This week’s artist’s spotlight is on Andrew Buck.

1.  Describe your art atheistic:
    “I like to describe my art style as marker punk . I have no idea what I’m actually doing or any formal training but I just try to create something interesting with the skill I have. I use mostly sharpies in my art thus keeping it nice and cheap as well .
   Early on in my pursuit of art I would spend a lot of money on art supplies ( paints , expensive markers , etc) at some point I just completely abandoned that idea . I realized that it doesn’t really matter what you use to create . As long as the piece is interesting in the end , who cares how you got there.”
2. How did you start your art business? ”
   ” I started by just posting to social media like crazy and hash tagging the hell out of everything. About 6 years ago I started teaching myself to draw all over again from scratch, completely changing my style . During that process I started posting the progress for a visual record . I slowly started getting contacted for commissions and it all started there. I opened a bigcartel shop to sell my personal work in as well.
   In 2017 I quit my full time job to focus on my art and creating comics . I’ve been self publishing a psychedelic occult superhero comic called Satani-Kill since late summer 2017 . 2 issues are available now with a third on the way in the next few weeks. Last fall also saw the release of a cover I did for fantagraphics all time comics Crime Destroyer  issue 2.”
3. What is your favorite piece that you created and why? ” I think my favorite piece is a Ms.45 tribute I finished about a year ago . I’m a huge fan of B horror and exploitation cinema and the strange things that can happen in those movies . Honestly my dream job would be doing box art for vhs tapes , however I’m about 30 years late on that one.”
4.  What are your influences and why?                                                                                  “As far as actually drawing my primary influences are Jack Kirby, Jim steranko, frank miller , Gilbert Hernandez and Alex Toth . Influences on my general aesthetic are much broader though , a lot of music and film . Bands like the stooges , suicide and the Ramones had a big impact . Short, simple , effective , attention grabbing and to the point . 
   As I said before I really love movies too so there’s a considerable amount of film influence , especially in my comics . Primarily David Lynch , Kenneth anger and Jean Luc Goddard really effect the way I tell and think about stories . I also really love the way vintage low budget horror, sci-fi and exploitation.  Just kind of toss reality out of the window and are more concerned with showing you things you haven’t seen before , just completely unapologetic. I think there’s just too much pseudo realism and not enough imagination in modern fiction across all genres.”
5.  Do you have anything exciting coming up in the future?  ”

    “I’m still working on Satani-kill ! That will be a total of six issues so this month I’ll hit the halfway point on that series . After Satani-Kill I have another comic I’ll be self publishing called Lucifer’s Loving Light , a sci-fi occult space adventure. Something along the lines of Jack Kirby meets William s Burroughs . I also just finished a short story for Matt Kings tales to enlighten, that should be out later in the year . I can’t get specific yet but I designed a skateboard deck that should hit spring/summer ( very excited about that one , total childhood dream).”

For more information and/or to contact Andrew here is the following information:

Hello!

And welcome to another exciting chapter of WELCOME TO THE INSTA-HOOD! This week we meet IG-er : @it_came_from_beyond_planet_x

1. Describe a bit about yourself:                                                                                              “I’m a father. A son. A husband.” “Proud weirdo and lover of all things strange and unusual. Avid traveler and seeker of the weird! I’m a geek from way back and lover of all things pop culture, kitsch and retro. Vintage thrift store haunter and garage sale deal connoisseur, always looking for the bizarre.” 
2. You currently live in Alaska, what is that like? What do you do for fun there?  “Alaska is kind of like another world, completely separate from the rest of the US. It’s just different, and the people here are different. They just kind of keep to themselves. I wouldn’t say they’re all outwardly unfriendly, but they prefer for a man to mind his own business.In the Summer, it’s gorgeous here. I look out my back window and it’s nothing but majestic mountains and big open skies. It never gets too hot and the hiking, rafting  and ice climbing is legit amazing. The hunting is off the charts as well, but I’m not much of a hunter, so there’s that. 

   The winter can get pretty brutal, as expected, but one plus is the northern lights – the aurora borealis. It has to be seen to be believed. When you get a good one on a clear night, it’s like the sky is on fire.

