I felt moved to add an image to the #JTLArtChallenge — art against the Duterte #JunkTerrorBill which can mark critics of the Philippine government as “terrorists.” I am not Filipino but have great love of both freedom and Filipino culture, especially #VoltesV who would definitely be against this bill!
New Bot Day! Transformer Dreadwing G2 is a Transformer Decepticon robot from 1994 who also is a stealth fighter. One of my first acquisitions but only getting a day now. I like the colors and look!
I thought I’d take a shot at explaining what ANTIFA is all about.
Long time no Dog Beach.
What to a Slave is “Independence Day?” Thank you Frederick Douglass for the words.
Seen at Mission Bay / Seen in Ocean Beach 🇺🇸 Defund Police/Black Lives Matter/Be Anti-Fascist/Be Anti-Racist/Form a more perfect Union
New Bot Day! Baymax in the beta green armor is a recent acquisition (joining full flying armor and plain healthcare companion Baymax). I think Baymax is what we would put money toward if we defunded police. If you haven’t seen 2014’s Big Hero 6? See it.
Putting @proopdog on my tv via @nowherecomedy makes me so happy. Signs off with Melba Moore’s version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing!”—the kind of positivity that gives strength to carry on.
Yes, a calculator watch. Age 12-13.
New Bot Day! Dermot Joshua Gramo aka D.J. Gramo is a quirky steampunk bot gramophone. He’s a vinyl collectible designed in 2008 in the Mechtorians series. I imagine him playing jazz or blues by Louis Armstrong or Robert Johnson at 78 revolutions per minute on vinyl! “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.”—Satchmo.
New Bot Day! Daikū Maryū is a giant dragon-shaped robot. aka Great Space Dragon aka Kargosaur. It defends Earth from invaders and also parts emerge and the head pops off to become the torso of Gaiking. Japanese super robots from anime in 1976-77 are super weird!
New Bot Day! Welcome Getter-3. From 1974-5’s Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) manga and anime. Getter 3 forms from ships named Jaguar, Bear & Eagle assembling in that order. If it’s Eagle-Jaguar-Bear it’s Getter-1. If it’s Jaguar-Bear-Eagle it’s 2. This is unique across the classic Japanese bots as far as I know. The creativity and vivid designs of the Getter robots caught my eye when I was age 7 in the Philippines and still inspire me now.
I thought this lost tractor left on a beach water fountain was weirdly evocative.
Dad and me in Riverside California. A while ago.
Took a short walk in Del Mar today. Saw signs in yards that said Black Lives Matter. It felt encouraging. Because: Black Lives Matter.
New Bot Day! Giant Robo (ジャイアントロボ, Jaianto Robo) had his heyday in 1967-1968 as a manga and live action tv show. In the US it was called Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. It ran alongside the tumultuous years of civil unrest and political change. It feels weird to keep to a twice a week schedule of posting toy robots when 2020 is full of social trauma. I press on because it feeds my soul. But besides the toys: Black Lives Matter. Defund The Police. If you react negatively to those phrases: learn what they mean to the people for whom they represent positive change, and a better USA. It’s about the continuous improvement the United States has promised consistently. Stay safe – Joe.
Went to Frank & Son last week. Was good.
New Bot Day! B.E.N. (Bio Electronic Navigator) is from the non-hit Disney animated film Treasure Planet (2002). He’s “wacky.” Voiced by Martin Short, when we meet him he’s been stranded alone for years, with a key part of his brain having been removed. Eventually BEN gets that memory back and (spoiler alert) good prevails over bad and treasure is found! Happy endings in movies aren’t like real life. Real life happy endings require constant vigilance—life goes on. Be well and stay safe and keep the pressure on.
Peppers are good. Thinking hard on stuff.
Wonderful piece by #AlofaGould arrived from @thehillstreetcountryclub and now it’s up in my home to remind me the butterflies will pass!
