((YOU know the name!))

If you've made it to one of our shows, you may have even met this fine fellow in person. I'm talking about writer, samurai enthusiast and stand-up philosopher Corance of the mighty GhostWerks crew. Those who bought my book Spontaneous (thanks!) got to see the first round of a bloody grudge match between me (in full evil mode) and Corance, and the battle will be joined for real in part two of my freestyle comic, which will be available in full color next month as part of the second installment of Spontaneous.
peace,
-samax

Meet me in Dallas

if you're gonna be in Dallas this Sunday from 11a-3p, you'll wanna swing by and see us at Malcolm's Swap Meet in Deep Ellum (click the pic for directions) where there will be tons of artists and musicians selling various t'ings just in time for your last minute holiday shopping. I'll have magazines, comics, books, prints and original art on sale there.
after that, it's back to the lab to prepare for Underground, the next big ArtLoveMagic event, at SouthSide on Lamar the last weekend of January. peep the flier for more info and expect more about this show as it gets closer. those that know the deal will wanna get their tickets now, while they're half price (i'm just sayin'... Don't be surprised if that show sells out before the day of...) also, that same weekend i will ALSO be at Dallas Comicon ('longside Corance, of the mighty GhostWerks crew), which i expect to kick major tail as well. Adam Hughes, Michael Golden, Jim Mahfood and Mark Brooks among others will be in attendance, so gird your loins for that joint!
anyways, that's what's up. hope to see some of y'all out and about. otherwise, enjoy the holla day cheer!
easy now,
-samax
ghettoManga.com
comics.hipHop.news.art.culture

Katty Hearts JD

of all the commissions i've done this month, this is the only one from a client who requested an original art piece, so i couldn't do ANY photoshoppery on it. my scanning skills aren't the best, so the colors don't look quite right, but you get the idea...

i made this a lot harder than it had to be, but I wanted to make sure they would be happy with it. this piece was done with watercolor and markers on watercolor paper. after scanning it and seeing it on screen, i tweaked it a little more, but had to let it go so the customer could have it in time for the holiday. sigh...

hope y'all like it.
-samax

It ain't too much for me to JAM!

Power Cosmic by Samax Amen, Khalid Robertson, Ben Moss, Josh Boulet, Michael Lagocki, David Rodriguez.
much love to everybody who came out to O'reilly's for the H4 Toys For Tots benefit show on Sunday! in addition to being treated to good music and art (like the live freestyle art jam/collabo Power Cosmic that me and the other ArtLoveMagic artists in attendance smashed out while the proverbial band played on), we also rustled up a gang of toys and donations for the cause! anyways, hope everybody had a good weekend!
holla!
-gM

I Want It All...

been a minute since i posted something... I been on Daddy Day care strong this past week while my Wife wraps up her first semester in grad school... This joint is for a batch of character designs i'm workin' on for my friend Allana Muhammad. it's early in process, so expect to see more later...
i got a show Sunday with the ArtLoveMagic massive and H4 benefiting Toys 4 Tots, and will be donating 30% of all my sales at the show and online this weekend. at the show, i'll have GhettoManga Holladay Cards, my comics and ghettoManga Quarterly magazines, all of which you can cop online too (hint, hint!). and of course, I'm Still Taking Requests...
holla!
-samax amen
Ziontific.com

How My Crew Saved Christmas

I'll be rolling with my peoples from the mighty ArtLoveMagic crew at this H4 Toys For Tots Charity Event on Sunday Dec 13 from 2pm-10pm. there will be Hip Hop and Progressive Rock performances, DJ's spinning music, and various artists will be creating art live and displaying/selling their wares for a good cause. For all of you Romosapiens and haters, we will start off the event watching/heckling the Cowboys' game, with the mighty Advanced Robotics Dance Crew doing a half-time performance and dancing throughout the event. Come out, support a good cause, have a good time, enjoy some music, art and dance. bring $5 and a New Unwrapped Toy to get in. We are having a White Elephant Christmas Raffle as well. Gifts such as an Autographed Emmitt Smith Football, Free Massage, Custom Jewelry by Ruca, Free Photshoot and plenty more. Every Admission comes with 1 raffle ticket and we will be selling additional tickets for those who got ta have 'em. Its all for a good cause. There are pooltables and dart boards for additional fun. As someone who's been a beneficiary of Toys For Tots as a kid, I was delighted to participate! for all the Dallas-area peoples, hope y'all can make it! I will have comics, magazines, greeting cards and more for sale, as well as creating live at the event!
holla!
-samax

