Friday, June 26, 2009

and Iran, Iran so far awa-a-ay...



Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

one of three, in an attempt to be a better citizen of the world.

there's a lot going on in Iran the last few months. weeks ago i could have attempted empathy, only to put myself in the shoes of a people who are well briefed, more open to talk than we think (so long as we follow the rules of Bazaar negotiating seriously), and attempted reasonable [centrifuge caps] compromises, despite much infighting (rumor has it some fight over who gets the credit repairing Iran's relationship with the US, restoring it to more prosperous eras). as of 2 weeks ago though... the election, the protests, the media blackouts and blockage, the blatant depressing treatment of women and of course the government engaged murders (both of which i hope i subtly implied here), it's almost impossible to find the bright side.

with corrupt and iron willed politicians, as well as religious venomous clerics behind (clerics, who are demanding the execution of voting protesters now), i am curious to see what happens next. no country, nor its people, should ever be judged by the ruler. i think American's can certainly relate to that. speaking out and making waves of change is also not exclusive to our American democracy. the people of Iran are speaking, louder than ever; so who's listening, and what's next?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Richard Stark's Parker

Hi!
I am a huge fan of Darwyn Cooke. i think he is one of the best storytellers and artists in comics, hands down; he is certainly my favorite. in about a week, his graphic novel interpretation of Donald Westlake's (a.k.a. Richard Stark) novel 'The Hunter' is coming out. You can see a 21 page preview HERE! it looks amazing. Stark's main protagonist/anti-hero/no-hero is PARKER, who was the basis for characters played by Lee Marvin in POINT BLANK, as well as Mel Gibson in PAYBACK. basically fantastic crime/heist/betrayal/revenge stories.

there is a great interview with Darwyn about the project HERE and a review of The Hunter HERE

here are 2 quick pieces i did in the excitement of potentialy winning a signed copy from a fan art contest. cross your fingers!

-peter


------------------
UPDATE 8/16:
hey whaddaya know! i got an honorable mention, which comes with an incredible prize of a personalized copy of the new book! i'm so excited!
-----------------
UPDATED (9/25/09):
! ! !

thank you Calum and Darwyn!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Animal Summer: the A.K.A.s (are everywhere!)

Hi!
recently, Philadelphia's dance hall fight musicians 'the A.K.A.s' asked me to help them with a special project. While they are on tour for Van's Wared Tour, they will be giving drum lessons to those interested parties who sign up (via their myspace. drummer Chachi Darin posted HERE). The winners will have a chance to win a painted drum head! i was really excited about this; i've never been a 'prize' before! Mike Ski has been an enthusiastic awesome guy. we switched places from Philly and NYC on the same moving day, but plan on meeting up for donuts eventually.

in the meanwhile, here's some process pics, but i'll be sure to post more as the band sends me news, ads, and promos
thanks everyone!
-peter

getting a good dance pose was not easy for me. thank goodness for my extensive collection of records and books (about record collections) involving the twist
it's a tiger...in jams!
the drumhead. iridescent gold here too, like sun on the water, to play with the orange black and pink color scheme, a la The Endless Summer

the icons were a small spoof of icons on signs at the beach, but also with a lot of thought regarding the AKAs, their new record, lyrics, past merchandise, and anthems.