An infamous segment from the series “News From Beyond” featuring zombie hunters “Shotgun” Max Bevins and Penelope Pendelton.
Author: ÜberSciFiGeek
New Art Book Explores Fiendish Art from Fantasy Master Tom Baxa
Dark fantasy art fans and gamers alike will rejoice at today’s release of veteran fantasy illustrator Tom Baxa’s new art book Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa. Baxa’s art for notable games likeDungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, World of Warcraft tcg, Darksun, L5R, Shadowrun, miniatures and more has been in high demand for years, and is available now for the first time in this one comprehensive collection.
Said longtime Tom Baxa fan and veteran illustrator Dave Dorman, “Tom’s characters step right out of your most horrific fantasy nightmares with exquisite detail. For gaming and horror fans, this isthe art book to buy this month.”
Tom Baxa’s paintings are known for their energetic and dramatic feel; his characters crackle with an in-your-face threat that is both menacing and captivating at the same time. His confident brushstrokes, painterly approach, and rich color sense imbue each painting with life.
Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa highlights this master illustrator’s work and shows an impressive and inspiring range of inventiveness. His creature designs are intriguing and spark the imagination, compelling viewers to ponder the character’s culture, influences, and all too often, tortured lives. Gruesome monsters with gnarled flesh are ripped and scarred until any semblance of normalcy is eradicated and a new form of wretchedness is unleashed. Baxa’s range shines through with additional sections on his Wicked Fairies® characters, his short stories, sketches and evocative personal work.
Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa is available through Diamond Distributors at comic and game shops everywhere, or by contacting the Comic Shop Locator Service at 1-888-266- 4226 or www.comicshoplocator.com. Blood Rituals is on page 352 of Previews May 2012; Diamond item code is MAY121402. Marketing artwork for this book is available upon request.
About Thomas M. Baxa
Thomas M. Baxa has been illustrating fantasy creatures that haunt the imagination for over 24 years in game industry where he has contributed to countless games including Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, Vampire, Magic the Gathering, and World of Warcraft tcg. He is a highly sought after illustrator and concept artist, designing characters for games, books, miniatures, video games, and film, while developing his own properties and managing his website www.BaxaArt.com.
Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair Digital Comics No. 4-6 Now on App Store
zuuka Comics, developer of the Cut The Rope digital comic engine, announced today the launch of Issues No. 4-6 of Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair Comic series. Based on the original classic arcade game released in 1983, the first-ever digital release of Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair Comic is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store.
* In Issue No. 4, Dirk the Daring has one day left to save Princess Daphne from the clutches of the the deadly dragon Singe and while there may not be snakes, hydras and zombies, there’s pits of boiling lava standing in his way. Oh, and threatening mud men too.
* Issue No. 5 sees Dirk going further into the Dark Kingdom, making it almost impossible for Halvern and Leraene to track him. And with the duo finally loosing complete sight of him, Dirk’s adventures are only beginning… including trying to make it past a flaming pit of fire and clever little goons who want nothing more than for Dirk to fall into the flames.
* Unearthing a giant cavern full of gold, Issue No. 6 has Dirk praising the saints until he notices the deadly dragon and captured Princess Daphne. Will Dirk free the princess from the evil dragon or tempt fait too far and meet his doom? Lead on, adventurer… your quest awaits.
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 4.0 or later
* 31.5 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair Comic App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Issue No. 1 is free, and issues No. 2-6 are available for $1.99 each through In-App Purchase.
About zuuka:
zuuka publishes zuuka Comics, iTalk and iStoryTime – an interactive storytelling experience delivered to the convenience of your mobile device – which features a series of illustrated and narrated books created by parents for kids. iStoryTime books have been highlighted in the New York Times, LA Times, CBS Early Show, theiPhoneMom, CNET and is decorated with Publisher’s Innovation Award, PTPA Media’s Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval, the Children’s Technology Review’s Editor’s Choice Award and Reader’s Choice for Best Apps for Kids. With over 100 titles to choose from including favorites such as Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Peter Pan and Binky the Pink Elephant, iStoryTime books are an excellent tool for both educating and entertaining children ages two years and up. These storybooks can be enjoyed in several different modes ranging from automatic to manual, depending upon the development and preferences of the user. Copyright (C) 2012 zuuka. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
New Prices for Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL Make Them Even Better Values
Two of Nintendo’s top-selling video game systems are getting attractive new prices. Effective May 20, the suggested retail price for the larger Nintendo DSi XL will be $129.99 and the suggested retail price for Nintendo DSi will be $99.99.
