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October 19th, 2009
12:47 am - I know, I know...
Man! Totally embarrassing to be writing so many months later with no progress. Life's been hectic but the story's getting underway. On the last panel of #15 finally so I'll put em out soon. In the meantime though, if you're interested in my other creative ventures, I did finish something non-scene related. Check it out on Etsy.
See ya soon,
GN
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May 8th, 2009
08:52 pm - Been a long time...
I know I haven't been here for awhile...but #11-15 are jusssst about done. Some other news....
In further reminiscence of the good ol' days, I started a group on Facebook:
Those Were The Days: L.A.'s '80s Mod/Ska Underground
This actually has a Blogger counterpart, but I've really enjoyed the community aspect of the Facebook group that I've pretty much neglected the Blogger one...poor thing, oh well.
So far it has 143 members and growing. It's been a great place to reconnect and feel young again, waving away the cobwebs of old memories and making everything brand new. Ironically I haven't yet introduced my comic to the group...I will eventually.
Quimby's in Chicago has sold 2 of the 5 packs of comics which I've sent them. Cool, cool.
Keep in touch...talk to you all soon.
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March 18th, 2009
07:37 pm - Giant Robot???
Ok, so I guess my comics have made their appearance in Giant Robot #58...which is awesome, since they've got a lot of readers, and cool, hip, weird and artsy ones at that. Crazy.
Funny thing is, I never received any notice or word that I'd be in the mag...I sent some copies of my comics to them way back in December and never heard back. So I guess this is the result...totally worth the wait!
Woo...now I really have to get on the ball. Man! People are starting to think that this is only about me being a mod! Gotta get the rest of the issues out bigtime.
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March 12th, 2009
01:13 pm - Off to Quimby's
So there you have it folks, the last five bundles about to be shipped off to Quimby's in Chicago. Hope they make it safely...get ready Chicago!
Ah. Back to the press. Hey, I'm gonna scan some spreads from #11-15, just so you all know that it's in progress. Sorry for such the long delay.
Also, I found some really cool old stuff stashed in some bins in my garage. Stuff that hasn't seen the light of day since like 20 years ago. Woo hoo! Scan-a-rama =)
Later,
GN
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February 23rd, 2009
04:06 pm - At last...the interview
It's finally up. Part One, at least. Now you'll be able to read my whole story before the comics are finished. I'm actually really psyched about this, and after talking to Bobby we're thinking of starting a blog in commemoration of our old stomping grounds, Gino's night club. There's gotta be other people out there with some great memories and photos of that place.
Anyways, enjoy...
L.A. Story: A Retrospective on the L.A. Mod and Skinhead Scenes. (Part 1)
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February 12th, 2009
07:26 pm - Skinheads of Asia documentary
I was given a link to this documentary earlier, but it wouldn't play over on Babelgum. So I found it somewhere else, and it seems to work fine:
Skinheads of Asia
It focuses on an Indonesian skinhead and his crew, plus it covers some skins in Hanover, Germany. The cool thing about the Indonesian skin is he said he discovered the movement through the book The Spirit of 69: A Skinhead Bible...a must read for skinheads and anyone curious about skinhead culture (I own it). I'm actually still waiting for it to load (it's 50-odd minutes long). Tell ya more later.
Seems my comic's caused a little bit of a buzz over at skinheads.net. Hmm.
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January 24th, 2009
07:41 pm - Comic debut at the Derby Dolls
Thanks to my meeting with Alonso of Xochico.com, I've managed to get three packs of comics into this evening's Derby Dolls event downtown. Hope they sell!
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January 15th, 2009
06:34 pm - Soon come
Happy New Year to you all!
I'm still working on the interview which I'd been handed sometime around New Year's...geez...but it's just about done so it'll be up soon.
Haven't touched the comics at all since I got this interview, but I'm on #14...I'll post some previews here just so you know I'm working on something, right?
It'd be great to just dish all these comics out in one big crank...but alas, I'm a pop, a hubby and a working class citizen...cheers...
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December 29th, 2008
07:19 am - *ugh*
Good & bad news:
Hepcat shows were awesome; actually brought my whole stash o' comics up there but weren't assembled for sale (no merch either, so I wasn't about to try to set up shop just for them)...met Ray Jacildo of Soul Captives, actually one of my very first customers...big up big up, cool dood!
Got totally sick after coming home, just barely recovering now but was bed-ridden tues-friday...freakin' sux...will get back into the swing of things right away, gotta finish this by first week of January! Hang in there and thanks for all the recent orders =)
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December 17th, 2008
08:27 pm - Happy Holidays!
I was hoping to have #11-15 done by the first week of December, yet with all the holiday hub-bub there's been some delay. However, I'm about done with #14 and will get right onto #15 ASAP. Maybe I should post some previews, huh? Like a spread or two. I dunno...teasers?
