Beethoven’s ninth symphony is his last and strongest symphony, the culmination of all his previous works. There is a finality to it and a freedom to that finality.
-- Kabuki: Metamorphosis #9
* Dates Subject to Change *
Kabuki - The Alchemy Hardcover & Trade Paperback: ON SALE
Daredevil - Parts of a Hole Premiere HC: ON SALE
Kabuki - Reflections: Volume 1 Hardcover (regular & limited edition): ON SALE
Daredevil - Echo: Vision Quest Premiere Edition Hardcover: ON SALE
Kabuki - Volume 1: Circle of Blood Hardcover (Regular & Limited Editions): ON SALE
Se7en French Edition Blu-ray: ON SALE
Electric Ant Hardcover: ON SALE
Green Arrow #8: ON SALE
Dream Logic #3: ON SALE
Days Missing - Kestus #4: ON SALE
5 Ronin #4: ON SALE
Justice League of America #56: April 20
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April 30 - May 1, 2011
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May 27-29, 2011
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Home Message Boards Bendis: May 6-10, 2004

Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 07, 2004 4:17 am

Hey Comixnut,
Thanks,
Anh's back home now from Sidney. She said she didn't actually go to the con while in OZ.
But I hope to see you there again next time.

MG,
Thanks for the word on your presentation!
I appreciate you presenting my work.
I've been to several university and highschool literature classes that have studied Kabuki in thier class and wrote papers about it. It was always fun to see peoples reaction and personal interpretations to the story.
DM


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 07, 2004 4:21 am

Hi Rangerchic,
As for books, there are a bunch of them. One that especially relates to the new Kabuki story is the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Check out some books on Musashi's life as this story has some paralells.

I'll try to list some more when I'm by my bookshelf.


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 07, 2004 10:14 pm

Hey JD,
Pitt was great! Thanks for joining us for our 10th anniversary of Kabuki celebration!

I saw the site too, with your journal of the Con events and photos! THanks for that, and for posting a link to it on my Kabuki messageboard.
worldfamouscomics.com or wfcomics.com for those that haven't been there yet.

Andy Lee and I had a great time at the con. Kabuki readers are the best fans I've ever seen at the cons.
It was great to see so many new people starting to read Kabuki at the show.

There were a bunch of first timers picking up the Kabuki trades.

And like JD said, it was amazing how some still had NOT heard of the move to ICON.

So, in case someone missed it, I want to remind readers that your comic shops are ordering THIS WEEK from the current PREVIEWS catalogue that offers the issue #1 of the new KABUKI series. If you haven't told your shop that you want it yet, please let them know so they will order enough.

And the Scarab Action Figure is in the current catalogue as well.
I had these on display at the Pitt con and everyone loved it.

I'm way thankfull for all of you and your responses and feedback.
Thanks for reading my stuff.

Let me know if you have any more questions and I'll keep checking in.


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 08, 2004 2:44 am

Thanks Mikie,
Are you going to any conventions this year?


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 08, 2004 6:40 am

Mikie,
I'll be at both Chicago and San Diego. Hope to see you at one or the other. Please stop by and introduce yourself.

GraveS,
Good to see you and your work in LA.
I do enjoy the collage work, and generally feel satisfied in the process and afterwards. But if I have to work for many weeks without much of a break, I do like to get a fresh change of scenery and do something different or go somewhere or visit friends, after I finish one project and before I start another. I need to get into a different head space between each major project so I can approach it with a fresh perspective.
As far as putting myself into the work, I use all mediums and all of my bodily fluids in the paint. Would you like to buy some original art?
Just kidding. Sort of.

As far as the storylines, I do put a lot of my own personal experiences into them.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:17 am

Yeah, the next DD hardcover collects all five issues of Echo with all 4 issues of mine and Bendis' WAKE UP. So it will be a nine issues of all my art!
They said they are doing some cool extras too. Like sketches, and art process stuff.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:20 am

Mike, it ain't no thing. I was saying it in a friendly fun way. I didn't mean to sound like I was correcting you or condescending. Just in a humorous memory of all the things I did that I never got paid for.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:23 am

Johnny, that is a good point. They are amazing stories. Only Bendis knows them all
It was an amazing time in my young life. But I'd have to be a gentleman about it. She was a lovely, lovely lady.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:29 am

Sleep,
I would like to collect the Reflections books some day. But I usually don't make a collection until all of the individual issues are sold out.
Right now Reflections #3 is sold out, but 1, 2, & 4 are completely available for re-order thru Diamond.

I urge you all to check them out. #4 has some great nude studies of Anh. Lots of figure drawings of her and friends. And lots of other cool stuff. Including Photos and designes for my 3D stuff, and art process of ALias and DD covers.

#2 has some of my photos of the afore mentioned Playmate modelling for me and a painting I did of her and gave to her for a birthday present. And a lot of poems I did when in Hong Kong, China, and Japan.