Both the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems come pre-loaded with a variety of fun software, including Flipnote Studio, Nintendo DSi Camera and Nintendo DSi Sound. Nintendo DSi XL comes with additional pre-installed games and applications, including Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock.
The Nintendo DS family has more than 2,000 different packaged and downloadable games for veteran and new players of all tastes. These include timeless Mario games like New Super Mario Bros. and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, puzzling adventures like Professor Layton and the Last Specter and Dr. Mario Express, fun software like Photo Dojo and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, the gray matter-stimulating Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!and Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! and upcoming games like Pokémon Conquest, which is available June 18.
The new suggested retail prices provide an even greater incentive to pick up the systems, and provide an easy option for parents who want to introduce younger kids to their first portable games.
With graduations looming, Father’s Day approaching and the start of the summer travel season imminent, the new suggested retail prices appeal to all kinds of shoppers.
For more information about Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL, visit http://www.nintendo.com/ds.
Two New Series Debut from BOOM!
From BOOM!
Hello BOOM!ers,
This is a BIG week here at BOOM! Studios with lots of great titles releasing including two much talked about debut series HIGHER EARTH #1, and GARFIELD #1. So head down to your local comic shop this wednesday and ask for these books by name!
Arcana Presents Arcanaverse.com and FCBD 2012
Just in time for Free Comic Book Day and our crossover event, Intrinsic, Arcana is pleased to announce Arcanaverse.com!
Arcanaverse.com is the home for our ever-growing library of characters. Featuring stunning artwork, both pulled from the pages of books and original artwork from Arcana artists, character biographies, first appearances, and more, Arcanaverse.com brings Arcana’s characters to life in a new and exciting way!
From the main page of Arcanaverse.com, you can see just how many characters are represented on the site… and it’s just the beginning. We are adding new characters, artwork, and biographies, written by Arcana creators and staff, regularly, so keep checking back for new content.
When you’re finished reading Intrinsic on Free Comic Book Day, be sure to head over to Arcanaverse.com to learn about characters from the book!
Mister French Taste Episode 1 – The Job Interview
Finding the appropriate person to teach the rich and spoiled Leon Wong manners and proper social behavior is not as easy as it seems. Have a peek at some of the colorful competition that Mr. French beat out for the lucrative job!
Mister French Taste is an etiquette coach who is faced with the challenge of a lifetime: transforming the unruly Leon, the only son of a conservative Hong Kong family and a constant source of scandals and shame into a perfectly groomed gentleman while at the same time, trying to steal the heart of Lily, the beautiful young heiress to a Hong Kong fashion empire, educated and smart, and fluent in the art of shopping. Watch Hong Kong and France collide in this hilarious comedy of manners!
Vancouver Indie Horror Feature Death Do Us Part launches Official Trailer
Nine Worlds Entertainment is pleased to announce that the official trailer for the upcoming Horror film Death Do Us Part premiered at the Vancouver Fan Expo and is now available online. To view the trailer and find out more about the film, visit the Death Do Us Part website at http://www.deathdouspartmovie.com/, on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/DeathDoUsPartTheMovie or on Twitter: @DDUPMovie
Death Do Us Part is about six friends who go to a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate a Jack and Jill bachelor party. Out in the middle of nowhere, things take a horrifying turn when members of the group are brutally picked off one by one. What starts out as a celebration quickly descends into a bloody nightmare. Friendships are ripped apart and accusations fly in this blood filled psychological horror with a whodunit twist.
