Every time I go to a comic convention, I see tons of Asian American girls and guys in attendance, as well as on panels and behind the tables in artists alley. It's lame that this kind of representation doesn't usually transfer into the actual pages of mainstream American comics, where the highest profile Asian American superhero is...maybe Cass Cain? Is she the new Batman yet?
With this imbalance in mind, a band of creators within the Asian comic community have recently embarked on some awesome projects that give Asian Americans in comics the spotlight. April saw the release of Secret Identities: The first Asian American Comic Anthology, and this Saturday, Manhattan will host the first Asian American ComiCon.
More info after the jump, including details on Geekanerd's very own discount code!
The AACC will feature a bunch of top tier writers and artists who all share an Asian American background (including those folks in the picture above), and will feature such comic con staples as an artist's alley and a day's worth of panels. Topics range from the general, such as advice on storytelling, collaborating, and the business of comics, as well as more socio-anthropological topics such as nerd pride, the Asianization of pop culture, and one area of comics where Asian characters are becoming OVER represented (villains!).
I'm definitely going to be taking my non-Asian self there early on Saturday (maybe I'll finally get a Cliff Chiang sketch?!), and the folks behind the Con have been cool enough to give Geekanerd readers their own discount code: GEEKNY! It'll give you $5 off general admission and $10 off a VIP pass; hit the link for more info, and head over to the official site for time and place, a full schedule and the list of guests. They've also got a Facebook page; you know, for kids!
As movies on VHS made their way to Ghana in the 1980s, entrepreneurs started mobile movie houses with televisions, VCRs, and portable generators. This gave birth to the amazing art of Ghanaian film posters, each individually hand-painted using oil paint on strips of canvas. Check out some side-by-side comparisons of these unique posters with their original North American counterparts - these are some trashy, geeky movies, but there's nothing like an original oil painting to give them a bit of class.
Intriguing takes on Ewoks: The Battle For Endor, Anaconda, and many more after the jump... As with the above Broken Arrow poster, these painted posters for Anaconda and Scanners 3 cut to the chase and show exactly what people want from these movies, unlike the tame and cryptic America versions.
Sometimes they're more specific reproductions of the North American poster or DVD cover, with a few embellishments.
The color work on this next one is amazing - check out the hands and background splash. The background is particularly Struzan-esque.
For this Nightmare On Elm Street 5 poster, it's interesting to note that the artist used all of the elements from the official poster, the "Shh" pose and the baby carriage, but drastically changed the composition. I don't think I would have known that black thing is supposed to be a baby carriage is without referencing the original poster, but Freddy's face is certainly more terrifying.
All these images were found at Dazed Digital and Ghana Movie Posters. Check em out, lots more fun. And if you're spending some time in Berlin, you can see this posters up close at an art exhibit (Link via CoolHunting).
Here at Geekanerd, our tendrils of nerdism sometimes reach beyond standard geek fare. As our slogan says, we cover anything you can geek out about, and with that in mind, I bring you a new edition of a Geekanerd Classic...
Cultural Understanding Through McDonalds' Speciality Items An Adventure in Fast Food Anthropology
The (Mc)Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Invented in Atlanta and featured in a few other Southern states, it's got pickles, a steam-buttered bun, and a crispy chicken patty. Long story short, it's a Chik-Fil-A ripoff. What's next, McDonalds? Stealing the In-N-Out Burger recipe and calling it The Los Angeles Style Chicken Sandwich? Leave those poor Hyphenated-Name-Restaurants alone!
The Phantom (Mc)Touchdown Burger According to Wikipedia, Wisconsin has this item on the menu, but guess what? They don't say what's in it, nor is there any information about it on the McDonalds website. What are you hiding, Wisconsin? Is the Touchdown Burger too delicious to share? Well you can keep your secrets, and you can keep your football-theme sandwiches. It's probably just a pork rind and cheddar cheese on a roll.
The (Mc)Crabcake Sandwich Unique to Maryland and Delaware shores. Shellfish from McDonalds? Rly? Seems like a high risk for a low reward.
More local delights and shocking international editions after the jump...
The (Mc)Texas Homestyle Burger Texas gets it's own burger because apparently Texans like onions, pickles, and huge amounts of mustard. Well, pin a rose on your nose, Texas. Why no New York or California specific burgers, I wonder? The disastrous failure known as the Arch Deluxe might have been targeted on those two states, because they're the gay capitals of America and this is one gay looking burger. Sorry McDonalds, it's going to take more than Grey Poupon to get the LGBT community to give you a second glance.
Let's leave these forspacious skies and turn our attention to our international friends.
The (Mc)Double Beef and Bacon: Australia once again emasculates the rest of the world by demanding everything in their country be on scale with the size OF their country. This burger was so hugely popular that it is now policy in Australia to add bacon to any McItem for an extra 80 cents.
The MegaMac
On second thought, forget Australia, it's that Japan beats everyone else in turns of going way, way overboard in all aspects of life. McDonalds certainly wouldn't be able to get away with a literally heart-stopping item like this in the States, given their current scapegoat status for the US obesity epidemic. The US fast food industry has to leave it to Subway to create sandwiches so big you can't fit them in your mouth.
(It should be noted at this point in the post I gave up on Wikipedia and went straight to the sources - official international websites. Since apparently half of the world uses alphabets that look like a bag of broken pretzels, the following names are my best guesses.
The McBrazil In China Once again, the commies beat us at our own game. I've notated the image, so please direct your attention to the luscious red(!) cabbage, exciting bright orange sauce that looks like the stuff that comes on expensive sushi, and the coup degraaaaa, what appear to be sesame seeds BAKED INTO the burger. If this is what they're cooking up in China, the red tide cannot come soon enough.
Israel McFlatties What is going on here, guys?
Even though I feel there is still so much work to be done, that does it for this edition of Understanding World Cultures Through Fast Food Sandwiches. Let's all remember that it is the differences between ourselves and our neighbors that make new ideas possible, and that if you eat at McDonald's regularly you heart will eventually resemble a Chicken McNugget.
