CARTOON BLOG

You Cheat Dr Jones, You Cheat!

A funny scene from the Temple of Doom movie is where Short Round (Ke Huy Kwan) accuses Indy of cheating in their card game, "You cheat Dr. Jones, you cheat!"

I realized I've been cheating too. In the last post I made the bold claim that Warwick Goble is in the top five of my favorite classic illustrators. Geez, I have so many favorite artists, how can I figure that?

I cheat, because I have so many categories that I can land just about anybody in a top 5 favorite somewhere. Favorite Renaissance artists. Favorite 19th century allegorical artists. Favorite jazz age photographers. Favorite comic book artists working in 1948. Favorite artists who work in pastel. Favorite sculptors born on a Wednesday.

I'll find some way of making them fit in the top five of something, cuz otherwise why would I collect their work in the first place. So ignore me when I talk about favorites (I'm sure you do anyway). We ALL got favorites.

Here's a really bold claim: My favorite #1 movie poster artist (and probably yours too): Drew Struzan.

I love looking deep into Struzan's rendering details & textures.

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" Available At G-FEST XVII!

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" Available At G-FEST XVII!

by Armand Vaquer

Those of you thinking about taking a kaiju vacation to Japan are in luck!

Attendees for this year's G-FEST XVII in Chicago will be able to pick up a copy of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan at the Monsterland Toys booth in the dealers room.

So be sure to stop by Monsterland Toys and pick up a copy while supplies last!

Above, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

WONDER WOMAN: BOLD NEW LOOK? I DON'T THINK SO!

I saw in the news today that WONDER WOMAN is getting a "bold new look" in WONDER WOMAN #600, which is available today. You can read the article and see the new WONDER WOMAN costume that is, "designed to be taken seriously as a warrior", by clicking here. What an ugly design. The colors look awful, too. I like super heroes that are colorful and fun! How many times have we seen this type of "new and improved" move flop? This is one of the many reasons why I can't stand modern-day "comic books". Publishers think moves like this will improve slumping sales. How about hiring writers who write stories that are actually fun to read and entertaining, and hiring artists who can actually draw characters that have appealing designs? Just like they used to during the 1940s through the 1970s. There are reasons why the popularity of comic book heroes lasted so long during those years...reasons that have been long dismissed by today's publishers.

The top image is the 1960s WONDER WOMAN Aurora model box front...and the bottom image is my 5x7 WONDER WOMAN original art that is based on the original 1973 SUPER FRIENDS design by ALEX TOTH. BOTH represent the WONDER WOMAN that I think most people prefer.

The First Character Sketch From "Goldilocks In Zombie Land"

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Jeff Hughes

Last month I reported that Comic Book Divas were getting ready to launch an online web comic series about a zombie hunting Goldilocks who's likeness was being modeled after scream queen Scarlet Salem.

Well, today I was sent the first preliminary artwork of the gun-toting "Goldi" by Jason Dube.

As you can imagine, this is not the Goldilocks that everyone grew up with. She's sexy, savvy, and carriers a plethora of weapons that would get the "Predator" all worked up.

Here is a copy of the release that came with this updated version of the character that sprang from the pen of English author and poet Robert Southey way back in 1837.

The preliminary artwork is beginning to arrive from artist Jason Dube on some of the primary characters for the upcoming web series, we are going to begin story
boarding the first pages very soon.

The first primary character is Goldilocks that is being portrayed by horror actress and scream queen Scarlet Salem; Jeff Hughes owner and primary writer for Comic Book Divas and Jason Dube owner of Scattered Comic Book Studios and artist strived to keep many of the elements of the fairy tale costume with a modern look and combine it with a sort of gunslinger look.

Although not shown, our Goldilocks will not skip down the cobbled streets of the storybook unarmed, she will be packing two shotgun pistols, a wrist activated crossbow gun, a samurai blade shaped bowie knife and just in case all else fails a spring loaded baseball bat.

We will be presenting other characters very soon that will include; Queen Rapunzel
(Portrayed By Dai Green) The Woodsman (Portrayed By Joe Knetter) and host of
others as the story progresses.

Be sure to keep updated and follow us on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, and of course at ComicBookDivas.com.

Andy Serkis To Play Caesar In RISE OF THE APES

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: WENN

Actor Andy Serkis, who has the pleasure of playing both King Kong and Gollum, will now have the chance to play another of cinema's greatest simians, Caesar, from the "Planet of the Apes."