Starring Julia Benson (Stargate Universe), Peter Benson (The Killing), Emilie Ullerup (Sanctuary), Christine Chatelain (Riese: Kingdom Falling), Kyle Cassie(Lost Boys: The Tribe), Benjamin Ayres (Vampire Diaries), Dave Collette (Level Up), and Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica).
Death Do Us Part was written and produced by Peter Benson (Kits), Julia Benson(Kits) and Ryan Copple (Riese: Kingdom Falling) and directed by Nicholas Humphries (Riese: Kingdom Falling and Screamfest LA 2011 Winner for Best Short,The Little Mermaid).
About Nine Worlds Entertainment
Founded in January 2011 by Peter Benson, Julia Benson and Ryan Copple, Nine Worlds Entertainment is a Vancouver based Production Company with many projects in various stages of development. Currently they are working with BBC Worldwide Productions on a half hour comedy series. The team at Nine Worlds has also been working with Aircraft Pictures and Dolphin Entertainment on a children’s comedy series as well as a sci-fi action series. The company is focusing on creating and producing content that is relevant and commercially viable both domestically and internationally.
“The industry is changing and more than ever it’s imperative that we generate our own work. This was the driving force behind the making of Death Do Us Part. We have such an amazing film community in Vancouver and everyone came together to create what we feel is a pretty fun ride. We’re very excited to be sharing the beginnings of all our hard work.” – Julia Benson
I See Honk Kong, I See France, I See Lily’s Underpants! Irreverent New Comedy “Mister French Taste” to Premiere on KoldCast TV
From Mister French Taste:
What do you get when you cross bad table manners, chicken feet, and a liberal dose of “ooh-la-la”? An innovative, cross-cultural comedy series from Jennifer Thym, the award-winning director of “LUMINA” and “Bloodtraffick”, set to debut on Monday, April 30, 2012, on KoldCast TV, the leading international discovery network for original TV series. Set in Hong Kong, “Mister French Taste” follows the antics of an uppity French etiquette coach Mr. French (Olivier Malet) who is hired to wrangle a gentleman out of the naive and unruly Leon Wong (Osric Chau), while both compete for the attentions of the sexy shopaholic Lily Lee (Sarah Lian).
“Mister French” is the brainchild of lead actor Olivier Malet and producer Veronique Girma. “I had seen so many comedies about Americans (eyeroll) and even worse… Englishmen… (shudders) and I thought, why not do a show about a Frenchman? Why not do a show about me?” muses Malet. When asked about his uncanny resemblance to a certain infamous English actor, Malet simply flutters his eyelashes and asks, “Mr. Who? Oh wait, perhaps you speak of the esteemed Mr. Craig. I adore James Bond movies, in fact I live every day like it’s my last. Or did you mean the Englishman with the unfortunate digestive issues – what was his name… Mr. Bean…o?” The pair signed Thym, who brought on writer Arne Venema, and “Mister French” was well on its way.
The show stars hot, young actor Osric Chau as Mr. French’s incorrigible protégé Leon Wong and FHM’s Most Wanted Woman in Malaysia Sarah Lian as the fashion-fixated Lily Lee. “I wanted actors who were fresh and enthusiastic,” says Thym. “Osric is one of the greatest talents in our generation – a truly gifted natural actor. When I saw him in the Roland Emmerich movie ’2012?, the way he could be both innocent and alluring struck a deep chord with me. Although he had predominantly worked on action films up to that point, I felt that he was the right choice to play opposite Olivier in a comedy.” And comedy roles seem to suit him as Chau’s next film is the Halloween high school comedy “Fun Size” starring Nickelodeon’s Victoria Justice and directed by the creator of “The O.C.”, Josh Schwartz.
Thym says that the key to putting together “Mister French Taste” was finding the right balance between slapstick and tongue-in-cheek. “Olivier has a great sense of comic timing and we wanted gifted actors who would be able to improv with him on camera. Everyone knows that Sarah is beautiful, her fans all over Asia agree with that, but what people may not know is that she is smart and has a wonderful sense of humor, and can play it straight to Olivier’s outlandishness.” Lian’s experience with “Mister French Taste” led her to being cast in the upcoming Canadian web show “Millions.”
