SDCC 2010: Last Minute Heroics

Pink Hello Kitty Assault Rifle with folding Stock
San Diego, July 25 – After four days of convention madness, the weariness began to show on the faces of the exhibitors and guests. I could see it in their eyes. They had the thousand yard stare. We braced ourselves for the final day of total geekery. Some poor souls had to buy overpriced coffee from the Starbucks stand. Others just toughed it out without caffeine. Go forth, brave soldiers of love.

Comics and Piracy Panel


Right to Left: Jake T. Forbes, Deb Aoki, and David Steinberger
The Digital Piracy Panel was one of the few panels that I actually attended. They covered most of the major arguments concerning comic books and intellectual property rights. The discussion was very timely due to the recent anti-piracy efforts of many American manga publishers.

SDCC 2010: Con Survival, Pop Candy Party, and Boris

San Diego, July 24 – I always assumed that con survival guides were weak veiled attempts at comedy. Come on… Do you really need someone to remind you of basic human functions like hygiene, hydration, and eating? It’s basic common sense. Even mindless Sims sprites know when to use the bathroom.

Then, the unthinkable happened. There was geek-on-geek violence in Hall H of the San Diego Comic-con. Stationed at the plushy table of the Giant Robot booth, I watched two squads of local police quickly marching across the convention center.

I’ve read quite a few con survival how to’s, and I don’t recall any lessons on self-defense (the zombie apocalypse ones don’t count). I guess it’s time to add some basic self-defense tips to those guides.

There were many rumors circulating in the exhibitor’s hall. The initial story described a confrontation ending in an attendee stabbing another one with a replica light saber (the geek’s weapon of choice). It’s perhaps the geekiest personal assault in history. When I read the actual news coverage, the victim was stabbed by a pen near his eye. He went to the hospital with minor cuts.

SDCC 2010: Friday Comes In Like a Lion and Goes Out Like a Munko

Bill Poon
San Diego, July 23 – The morning started with a surprise visit from Bill Poon who is the All-Star slugger from the Giant Robot softball team. He briefly chatted with Eric Nakamura (Publisher, Giant Robot) and others.

Second David Choe Signing


Dave Choe
Just before noon, fans of David Choe began forming a line around the booth. Choe, a Los Angeles pop artist, arrived to sign merchandise including his new art book and Munko vinyl figures. His devoted fans were pretty excited to meeting him. One of them even showed me her Munko tattoo on her wrist. It was pretty awesome.

SDCC 2010: Crossroads and Connections

Plushy Stand at the Giant Robot booth
San Diego, July 22 – The San Diego Convention Center opened its doors for the first full day of Comic-con International. Standing behind the plushy Totoro (トトロ) dolls at the Giant Robot booth, I was prepared for the onslaught of attendees.

First David Choe Signing

Our first major event was a signing by David Choe. Choe has been a major artist and painter in the Los Angeles art scene for the last several years. His pop sensibilities and graffiti style artwork has garnered a huge following among both art collectors and street artists. It’s a balancing act that keeps Choe's work on the cutting edge of the avant-garde.


Line for Dave Choe signing
Even before Choe’s arrival, his fans were lining up for the event. They were eager to chat with the artist and get their stuff signed.

SDCC 2010: Prelude to the Madness

Left to Right: Donut Man and Chi (his niece)
Los Angeles, July 20 – Since my last trip to California, I’ve been fiending for some sugary Donut Man confections. The tasty glazed and cream filled pastries have been haunting my foodie dreams, and I definitely needed to visit the Donut Man.

Martin Wong (Editor of Giant Robot Magazine) and I trekked out to a humble little shack in Glendora which is the home of the Donut Man. Hoping to see sweet Boston Creams and glazed Tiger Tails, we accidentally stumbled onto a greater sighting. We met the DONUT MAN! The elusive and talented genius behind the Donut Man confections came out from behind the shack and greeted us with a smile. We talked, and he introduced us to his niece Chi. She was very cool.

After we pumped pure sugar into our veins, we went to pick up some new vinyl toys from a warehouse. We quickly packed the van with boxes of Dave Choe’s new Munko vinyl figures and the Giant Robot action figures. Destined for our booth at the San Diego Comic-Con, we load the van and filled every inch of space. I was surprised at the number of boxes that we could shove into our van.

Korean Toys: Cross-Cultural Traffic: Toying with Brands, Borders and Bootlegs

Panel: (Left to Right) Eric Nakamura, Joshua Bernard, and Seho Kim

NEW YORK, May 28 — On a warm and humid night, the Korea Society (950 Third Avenue) had a special panel discussion about the early Korean toy industry. The panel complemented the recent Korea Society exhibit called Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood. I cover the gallery opening of that show in a past blog post.

Panelists:
Joshua Bernard, editor, CollectionDX.com
Eric Nakamura, publisher, Giant Robot Magazine
Seho Kim, creative director, The Korea Society

The panel covered the early years of the South Korean toy industry, which included the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The period was a time of growth for the Korean economy. However, the large Japanese and American toy corporations did not penetrate the Korean market until the 90s. This lead to the development of a domestic toy industry in South Korea.