Indeed, the performer who has the uncanny ability to mimic animal movements, has been cast as the leader of an ape rebellion over mankind in 20th Century Fox's reboot of the popular "Apes" franchise entitled, "Rise of the Apes."

Though many news outlets are reporting that Serkis will be donning an ape costume and makeup similar to the kind made famous by John Chambers in the 1960s and 70s, it is safe to assume from the reports that have surfaced that the actor will once again be used as a model for a CGI character.

Of course, the fact that Peter Jackson's effects house, WETA Digital, has been hired to work on the film's effects probably is a dead giveaway here.

Not much is known about the film as of yet, but early reports stated that the film would center around the genetic engineering of apes to be used as slaves for mankind, similar to the plot of "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes". As can be expected, these intelligent primates soon get sick of being treated like animals and join forces to turn the tables on us human types.

"Rise of the Apes" is set to begin filming next month in San Francisco under the direction of Rupert Wyatt. Other cast members include Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto, James Franco and John Lithgow.

See Also: James Franco Cast In The New PLANET OF THE APES film / Planet of the Apes: Caesar Set To Begin Production In July / Scott Frank Plans To Take Planet Of The Apes In A New Direction / Is Fox Planning To Re-Boot The Planet Of The Apes? / Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)(20th Century Fox) / Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)(20th Century Fox) / Actress Profile - Linda Harrison / Planet Of The Apes (1974)(TV) / Planet Of The Apes (1968)

Indian Myth & Legend

I bring you once again illustrations that transcend space and time by Warwick Goble,—these for a 1913 edition of Indian Myth and Legend by Donald MacKenzie.

Goble remains firmly within my top 5 favorite classic illustrators. Once again I have to say that the sum is greater than the parts of his work, defying logical analysis of his magical art.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICK!

Happy Birthday to my good friend, RICK GOLDSCHMIDT! Here's a photo of Rick and I in front of the GEORGE BARRIS KUSTOM SHOP in North Hollywood, CA. Rick (with his daughter, Sara and son, Josh) visited Southern California earlier this month. Be sure to check out Rick's RANKIN/BASS BLOG!

Wonder Woman's New Look and Direction

Wonder Woman's New Look and Direction

by Armand Vaquer

Source: DC Comics' The Source

My mom is probably spinning in her grave.

DC Comics has announced that Wonder Woman has a new look and a new direction:

Starting today, Wonder Woman will appear like you’ve never seen her before.

As you may have seen in THE NEW YORK TIMES, bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee has redesigned her costume for the modern era, just in time for BABYLON 5 creator and critically acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Don Kramer and Michael Babinski to launch the Amazon Princess into an exciting and epic new era of adventure.

Starting with their story in WONDER WOMAN #600, which is in comic shops today, JMS and Kramer will begin a run that is both forward-looking and true to the legendary character, planting her firmly in the modern era. But enough about what I have to say. Mr. Straczynski took some time out of his schedule to lay out some of his plans for WONDER WOMAN right here on The Source.

My mom was an avid Wonder Woman reader in the 1940s and she occasionally read the comic in the 1960s (the Ross Andru & Mike Esposito years) whenever I bought one.

The general consensus is that this "costume" looks too 1990s. What do you think?

To read the entire article, go here.

Master Allegorical Artist

And this is NOT a Ziegfeld girl, though I thought it was when I first saw this print when I was 18—something about the hairband and face. It is from a hundred years before Ziegfeld, an academic study by the French master allegorical artist, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon—another favorite of mine.

Two anonymous artists sitting next to Prud'hon, during the same session, also drew the model, giving us further appreciation of Prud'hon's abilities:

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD

by Armand Vaquer

An alert fan discovered today that the Retromedia DVD, Destroy All Planets 2010 has "mysteriously vanished" from Amazon.com's website.

No doubt this may be due to the issues Ryan Clark and other fans raised pertaining to the rights issue at Amazon.com and several kaiju-oriented message boards.

This is probably a cautionary move on Amazon.com's part until the rights issues are resolved.

UPDATE: The DVD is still being offered at Amazon.com.