Straight Outta Azgard

The Mighty Thor by Samax.
I always loved the bearded Thor Walt Simonson drew in the comic where Thor got wounded by the death goddess Hela and started rockin' the Grizzly Adams... figured i'd hook the thunder god up with a beard for this joint. i pretty much went straight Taliban on that joker, although i doubt anyone would mistake him for Bin Laden... anyways, i made this with 100% photoshop. hope y'all like it!
[UPDATE] This puppy is the Image of the month for December, so that means i'll hook anybody up with a print who's willing to part with $20. let me know if you're interested!
holla!
-samax

Lawd Have Mercy...

when Corance first brought the Sparrow to me in the late nineties, it was a comic about a female college student/ super babe similar to batgirl or any other masked vigilante comic. over the years, I have watched Corance shed the conventions that were forced and uncomfortable to him and add things that didn't make sense to me at first, until the current incarnation of the character bares little resemblance to that old concept, or any comic you are currently reading for that matter. I feel confident that when the the martial arts/ urban western adventures of the magnificent Mercy Nightengale (aka The Sparrow) eventually see print (or web, as the case may be), she will catch her unsuspecting future fanbase completely off-guard! and they will LOVE her for it!
anyways, i drew this in photoshop, like the rest of these designs. hope y'all like it!
-samax

For You(ng) Boo

the comic Corance is working on is probably best described as an urban martial arts western... this is another of his original characters he commissioned me to design. Booshawn Galloway, aka "Young Boo"...
Corance emphasized how his easy smile and pleasant country demeanor are often used to lull his enemies/victims right before he puts 'em to rest. Corance is a mad genius. anyways i drew this one and the previous entry all last night using nothin' but photoshop. good times!
hope y'all like it!
-samax

Representing His City...

In the description for Shamiek, my boy Corance pointed out that he spends his little bread to make sure he looks good. Since Corance set the book in his native Oak Cliff, i figured Shamiek would be a Cowboys fan, thus the color scheme. the drawing in photoshop continues, and I continue to experiment with different effects for his personal logo.
hope y'all are feeling it!

Just call him D

my homeboy Corance has taken advantage of the Holla Day commission sale to get some character designs for a comic he's been writing for a long time, but he hasn't been able to get drawn yet. This character is one of the important supporting cast members. He's the son of the last character i drew for Corance. stay tuned for more info and character designs from this upcoming comic...
-samax

Thankful for my Family

hope everyone's having a good time with their family (whatever form that takes), and enjoying the holla day weekend. I took my wife and daughter to visit my extended family at my Grandma's house in Waco.
for many of the relatives, it was their first chance to see my daughter Marley, who turned 1 year old in September. it was a fun trip because I got to visit with some relatives I had not seen for 15 years. It really underscored how little my family gets together, since so many people found it hard to believe that I was married and had a child . I'm still the 'baby' in a lot of people's eyes, even though i'm in my thirties... but i think they're getting used to the idea.
I was glad to introduce more of my family members to my wife Charlene. I'm really proud of Charlene and thankful to have her in my life. She is so helpful and encouraging (which really helps an artist on the brink like me), plus everyone was knocked out by her banana pudding!
hopefully, we will have more opportunities to visit with the rest of the family, so we can all get more familiar with each other.
anyways, i know you REALLY just want to see more pictures of Marley, so i appreciate anybody who bothered to read my comments too!! thanks to my sister Jeannie for the pics!
peace, love, etc.
-samax

Sold Out (sorta)


my Be Cool (blue) holla day greeting cards are officially SOLD OUT, but we still have the Be Cool (red) and Ya Better Watch Out in stock, so you can still cop those singles for 3 bucks with free shipping. the Be Cool (blue) cards are still available at regular price ($4.99) in the Ziontific store and all three designs can be purchased in packs of 10 (for $20) or 20 (for $30) so you can spread the Holla Day cheer in a big way! again, thanks for the hearty response, and stay tuned!
peace,
-samax





single cards










packs of 10










packs of 20




Another Milestone...