The first 10-episode season of the series features a disgusting food showdown, an orgasmic French brand experience, and a gorgeous girl-packed one-shot wonder. “Episode 8, which is just a single two-and-a-half minute shot, was so much fun to film. We did about 20 takes to nail it, with our gallant Osric scooping up and getting knocked down by Jane Wong over and over and over. That’s when all his martial arts experience kicked in!” Thym says with a laugh.
“The series has been a dream to bring to life. We feel that the time is ripe for a show that teaches about etiquette in a classy and humorous way,” adds Girma. “Our unique approach to etiquette education is what attracted our brand sponsors, including Shanghai Tang and Tara Moor. And having celebrities appear on the show, like the amazing martial arts star Celina Jade, was a real treat.” Jade, who just wrapped shooting on a kung fu short with two-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, guest stars as cheeky college whiz kid Angie Clarke in Episode 1.
Catch the premiere of “Mister French Taste” on KoldCast TV on Monday, April 30, 2012. New episodes premiere every Monday at 1 AM, PST.
Cinematic Titanic Tour News
From Cinematic Titanic:
Hello everyone!
We’ve all had a blast on tour this season, and would like to thank each of you who have come out to see us! Meeting you is always the highlight of these shows, and we hope to visit new areas soon. Please let your local theatres know you’d like to see the show!
Here’s the lowdown on upcoming events:
Apr 21 Princeton, NJ
8:00 pm McCarter Theatre Center
J. Elvis Weinstein will not be joining us in Princeton due to a prior commitment, however we are very happy to welcome special guest riffer Dave ‘Gruber’ Allen in his place! Some of you may remember Dave from “Freaks & Geeks”, “The Naked Trucker”, “Gilmore Girls”, or – if you’ve seen the show before – from our very own opening act! Dave is a super-cool, funny guy, and we’re excited to have him on board.
What’s playing, you ask? It’s audience choice! Will it be “Rattlers”, “Danger on Tiki Island”, “The Astral Factor”, “Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks”, “The Wasp Woman”, or “The Oozing Skull”?? Find out this Saturday! Tickets are available here.
Apr 27 & 28 Milwaukee, WI
The Pabst Theater
Doors open at 6pm
We’re happy to have the opportunity to perform at the Pabst Theater again. Shows are as follows:
Friday, Apr 27 – “Doomsday Machine”
The Chinese are plotting to destroy the Earth! So just before a space mission to Venus is set to launch, the U.S. replaces half of its all-male crew with women. Oh, the humanity!
Saturday, Apr 28 – “The Astral Factor”
A convicted strangler is on the loose and can make himself invisible! Is anyone safe in this 1976 B-movie gem?
We hope to see you there! Get tickets here.
This just added:
July 5 Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Michigan Theater
You really, really, REALLY won’t want to miss us in Ann Arbor this year… Why? Because we’re performing TWO great shows, one of which will be a WORLD PREMIERE RIFF!
At 6:00pm, we’re presenting everyone’s favorite slithery snake-fest, “Rattlers”.
Then, at 9:00pm, it’s our maiden riff of 1973’s campy “The Doll Squad”, which features an elite team of female super agents out to foil the bad guys! Some folks believe another elite team of female super agents was based on the team in this movie. Is it true? Decide for yourself! Tickets are available here.
Later This Year…
We are excited to announce our return to the St Louis area!
Nov 17 St Charles, MO
Family Arena
We don’t know yet what’s playing (it will most likely be one of our unreleased titles), but you can get tickets NOW here.
Can’t make it to a show?