FOR THE RECORD: Kaiju historian August Ragone commented on several message boards about the rights issues. I had quoted him as he has the most knowledge on Japanese movie companies, DVD & screening rights and many other facets. As his comments are on several public message boards, I took the liberty in quoting him. Unfortunately, I should have given him a "head's up" first. It was not my intention to box him into the fray which may give someone the impression that this was an "August vs. Retromedia" situation. It wasn't. He also expressed that he'd like to also hear what Carl Craig has to say in his commentary. He was only speaking as a fan and not in any official (or otherwise) capacity with his role in Shout! Factory's Gamera releases. I apologize if that is the impression given.

Oh My God, I Just Saw A UFO!

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Okay, now that was strange.

I think that I just saw a UFO.

I was just on my lunch break from work when I witnessed an object in the sky over Riverside, Ca that I have no explanation for.

As I sometimes do, I parked my vehicle on a hill here in Grand Terrace that overlooks the railroad line that runs from Riverside to Colton. As most of you already know, I am a huge train geek, and during my lunch I sometimes either walk to this vantage point, or dive, so that I can watch trains go by while I eat.

At about 1:30 pm pst I took my normal position on top of the hill and began to eat my lunch. While I was sitting there thinking about some of my recent interactions with fans and fellow authors about the now controversial DVD release of "Destroy All Planets", I noticed a silver metallic object in the sky traveling from East to West.

As the object passed by, I noticed that it seemed to reflect the sunlight and I didn't notice any wings. I thought that this was an odd angle to view an airplane, which is what I assumed it was. I also noted that I hadn't ever seen a plane at this low altitude in this area of the sky before. Upon further investigation, I also noticed that this, 'plane', didn't seem to have a tail fin. It looked about the same size a commercial jet, oval in shape, larger in the front tapering towards the tail.

As the object traveled to about 3/4 of the way across my point of view it simply vanished. Now when I say vanished, I mean it disappeared, slowly, like someone turned it off.

I sat in place for another ten minutes surveying the sky for the object and could not locate it anywhere in the heavens.

The sky is bit hazy today, but there are no clouds, or anything else for that matter, for this object to have flown into. It just disappeared right in front of my eyes.

In my estimation, the objects flight path would have been directly over Riverside.

This leaves me with one question, "What did I just see?"

The First Look At Mamoru Oshii's Tetsujin "28 1/2"

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Twitch / Official Website / Avery Guerra

Mamoru Oshii's latest film project "28 1/2" is yet another in a recent line of films to re imagine one of Japan's most beloved giant robot anime, "Tetsujin 28″.

The first came in 2005 with the live-action film "Tetsujin niju-hachigo" (Tetsujin 28) directed by Shin Togashi, then last year Hakari Productions and Imagi Studios announced that they were producing a CGI animated "Tetsujin" in the same line as "Astroboy."

Now Oshii, who is no stranger to giant robot series, being that he was the creative mind behind both, "Ghost in the Shell" and "Patlabor", is gearing up to produce another live-action film based on "Tetsujin 28-gō (Iron Man #28)" a manga, and then later on a animated series, by illustrator Mitsuteru Yokoyama.

At this point it is not clear whether "28 1/2" will be a follow-up to Togashi's film, or another reboot entirely.

Regardless, these first images from the production should be enough to get giant robot fans very geeked up about Oshii's film:

New Toy Tuesday! - Futurama Edition

Source: Entertainment Earth

Futurama Series 9 Action Figures Set

Fun Futurama figures for you!
Reenact all your favorite episodes!
Stand 6-inches tall and include accessories.
They're out of this world!

They're out of this world… and the next millennium, too! Each outrageous action figure in this fabulous Futurama series stands about 6-inches tall, features multiple points of articulation and character-specific accessories, and comes individually packaged on a blister card. Grab these colorful characters and bring them back to Earth and present time in your home or office. You and your friends will be glad you did!

This Series 9 set of 2 pieces contains (subject to change):

1x Wooden Bender
1x URL

Collect all the wacky Futurama action figures and advance your collection by thousands of years! Each figure comes with build-a-figure Morbo part.

Coming In August! Order Yours Today For Only $24.99!

Futurama Escape from Bowels of Hellish Delight Large Giclee

A stunning work of art!
Highly detailed artwork!
Add to your collection!

In this unique Futurama vision, an angelic Bender lifts Leela and Fry out of the clutches of the fiendish Robot Devil. Extremely limited 95 piece hand-numbered edition giclee on paper. Measures 16-inches wide x 24-inches tall, includes certificate of authenticity. Get yours today!

Coming In July! Order Yours Today For Only $249.99!