And lots of other sketches and photos. And I think it includes my first ever oil painting from when I was 15.

#1 has some of my larger paintings and my sculptures and lots of other covers and Album cover work. All are jam packe with 48 pages of stuff.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:35 am

Hey Sandman,
Yeah, I did Ink Brian on all of those Lovecraft Cthulu books. Either 3 or 4. Or maybe we did 4 or 5 but only 3 or 4 were published?

Goodman, now that you mention it, I think I did inkd a bunch of stuff in Jinx. I think that when the Cthulu company guy stopped paying us for our work, that we just started keeping the pages. And then Brian found a way to put them in Jinx or something like they were a story young Jinx was writing or something?

So yeah! I think I did ink some Jinx!!! Thanks for reminding me how that went down. I think that is how it was, but I'd have to look at the trade to make sure.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:49 am

Hey Sandman,
Ha! His posts on my board are kind of funny. The mechanics of the business arrangement were a little more complicated than that. I stopped talking to him for reasons beyond business.

I don't mind his posts, except when other posters get offended by the racial stuff he has said. I never asked for them to be deleted, but I think one of his posts got deleted because another poster objected to the racial slurs and asked the moderator to remove it.

Sure he spams the board, brings other spam, and mischaracterizes, makes things up, and condescends, but... in it's own way it IS funny.

I'm actually amazed that he still obsesses over me. That stuff we did together was in 1993, when he would follow me around in my classes at college. Mind you, he didn't go to college there and is more than ten years older than me. So funny, that he's still so fascinated with me. And still posts about it

He still mails me all kinds of nonsense. It totally creeps out my girlfriend.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:50 am

I'm going to Dragon Con!


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:54 am

Goodman,
Totally cool to print my letter in your book.
I don't remember exactly what it said, but I doubt it was anything that I'd feel embarassed about


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 7:57 am

SLEEP,
Glad to hear you dug Metamorphosis!!!
Let me know what you think when you finish Scarab. It has some tie ins with Meta that you may get a kick out of. Please post your feedback...

Glad you may order the Reflections books. I tried to make them the kind of art books that I'd like to pick up myself. Lots of different things in them from art process and art tips, to stories, factoids, collections of unpublished art and many different media.

My faves are probably all the sketch book stuff and figure drawings of my friends and girlfriend.


Re: I guess I scared MACK off line....
May 08, 2004 8:00 am

I'm here. I was just answering you and several others on MG's Mack-Daddy thread.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 8:08 am

Wow! We have some great threads tonite, don't we!!!

Hey Sandman,
Just like Ghandi said, for any change that you want to bring about, you have to BE the change.
You start by doing everything in your personal power and influence to be the ideal that you want to enact. You have your own actions always be congruent with that ideal.

You can't control others. You can't completely control what happens to you. But you can control how you react to it. And more importantly, you can decide how you will VIEW it and percieve it.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 8:21 am

There is a belief that our evolution has buitl our brain on a foundation of 3 brains.
You start with the reptile brian. The most primitive brain. It is a fear based survival brain. It is the part of our brain that senses a danger and decides if we do fight or flight. It is a me VS the world brain.

Over time that brain evolved to the point where another brain sort of grew around it. It is the mammal brain. Like the brain of a dog or wolf. This brain is more social and can work in a group. From a me VS the world to a US VS them, my group against the world kind of brain.

After that another brain grew around that. What we like to call the human brain. This brain can think in many more complex social ways. It can go beyond the immediate my group vs your group mentality of territorialism.
But it still has the other brains inside it that react to thier own instincts.
And it still has trouble seeing all things as a part of the same cycle.

There is a theory that we are in an evolutionary state, where our species is in the process of evolving a fourth brain. Making a part of our own brain develope a more wholistic way of working together and overcoming the inate and primitive us vs them mentality.

Some people in recent history seem to have achieved this. Many others are obvioulsy going in the direction of the more primitive fear based brain.

The people that have achieved this were those that decided to BE the change. Take Ghandi or Martin Luther King for example.

That said, a certain amount of conflict and confrontation, is encoded in our primitive DNA and is even going to be a necasary catalyst for all growth, even growth to evolve past that primitive urge is catalyzed by a certain kind of confrontation or conflict in order to trigger that kind of resolution and problem solving. All evolution, and all invention is caused by necessity.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 8:32 am

Oh yeah...
And read Kabuki.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 8:48 am

Oh Yeah, Speaking about Ghandi on the other thread about war... reminded me that I did the illustration for Dr Arun Ghandi's essay on the culture of non-violence. It is in Marvel's 411 on the back cover and first page. It was an honor.

And I did a poster fold out called "diagram of heroes" in Marvel's 911 charity book called HEROES.

And I did some layouts and cover for Bendis' Ultimate Marvel Team Up with Master of Kung Fu.