Made broth. Keep doing the basics. Stay strong.
New Bot Day! It’s a Mouser! M.O.U.S.E.R.S. are Mobile Offensive Underground Search Excavation and Retrieval Sentries created by evil scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman, who used them to rob banks and do all kinds of other mischief. Cute and lethal! First appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 in 1984 and in many other TMNT media since then. Got it at Frank & Son’s Collectible Show yesterday. Keep fighting evil everybody!
Grabbed this image from @johnkharrison of #BlackLivesMatter and #georgefloyd superimposed over the Robert E Lee statue that should get removed real soon now. I spent a fair amount of time in Virginia in my 20s and the Confederacy crap always felt backward and weird. Years later I learned about how it got put up years after the Civil War I thought how screwed up that was. Good riddance.
New Bot Day. Meet Josef, from the 2009 game Machinarium. He’s named after Josef Čapek, who created the word “robot.” Things are interesting but there’s reason for hope. Keep fighting for what’s right. Also I’m the guy on the right.
“Force does not work the way its advocates seem to think it does. It does not, for example, reveal to the victim the strength of his adversary. On the contrary, it reveals the weakness, even the panic of his adversary, and this revelation invests the victim with patience. Furthermore, it is ultimately fatal to create too many victims. The victor can do nothing with these victims, for they do not belong to him, but—to the victims. They belong to the people he is fighting. The people know this, and as inexorably as the roll call—the honor roll—of victims expands, so does their will become inexorable: they resolve that these dead, their brethren, shall not have died in vain. When this point is reached, however long the battle may go on, the victor can never be the victor: on the contrary, all his energies, his entire life, are bound up in a terror he cannot articulate, a mystery he cannot read, a battle he cannot win—he has simply become the prisoner of the people he thought to cow, chain, or murder into submission.” ― James Baldwin
New Bot Day. Dairugger XV (Kikō Kantai Dairagā Fifutīn) is from 1982 and you might recognize this as “Vehicle Voltron.” The Rugger Team is an exploration & defense team, they have 15 vehicles which form the Dairugger mech. In the series they eventually have to depose a despotic emperor, which sounds familiar right now.
New Bot Day. Sentinels are gigantic robots designed to hunt down and kill mutants. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965 they are still part of the Marvel Universe. It’s been a crap weekend but Sentinels are a vivid and violent reminder that oppression must always be opposed. Support justice. Support those who fight for justice. Black lives matter. Stay safe.
Looking at old drawrings this morning. And space launches. And news of unrest. Life’s complicated. Be safe. Fight for justice.
New Bot Day! Batman Robot (バットマン ロボット) in blue from the Funko Vinyl Invaders series. This 2012 machinder is flanked by Carrie Kelley’s Robin from Dark Knight Returns (1986). Behind: handdrawn Batman on a homemade kite I made, age 7. The first 45rpm single I had was the song “Look Out for the Batman” (age 3-5) which I played incessantly. Batman is a constant in my life.
Reading in London. 1999.
Drawing! Today: untoyed robots. I’d like to have toys of these three. But they don’t really exist. Who are they? Chappie (2015) is a film about a police bot who gets a conscience, sort of. 7-Zark-7 was a character added to Gatchaman (1972) to adapt it into the tv show Battle of the Planets (1978). And Irona is from the 1950s sometime. She’s Richie Rich’s robot maid and bodyguard from the comics and tv. #chappie #battleoftheplanets #7zark7 #irona
New Bot Day! Welcome to the Sojourner rover! Landed on Mars in 1997 as part of NASA’s Pathfinder mission and named for abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth. Expected to operate 7 days, it operated 85. A proud addition to my collection!
Me and some cool cats in my contribution to Sundays Quarterly zine. Published by @burn_all_books. Get one for yourself! If you become a BAB supporter you can get art monthly! #risograph #risoprinting #risocomic
Got past 3 gallons donating. Wish there was a Comic Con to donate at this year! It’ll have to be 2021! @sandiegobloodbank @comic_con
Free button!