Futurama Beast with a Billion Backs Paper Giclee

The whole Planet Express gang is here!
From the 2nd Futurama movie!
Limited edition giclée on paper.
295-piece, hand-numbered edition.

In Futurama's most tentacle-packed epic, space itself rips open, revealing a gateway to another universe. But what lies beyond? Horror? Love? Or maybe both if it happens to contain a repulsive, planet-sized monster with romantic intentions! Nothing less than the fate of human- and robot-kind is at stake as the Planet Express crew takes on "The Beast with a Billion Backs." This highly entertaining giclée on paper is limited to 295 pieces, measures 20-inches tall x 16-inches wide, and includes a certificate of authenticity. It marks a fabulous find for any Futurama fanatic!

Giclée (pronounced "zhee-clay") is an invented name for the process of making fine-art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word was coined to distinguish commonly known industrial "Iris proofs" from the fine-art prints artists were producing on the same printers. The name has since come to mean any high-quality, ink-jet print, and is often used in galleries and print shops to denote such. In the past few years, the word (as a fine-art term) has come to be associated with prints using fade-resistant "archival" inks and the inkjet printers that use them. A wide variety of substrates are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolor paper, cotton canvas, or artist textured vinyl.

Coming In July! Order Yours Today For Only $174.99!

Futurama Spaceport Fine Art Print

"Welcome to New New York Municipal Spaceport!"
Limited edition giclée.
Printed on acid-free archival paper.
300-piece, hand-numbered edition.
The Futurama faithful are sure to want this!

"New New York Municipal Spaceport" is inspired by the vintage travel posters of the mid-20th century and features the Planet Express flying over the cityscape of New New York. This remarkable giclée is based on designs from the cult-favorite and is limited to just 300 pieces. It measures approximately 16-inches tall x 10-inches wide and comes with certificate of authenticity. The Futurama faithful are sure to want these for their very own, so land one in your shopping cart today!

Giclée (pronounced "zhee-clay") is an invented name for the process of making fine-art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word was coined to distinguish commonly known industrial "Iris proofs" from the fine-art prints artists were producing on the same printers. The name has since come to mean any high-quality, ink-jet print, and is often used in galleries and print shops to denote such. In the past few years, the word (as a fine-art term) has come to be associated with prints using fade-resistant "archival" inks and the inkjet printers that use them. A wide variety of substrates are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolor paper, cotton canvas, or artist textured vinyl.

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $199.99!

Futurama Action Figures Series 5 Set

Fun Futurama figures for you!
Reenact all your favorite episodes!
Includes Calculon and Super King Bender.
Stand 6-inches tall and include accessories.
They're out of this world!

They're out of this world… and the next millennium, too! Each outrageous action figure in this fabulous Futurama series stands about 6-inches tall, features multiple points of articulation and character-specific accessories, and comes individually packaged on a blister card. Grab these colorful characters and bring them back to Earth and present time in your home or office. You and your friends will be glad you did!

This Series 5 set of 2 pieces contains (subject to change):

1x Calculon
1x Super King Bender

Collect all the wacky Futurama Action Figures and advance your collection by thousands of years!

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $24.99!

Futurama Series 8 Action Figures Set

Fun Futurama figures for you!
Reenact all your favorite episodes!
Stand 6-inches tall and include accessories.
They're out of this world!

They're out of this world… and the next millennium, too! Each outrageous action figure in this fabulous Futurama series stands about 6-inches tall, features multiple points of articulation and character-specific accessories, and comes individually packaged on a blister card. Grab these colorful characters and bring them back to Earth and present time in your home or office. You and your friends will be glad you did!

This Series 8 set of 2 pieces contains (subject to change):

1x Chef Bender
1x Mom

Collect all the wacky Futurama Action Figures and advance your collection by thousands of years!

Size: 6-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $23.99!

Futurama Encore Collection Fry and Bender Action Figure Set

Fun Futurama figures for you!
Philip J. Fry and Bender make an encore!
They're from the animated sci-fi TV sitcom Futurama.
Each stands 6-inches tall and includes accessories.

Missed these the first time around? They're out of this world… and the next millennium, too! Each outrageous action figure in this fabulous Futurama series stands about 6-inches tall, features multiple points of articulation and character-specific accessories, and comes individually packaged on a blister card. Grab these colorful characters and bring them back to Earth and present time in your home or office. You and your friends will be glad you did!