I've been doing fan art and commissions since 2001 when i started self-publishing as 1/5th of the mighty GhostWerks crew, but I had never been asked to draw any of the Milestone characters until this Holla Day commission sale, when one of my customers tapped me for this drawing of Hardware, Milestone's flagship character. I just tried to have fun with it. I'm at a point right now where I really enjoy drawing in photoshop... and when people pay me to do it, I like it even better! hope you guys enjoy the the drawing!
peace,
-samax

Mood: NINJA!

I've been feeling pretty Ninja lately... I lobbied president Obama pretty hard to get Wednesday changed to Ninjasday to work with my (hopefully) weekly gag strip "Ninja Solutions" over on ghettoManga. Maybe J.R. LeMar had picked up on the vibe when he asked me to do a drawing of his character, the awesomely-titled Ninjihad. anyways, i drew this with Photoshop while watching the cowboys/skins game.
I certainly hope real-life terrorists (whether Islamic or otherwise) don't think to employ ninjas. can you say 'game over'?
-samax

another GhostWerks collabo?

peep the first in a series of character designs i'm working on for my friend and fellow GhostWerks crew member Corance. he's been working on a great urban western/martial arts comic, and was good enough to let me help him flesh out some of the characters.
this drawing of assassin, mercenary and single mom Erin Pettit (aka The Demon) was made 100% in photoshop, similar to the comics i've worked on over the summer. i like the way it turned out. if i enjoy the rest of the designs as much as this one, Corance may have a tough time talking me out of drawing the book myself! anyways, hope y'all enjoy the piece.
peace,
-samax

Living The Dream

I created this piece as an entry into an art contest where we had to talk about our dreams, y'know, our hopes for the future, etc. when i was a child, all i wanted was to draw comics for a living, and to be a good husband and father when i grew up. these days, i am doing all three, so all i hope for is to get better and better at them, and enjoy each day as it comes. don't get me wrong. I'm not making a ton of money, and everyday has its share of worries, but after many years spent dreaming about the future, I'm finally confident that I'm living my dreams now.
have a great day!
-samax

Commission Art of Mythical Proportions!

Commissions are STIIILLLL going!
here's the character designs i did for my friend J.R. LeMar of his character Mythical Man. I drew them with a watercolor marker and tightened it up with a micron and some judicious photoshopping (i actually drew the sword in photoshop). hope y'all like 'em.
if you have any questions, just get at me.
-samax

It Was A Good Day


I Rocked a table at the Dallas Webcomics Convention yesterday with the mighty GhostWerks crew at 4\5ths strength (more than a small convention can really handle) all day yesterday. It was a decent showing of artists for the fans that did make it, which were not many. But the attendees were treated to many panels on how to make webcomics. I only did one commission drawing (of Ice Cube and Ice T, if you can believe that) for a dude wearing a teeshirt of Soundwave as a deejay scratching, so I guess it was a quality over quantity day. Also, it looks like I will be doing a Champion of Children webcomic in 2010, so let's all keep our fingers crossed for that.

After the show, we all rolled over to the ArtLoveMagic HQ for a surprise birthday party for David Rodriguez (one of the dopest artists you never heard of, and an all-around classy guy), and to my delight, we were ACTUALLY able to surprise him. after that, me and the GhostWerks guys (all 5 this time) sat around in a cipher with Playdough (one of my favorite emcees, and David's too), giving him topics (mostly about comics, cuz we are nerds) to freestyle about. we talked about many important topics, like healthcare reform, marketing strategies, and wack emcees. when i got home, i discovered a few more people had hit me up for custom art. plus, I didn't even have to use my AK. I'd hafta say it was a good day...
peace,
-samax

Dallas Webcomics Expo is Today

Right now I'm getting ready to go to the Dallas Webcomics Expo, which takes place in Plano,TX today . I'm going primarily to learn more about making webcomics, but i'll also be at a table 'longside my man Corance of the mighty GhostWerks crew, and we'll be happy to sell comics, magazines and assorted t'ing. I'll have several new prints like this SWEET drawing of Panda from Jason Pearson's Body Bags i completed this week for those who can make it out here's a map where we will be at below.