Get your funny fix via Mary Jo Pehl’s laugh-out-loud-hilarious new book, “Employee of the Month and Other Big Deals”. Here’s what folks are saying:
“I love Mary Jo Pehl’s hilarious writing almost as much as teenage Mary Jo Pehl loved Roddy McDowall, which is to say, desperately.” John Hodgman, Author, Resident Expert & Minor TV Personality
“If this book is even 1/10th as wonderful as the woman that is Mary Jo Pehl you will be so overcome that you will purchase this book every time you see it. Damn.” Smoove B., Columnist for The Onion
Available at Amazon.com.
Or perhaps you’d enjoy Trace Beaulieu’s “Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children”, available at ThinkGeek, or tracebeaulieu.com. It’s a yucky big book of rainy day fun for belligerent children & odd adults with nothing better to do!
Joy, age 7, says, “Ewww! Read me another!”
Trace and Mary Jo’s books were illustrated by Len Peralta, of Geek-A-Week and Monster By Mail fame. Check him out!
Love,
The CT Gang
SPIRIT CAMERA: THE CURSED MEMOIR Brings Supernatural Thrills to NINTENDO 3DS
There’s no escaping the scary essence of Friday the 13th as Nintendo unleashes an extraordinary new experience in horror-themed entertainment. Launching today exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS system, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir invites horror fans to immerse themselves in a chilling hand-held adventure. The game’s 3D visuals and augmented-reality features help unravel the mysterious tale of a girl named Maya who’s been trapped in a haunted house and cursed by a malevolent woman in black. As players strive to rescue Maya, ghostly images are intermingled with real-world environments to create a visceral, personalized experience they won’t soon forget.
Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir comes with the “diary of faces,” a 16-page augmented-reality book that transforms the Nintendo 3DS system into the Camera Obscura. When the “diary of faces” is viewed through the lens of the system’s built-in camera, it allows players to discover unique experiences that not only advance the game’s storyline but also add eerie interactive elements. For example, some pages contain movies that reveal past events that occurred in the haunted house where Maya is trapped, while others cause evil spirits to seemingly emerge from the book and into players’ own real-world surroundings.
“Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir literally takes hand-held horror games into a new dimension,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “With the augmented-reality features of Nintendo 3DS, horror fans can not only enjoy a captivating ghost story, they’ll also be drawn deeper into the action as the lines between reality and the game world blur in unique ways.”
In addition to the main Story Mode, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir includes additional modes that highlight the built-in 3D photo capabilities of Nintendo 3DS. Spirit Photography mode enhances everyday pictures with haunting visions, while Spirit Check reveals spirits haunting you and your friends. In Spirit Challenge mode, faces of your photographed friends mystically appear on evil spirits in the game, and challenge players to battle against them.
A third mode called Cursed Pages offers additional game content featuring supernatural twists. For instance, players can confront strange masks that are haunted by a boy’s spirit or complete memory challenges to identify and dispel an evil doll spirit.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
For more information about Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, visit http://spiritcamera.nintendo.com. You can also view a spooky live-action short inspired by the game on YouTube at http://youtu.be/HgDp4U4iJzQ.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.9 billion video games and more than 620 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website athttp://www.nintendo.ca.
A Toy Design First: Max Toy Company Collaborating with #1 Star Wars Artist Dave Dorman and Dorman’s Young Son
Max Toy Company CEO Mark Nagata is pleased to announce his first-ever collaboration with Eisner and Inkpot Award-winning artist Dave Dorman, and Dave Dorman’s seven-year-old son Jack Dorman. This also marks the first time Max Toy Co. has collaborated with a father-and-son team, but according to Nagata, “Dave’s son Jack has already exhibited some uncanny art chops, so this unique team will make for a way cool monster design. Add Dave’s passion for Japanese monsters and his design sense to the mix, and I know this toy will be a best seller.” Nagata, who named his own company after his own son, understands the power of the father-son creative connection.
Dorman, no stranger to toy design, worked with Hasbro for seven years creating G.I. Joe character designs, and also created the best-selling Alien: Resurrection action figures toy line. Both lines can be seen in Dorman’s autobiography, Rolling Thunder: The Art of Dave Dorman (IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing).