ANd the cover to a Jinx Charity Special.


Re: Josh Middleton leave NYX after issue 4 [is this for real
May 08, 2004 8:53 am

It looks like I know what his next project is

It looks like he'll be drawing something I've written. You may hear an anouncement about it soon. If it all comes together, it is going to be grand!


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 9:08 am

I really feel like we did God's work here tonight.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 9:15 am

Actually Kabuki - The Alchemy does talk about this stuff. So Sandy, Glad you are looking forward to it. Sorry for the new July/ICON release date.

It is nice to have Kabuki as my outlet for exploring these kind of things.

It was in the process of doing Kabuki Metamorphosis where I realized I stumbled upon the actual meaning of life. So I put it in there. I think it makes sense on several levels. And I refer back to that tirade in Metamorphosis about the meaning of life now and again. It seems to make sense biologically as well as in my personal and practical applications. You probably know what I am talking about. The part where Buddha the Psy-Chic goes an about the meaning af life and trying to say in personal terms what M.C. Square says in scientific terms and what Akemi says in creative and literary terms. I'm thinking it is in issue #9. I remember it was my favorite page/scene of the issue.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 9:30 am

Well I figured Sandy related to your Sandman name and your real last name. I didn't know about your aunt

Yeah, the meaning of life stuff in Meta, and the other philosophies in Meta were really the jumping off point for the new Alchemy story. Alchemy is about several things, but one of them is about piecing together the clues and trials in your life to realize what you really are and what you are supposed to do with those experiences. How to turn them into a creative force. How to take your baggage and turn it into something postitive. How to turn your garbage into gold. Hence: Alchemy.

Of course Alchemy also refers to the Akemi character who is a central catalyst of the stories and whose name is a sort of Japanese pronunciation of Alchemy.

And a couple other things too... but they are surprises!

But much of it is about integration. And turning yourself into the person that you want to be.


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 9:39 am

Hey Murdock's girl,
Is this more info than you needed?
Or is this answering your question?


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 08, 2004 10:56 pm

Reflections 1-4 48pgs each, squarebound format. $4.95 each.

They were indeed solicited as KABUKI: Reflections 1-4.

They do have a lot of art process that shows how I do some of my Kabuki work. But they also have a bunch of non-Kabuki stuff.

Including my layouts for my DD scripts that Quesada drew from, large large oil paintings, my own life size sculptures... and process photos of me sculpting them from my nude model friend, lots photos of me and Bendis and friends traveling the world and doing our art nonsense, my designs for sculptures, busts, action figures, Kabuki sicle, novel covers, work for Japanese comics, and Japanese music labels, poems and sketches from my trips to China, Japan, Hong Kong, and all over the world, lots of cover paintings you have probably never seen, lots of crazy sketchbook stuff... 4 x 48 pages of years of art of all kinds.

If anyone has any of these, let me know if you have any questions about anything. If you can't find them in stores, you can order directly from Anh Tran at .


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 08, 2004 10:59 pm

All you need to do is punch yourself in the nose. It will bleed for a while.


Re: David Mack or any one else..
May 08, 2004 11:28 pm

:)


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 09, 2004 3:58 am

Yeah Murdock Girl,
Take the conversation to another direction.

Please


Re: Does Anyone Know about Mack-daddy's...
May 09, 2004 4:03 am

Well, truth is, I don't smoke anything at all.

I have my own natural chemicals that I can manipulate by diet, excercise, and sleep/work routine.

I do a different routine of these to get the best performance for each of the stages of my books.

You just caught me in one of my more talkative moods

Comics have been very good to me.


Re: MOB nicknames
May 09, 2004 4:08 am

I say O-Migidy
or simply... The Chairman.


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions, girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 09, 2004 4:48 am

Yo Goodman,
I wouldn't pay that kind of small press price for a table. They do have artists alley tables. For the longest time I just did the artist alley in Chicago. It was free for a while. I think they have a price now. Maybe around 100 if you register in time or something. For a lot of cons you can get artist alley for free if you do it early enough.


Re: I'm back, news, updates, conventions,girlfriend,Kabuki,
May 09, 2004 7:15 am

I know you are joking... but..... eeeeeeeeeee?

No I don't work in front of a computor. I have a pretty big non computor room space to work.

After I get a snack or when I'm waiting for something to dry I might check my stuff every few hours or so for a few minutes on my laptop in another room. It gives me a chance to get a few minutes away from my painting and come back to it with a fresh eye. I take a couple walks a day to get excercise and to clear my minde between pages or panels.

I'm working on Kabuki The ALchemy right now. That is all I'll be working on for the foreseeable future. I even turned down some design work/visual design on films and many other writing gigs to do nonstop Kabuki for a while.

I'm very much enjoying it!

