November 16, 2001
I was in 6th grade sitting in a bedroom captivated by a program named, Toonami. After a year of being bed ridden due to a broken leg I stumbled upon the discovery of Anime, Pop-Art & expressionism through shows like: Gundam Wing, Big O, Trigun, Outlaw Star, etc....
Never seeing anything like this before it automatically captivated me to want more in my life than just comics. Then one day, BAM, like lighting there was a commercial that announced a double feature concert on tv. Curios I thought, "Why the hell not?"
On the roster that night was an experience that today sits upon my top 10 of all time with music...
GORILLAZ opening up for, DAFT PUNK. Never in a million years had Id seen that juxtapose style, the colors, line work and unique way the characters were a mix of Hollywood horror monsters, Anime and 50-70's pop art. Along side the music of the Gorillaz themselves, it gave them a personality all their own that you already believed them to be a world attached and apart at the same time. Years later as I started collecting graphic novels I came across a stash that would be handed down by an older cousin who wasn't so much into super heroes and capes as we would call them. Buried a few books down would be the infamous, Tank-Girl. A ground breaking graphic novel that like Frank Miller books in the Cape section, had their own grittiness and edginess that would become a world all their own. Noticing the artwork style it seemed to me that there was a correlation between hand and foot that I had seen this before. The work of Jamie Hewlett has captivated me for years on the fact that you can find a distinct style that is all but unrecognizable, Colors, Ink and the I don't give two fucks attitude make this artwork and its subjects stand tall amongst the rest.
The collection of Jamie's work can be found brand new on amazon for 55$ or used for around 35$ - If you don't add this to your collection you're going to regret it just like the first book published with his work that became a gorillaz biography book.