Said Dorman, “I am honored to be working with Mark. I’ve been a fan of his toys for a long time and attended his Toy Karma exhibit at Rotofugi here in Chicago. I am equally excited to be working with my son Jack on this project, whose early passion for Domos has evolved into a fascination with Kaiju, in no small part thanks to Max Toy Company’s wonderful Japanese monster toys. This will be one of the most fun and memorable projects I’ve had the good fortune to do.”
Toy progress and teasers will be announced on http://MaxToyCo.com, and Nagata will show teasers during San Diego Comic-Con from the Rotofugi and Dragatomi booths. For more information, please visit http://maxtoyco.com or http://davedorman.com
About Dave Dorman
A legendary, beloved figure in the comic book industry often characterized as “one of the nicest guys in comics,” Eisner and Inkpot Award-winning artist Dave Dorman was voted the #1 Star Wars Artist of All Time by the fans; George Lucas owns more than 90 of Dave Dorman’s original oil paintings. Dorman has created art for every major publisher and licensed character within the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror, including but not limited to Batman, Conan the Barbarian, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Spiderman, Buckaroo Banzai, Captain America, G.I. Joe, Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Alien, Predator, Alien v. Predator, World of Warcraft, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and many more.
Dorman has been a featured guest many times at San Diego Comic-Con where he exhibits yearly in Booth #4500. Dorman is also an exhibitor at Star Wars Celebration shows and Chicago’s C2E2. Dorman’s own I.P., Steampunk motorcycle western The Wasted Lands, is relaunching in 2012. Dorman’s biography and career retrospective book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN (IDW/Desperado Publishing) is available on Amazon. Dorman’s pencil illustration and traditional oil painting tutorials are available through Hollywood’s The Gnomon Workshop.
Dave Dorman Social Media:
- Website: http://www.davedorman.com/ and http://planetillogica.com/davedorman
- Blog: http://davedorman.wordpress.com
- Twitter: @DaveDorman
- Linkedin.com/in/thedavedorman
- Facebook.com/DaveDormanArtist
About Max Toy Company / Mark Nagata
Over the years Mark Nagata has collected thousands of toys and a fair amount of titles. The man behind San Francisco-based Max Toy Company is widely known as: Toy Collector. Illustrator. Magazine Founder/Publisher. Toy Designer. Artist. Author. Husband. Father. But the one description that might fit best is an unofficial one – Kaiju Toy and Art Ambassador.
In the Japanese-inspired art and toy area, as well as throughout the larger toy collecting community, Mark is welcomed and recognized for his personal passion and commitment to supporting artists all around the world and the unique works they create. Mark’s devotion to presenting collectors with a selection of original figures inspired by classic Japanese toys from the 1960s and ’70s as well as new versions of licensed Japanese characters is at the heart of Max Toy Company. Named for his son, Max Toys specializes in custom and limited editions of “kaiju” (Japanese monsters) toys and artwork.
Through Max Toys, Mark, who trained at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and honed his skills as a freelance commercial illustrator, has taken great pains to widen the reach of his two passions – toys and art. He has helped curate successful art shows throughout the U.S., as well as in Japan and Spain. His artwork and toy designs have been included in numerous books and magazines and his hand-painted custom toys have even been sold through prestigious art houses Philip De Pury and Christie’s in New York and London. The San Francisco resident and his art can also be spotted in the first volume of the “ToyPunks” DVD and the “Toys R Us” DVD, while the video for Owl City’s number one song “Fireflies” features Mark’s popular Kaiju Eyezon character. In 2010, Mark served as guest lecturer on kaiju and the toy-making process at the Morikami Museum in Florida. While young readers still enjoy his colorful style that graces more than 40 cover paintings for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps book series – Give Yourself Goosebumps, adults are now snatching up Mark’s toy and artwork with a collector’s zeal, helping to spread the kaiju toy movement worldwide.
Mark Nagata’s Social Media:
- Website: http://maxtoyco.com
- Toy Karma Blog: http://toykarma.blogspot.com/
- Twitter: @maxtoyco