Yasushi Suzuki balances his artistic duties between doing development work for Treasure (a game developer) and doing his own comics and illustrations. I immediately noticed his character design and environments on the Nintendo 64 'Sin & Punishment' game. There was a sophisticated sense of style and cool that I found refreshing and exciting. For me, his game art hit its' peak on Treasures shoot-em-up 'Ikaruga'. It's a brilliant game made even better with the polish that Suzuki-san's art gave the game's black & white aesthetic. I'm happy to hear that he's back doing the design work for the Wii's 'Sin & Punishment 2' (out in the US end of June 2010). His art seems to have lost something in his attempts to do something more fashionable and realistic but, overall, I still am excited by what I've seen of the game. So much so that I'll probably hold off on buying Mario Galaxy 2 and save up to purchase 'Sin & Punishment 2'. Below is a collection of some of his various art on the three games and video clips of the S&P trailer and a gnarly level play through of the beautifully difficult Ikaruga.

S&P 2 Trailer:

Ikaruga Play Through:

This weekend I sat down and began reading James Robinson's STARMAN. I read and fell in love with Starman years ago and with the release of the lovely Omnibus HC book collections, I'm having the pleasure of revisiting one of the best Superhero series of the 1990s. Even though I came into comic collecting during the 1990s, I have to admit that the majority of the comics I was reading at the time were all about the style and little to do with story. Hell, I was an Image kid. It was all about how badass and/or sexy the art was.

Starman was something refreshingly different. In it, Jack Knight was a guy from a family of superheroes that didn't want to join the family tradition. Rather than wearing the silly green and red costume with the odd fin on its head, Jack was happier willing-and-dealing antique items for his eclectic Antique Shop. That all changes when his brother gets murdered and a near brush with death forces Jack Knight to become the next Starman.

As much as I love superhero comics, one of my main problems with them is that they are inherently hokey. Guys running around in tights and fighting weirdly costumed bad guys is unquestionably a children's fantasy. Add-in silly rules like not being willing to kill people and it gets outright unbelievable. For me, the genre only works when a cartoonist and/or artist/writer deliberately choose the elements of superheroes that they like and infuse it with story and/or visual elements of passion.

STARMAN is one of the best recent examples of that.

Upon becoming Starman, Jack decides to replace the traditional Starman costume with a leather jacket and some vintage World War II Anti-Flare goggles to help him see while using the glowing cosmic rod that gives him the power of flight. The name of Starman comes from his father's interest in Astronomy and Science. It's his fathers interest in them that inspired him to create the technology behind the weapons used by Starman. But Jack Knight takes the symbolism in a completely other direction by sewing a Astrological Star Chart on the back of his jacket and donning a vintage Sheriff's Silver Star pin on his chest.

As a guy who's more influenced by Berni Wrightson's Frankenstein than Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, you can feel artist Tony Harris' visual taste in every corner of the Starman comic book universe. And it's a great thing that we do. Traditional superhero villains end up looking like 1940s mobsters and Starman's home of Opal City has a hyper-art deco flavor to it. Often, particularly in the earlier issues, Harris' art feels weak and confusing... but the passion he draws with more than makes up for his lack of skill... and his art grows tremendously from issue to issue.

James Robinson writes with an equal fervor as you can feel the gobs amount of fun he had writing it.

Great fun and highly recommended.

I just finished watching EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, a film best known for it’s association with mysterious street artist Banksy. It’s a brilliant and entertaining film that, as with all things Banksy, has you wondering how much of it is sincere and how much of it is a big joke. Either way, it was a fun exploration on art and its ‘importance’ in our world.

The film follows Thierry Guetta, an obsessive videographer, as he follows his cousin, Space Invader, and other street artists ‘bomb’ cities worldwide with their artwork. As Thierry casually documents the evolution of Street Art, he befriends Street Art pioneers like Shepard Fairey and soon becomes obsessed with his “golden egg”: the opportunity to film the mysterious and uber-famous British Street Artist known as Banksy. By chance, Thierry ends up meeting Banksy and is inspired to first create the definitive Street Art documentary film and ultimately become a street artist himself under the moniker of MBW (Mr. Brainwash).