New Bot Day! K-2SO: the brilliant and sardonic reprogrammed Imperial protocol droid. Kay was brilliantly prortrayed by Alan Tudyk in 2016’s Rogue One. He’s my absolute favorite droid from 21st Century Star Wars.
Cont’d: “LAY DOWN ALL THOUGHT / SURRENDER TO THE VOID”
For about 6 months I’ve had a 4 panel Cube Cat comic about Cube waking up after a drunken night and drinking toxic coffee and it just doesn’t work. Much respect to those who make gag cartoons, it is NOT EASY. Oh, also all the panels were song lyrics, a weird constraint I imposed on myself that made it even harder to make the thing work considering not everyone knows as many lyrics as a music hound like me. #writingishard #butilikethisdrawing #cubecat
New Bot Day! “The Robot” worked for Superman in his Fortress of Solitude in 2007’s Superman: Doomsday. Voiced by Tom Kenny (Spongebob!). In the animated film he nurses Kal-El to health after his fight with Doomsday. Not purely medical, but he vibes with my medical bots. Hi!
Back of my current notebook which has gotten plenty of use this past week. Finally. Featuring stickers by @sdpubliclibrary @thebettyz @steve_mannion_comics @nicholasdanger @shecantdraw @niceytime plus those are trolley tickets from 1981 @missewon gave me. I love an old artifact and I love making new artifacts.
I love going to sketch parties but I’m in no rush if it ain’t safe.
Self-motivational success articulation visualization zine! Created during terrific presentation by @nicole_majeske #LetsSketchTech
Already having fun with the #LetsSketchTech conference today. Drawing and thinking about drawing with @corey_latislaw @letssketchtech #sketchnotes
Drawing feels good. A&W mug sketch bleeding through from behind.
New Bot Day! I got the standing Astro Boy at the last Comic Con but never gave him a new bot day. The one with his internal robot parts exposed I acquired in 2014 but never realized he opened up! Astro Boy is awesome and was created by Osamu Tezuka in 1952!
Went to Target earlier. Picked up migraine med. Wore great new mask from @clawdaughter! #Snoopy #Covid #Mask
New Bot Day! KITT: “Knight Industries Two Thousand” is a tricked out 1982 Pontiac Firebird. From tv show “Knight Rider (1982-1986)” & voiced by William Daniels. Talking cars were amazing! Fighting crime, getting in adventures! David Hasselhoff! #TalkingCar #PontiacFirebird
Merrill Markoe on my tv during UnCabaret: wonderful.
Mom: 1970s, 1990s. Did not make it to the 2020s. She’d be 74 today. Made it to 64. Life is not fair. Happy Birthday Mom. I miss you.
New Bot Day! Conky 2000 was designed by Wayne White for Pee Wee’s Playhouse in 1986. Conky delivers the secret word and is made of 80s electronics! WW is an inspiration to me. Check out the documentary “Beauty is Embarassing” for more about WW. #peeweesplayhouse @waynewhiteart
New Bot Day! May 4th is an odd Star Wars Holiday so… Welcome FX-7 Medical Assistant Droid. Hails from The Empire Strikes Back, 1980. It joins 2-1B, IG-88, BB-8, R2-D2, Gonk & L3-37, already in my collection. #MayThe4th #StarWars
New Bot Day! Welcome T-Nature! @cup_o_teag gave this special homemade robot to me at Christmas and wrote a biography: “a nature spirit…a guardian from some distant planet to protect your creativity and passion”—but there’s a warning “water of the sea might disrupt her circuitry!” I love her!
The new normal.
Last week I got delivery from Chicken Pie Shop and got a cinnamon roll. Due to its mass, It had a strong gravitational pull.