The panel began with a power point presentation by Joshua Bernard, editor of CollectionDX.com.

In his presentation, Bernard covered a lot of different Korean toys and related merchandise. It was interesting to see some of the most bizarre toys ever conceived. In order to create new toys, Korean toy makers would use the head mold of one robot and attach it to the body mold of another robot. This lead to a very Postmodern Kitsch design sensibility.

After the presentation, the panel addressed several questions about the history and influence of Korean toy design. They also discussed the broader commercial Korean influence in cinema and television.

Eric Nakamura autographing issues of Giant Robot Magazine
At the end of the panel, I had an opportunity to talk to the panelists. I knew Eric Nakamura from my annual trips to Los Angeles. My trips to L.A. largely consisted of loitering at the Giant Robot HQ for several days. This time he came to New York. It was totally cool to hang out with Eric over here.

Related Links:

• The Korea Society
• CollectionDX.com
  
• Giant Robot Magazine

The History of Korean Toys and Butt Cheeks on Astro Boy's Chest

NEW YORK, January 31 — The Korean Society had a new art exhibition called Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood. The exhibition was a visual study of the Korean toy industry in the 1970s and the 1980s.

They filled the gallery with Korean toys and games. It was literally an explosion of plasticer and vinyl paint, and I was ecstatic. Some of the pieces showed some wear; it wasn't the mint-in box condition. Some kid probably played with them twenty years ago, but they were still very cool.


Mach 5
When I studied each toy, I immediately notice the heavy influence of Japanese pop culture. It's not a surprise that Japanese pop culture has infected the Korean toy industry. The two countries were so close in a geographical sense. There had to be some strong influences from Japanese pop culture. They had Korean toy versions of Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー), Battle of the Planets, Gundam (ガンダム), and Ultraman (ウルトラマン).


Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー)


Battle of the Planets


Gundam (ガンダム)


Ultraman (ウルトラマン)
There were also some original Korean toys like Super Taekwon V (로보트 태권 V). Super Taekwon V (로보트 태권 V) was based on an original South Korean mecha cartoon called Robot Taekwon V. The show was very similar to the Japanese Mazinger Z (マジンガーＺ) anime series.


Super Taekwon V (로보트 태권 V)
American cartoon and comic books also influenced the Korean Toy industry. The exhibit had Korean action figures for both Spider-man and Superman. The Korean versions of American action figures seemed a little different. The Superman Korean action figure looked strangely similar to the Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム) Korean action figure. They were probably made from the same mold to save money.

Wait, are those butt cheeks on Astro Boy's chest?


Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム) and Superman. Separated at birth? Butt cheeks!


Related Links:

• The Korean Society
  
• Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood
  
  

Hangin' out with Junko Mizuno

NEW YORK, October 11 — I got a chance to hang out with Junko Mizuno, female mangaka and designer. She did a book signing at Kidrobot, a specialty toy store in New York. Mizuno spent an hour and a half meeting and signing toys for fans. She was very cool and gracious.

Junko Mizuno is famous for her kawaii noir style of art. It's a nightmarish mixture of mo-e cuteness and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Her most noted works are Pure Trance and Junko Mizuno's Hell Babies. Her designs and characters are also used in action figures, t-shirts, and other types of merchandise.



The store was extremely small and the line was not too long. It had a cozy feeling about it.

I went to the signing with my friend, Micheal, but he wasn't a fan of her work. He came to take pictures anyway. I'm not big on autographs, so I didn't get on the signing line. We just hung out near Junko Mizuno's signing table while she signed books, toys, and sketches. We just talked about manga and met rabid fans of Junko Mizuno. Overall, it was a very cool experience.


Junko Mizuno interview on Japanorama

Transformers Movie, 2007

2 JULY 2007 -- I'll be there.  I'm bringing all my childhood Transformers action figures to the movie theater.  You know the original diecast metal action figures with dangerous levels of lead.  Everytime Michael Bay provokes my wrath, I will launch one of these figures at the screen.  I will purge myself from the horror of the Transformers franchise.

Now, if hollywood only made a major Gundam theatrical release, I can really free up some space in my hobbit hole.  We can't all live like Bilbo in a nice two-story pad.  OK, it's time to inflict this mental trauma on this blog:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EQtyJZhV2lQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4lo7JPLJUUU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z9xbI5a1ilk



What does Bilbo have to do with Tranformers?  You have to watch the videos.  I leave the answers to you...

PS: "You Got the Touch!" the music video!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=30BFrLl07r4

For more information on Tranformers:

• Transformers Movie, 2007 - Official Website
  
• IMDB: Transformers Movie, 2007
  
• IMDB: Transformers Movie, 1986
  
• Wikipedia: Transformers Movie
  

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James Leung Man-Fai