Queens, August 17th 2005

Queens, August 17th 2005

Aliens Fireteam Elite (XBO) Absolute 7/10. Super basic, very repetitive, but rock solid shooting and moving. With just enough enemy mix ups peppered in to make it fun. The IP completely nudges it over the edge even if it doesn't doing anything new with it. Pitch perfect soundtrack though.

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (S1) An IP I have no connection to, but that's maybe for the best. What I got was tense, violent, spy thriller pulp. Everything was kept tight and in motion. Situations always on the verge of going sideways. The action choreography solid and fluid. Got its hooks right in.

Queens, August 17th 2005

Onimusha (XBO) The modern controls make it playable in 2026 but just barely. The exploring feels great, but the combat is pretty janky. Still, you can brute force your way through and have a good time. I see why I skipped a lot of PS2 gen stuff, 3d action games took a long while to find themselves.

Brooklyn, July 2025

Grungy, stupid, loud movies where everyone is a scumbag makes them a perfect encapsulation of the (well my) late 2000's. I really need to rewatch these. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrCx...

Brooklyn, July 2025

Invincible (S4) Watched this one weekly and it only enhanced the experience. A story so heavily engaged in the consequences of actions is well served by making you wait to find out how far the floor has dropped out from under its protagonists. Wish I had more stories about repercussions as a youth

Brooklyn, July 2025

X-MEN (ARC) Looks and sounds the part. But a simple brawler. What I like is that the goons (like you) don't have a back step or a block. They win by overwhelming you. So Konami gets your quarters either by attrition or by evening the odds. The proper experience of the game is then that multiplayer.

Brooklyn, July 2025

Dragon Warrior (GBC) It's wild to me how a game this simple winds up feeling streamlined rather than primitive. Almost a rogue-like in that you try to push farther into hostile territory and if you wipe you return to the start but still have made meta progression while also learning a bit of the run

Indie comics convention made me feel old and out of touch. But Book Off! came through in a big bad way.

Brooklyn, May 2025

Can you even imagine the weight of conscience? To know the Moon Child, and the power it takes to be his friend?

You gotta understand that helping people get their mini comics together is one of the few things that has ever been real to me. Teach a man to fold a staple etc etc

Four more spot illustrations for @yokoikids.bsky.social's next volume. I have really come to enjoy incorporating the infographics / packaging design of Gameboy Games into these drawings.

Surfs up! I am convinced I am more likely to sit down with the Pokemon Trading Card game before any of the mainline ones.

Brooklyn, May 2025

Brooklyn, May 2025

Brooklyn, May 2025

Brooklyn, May 2025

Puzzle Fighter (ARC) Not a patch on Tetris in terms of making you see the whole play field. Just a constant rush to make combos and hope the opponent doesn't do so faster than you. You have decide so fast you can't even glance at their stack. Making wins feel more like RNG than mastery of mechanics.

4 more spot illustrations for a future @yokoikids.bsky.social 'zine. Drawing Kirby is deceptively difficult.

Brooklyn, May 2025

Batman: Caped Crusader (Season 1) I'll always sink right into Noir or Gothic takes on Batman. I feel like this series got pitched to me as a "dark as in edgy", when it's noticeable that no one bleeds when shot. The "dark" here is the hopelessness of the struggle and the toll it takes on the heroes.

Brooklyn, May 2025

The Bronx, May 2025

GLOW (Season 3) Loved S1 +S2, this took me 7 years to watch. Easy to jump back in due to the strength of the cast, but the show is so different. The interpersonal drama taking focus over the wrestling. I found this harder to connect to. I fast forwarded the sex scenes. No part of past me remains.

The Bronx, May 2025

Fallout (Season 2) Pulpy, with a bunch of convenient circumstances moving the plot forward. But the show's greatest trick remains cross cutting. That it keeps all the moving parts in motion and interesting. Great work wringing a lot of emotion out of the main cast and comedy out of the guest stars.

The Bronx, May 2025

Ladytron - Paradises (2026) One of the last bands I saw in concert 7 years ago. A treasured memory of transcendence. An album that could have been made 25 years ago. Even if there are no ear-worms, they haven't lost a single step. The sound of my soul under cold grey skies. youtu.be/_mbrH2-bd8s?...

The Bronx, May 2025

Further spot illustrations for what should be a future @yokoikids.bsky.social 'zine

The Bronx, May 2025

The Maxx being a show you could just tune into and watch on MTV is one of those things that set me on the path to being a weirdo artist long before I even had a framework to act on that desire. Maybe that's the greatest thing a work can do. Rest in peace.

The Bronx, May 2025

The Bronx, May 2025

Skeleton hours

When did your obsession with hot toxic women begin

The Bronx, May 2025

I still get into conflict with the Art department because I am fine with students working digitally. But like, I have been working digitally for 35 years. I have always been the kid pushing the tech to bend to my vision. I will make any and all machines serve me. Amazing bit of writing here.

The Bronx, May 2025

Sonic Adventure 2 (DC) Just awful. The worst thing a bad game can be is challenging. SA1 papered over so much of its similar jank by being easy. You could stumble your way to the next set piece and just enjoy the vibes. The sequel seems to want you to execute actions with rhythm game precision.

The Bronx, May 2025

The Bronx, May 2025

Metal Slug (NEO) Everything the series would become is here though I miss the Sci-Fi silliness of the sequels. Still, I was impressed by how good a run I got on realizing all the enemy attack patterns were patterns the series would later reuse. The joy of blasting through while charging music plays.