta of gifts – a hardcover art book collecting issues #5-8 of the Quarterly Magazine, Prints by artists Mars-1, Travis Louie, Audrey Kawasaki, and others, housed in a specially-made portfolio with vellum dividers. Also included are three die-cut sticker pages from Hi-Fructose artists and a 24″ x 24″ “Anatomy of a Balloon Animal” poster by Jason Freeny. Limited to an Edition of 3000! Available HERE for $60.00.

#4 – Artoyz had a killer year! With the release of Liquorice, and Sweety, Kidonion, Lucius, and Auto + US Boombox. Our favorite hands down is Liquorice, with a cherry red twisted smile and green nose that would make Rudolph green with envy. Limited to just 1000 pieces world wide, and at a perfect 5 inches in height, this sweet treat makes the perfect gift! Get your Artoyz LIQUORICE here for $39.95 or check out all of the Artoyz available HERE!

#5 – Andrew Bell’s O-NO-SUSHI SETS! This is a new take on X-Mas dinner! Red, Green and White make the perfect holiday centerpiece for the brave of heart. Each edition includes 1 figure with articulated arms, legs and replaceable eyes, second set of eyes, 1 piece of sushi and 1 bowl of tentacles. Yikes! Also on our favorites list is the ZILKS NATURAL TOY SETS – a trio of creatures to complete your ghoulish collection of sea monsters! O-No Sushi Sets available HERE for $25.00 or snag a set of Zilks Natural Toy Sets HERE for $19.99.

#6 – Super7’s Japanese Vinyl toys are the PERFECT STOCKING STUFFERS! We currently are coveting the recently released GREEN SPARKLE Mummy Gator, and STEVEN THE BAT in Green Glitter. KaToPe’s – Drunk Seijin in Clear RED with glossy metallic spray also totally fits the bill….hummm radioactive Santa Claus? The entire Super7 Monster Family Line-Up make the perfect gifts! Pocket sized Milton, Fenton and the Pocket Gator are just the right dimension – and with every color in the rainbow we find it can be hard to pick! Stock up now, with prices ranging from $15 for Monster Family Figures to $50 for Mummy Gator.

#7 – David Horvath and UGLY DOLLS!  Oh UGLY you’re so CUTE! And, so hard to resist. Artists David Horvath and Sun Min’s UGLYDOLL family make GIFT giving sooooo easy. With over 25 styles From Christmas Ornament/Backpack Companion plush to monster sized 24″ pillows UGLYDOLLS are an instantly loved gift.

#8 – Dark Horse x Toy2R’s 4-inch Deco Domo Qee Figures $14.95 each. A little bit of sparkle, webbing and clouds – voila the instant Domo Family! These new Deco figures recently released in 7 new styles from the Leopard Pattern to the Black Lightning Edition to a multi-colored Polka Dot Domo! At $14.95 they are easy on your wallet and fun on your shelf. Check out the jumbo size 7″ Wood Grain Domo’s and the DIY Domo’s to complete your collection. These Domo’s are great gifts for instant gratification. Check out all of the Domo’s HERE!

#9 – No list would be complete without the hilarious micro plush made by Shawn Smith and his crew at Shawnimals. From the Ninjatown Mini Figures to Happy Dawg and Happy Splug, the end of 2010 was choc-full of micro-plush goodies. Our favorite is Happy Splug because he is just so darn happy… at $7.95 you might just need one!

#10 – The perfect finale – Double Super’s – Midnight Crooner by Nathan Ota. A great example of housewares meeting art toys. This 8-inch vinyl figure is also a working light, making this truly a double super production! Perfect for macabre mood lighting =) Limited to 300 pieces and priced at $125 – this is a great way to get or give an art multiple by painter Nathan Ota!

Taking An Infinite Vacation

I should be working, but instead I’m reading comics. This isn’t a vacation I planned, so to speak.

Reading comics as a break is something I do a lot. However, it’s usually easy for me to snap back to reality and get to work right away. To me, reading comics is like going outside and getting air, especially on a Wednesday when a pile of new stuff is sitting on my desk. I’m usually charged to work more, inspired by what I’ve read.

However, I just read something that hit me so hard, I couldn’t keep working on the big launch I’m developing for this very site. Inspiration sure hit hard yet with the caveat of it being all about one funnybook.

I had to write about it.

So, here goes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tintin for the Holidays, Part Three

Awhile ago I thought asking artists to do their own interpetations of the Tintin comics in light of the upcoming Tintin movies might be a great way to showcase the source material.

Half of them are here the other half are there.