Corndog's sold two bundles of my comics, and yes, Eegads there's only one left. Get it while it's hot!
Band mates from Hepcat at last night's rehearsal suggested I bring some bundles to sell at the shows this weekend (Saturday @ El Rey Theater Los Angeles, Sunday @ Slim's San Francisco). So if there's a merch table somewhere at either two venues, you will probably see 'em there. I'm just wondering how many I can make before the weekend. Folding and cutting's no joke!
Thanks once again to all the most recent orders. I've actually been hit up for an interview, so if this goes through I'll definitely link it up! Take care and hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers,
GN
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December 1st, 2008
10:09 pm - Giant.
So I sent a bundle to Giant Robot today, hoping they'll stock 'em. I'm crossing my boots...
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November 30th, 2008
10:01 pm - Anarchy in the UK!
So my comics have made their way to the UK...and they're up on Corndog Publishing! Check 'em out!
So far they've sold 1 set...killer...#13's done, on to #14!
Many thanks to all who've recently purchased my comics...believe me, I'm moving as fast as I can to keep the series going. I'm looking to hit up some other distros out here in the U.S. to get some spread going...infectious...
I've found s'more pictures of me back in the golden days...will try to put 'em up soon. See yaz...lates
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November 18th, 2008
01:14 pm - Lucky #13
Luck would have it that while doing Issue #13, I decide to hit up an indie zine distro in the UK—Corndog Publishing—to see if they'd want to stock my 'mix.
And they said yes. I jump for joy.
So now my story's gonna make its rounds in the very birthplace of skinhead culture. This should be interesting. Thanks Andrew!
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November 5th, 2008
10:10 am - Progress
So #11 is done. On to #12.
I've been getting some great feedback lately...just wish I could dish out these comics faster. I'm thinking of sending out some samples to various indie comic book stores across the nation to see if anyone picks 'em up...
At the rate I'm going, I think I can have 11-15 done by December. When this whole thing is done of course, I'm gonna have to fork out for a nice hardcover version or something. Who knows.
While Googling "filipino skinheads" I came across a Filipino National Socialist site...wow. Apparently there are Pilipino Nazis. Or shall we say, Pilipino Natsis? NATSI! "Brown Skins" in the PI seem to be the equivalent of neo-nazi skins here in the USA. Interesting indeed. More on this later.
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October 31st, 2008
05:15 pm - At the factory...
Congratulations and a big thank you to all the orders which have been coming in. With an even bigger response this time, I've been forced to really put some effort into the continuation of my story. Believe me, it's exactly what I needed from all you guys, so thanks.
I was originally planning on using 100% post-consumer waste recycled stock for these comics, but since orders came in so much sooner than I'd anticipated (nearly immediately), I was only able to grab what was on hand at the local paper shop—30% recycled stock from Aspen Papers. Cool stuff though.
Thanks to some fans overseas in the Philippines, I've been getting some great exposure from the homeland and have some potential orders coming in. FYI, I accept Western Union money transfers for those who don't have PayPal. I've received quite a few questions regarding this. Email me for details if you want to set something up.
Thanks once again for all your support...I'm nearly done with Issue #11 and will be on #12 next week for sure.
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October 28th, 2008
06:42 pm - *Yawn* ...as usual...
So my wife, with wide eyes, told me last night about the skinhead plot to assasinate Barack Obama. Well gee, not surpringly, like all skinheads, they were white supremists. Yay. While reading the article, I noticed that I may have missed an important cornerstone of "skinhead culture" back in my day...hmm.
"...The plot referenced two numbers important to skinhead culture by aiming to take the lives of 88 people, and 14 of them would be beheaded. The number 14 refers to a 14-word phrase attributed to an imprisoned white supremacist: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children" and to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H. Two "8"s or "H"s stand for "Heil Hitler.""
Well, what else is new. Obviously if it was a skinhead plot to hold a rocksteady all-nighter, that wouldn't make the news, right? Sheez.
Anyways, congratulations to those who have recently put in their orders for the comics. They're on their way to your door for you to enjoy. Thank you all for your continuing support.
And in even other news, as I was watching This Is England again for the third time, I realized that although it may not be the best movie, it's by far the best skinhead movie in its portrayal of skinhead culture. I'll say it once and I'll say it again, thank you, Shane Meadows, for making the connection between skinheads and black music. That's all I needed to see...and hear...from the one character who would've otherwise simply stood for the all-too-typical bonehead white supremist that apparently here in America defines skinhead...Combo. Yet sadly, just his appearance in the movie still convinces people that skinheads are all racist fucks by nature. Get a clue, rewind, and watch again.
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October 23rd, 2008
06:53 pm - 20 years ago...
