And whatever else may come our way.

After the sad end to 2011 (see my last post) it’s a going to be a fun, happy ride; no industry BS, no suck-the-life-outta-us jobs, no compromise.  And music, music, music.

Are you with us?  ‘Course you are! :)

Ricky Garduno passed away this week.  Despite deadlines and network interference, Ricky started to have fun and push the boundaries of what the show could be.  His wild, insane storyboards got crazier and more inspired as the show went on.  I saved all of the work of his I could – especially his first draft boards that were his own expression before the network made revisions.

When I can I will scan some of these  – especially his masterpiece; ‘Dawn of The Donuts’, where rampaging donuts take over the town.  In the meantime I will be posting his work here: http://muchalucha-art.tumblr.com/

Ricky went on to create great things on other shows, and his own innovative strip for Dumm Comics, 1930 Nightmare Theatre, until sadly he left us this week.

Thanks for being part of our show and our lives – even if it was for just a short, fantastic time.

Ricky Garduno para siempre.

*UPDATE:  I’ve started posting Ricky’s full pitch board for ‘Dawn Of The Donuts’ here…http://mlboards.tumblr.com/

http://muchalucha-art.tumblr.com/ features lost art, unused art and things from our Warner Bros TV series that we just think are cool enough to show again!

Also see:

http://fwakbag.wordpress.com/2005/10/27/subcultures-part-1/

http://fwakbag.wordpress.com/2005/11/03/subcultures-part-2/

At long last, three years after its Mexican theatrical premiere, Los Campeones  finally makes its way onto the US and Canadian DVD market!

In fact, this is the second time that the movie has been released on  DVD.   In 2009, the  DVD release was for Mexico only.

Mexico DVD release (2009)

However, while we are more than happy to see the movie finally available to everyone, as the movie’s producers, there is one thing for the record we need to set straight…

In this new release, some of the music we picked for certain scenes has been replaced due to higher worldwide licensing fees that the US distributors weren’t able or willing to pay for.

We spent a lot of time hand picking some great tracks from some great artists that we felt were perfect for the scenes they were used in.  You can hear some of the original soundtrack at www.myspace.com/loscampeones  (Yeah yeah, we know. Nobody goes to myspace anymore)

Having said this, Phofo‘s magnificent original score with Mariachi Los Toros remains, and the HD visual quality of this DVD is stunning. The colors look as brilliant as they did in the 35mm release.

The truly hardcore Los Campeones fan may be pleased to know that in total there are now FOUR versions of the movie…

1. Mexican theatrical release (Spanish)
2. Mexican DVD release (English & Spanish)
3. US DVD release (English, different music)
4. US DVD release (different Spanish language version, different music)

You can purchase the new Los Campeones DVD on amazon.com HERE

And yes, the Mexican DVD was still available on Amazon last time we looked :)

- Eddie & Lili

Yes – I know, I know.

But I recently got to watch Miyazaki’s ‘Ponyo’.  What a great, magical film.  Aside from the fantastic animation, narrative and color pallette, one thing struck me;  Miyazaki’s camera doesn’t move.  Hardly any truck ins/outs, maybe a couple of scenes with a slight multiplane effect.

He really does let the animation provide the film’s movement.

To compensate for the lack of original material we can show, I thought I’d post some artwork by the late, great, Ken Reid which I am currently taking inspiration from. I grew up reading Ken’s work every week as a kid growing up in England, and I spent many hours trying to draw like him. Out of all the artists working in English comics, Ken drew the most twisted, grotesque, barmy characters by far. Here’s a sample of his inspired lunacy. More to come :)

I love animation, but after growing up reading Ken’s strips – these and others like Jinx, Jasper The Grasper, Faceache, Big Head & Thick Head (no, there wasn’t a lot of subtlety :) – I’ve always felt that no-one has come close to his anarchic sense of design and action.

(Images pilfered, half-inched, and swiped from a bunch of excellent Brit Comic blogs: Lew Stringer’s, Peter Gray’s, Comics UK!)

More to come:  DEAD RINGO flickr set

Next month, Los Campeones De La Lucha Libre will be screening as part of a Mexican Wrestling Night event at Newcastle’s annual Vamos Latin Festival.  There will be live Mexican wrestling (yes! In Newcastle!), DJs, and bands.

The museum was designed like a science lab with three levels and a futuristic elevator in the middle.

I wanted to take photos of EVERYTHING in the Permanent Collection of manga sketches! I had no idea that Tezuka did a version of  “The Monkey King”/”Journey to the West”. Has the original manga ever been translated into English? (I don’t mean the Alakazam movie adaptation…)

The next time I return to Japan with Nihongo language skills, I want to spend a WHOLE DAY in this library!

There was also a small theater playing shorts by Tezuka Productions. We sat through  “Butchy In A City” a silent movie about a down-and-out-artist character (clearly based on Tezuka himself) who becomes friends with a stage actress (perhaps inspired by the Takarazuka Revue ).  A really sweet, fun and charming piece. According to this webpage , “Butchy In A City” was made specifically for the Tezuka Museum in 1995.

Downstairs… an Animation Workshop, headed by an animatronic figure of Tezuka!

I wanted to go to the Ghibli Museum too, but tickets were sold out. :(

NEXT TIME!

More photos on my Flickr set.