I think it worked out pretty darn well. So well I’m now open to artists submitting their work on a regular basis in a new feature we’re calling Today’s Tintin. Just submit your work to me directly via joekeatinge at gmail dot com.

However, I felt there needed to be some direction in where the interested, new or lapsed Tintin fan could go to read what’s next.

Then I thought about Brandon Graham, the cartoonist behind many fine comics such as King City, the upcoming Oni Press series Multiple Warheads and a bunch of porn.

He’s a buddy and we pretty regularly have long winded conversations about all sorts of different aspects of comics, with Tintin being a common topic. Every time we talk about whatever, I end up pretty charged. He knows how to talk comics, so I’m hoping you not only find this informative, but also get infected by our mutual enthusiasm.

Consider it a conversation, less so than an interview. We’re just waxing on Tintin, in hopes you’ll join the conversation.

Without further ado…

Neon Monster presents

A Casual Conversation on Tintin with Brandon Graham

Conducted by Joe Keatinge

JOE KEATINGE: Tintin seems to have a big effect on you.

BRANDON GRAHAM: Yes, huge; also, big.

JK: Why is that?

BG: Hold on. Let me grab a book so I can suckle off its aura.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tintin for the Holidays, Part Two

A little while ago I asked artists to submit their fan art of Herge’s timeless boy detective/reporter/explorer, Tintin.

On Monday I posted the first half of submissions, today I’m posting the second.

Tomorrow we’ll be wrapping up this week of Tintin posts with a Casual Conversation On Tintin with King City’s Brandon Graham. Brandon’s love of Tintin may even exceed my own, which is saying an awful lot.

For now I want to dive straight into our pile of amazing pieces. Stay tuned at the end for a special Tintin and Neon Monster related announcement, followed by some suggestions as to what to read next.

First up…

Kelly Tindall

Since we started off with Andre Szymanowicz’s take on the famous Tintin in the Spotlight piece, I figured we should do the same with Kelly Tindall’s.

I’ve been following Kelly’s work for awhile, with my favorite being his series of Archie Snow comics in the back of the Image series, Proof.

Cat Farris

Periscope Studios member Cat Farris put Tintin on the other end of the spotlight, with a focus on my favorite aspect of Tintin, exploring the unknown.

You should check out her latest comics work, Legend of Larsha 2: Imaginational Magic.

Ron Chan

Speaking of Periscope Studios members highlighting my favorite aspects of Tintin, Roy’s Boys cartoonist Ron Chan. I always enjoyed the sight gags Herge used and like this as it also gives a hint of Tintin as world traveler.

Although, my favorite bit here may be how pleased Snowy is by Tintin’s situation. Very typical for the character and well pulled off here.

Terry Blas and Kimball Davis

Terry Blas is another Portlander as well the creator, writer and artist of Briar Hollow. Kimball colors Briar, in addition to coloring the piece above. He’s also a great artist in his own right.

It made me happy to see someone celebrate the relationship between Tintin and his friend, Chang. Tintin’s world is an odd one, where he doesn’t often  hang out with any other children (and only one woman) with Chang being the exception. His first appearance is also my favorite, Herge’s oft-regarded masterpiece, The Blue Lotus.

Rob Davis

While completely different in approach, Rob Davis’ piece is a direct take off of one of Herge’s volumes, The Seven Crystal Balls.

I love it for for the same thing I dug about Andre and Tony Morgan’s pieces last time. Rob’s style is very different from Herge’s, yet Tintin, Haddock, et. al all remain familiar.

Mario Boon

Belgian creator Mario Boon pays homage to his home’s two most respected creations in one fell swoop. This is absolute madness distilled into one page and I absolutely love it.

Moritat (with colors by Brandon Graham)

Moritat’s ability to combine the European sensibilities of cartoonists like Herge and Milo Manara in mainstream US work like Elephantmen or Will Eisner’s The Spirit always impresses me, so it was a thrill to see him submit this piece. Additional thanks go to Brandon Graham for coloring it up.

And finally, speaking of Brandon…

Brandon Graham

Brandon Graham is the brilliant cartoonist behind such works as King City, the upcoming Oni Press series Multiple Warheads and a bunch of porn. You can probably guess what he thinks about the upcoming Spielberg/Jackson Tintin flick.

We spend a lot of time jabbering on about comics and as I mentioned before, we both have a huge love for Tintin. In fact, I’d say a good 45% of our conversations are about either Herge or Moebius.

Tomorrow we’re presenting Tintin for the Holidays, Part Three: A Casual Conversation on Tintin with Brandon Graham. I don’t know if I’d call it an interview, nor do I promise any deep analysis into, say, the symbolism being Snowy walking around while he’s been half eaten by a snake, but rather how freaking cool it is. My hope is our enthusiasm will infect you.