This Encore Collection set of 2 pieces contains (subject to change):

1x Philip J. Fry
1x Bender

Please note that these figures do not come with a Robot Santa build-a-figure piece!

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $23.99!

Futurama Series 1 Die Cast Figures Box Set

Detailed die-cast Futurama figures!
Your favorites from Futurama!
Highly displayable box!

This Futurama Series 1 Die-cast 4-pack box set features Bender, Fry, Leela, and Professor Farnsworth. Each figure stands about 3-inches tall. The box packaging turns into a playset or display station for the figures!

Size: 3-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $24.99!

Futurama Dr. Zoidberg Benadable Figure

Party with the good doctor!
Add this fun Dr. Zoidberg bendable figure to your Futurama collection!
Stands approximately 7 1/2-inches tall.

Futurama is an animated sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The series follows the adventures of a former New York pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, after he is cryogenically frozen seconds after the start of the year 2000, and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.
Stands approximately 5-inches tall. Bring home this Futurama Dr. Zoidberg Bendable Figure today!

Size: 5-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $9.99!

Futurama Fry Bendable Figure

So cool…he used to be frozen!
Add this fun Fry bendable figure to your Futurama collection!
Stands approximately 7 1/2-inches tall.

Futurama is an animated sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The series follows the adventures of a former New York pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, after he is cryogenically frozen seconds after the start of the year 2000, and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.
Stands approximately 6-inches tall. Bring home this Futurama Fry Bendable Figure today!

Size: 6-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $9.99!

Futurama Professor Farnsworth Bendable Figure

He's sciencing as fast as he can!
Add this fun Professor Farnsworth bendable figure to your Futurama collection!
Stands approximately 7 1/2-inches tall.

Futurama is an animated sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The series follows the adventures of a former New York pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, after he is cryogenically frozen seconds after the start of the year 2000, and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.
Stands approximately 5 1/2-inches tall. Bring home this Futurama Professor Farnsworth Bendable Figure today!

Size: 5 1/2-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours Today For Only $9.99!

Futurama Leela Bendable Figure

She's got her eye on you!
Add this fun Leela bendable figure to your Futurama collection!
Stands approximately 7 1/2-inches tall.

Futurama is an animated sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening, and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The series follows the adventures of a former New York pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, after he is cryogenically frozen seconds after the start of the year 2000, and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.
Stands approximately 6-inches tall. Bring home this Futurama Leela Bendable Figure today!

Size: 6-inches tall

In Stock! Order Yours For Only $9.99!

See Also: New Toy Tuesday! Sexy Anime Girl Edition! / New Toy Wednesday! - 11 Doctors, Limited Edition Spock Kit, Gundam, Vampirella And Some Killer Anime Cleavage! / New Toy Tuesday! - Retro Frankenstein And Wolfman, The Fly, Classic Voltron, A Sexy Anime Girl And The Scent Of Captain Kirk / New Toy Tuesday! A Zentraedi Battlepod And A Kick-Ass Godzilla T-Shirt! / New Toy Tuesday! A Sexy Princess, Ash, Bigfoot, The Mummy And The Starship Enterprise / New Toy Tuesday! Classic Star Trek vs Classic Doctor Who, A Slave Girl & The Creature! / New Toy Tuesday! Gremlins, Marvel Meets Anime, Death Never Looked So Good! & More / New Toy Tuesday! - The Creature, The Wolfman, Lovecraft Dragons And More!

The Triumphant Return Of FUTURAMA - Part 3 - Video Montage! / The Triumphant Return Of FUTURAMA - Part 2 - New Images / Storyboards! / The Triumphant Return Of FUTURAMA - New Images! / Four Brand New Images From FUTURAMA! / "We're Back Baby!" Futurama Cast Members Returning To Show! / Bad News Everyone! Futurama Voice Actors Unlikely To Return For New Series / Good News Everyone! Fox And Comedy Central Order 26 New Episodes Of Futurama / Wizard World Texas Scores The Premiere Of Futurama Bender’s Game / Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs Trailer / Futurama Series 2 Action Figure Set / Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs

MORAV - A Graphic Novel And Web Series On The Horizon!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Robot War Espresso / Avery Guerra

It's really hard to believe that it has been well over two years since I first reported on "M.O.R.A.V." (Multi-Operational Robotic Armored Vehicle) a pet project of Hollywood special effects maven Fon Davis. Over those two years the giant robot anime inspired feature has morphed from a possible television series or feature film, to a comic book series, which never found a publisher.