So there I was, in 1987, a full-fledged skinhead. Yikes, over 20 years ago. Sheez. This was taken in front of my house with a 110 camera. I had since lost the picture but still had the small tiny negative, and made some b&w enlargements in my Cerritos photography class in the mid-90s.
For those of you wondering why I'm talking about Mods and being a Mod in a comic entitled, "I Was A Teenage Filipino Skinhead," it's because I'm starting from the very beginning. Put it this way—if I had never been a Mod first, I would have never become a skinhead. Everything's connected. Skinheads came from Mods anyway, in England at least, and it was a very common progression out here as well. So be patient, eventually I'll get to the wonderful world of skinheads. Thanks for reading, and thanks once again to all those who have ordered the new issues. Your support is appreciated.
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October 20th, 2008
09:09 am - Issue 3: "The Transformation!"—Author's commentary
I know, it's been way too long, and a lot of you have probably thought, "Man, he ain't continuing the comic no more." But lo and behold, I've returned...just like MacArthur did to the Philippines (oh no you di-int). Now let's get down to the nitty gritty. There's me above, proudly displaying by far the most defiant and definitive apparel I had ever donned in my life—a big black trench coat with a huge Ska patch on the back. It was the same thing that I'd seen a Rude Boy wearing in junior high, two years earlier. The title tells it all: The Transformation.
Melrose in the '80s was a completely different universe than it is today. It really was reserved for subcultures and you wouldn't find any trendy people there at all. The above instance in which we had to literally walk across the street to avoid a "punk" section of Melrose really did occur. Punks and Mods/Rudies didn't get along at all back then, and there were some stores that had an almost purely punk clientele—a total no-man's land for Mods and stuff.
Coming from a total mainstream, ultra-trendy background, my first visit to Melrose was a total eye-opener. I had never known that these groups had strong identities through and through and were very proud/possessive of them. There was no dilution back then, and if one was anything short of the real deal then he/she risked being called a "poseur," which was the worst thing to be classified as.
Of course, at the same time, it was exciting to know that becoming part of the scene would initiate me into this world of rivlaries. For once I would have a real sense of belonging. Ironically, the one shop where I would find what I was looking for (that ever-popular "Ska" patch) was called "Poseur"...which was one of the most popular stores on the strip for mods, rudies and skinheads. The old English bloke that worked there (forgot his name!) was a real character and was totally friendly too. It was a totally monumental achievement for me to cross the threshold into Poseur as a trendy kid, and walk out with an authentic ska icon. You gotta understand—this patch was HUGE and it had the loudest, day-glo pink and white checkers with a bold, skanking figure on it. You could see this thing from a mile away. There was absolutely no bolder way to proclaim one's affinity for the genre—and if I was to wear it, there was no turning back.
My dad sewed on the patch with no questions asked...he recognized the trench coat and tripped out on that...it must've been the middle or end of Spring so he wondered why I wanted such garb. I didn't care. I wanted to be a walking billboard, and tell the whole world that I was into SKA.
Luckily it was kinda brisk the morning that I walked to school with the trench coat on. I could just feel that patch screaming behind me, knowing that every single person that saw it would mouth the words "Ska" and wonder what it was, just like I did years earlier. Then my friend Dave showed up to walk to school with me. He thought it was a cool coat, until he saw the back. He looked at me like I was crazy...and wondered why I made such a drastic manuever. I knew there was no other way for me to make a clean-cut transformation without that coat.
Sure enough, the coat and patch were the headlines of the day. It turned every head, and had everyone pause as they beheld the back and muttered silently to themselves, "ska ska?" My friends were in various states of amazement and wonder. One of my friends actually knew what Ska was, even recalling seeing tons of Vespas and Rude Boys back in his junior high. My eyes widened as I wondered why I didn't see such a multitude in my school. Then he looked at me, puzzled, asking why I was getting into it only then. "Dood, you're a couple years too late man. That scene's dead!" "No it isn't!" I argued back. "They're still around!" We went back and forth for a few minutes, and finally one of our other friends cut in, saying "Dood, if he wants to be a Rude Boy, let him be a Rude Boy! Geez! Let him wear his fuckin' coat!"
The rest of our friends had no idea what we were going on about...but many were certain that I was nuts for wearing something so crazily different. The one kid who called me a "Ska Ska muhfucka!" was this kid who passed me in the hallway on the way to class. He grimaced at my whole get up as he studied me head to toe, then saw the patch on the back, muttering "what da fuck..?" He waited a couple of moments to digest what he saw as I kept on walking. A few seconds later, I heard him yell..."You Ska Ska Muhfucka!" I couldn't help but chuckle and say to myself, "That's right, man..!"
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October 17th, 2008
October 16th, 2008
01:32 pm - PINISH!
I'm happy to say that I've completed Volume 2 (Issues 6-10) and am currently in process of mass production. Expect to see these on the shelves very, very soon!
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