I'll be selling the 8 x 11 prints (i got this Spiderman joint, plus Batman and Superman prints on deck as well) for $10 each at the show, and probably doing some commission sketches too. I know not everyone can make it out to one of our shows, so if you're looking to get a drawing, convention prices are in effect for the Holla Day season. If you want a print, you can pay w/Paypal. if you're interested in a commission, get at me!





HOLLA DAY PRINTS





holla!
-samax

For All the Superman Fans out there...

Look up in the Sky... by Samax.
pencil sketch, finished in photoshop.
click to enlarge

So far, so good... got a few commissions, trying to make some money while I look for my next assignment. I've never been a huge Superman fan, but I figure you need to be able to draw him if you're interested in drawing superhero comics. I actually get asked to draw him a lot at conventions and stuff... I have fun with it by playing up the idea of how intimidating it must be to be around someone so powerful (even for other superheroes). If I ever wrote Superman, I would explore the alien part of his nature... he grew up on Earth, but he is not one of us.
anyways, I hope you enjoy the pic. if there's something you'd like me to draw for you, get at me!
peace,
-samax

I'm Now Taking Requests!

[sorry! This promotion is over... you missed it!]
Hey Party People!
The project i was counting on to pay my mortgage for December got pushed back to 2010 (and is possibly being canceled altogether), so I need to generate money the old-fashioned way. No, i'm not talking about prostitution, I'm taking commissions on the super-cheap. i'll take payments via paypal up front. (see price list below)

$10 will cover a one color sketch (i.e. b+w or another color instead of black), delivered by email. you can also choose to get the original drawing on bristol (or in full color, or a digital print) for a little more.
i can do a simple portrait, a cool drawing of your favorite character, or design your original character for the listed prices. adding extra characters, backgrounds, and just generally being real picky will cost you extra (LOL!) also, if you want any lettering on your piece, i suggest a digital delivery or digital print. no one is beating down my door to be a letterer...

one color, digital delivery -----> $10
full color, digital delivery -----> $20
digital print one color --------> $20 (includes shipping)
digital print full color ---------> $25 (includes shipping)
original one color on bristol ---> $25 (includes shipping)
original full color on bristol ----> $35 (includes shipping)



[sorry! This promotion is over... you missed it!]

[sorry! This promotion is over... you missed it!]
if you have questions, let me know!
holla!
-samax

Still Growing...

Marley and mommy are going out of town to a friend's baby shower, so daddy (that's me) will be left at home to work. here's a few pics of daddy's little girl...Marley w/ my best friend Mario
getting her eat on
drank

Amazing...

hey everyone. hope all is going well for you. Here's a drawing of my favorite superhero that i banged out last night. i did a really quick drawing, then fancied it up in photoshop. I know it isn't a perfect drawing, but i like how it turned out. i think i'll put it in my new book, Spontaneous 2009 that's dropping in December. while you're having a good time this weekend, i'll be at home drawing. Hopefully, i'll finish some things up and will be available to take some commissions next week. so if you're lookin' to get a drawing or portrait or something, stay tuned!
peace,
-samax

here's another character design


still poking around, trying to tweak this character design for Lace. figured i would drop it here before i go to bed. I've drawn this character before, but it's been awhile, and i wanted to try some different things with her. the story this is for takes place in Philly, so i know she pro'lly won't be wearing shorts and a midriff, but i drew this before i thought of that. oh well...
i hope you like it anyways! stay tuned for more...
peace,
-samax

He Read My Mind


when my man David Hopkins wrote this one page story for me to draw for his new book One Night Stand, i think he was trying to guess what I wanted to draw... and he was right! even though i procrastinated until after the last minute (i finished this monday night), i still think it turned out really well! in this book, David has written a series of one page stories, each drawn by a different artist, about sex, love, and in some cases both. long-time readers may remember that i participated in similar book Mine All Mine , also written by David. it was so much fun, that i was happy to try it again! anyways, One Night Stand will be in stores December 30th, and i may be able to wrangle some copies for purchase here as well.
let me know what you think!
peace,
-samax

character design:RAZER

here's a quick character design for a comic me and Jamar are working on. this is the protagonist of the series, but i don't know if it's really what he will look like. i've just been wanting to draw the characters since we first started talking about doing this, but never had time. so i drew this yesterday with photoshop. anyways, there will be more posts about this project so stay tuned.
peace,
-samax