You really have to tip your hat to Davis though, he has never given up on "M.O.R.A.V.", and now, finally the project has been given a second life by Insight Editions who now is going to release the original 6-issue comic as a one-off graphic novel.

According to Davis, "We’ve taken what was going to be the 132 page 6 issue comic book series and combined it in to a single graphic novel, which will include an extra 30 pages of bonus material."

"So, the 'M.O.R.A.V.: History of Robotic Warfare' graphic novel is 160 pages long. If you or anyone you know wants to order a copy, there is a link on my website morav.net (Also At Amazon.com). I will be signing exclusive advance copies of 'M.O.R.A.V.: The History of Robotic Warfare' at Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego."

To correspond with the release of the graphic novel, Davis and his team are set to begin running the live-action "M.O.R.A.V." series as webisodes starting this August.

"I am going back to producing the live action webisodes of M.O.R.A.V. this August." Davis adds, "I’m really looking forward to getting back to the live action series. Here is a sneak peak at the 1/6 scale Gen 1 M.O.R.A.V. we’re building for that series right now in my studio (see very bottom below)."

"If you like robot science fiction, MORAV could be what you’ve always wanted to see but no one has done. This kind of gritty realism is uncommon in the robot science fiction genre. [It] is heavily focused on keeping stories character based and making the environment tangible. There is an effort to bring the audience into a world where robots really walk the streets. The robots in this series do not jump, fly, and shoot lasers out of their eyes. They are designed the way giant robots would be if they were real."

Indeed "M.O.R.A.V." has all the makings of a live-action "Patlabor" series crossed with a hard-hitting military based action series.

Here is the synopsis (from my initial 2008 article about 'M.O.R.A.V.):

The story begins with the robot pilots and their peers testing and training then follows them through their struggles with the hardships of war. The audience witnesses the start of a global arms race to build the greatest giant robot army in the world. MORAV covers many decades chronicling the characters through a coup de'tat followed by a civil war that eventually leads to World War Three. The viewer will actually get to see the entire historic saga of robot warfare through the eyes of the men and women immersed in this reality.

If you like robot science fiction, MORAV could be what you've always wanted to see but no one has done. This kind of gritty realism is uncommon in the robot science fiction genre. The show is heavily focused on keeping stories character based and making the environment tangible. There is an effort to bring the audience into a world where robots really walk the streets. The robots in this series do not jump, fly, and shoot lasers out of their eyes. They are designed the way giant robots would be if they were real.

The Nation of Kumala. Divided into two separate states, they have endured an uneasy peace for hundreds of years, but now they find themselves embroiled in a bloody conflict that pits East and West at each other’s throats for control of the entire country.

Across the Jilta Straits lies her sister country of Tangri Island. A peaceful nation with a rich blend of traditional Asian heritage and Western-influenced modernisms and, not unlike any other paradise on Earth, there are those who wish to exploit her and take what she has to offer, no matter what the cost.

As tensions evolve into all-out war, heroes from both Tangri and Kumala unite with a corporate peacekeeping detachment of the Joint Nations Defense force in an attempt to prevent the onslaught of genocide. If they fail, the conflict could destroy Kumala and threaten not only the stability of Tangri Island, but engulf the remainder of South-East Asia into a global war.
But even as Tangri’s King deploys his historic special forces team, The Dragon Army, in an attempt to help subdue the ethnic cleansing in Kumala, the JND is secretly testing a new and devastatingly powerful robotic super-weapon on their peaceful island, one that will ravage Tangri’s future before the King’s forces have time to react.

Lines will be drawn, friendships tested, alliances forged, and the balance of military might will be forever changed by a weapon the likes of which no one has ever seen or imagined.

Here are some test shots and concept artwork from "M.O.R.A.V.":

Daughter of a Ziegfeld Girl

Alfred Cheney Johnston was THE photographer of Ziegfeld's beautiful women. Here he photographed Julie Newmar, the daughter of a Ziegfeld girl, around 1950—stunning portraits of a stunning woman. Catwoman that is.

La belle dame sans merci

Sir Wm Russell Flint — La belle dame sans merci _ 1908

DEAN & JERRY!

A few blog readers have asked me about the availability of my 8x10 MARTIN AND LEWIS color cartoon art (shown above). The art is markers, brush & ink on art board, and available for $49.99 with $3 shipping (within the U.S.). E-mail me at powsley@flash.net for details!