New Bot Day! This is Ash, the synthetic android science officer who conspires to save the xenomorph and expend the crew of the Nostromo. Ash is a Hyperdyne Systems 120-A/2 android, played menacingly by Ian Holm in 1979’s Alien. #AlienDay
New Bot Day! Bring in the FEMBOT! The ultimate weapon: the latest word in android replicant technology: brutal, lethal, efficient: no man can resist their charms. They are armed with machine guns and knockout gas and feminine wiles. They seduce the spy Austin Powers but are disabled by Powers’ seductive striptease mojo. Silly greatness from 1997’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
New Bot Day! Teddy is a Super-Toy first seen in 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. He originated in 1969 science fiction short story by Brian Aldiss, “Supertoys Last All Summer Long.” Teddy is doleful and wise and a companion to the films’ protagonist: artificial boy David. The movie is visually ambitious but ultimately more failed fairy tale than classic SF. Teddy is Jiminy Cricket to David’s Pinocchio.
Not all the stuff on my shelves are robots! This terrific Creature from the Black Lagoon was a gift from my cousin @jonnysnow16 for my birthday before Covid changed everything.
New Bot Day! Voltes V! A new, taller vinyl edition! Voltes Five inspired my collection. The tv series ran 1977-1979. My family lived in the Philippines at that same time. Even under Marcos’ repressive regime, Japanese pop culture, especially robots, filtered to Metro Manila. The robots inspired me! I went to school at a massive Catholic school called La Salle Green Hills. Mostly Filipino but a few expat kids too. Many could draw so well. My classmates were my age: 7, 8, 9– but they could do shading and perspective! I learned a lot. 40 years later I’m still inspired by Voltes 5. Stay inspired. Stay safe! #voltesv
Fake it till you make it.
New Bot Day! Number Six is a model of human-appearing Cylon from the Battlestar Galactica universe reboot. Subtly and brilliantly played by Tricia Helfer from 2004 to 2009. Lionized by the Cylon people for infiltrating Earth’s defenses, the “main” Six was a hero. There were several copies of Six throughout the series which if you’ve not seen are a worthy watch. Caprica Six is featured here with my chrome toaster as well as an original 1978 “toaster” model. #bsg #numbersix
AGGRO HAPPY EASTER. 1976 I think. I made that hat. I can’t explain the shirt.
The Rosti Mepal melamine egg cup I gifted @hellokellykuhl is just beautiful.
Quarantine Crafting! A few years ago @clawdaughter gave me a box of papercraft robots that were sort of falling apart. Tonight I made an effort to put them back together! Cuties! #gluegun #papercraft #paperrobot
New Bot Day! Welcome to defiant and brilliant Elthree (L3-37), comrade and confidant of Lando Calrissian; key to the success of the Kessel Run that made Han Solo notorious! She was introduced in 2018 in the under-appreciated Solo: A Star Wars Story. Be like L3–don’t take any crap!
New Bot Day! Alicia is a robot from a 1959 Twilight Zone episode entitled “The Lonely” written by Rod Serling. Alicia is given in pity to convicted murderer Corry, marooned on a remote asteroid. It’s an incredibly sad meditation on loneliness and isolation with a side of musing on whether a robot can serve the emotional needs of a person. Watch it and feel sad!
Kicking it like 1978. #voltesV
Listen to Gritty.
New Bot Day! It’s Robo Gari (ロボガリ)! Weird hard times require weird robots. Robo Gari is weird and comedic and from the Japanese comedy tv show Ganbare!! Robocon which ran from 1974 to 1977. It’s about goofball Robocon (the red guy with heart on his chest, not to scale) and friends at Gantz’ Robot Academy. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be heartwarming and goofy and everybody learns lessons and it’s all weird. Stay weird and safe everybody!
Don’t take masks from front line medical folks. Protect yourself. Protect others. Worth thinking about.
New Bot Day! Several years collecting and only now do I welcome Bender! (fullname Bender Bending Rodríguez). Bender se hizo en Tijuana, México en 2996. Debuting in 1999, he’s from Futurama. My favorite quote of his: “I guess a robot would have to be crazy to want to be a folk singer.”
