Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Giant Robot 66 is arriving at the Giant Robot stores today and tomorrow, and on its way to better bookstores, cooler newsstands, and loyal subscribers now. Yes, we will have the issue at Comic-Con! Here's what's in it: - A cover story on Scott Pilgrim comics creator Bryan Lee O'Malley - Wrapping up Lost and looking forward to Hawaii 5-0 with Daniel Dae Kim - Free time with North Korean political prisoner Laura Ling - Free the Robots vs. The Glitch Mob - Indie videogame creators Team Meat and Gaijin Games - Beijing punkers from Wuhan, AV Okubo - Hong Kong rocker/Son of Sam Ryan Hui - Hong Kong artist Simon Birch - On-the-ground rapper Michael Nhat - Eric Cheng's eye of the diver - Skate life photography by Dave Hoang - Winter in Winnipeg with Maya De Forest - Spring in Korea - My Perfect Day in Spain with Brooklyn artist Dan-ah Kim - Crayons, typewriters, and smiles - I want my MSG! - Plus totally subjective reviews on music, comics, books, anime, videogames, and more
Continue reading
Just got a package from Kiyoshi, a.k.a. the self-publisher of Drunken Master zine and “Prize” comics, a.k.a. Razorcake's “Won Ton Not Now” illustrator, a.k.a. GR's old ad guy, a.k.a., the dude who used to beat me up every issue. He's also my pal, and he sent me his latest T-shirt. The design pretty much ties up every single thing he loves: real MMA, dirty rock 'n' roll, indie comics, and rad horror movies. Well, everything except his daughters. (Will his next shirt have princesses and unicorns?) Muchas gracias, Kiyoshi!
Continue reading
Got the new comic from Martin Cendrea last week. He doesn't release work as often as I'd like him to, but I can't really blame the artist since he's juggling a little girl and an infant in his household. But that makes it doubly (triply?) amazing that he's been on such a roll with his self-published minis. His high-quality linework and ability to create a mood have always been obvious, but I feel like Martin's style and storytelling have been noticably deepening. Catch Me If You Can takes a topic as simple as a dad and daughter sharing ice-cream cones and makes it into a meditative, sweet, and affective statement on mortality and timelessess.
Continue reading
I'm a big fan of Christopher Nolan's movies, and look forward to seeing Inception just like everyone else. The dream (de)constructing concept is a real trip and the contributors are amazing: Nolan rejoins longtime cinematography partner Wally Pfister, soundtrack guru Hans Zimmer enlists the guitars of Johnny Marr, and Marshall High School's own Lenny DeCaprio stars alongside the likes of Ellen Page, Michael Caine, and Ken Watanabe (below).
Continue reading
It may not be obvious to a lot of newer Giant Robot readers, but GR was spawned from punk rock zines. Eric and I both contributed to them before we made GR, which was basically an Asian culture-related mutation. If you look at the earliest issues, the handmade-looking layouts, intensely personal opinions and tones, and rough overall aesthetic match up with them. So when it was announced that Touch and Go was going to be compiled into a squarebound collection, I immediately pre-ordered it. When I was getting into music, I was informed by zines like Flipside, Ink Disease, MRR, and Thrasher, and then followed second-generation publications like Cometbus, No Idea!, and Punk Planet and aquired back issues of Slash and Search and Destroy. In the end, these weren't just about documenting music, but a way to create culture.
Continue reading