The film celebrates the energy and ambition of Street Art while, at the same time, diffusing it’s importance and relevance. Much like Banksy’s art, you’re not really sure if it’s meant to be taken seriously or to be laughed at (probably a bit of both)... and in so doing, it has a strange way of legitimizing Street Art (and Art in general) while simultaneously pinpointing its absurdity.

If this film is showing nearby, you MUST watch it. Whether you’re in on the joke (if there even is a joke), appreciate Street Art, or just want to understand what all the fuss is with that ‘Street Art’ stuff... this film has to be experienced.

MOLE MANIA is one of the lesser known games Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and Wii Sports) developed for the original Game Boy console during the last few years of the Game Boy's existence. It's a clever game with charming sprite graphics and incredibly intuitive game play mechanics. Even though I have yet to beat the game, it's one of my favorite Game Boy games as it delivers a unique and promising gaming experience.

In the game you play as Muddy Mole, a mole who needs to push an iron ball into a concrete barrier to proceed to the next level. On the surface it plays a lot like the old puzzle-platforming games like 'Adventures of Lolo' where you must find a key to open the door to the next level. But, MOLE MANIA changes the game concept by allowing you to move around in both the regular world (above ground) and by digging holes into an underground level (since you are a mole) that may give you access to items and/or pathways that may help you through the obstacles that exist above ground. To get through levels you have to familiarize yourself and master both what happens above ground and underground. About 2/3 into the game it gets frustratingly challenging (hence why I haven't beat the darn game)... but the characters, levels, and game play are so effectively implemented that I still enjoy playing it.

It's a simple concept but when asked of the right person, it's a great interview topic: Your Five Favorite Films. I stumbled across a collection of brief interviews from the Rotten Tomatoes Show (I didn't even know that existed!) with a variety of film celebrities about this. In the better answers you discover films you may want to see and learn surprise favorites from a familiar celebrity. Below are some of my favorite 'Five Favorite' interviews. You can find more HERE.

I feel it is only fair that I include my "Favorite Five". They'd be:

5. THE BICYCLE THIEF: An Italian film from the 1940s that struck me with its simplicity and emotional power.

4. BRAZIL (original ending): A funny and disturbing portrayal of the future by Terry Gilliam and Tom Stoppard. I love De Niro in this!

3. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: As odd as the main characters are, there's a sincere love for them that mesmerizes and makes me laugh.

2. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: Miyazaki's imagination and direction create an animation that works for all-ages on so many levels it's crazy.

1. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: This film comes up way more often than I expected. I love the way it illustrates the vulnerability, wealth, and confusion of Love.

JOHN WOO (director):

EDWARD NORTON (actor):

SASHA GREY (adult film actress):

ELI ROTH (director):

CHARLYNE YI (comedian):

While configuring my Wii to play the Netflix disc it reminded me of this 'new' world that we live in. One in which we have immeasurable amounts of information at the click of a button. How does that impact our identities as individuals and participants in a larger culture? It's going to be fascinating to find out. Part of what connects us as people are our shared experiences and perspectives. But with so much access to information are we leading ourselves to a world in which we can no longer "connect" with each other? Are your hobbies and interests going to be so different from mine, that we have nothing in common? Or maybe, our ability to embrace disparate cultures forces us all to find more universal truths when interacting with friends and family. There's a new found freedom in this 'Infinite Access'... and I guess the community with which to we can share our quirky interests also exists in the same places we can download data. But I can't help but wonder how different our unique interests and perspectives can potentially become.

The other side of the coin is how much time are we actually spending with the things we enjoy? Of those 100 movies you want to watch on Netflix, how many are you actually watching? How many times are you listening to a music album after you've downloaded it? How many times are you reading that book or comic? Is obtaining information now becoming more important than interacting with it? If so, how does that ultimately affect the product that is being created for this new audience?

I'm not entirely sure if I'm effectively conveying these concepts. But we're living in a helluva interesting time!