For my birthday last week my sister masterminded me getting sung to and it melted my heart
KEN \ NOW CLOSED
I added lights to a third shelf because my robot cup is very full.
Really weird but kind of cool to run across this doodle from work notes on a slow 12 hour night shift in 1993.
Age: 17.
Last week I went to an in-person comic book store. When the best expertise says it’s safe to go again, I will. Until then, gotta wait it out.
New Bot Day! Yes I got another Mechagodzilla (メカゴジラ, Mekagojira) who first appeared in 1974 and has had multiple incarnations. I’ve had that superdeformed (aka chibi) MG for a few years but I saw a deal and jumped on it.
Covid-19 affects everything. @sandiegobloodbank was super professional this morning.
I switched from giant gorillas to robots in the intervening decades. But that’s me! Thanks everybody for your sweet birthday wishes 💛 I am so so lucky.
New Bot Day! “Gonk. Gonk. Gonk.” says the GNK power droid the first time we see it in Star Wars. Welcome to my toy robot collection Gonk! Lovably goofy. Perfect to close out Birthday Bot Week! Happy Birthday to me!
New Bot Day! Gekkoku 2 (月光機 弐号 Gekkoki No. 2) – I got him at @billygalaxytoys in Portland last year. As I understand it he’s a mech from a series called “Tekkouki Mikazuki” in the year 2000.
New Bot Day! Welcome Machine Man aka Aaron Stack aka Mister Machine aka X-51! Created by Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics in 1977 for Jack’s 2001: a space odyssey adaptation. His sentience is partially thanks to A Monolith! Birthday Week of Bots has been a great comfort in this time of isolation and uncertainty. Be safe out there.
New Bot Day! Welcome Big Boss Robot (in black)! I was gifted purple in 2018 by @hellokellykuhl and recently black by my pal Eric L. @GiantRobot Magazine started making these in ~ 2010 based on their logo! The magazine has covered Asian and Asian-American culture since the 90s!
New Bot Day! We welcome Rosie (Rosey for a few seasons) the Robot Maid! She comes from 1962 in the prime-time animated sitcom The Jetsons. Jane Jetson hired her for all domestic tasks. Hanna-Barbera produced the Jetsons as a follow-on to their successful show The Flintstones. Rosie was voiced by Wilma Flintstone voice actor Jean Vander Pyl. The Jetsons is a mixed bag but it did predict video calls, domestic robots, and pushbutton food.
My whole wide entire family managed to throw me with a birthday party and my father traveled 2400 miles. All of it a giant surprise. I am so lucky.
Power outages remind me of my childhood
New Bot Day! From 1978’s Battlestar Galactica tv series it’s a Cylon Centurion! Never went to court Universal and Fox contested just how much of a Star Wars ripoff BSG was. Cylons like this one have been referenced across the culture; Wikipedia notes Futurama, The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, Robot Chicken… men my age loved these silver baddies!
Early 90s selfie. That awkward growing-out-your-hair phase. It worked out eventually. On Melrose Avenue.
Yes, I can rock Mickey Ears. Years ago.
For my birthday month I’m asking lots of people who their favorite bot is. The answers are always fun!
Me (really) and Carlos and Celsito. Halloween 75 or 76. Carlos & Celso (to me always Celsito) were constant companions before my family moved away from L.A. in 77-78. My childhood was in pieces all over but much of it was so so beautiful.
Me in Riverside. Student (with kids) housing. Dad was going to school there. My earliest dreamy memories are there.
This is my pal @chrisgreazel — but a few years ago—Hamming it up at Magic Mountain!
Obviously.
New Bot Day! Welcome Doublas M2 (ダブラスM2) — a terrifying mechanical robot beast from the Mazinger anime series—He’s from the 1970s—like me!