It's all about Me(dia)

the fine folks at Purple Magazine thought well enough of my efforts to do a nice little interview with me as part of their "SuperSelf-Making 101" special also known as Purple Magazine #8. also featured are my peoples Dazjae Zoem and Robert Trujillo, so get familiar! you can download the issue gratis or check in with Ultraviolet Underground for the print issue in a couple weeks. even if you think i'm over-rated (hater!), cop this issue for the fresh cover by painter-emcee Corinne Stevie, tough guy!
peace,
-samax

Genius At Work


this speech by Elizabeth Gilbert parallels in many ways my own thinking about creativity.
there are those times when the product is so much greater than the sum of hard work and talent. I find it very easy to believe that God gives me some of the better ideas and flourishes, and that it's my job to dig through my soul to find them.
but rather than ramble about it, i'd love to discuss it with anybody who watches the video. what did you think of her comments?

DONE!

i finally finished Permanent Residents (the 69 page graphic novel i've been working on over the summer) and sent the files to the client late Friday night. as much as i enjoyed working on the book and the multi-cultural cast of characters, I am very glad to be finished with it. after sleeping in on Saturday, my homeboy Corance (creator of Champion of Children, and 1/5th of the mighty GhostWerks crew) came over and kicked it with me and my daughter and then went with me to the the sneakeasy to watch movies. it may not sound all that eventful, but it's the first day in weeks that i didn't do any work. i REALLY needed the rest...anyways, i wrote reviews of Zombieland and The Informant on Sunday, and got to work on some smaller gigs i had lined up. i have a few small projects to work on, and will be doing all sorts of things before i start the next big assignment for this client in December. readers here should see more frequent posts of artwork and stuff, now that i'm out of the deadline dungeon. as usual, i welcome your comments questions, etc and thanks for reading, and i'll see you around!
-samax
Ziontific.com

On Newstands all over Dallas/Fort Worth

i'd be telling a "bold faced lie"- as my nanna would say- if i tried to tell you i wasn't proud as can be to have my artwork on the cover of the Quick this week (even MORE proud than i was to be ON the Quick earlier this month). i have no idea at all how many issues of this they roll out every week, but it's gotta be in the tens of thousands, at least!

for those not in the DFW metroplex, the Quick is a local entertainment paper published by the Dallas Morning News and available free of charge all over the area. they come out every Thursday and are full of events, restaurants, and other assorted crap for you to add to your "to-do" or "wish-i-had-time-to-do this weekend" lists. the issue will be everywhere you look until about Tuesday, then right on cue another will take its place the following Thursday. when i worked the graveyard shift at a call center, they dropped a bundle everyday at around 3am that stayed in the break rooms of the building all week. The idea that my art will be sitting in the break room at my old job, that my former coworkers (including the haters) will sit and read from it while they drink their coffee or energy drinks (without realizing it's my art they're holding)... that's exciting to me!

that's the funny thing about being an artist. i WANT people to gravitate to my work... to look at it, and say "now THAT'S cool" or generally to get something out of it. but i'm not all that interested in fame. i want my work to be recognized, but not necessarily to be recognized myself too much. all month, people have been stopping me and saying "weren't you on the Quick?", and while my 15 minutes was fun, it means more to me that my artwork is on the cover, even though most people won't even know it's my work. but I will know.
that's what's up...
-samax

New Illustration

All my Dallas/Fort Worth area people, pretty soon you will start seeing this drawing around town... i was contracted to draw an image for the cover of a local publication for their issue about the State Fair of Texas. the cowboy is Big Tex, a massive inflated figure at the fairgrounds in Dallas. Big Tex is an iconic figure in Dallas, synonymous with the State Fair, so I chose to do a piece focused on him (because of the kinda guy I am, I decided to draw him walking). this piece was drawn 100% in photoshop, in case you're wondering.
anyways, i hope you guys like it... and for all the local readers, when you see this, it's all me!
peace,
-samax

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner