Category Archives: Entertainment

What Up Y’all? (It’s A.B.)

In my boneheadedness, I believed I was recording into a SHURE SM-57 mic through a Digidesign MBox 2 Pro for the last few months. That was not the case, at all, I was recording into my computers built in mic. That’s ok for skype and taking notes, but, I’m trying to have vocals that start strong. So, I downloaded the driver for it and that changed things quite a bit. Anyway, now that I squared that away I laid out this track that I was performing as an opener, when I used to perform. So, here we go. It’s called, “What Up Y’all? (It’s A.B.)”I recorded a song called “Franklin Richards” over  the track by sTERRYo aka Soem aka TK Lawrence of Sight Beyond Light, the Dub Pistols and the Hardy Boys.  The track is lost to time, but hopefully when I repurposed the beat I created a timeless track.

https://soundcloud.com/abdowell/what-up-yall-remix

I also came up with some artwork for it based on the “Keep Calm and Carry On.” posters that were really popular 3 years ago.

WUY-a.b

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Filed under Art, Entertainment, logos, music

So, Iron Man 3 (spoiled rotten)

IM3-REVIEWOk so I saw this movie one Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Talked to friends about it and listened to a few podcasts and there were a few things that really stood out from this melange of Iron Man 3 experiences. I loved this movie otherwise I’m an idiot that loves to spend money on things I hate. While I love it, I can still see it’s flaws and similarities to other films.

Similarities to assorted Batman movies.

1. Nerd Scientist Becomes Sexy Bad Ass

IM3-REVIEW-ed-v-al

Aldridge Killian(Guy Pearce) in the beginning is really reminiscent of Jim Carey in Batman Forever , where they were goofy geeky scientists that were not socially acceptable and then transform into slick and devious business-men .

2. Antagonizing Twist.

In Batman Begins, Ra’s al Ghul is thought to be Ken Watanabe for most of the film, but turns out to be Liam Neesen. We were led to believe The Mandarin was the head of this terrorist organization but it turns out not the exotic asian, but the suave european. This happens in the Dark Knight Rises as well where we think Bane is the brains behind the operation, but it turns out to be Miranda Tate the business partner and eventual lover of Bruce Wayne. The difference here is that Bane is actually a physical threat that literally cripples Batman.

3. The Clean Slate as a Thing.

The Dark Knight Rises shows that Selina Kyle is willing to work with terrorists to have her criminal record expunged by using the Clean Slate, a program or virus that for some reason is being developed by Wayne Enterprises.  Tony’s Clean Slate is different, but it’s also powerful leverage in the film because it gets him back in Pepper Pott’s Good graces. As he destroys all of his armors and cuts down on his distractions. Not a big deal but something I noticed.

4. Exploding House.

Bruce Wayne’s mansion gets destroyed by his enemies and he has to crawl out the wreckage in Batman Begins. Tony’s house is also obliterated by his enemies. His enemies that represent a terrorist threat. Bruce Wayne needs to lift a wooden plank off of his chest,  Tony Stark has to lift a huge structure of of himself, using his strength too, this AI he developed.

 

 

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Filed under Entertainment, film review, hollywood, photoshop, pop culture, Uncategorized

the stuff of nightmares 1

Madea-In-Space

 

It’s probably being made, RIGHT NOW!!!

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Filed under comedy, Entertainment, graphics, hollywood, photoshop, pop culture

The Red Roach

wp-redroach-banner

I had an idea for a character on the way to see Stallone’s new shoot ’em up, Bullet to the Head. It was for a character that was simpler than other characters and stories I’ve been developing. It was an insect based character, I just love those. Anyway the character’s theme is based on roaches, filthy disgusting roaches. He’s a pest to the criminal underworld.

The idea here is to do one page stories akin to the old Hostess snack ads from the 70s and 80s.

The comics would feature a villain of the week an we catch the action just as it’s about to get resolved. For the first issue I have the hero fighting a squid themed villain, Carl O’Marley, PHD. The Roach is trapped and has to find a way to escape. That’s all I thought about going in before laying out the action in a thumbnail.

thumbnail for the first installment

 

After I lay out he basic action I drew it, inked it, then in the Marvel Way added the dialog. And there we have the first installment below. rr-grey-words1.1

The following images show the thought process for framing the second installment of The Red Roach. As in the case of the first strip, I just thought of a basic situation and laid out some interesting ideas for images based on the characters I wanted to use. This time I used the Pigeon as the antagonist. She’s just your basic winged flyer, bust so is the Red Roach. Again I start with the basic idea of them flying and I have to find a way to resolve it in a few panels. I decided I’d rather not have him hit a woman, so she had to crash into a wall.

thumb-rr.ep.2

pigeon.flight-crash.studies

Here are few flight and collision studies for the Pigeon.

Below is the finished product for the second installment. 
rr-ep.2-words

 

You can go ahead and follow the Red Roach and his continuing adventures here at theredroach.wordpress.com.

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Filed under Art, Comics, Entertainment, graphics, The Red Roach

The Wire

I just got all five seasons of the Wire, around christmas for like 50 bucks.

I’m trying to learn the art of the caricature, and these are characters I sort of love. So heres my labor of love.

Daniels

Cedric Danielsstringer

Stinger Belllester

Lester Freamonpropjoe-sepia

 

RIP to Prop Joe

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Filed under Art, Cultural Excurssions, Entertainment, fiction, hollywood

Jam Drawings, and other Drawings.

Sirblank

Son of Dane Whitman, The Black Knight and Titania

Pull Pile Holiday

A very Pull Pile Holiday card for my friends at the Pull Pile Podcast

bbcape

Batman Beyond with a cape.

Warren Worthington III as a carny

Warren Worthington III as a carny

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Filed under alternate universe, Art, Comics, Entertainment, photoshop, pop culture

A few Drawings.

Work has slowed my pace, here are a few Redesigns for Art Jams on CBR. The first is Quentin Quire, Kid Omega, in the trappings of a Greek/Roman god-king.

 

 

The following is the offspring of two Avengers. One being Thunder Strike, a guy who stood in for Thor for a while.  The other is a chick named Magdalene, who was pretty much a Marvel analogue for Big Barda, from Kirby’s Fourth World. 

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The Main Ingredient

So, life has been moving at light years per second, lots of things going on around me concerning my family and just dog tired from working one of those necessary jobs. Not necessary like, the world depends on the nature of my work, but like, I guess I’ll take this shitty job because the economy is pretty much the second worse in America’s recorded history. That’s why it’s been over a month between posts, inspiration hasn’t exactly been lacking, but motivation…and energy haven’t been close companions. No new art or writing has been created by these hands, but an old verse that will be lost to the ages because my group recorded it before we has ready access to a CD duplicator and had to rely on tape decks, DATs and an 8 channel digital recorder (maybe even a zip drive), this verse popped into my head at random. You can figure it’s kind of old based on the technology I mentioned, but I feel like I was spitting darts of pure fire. The verse is from a song I recorded with JMS Injah(aka Blu Jemz of the Hardy Boys)  in the early 2000s.  it was titled the Main Ingredient.

Here goes my verse, that I somehow remember even having not heard it for about 10 years:

The Main Ingredient.

Me on the Mic again, When I spit it’s liquid nitrogen
Moving like the wind, lighter than air, walk on hydrogen
Travel on clouds of nimbus, battle on Mt. Olympus
Shift the orbit, don’t believe me count the inches
That’s how powerful my strength is
Lyrics flood your senses like a tempest
Been resting in the trenches 
Knowledge cleanses, flush out the bad like a menses 
A week of torture – the speech enforcer – you seek the author
I pen the scholarship anonymous, rip through realms of consciousness
Marx up your Lenin like a Communist
Set the stage for where the drama is with three accomplices
Recite ancient mantras from  the monoliths of Stonehenge
Bring the apocalypse, reach the heavens from an obelisk 
Raise your hands if you’re sure, pump your fists if your’re positive!!!

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Filed under Art, Entertainment, music

Prayer

Another A.B. Do Well Gem, from the “album” A.B. Conversations,” now up on soundcloud.

Lyrics

Verse 1

In the name of the Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Make my voice an instrument to flow surgical,
Gotta make it personal – It’s just introspection,
God I’m asking you to give me some direction
Make the path I walk Straight, already mastered the crooked
Crooklyn Masters wrote the booklet on the hustle
Sons Know how to Push It
Church on every block ’cause we gotta praise here
Can’t have seeds in New York, Hell’s the only we raise here
BX to Bed-Stuy Counting down the final days here
So we can stay up to Speed, New Yorkers, Just a tougher breed
Airs polluted, gotta huff and wheeze just to breathe
Wonder why we spit the sickness, and dabble in illicit business
From bootlegs to blow to get the dough
Get my flicks from the corner box office, not HBO
Kids selling Buddha heads oregano
Take you off the scent throw in stems
Nothings ever gonna change, yo, here we go again….

Verse 2

Cold nights got me dressing in layers, stressing the prayer
‘Cause they cutting off the heat
Gotta pay the light bill earn just enough to eat
Trying to Stay thankful.
Keep my name on the tongues of Angels
Keep my Wax on the tables.
Ask the most high a favor
Keep me out that Fire, Like the Ohio Players
Need stay warm so I bundle up
Surface from the underground railroad tunnel up
Out to win not to be the runner up
– For honorable mention
And let these devils embezzle my 401 pension
And get off scott free, Mr. Miracle, Baqi.
Leave this Apokolypse, the Darkseid of Metropolis
Trying to move up to the East Side
They target apartments in the sky
Got folks afraid to cry while other people pray to die,
It don’t rain no more what we see is mother nature cry

Verse 3

I’m seeking richness and forgiveness
Pray for Paradise, while I live and in the after-life
Keep me out the hellfire’s Fahrenheit or Celsius
don’t need to be the wealthiest, but comfortable
when I’m old I need my brain to be functional
Gotta guide the youth
Too many manipulate and hide the truth
Like the Queen in Snow White with poison inside the fruit
and they provide the fruit
I’m out to grow mine organic
Know my relationship is give and take with the planet
When my people bury me I want to die because I’m elderly
or pass in glory holding weaponry, leave a legacy
I got a plan, but God knows what’s best for me
In the end, who else I really got to question me?
I’m saying, I’m getting on his good side now,
Because too many people in the hood die foul,
Said I’m getting on his good side now
Because too many people in the hood die foul.

Verse 4

To all the non-believers, seeking heat beyond a fever
There’s a place for you, it’s not safe, I’ll pray for you.
Gotta READ the Bible’s lengths
Not HEAR about it in revival tents
The true and authentic word, is bond
Wouldn’t keep my people in bondage
Won’t deny what my people accomplished
Look where civilization is cradled at
The essence of life who gave you that
Hold your breath he’ll take it back
I breathe, for now that’s the proof I need
If I’m looking for the truth I’ll read
The Qur’an in Arabic, ties in to the Celestine Manuscript
The Old Testaments words are therapists
Any faith can breed a terroist
If they don’t follow the text or form various sects, they go Dave Coresh
Take a leap of faith or Baby Steps
I’ll follow God’s words, you can take the rest

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Weighs and Means

Weighs and Means

I call this Weighs and Means, because they mean to get away with it
And since they have the means  that we’re supposed to be okay with it

The world has 6 billion people, China and India a third of it
But our government lies and we believe every word of it
Our debt to China is beyond astronomical
If it wasn’t so true it would almost be comical
See if you don’t laugh you gonna have to cry
Play station makes you let the whole world pass ya by
Anybody that tries to keep us down has to die
We went from producers to consumers never asked why
Look around – it’s a privilege to eat natural food
We eat genetically modified animal broods
Snack on Doritos and surf the Internet like it’s radical dude
Bush to Obama was really just a lateral move
Who pulls the strings on the dummies and marionettes?
While real freedom fighters get dragged and carried to death
Puppet masters set up Hussein, bin Laden and Ghadafi, huh
They strong-arm and extort more than the mafia
It’s the mysterious they, the man or big brother
Black caskets for the basilisks to dig a ditch under
Our original flag was a snake that hate to be tread on
Sic semper tyranus not a threat with its head gone
But we only see the tail and get to hear our death rattle
Not really citizens we the goyum – at best cattle
Gotta fight now before we get ground up for burgers
These bastards mastered genocide and try us for murder
Wonder why the masses ain’t bang on the capitol yet
Big banks call, send you letters and harass you to death
They get a bail out while we pay off the national debt
Me I’ll cash out my bank account for some traveler’s checks
About to unplug and start selling mangoes in Tahiti
Visions in the mind better off blind like Stevie
SpongeBob and Snookie don’t help, people turn off the TV
Read a frickin book about it you don’t gotta believe me

I call this Weighs and Means, because they mean to get away with it
And since they have the means  that we’re supposed to be okay with it

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Filed under Entertainment, history, life, Poetry, Spoken Word