If it does and you’re artistically inclined, I’m so thrilled be the results of Tintin for the Holidays that I want to keep the invitation open. Starting now I’ll be perpetually open to posting your Tintin fan art. There’s also a lot out there by established names I haven’t seen out in the open for awhile, including the aforementioned Moebius.

I’m calling the feature Today’s Tintin and you can take part by e-mailing me directly at joekeatinge at gmail dot com. Just make sure Today’s Tintin is in the subject line.

Can’t wait to see what you’ll do. In the meantime, stay tuned tomorrow for my conversation with Brandon, where we discuss everything from Tintin in the Congo making me feel awkward to the upcoming movie making Brandon feel mad. We’ll also talk about our favorite volumes and where an all-new or lapsed reader should start.

Tintin for the Holidays, Part One

A little while ago I asked folks to submit pieces of Tintin fan art.

You may know of Tintin over the recent hype for the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson flick coming down the pipeline.

It looks like this:

I personally prefer the comics written and illustrated by Herge, which look like this:

While there’s been a ton of press focused around the movie, I haven’t seen the comics talked about much. Luckily, Neon Monster was up for the idea of giving a little attention to the 23 volumes Herge produced from 1929-1986.

I envy you if you haven’t read the series before. Herge’s world-spanning tales of the titular boy reporter continue to fascinate me as much as an adult as they did as a kid. In a sense, he was doing what Pixar does now, but decades ahead of them. He even beat Disney by a few years.

I’d like to introduce you new readers to Tintin by showing you what some of my favorite artists created based off their love for the characters. My hope is you’ll find their enthusiasm infectious and want to check out more. We’ll be doing this in two parts. In part two I’ll talk more about where to go from here as well as give a special Tintin-related announcement.

Andre Szymanowicz

I started with Andre as I liked the take on the piece I posted above. It also shows one of the things I like about Tintin in terms of the strength of his design. Tintin is perhaps second only to Batman in terms of being recognizable regardless of who draws him. As you can see, once he’s drawn by someone like Andre – whose style is pretty far off from Herge – you still know who it is right off the bat. It’s subtle, but works well.

For more on Andre’s work, check out his art blog and this wonderful piece our friends at Comics Alliance wrote up on the dude.

As for Tintin being recognizable regardless of art style, here are two samples which take it even further.

Tony Morgan

See what I mean?

This one’s by Tony Morgan of Gun Baby Graphics.

As is this one.

The dude getting punched in the kisser is Colonel Sponsz, from The Calculus Affair. Tony’s wife pointed out, design wise, Sponsz is Tintin’s evil twin, speaking in terms of hairstyle.

Jared Lewis

I dig Jared’s piece for a number of reason as it not only shows the strength of Tintin design, but also translates another aspect of Herge’s work I like so much. Herge is the undisputed master of the Ligne Claire or “clean line” art style which packed in a lot of information with line work with much less detail than a lot of modern artists. Even though Jared is significantly more line intensive with Herge, he still subtly packs a lot of information in. For instance, can you spot everyone who’s after Tintin and Snowy?

Jon Siruno

Now, Tintin’s a great character, but the guy needs a supporting cast.

Thomson and Thompson, the twin brother detectives differentiated only by their mustaches, are two of my favorite characters, so I was pretty thrilled by Jon Siruno’s take on them. His website is currently under construction, but we’re both members of the same comics studio, Tranquility Base, and you can keep up with him on our site.

And finally (until later this week)…

Roman Muradov

When the idea for this came up, there was one artist in particular I was eager to see art from. I’ve been a fan of Roman Muradov’s work for awhile and knew he was a life long Tintin fan.

Here’s an early example of his love for Tintin, featuring the series’ longtime supporting characters Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, in addition to a Herge-styled self portrait.

Roman went above and beyond with his submissions. Not only did he supply the samples above, but he did this piece (featuring a very off-kilter, but hilarious Snowy)…

…and a one-page Tintin strip, which may be one of the best reinterpretations of the character I’ve ever read. It’s certainly the most heartbreaking. If you’re not stunned by this, you probably don’t have a soul. If you are and happen to have an iPad, I implore you to download his app, Sad Comics, which features a number of comics by Roman specially formatted for the device.

That said, without further ado, Tintin’s Decline & Fall.

Thanks for checking out this round. Tune in later this week for even more pieces by folks like The Spirit’s Moritat (with help from King City’s Brandon Graham) and the special announcement I mentioned!