I don't have a schedule as hours go. I just paint/write/draw/think for the project all day long, and when I get hungry, I eat, and when I get nappy, I take a nap. I let my body set the schedule, since I am working in my own home studio.

Though, I do have to take care of some business e-mails everyday.

Besides that, I keep the distractions away and focus on turning my ideas into reality.

I have a great time traveling with friends at cons and fitting a lot of social time and experience in those travels (I spent a couple weeks with Andy Lee, painting on the road and in his house with our friends, and rock climbing in the great outdoors). So when I get back home, I have my girlfriend and my work, and I can focus and discipline myself to stay immersed in my work.

You take a few breaks to get excercise and put things in perspective page by page, so you can be aware of margins for improvements and new ideas as it goes.


Re: For reals - this Fanboy Radio is going to be insane...
May 09, 2004 11:10 pm

Hey Scott,
I just saw your PM from last night about inviting me on the show. I really appreciate it and would be happy to be on again.

If there is still time, just give me a call at my home when you are ready for it. Get my info from Bendis if you need to.

And thanks for the suggestion RangerChic! To be fair, he did ask, but I didn't see it in advance.

Sorry, I don't checkt he PM stuff much. Next time just e-mail me or post a topic on this board or mine.

Best,
David


What did I miss on the Fanboy Radio show?
May 10, 2004 3:07 am

Did Bendis answer more questions about Flaxen, like last time?

What were the high points?


Kabuki live action film questions...
May 10, 2004 3:16 am

I can't talk about much of the film stuff yet, but I was just curious of what you all thought about these things...

Who do you think would be the best actress to play Kabuki?

Wish list actors for the rest of the cast? Kai? General? Akemi? Link? Etc?

What do you think would be the best story structure for the film?
Like what Kabuki story or stories would you prefer to be included in the first film?
Who do you think would be the best director for that story?

It's been an interesting process these years, and been fun hearing actresses that I admired reading my lines in auditions, and sending signed books to others. Was also great working with John Sayles as was earlier broke on this board.

When I can announce more, I will. But I thought it would be good to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Thanks


Re: What did I miss on the Fanboy Radio show?
May 10, 2004 3:23 am

Well, I was on with him last time when he said on the radio that I sex with the playmate from the book...

To be fair, Scott asked me to be on the radio this time, but I didn't see his PM in time to answer.

So I wondered what Brian did for the FCC and the comic world this time...


Re: History Channel re-airing COMIC BOOK DOCUMENTARY
May 10, 2004 3:28 am

Steranko is great in this!


Re: What Was Your First Bendis Comic?
May 10, 2004 3:31 am

I read Project: FIRE in 1993 before it was published

My first Brian Bendis read
Then Goldfish...


Re: Who's going to the Motor City ComicCon this week in Detr
May 10, 2004 3:45 am

I'll see you there!
I plan to be there all day everyday. I'll be next to Andy Lee. He's the Chinese guy with the big Salvador Dali Handlebar mustache covered in paint and ink with big Chinese scroll paintings behind him.

If there is anything specific, you want me to bring, let me know.


Re: Usagi Yojimbo
May 10, 2004 3:55 am

Stan is a super cool guy!


Re: Kabuki live action film questions...
May 10, 2004 11:44 pm

Thanks for all of that so far!

It is really cool for me to hear your responses on this.

Goodman, I do have a tape of Tamlyn Tomita reading some of my lines and auditioning for a part in Kabuki. There are lots of parts, so lots of actors.

Zhang Ziyi was always on the studio list.
Glad some of you mentioned her!
I love her in Crouching and in Hero.

The studio did have me sign and personalize some Kabuki books to Lucy Liu. She's great in Kill Bill.

Shu Qui has also been mentioned in some meetings.

And I love Gogo! Thanks for mentiong her. I love her in her Japanese stuff too.

Others I am fans of too.

Mostly the current challenges are in the script writing. What to include, what to leave out, what order to put it in.

I've been in the midst of working on several different film takes with FOx for a while now. So it is nice to see what kind of fresh perspectives that I get from Kabuki readers.

I love the Fincher suggestion. Fight Club is one of my all time faves and probably the best adaption of a book into a film that I can think of.

Please keep you ideas and suggestions rolling...



Order Kabuki: Reflections -
Volume 1 Hardcover Today!

April 11: Webmaster's note


April 7: David Mack attending New York's MoCCA this weekend, MoCCA pre-party, thoughts on two films & more


April 6: Photo of upcoming Dream Logic shirt, David Mack and Tony Solomun art jam zine, David Mack plugged in Qatar newspaper & more
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Designed and maintained by David Thornton, DavidMackGuide.com is an unofficial website dedicated to the artwork and stories of David Mack, who created and owns the copyrights to Kabuki and all related characters. All other characters and images are copyrighted by their respective owners and are used by DavidMackGuide.com only for the purpose of review.