   I’ve been here four years, and I do enjoy it, but I’m ready to go. That little voice inside my head is urging me to get out and see new things. Heading out to California in June!”

3. What are you top five toys that you own?

   “Gaaaah! This is like asking me to choose between my favorite children!

   If I absolutely had to choose, I’d say these, in no particular order:

   1977 Shogun Warriors Godzilla – every serious collector has one of these bad boys. It’s one of the greatest. Oh, and it’s hand shoots off its arm! How cool is that??!!

   1984 Manglor Mountain, from Ideal – the first real slime toy, plus the box art is amongst the very best of the entire 80s. Manglors themselves are kind of crappy, but this thing has an Iron Maiden that you literally lower into a volcano full of slime and then press the tongue of a hideous demon face on the front so that it rises back out of the slime. Whoever invented this was a damn genius. 

   1978 Star Wars Death Star PlayStation – I love this playset. Everything about it screams retro sci fi, from the cardboard backdrops, to the foam “trash”, to the goofy green trash compactor monster, all the way to the totally unnecessary but gigantic laser on top of the whole thing. Throw in an elevator, moving bridges, a trapdoor and a trash compactor that actually squeezes your little Star Wars dudes and it’s a 6 year old nerd kid’s dream.

   1984 GI Joe Cobra Rattler (Ground Attack Jet) from Hasbro – hard to find complete and unbroken, but such a bad ass toy when I was a kid. The bad guys always had the coolest stuff.

   1982 Castle Greyskull from Mattel – Kids might not understand this much today, but back in the day, toys were neighborhood currency a lot of the time… and there were very few toys for their time (except maybe the USS Flagg) that looked as bad ass as this one. Not only was it a cool fantasy castle with a giant skull on the front, with trapdoors, a laser, an elevator and all kinds of crazy looking weapons, but it doubled as a carrying case too. It wasn’t unusual at all to see some kid lugging Greyskull across the street, full of his little He-Man dudes. Still an epic toy to this day, with really great box art.”

4. What are the top five toys that  are on your want list?”The Clash of the Titans Kraken, 1981, from Mattel – Such a bad ass toy with great box art and slick production value. Still holds up to this day.

   The Alien action figure, 1980, from Kenner – Horrifying and cool all at once. Nobody wanted them when they were for sale, but now they’re highly collectible.

   Tiamat, from LJN’s Advanced Dungeons and Dragons line, 1983 – it’s kind of a silly toy, really, and not at all comparable to other toys of its time in how cool it could have been, but it was still pretty awesome.

   Repto, from the Micronauts line by Mego, 1979 – that little dude has a glow in the dark brain, a buzz saw for a hand and some of the raddest card art ever.

   ROM the Spaceknight, by Parker Brothers, 1979 – I’ve actually had a few of these over the years, but none were complete. Looking for that complete one to throw some serious cash down on. “

5. Can you talk about your other IG feed (it_came_from_beyond_planet_x) what was your inspiration in starting it? What do you want to achieve with it? :-“I’m a huge comic book, sci fi, horror and genre movie nerd, so the feed is just an extension of that! I really only post things I think are cool or date back from when I was a kid, so it really is a reflection of my own interests.

   Late last year, I started Planet X Games and started adapting my “Grindhouse-style” Role Playing Game Adventure Modules in preparation to go live on a Kickstarter this Spring or Summer. The first module “Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride” hearkens back to every “lost city in the jungle” b-movie you ever saw, while truly evoking that “Grindhouse” style that I’ve come to live so much over the years. It’s something for fans who love their Dungeons and Dragons style adventures as well as their Grindhouse flicks. We got some very talented professional artists to illustrate it and it’s coming together beautifully. I really think it’ll appeal to the lovers of old school RPGs as well as fans of the whole Grindhouse style. If it’s a success, we already have two written, ready to go and currently in playtesting, so we’ll see what happens!”

6.  What are you top five favorite feeds?:”@fartoysvintage is hands down the best seller for vintage toys and pop culture on IG. They are the gold standard. Never a problem, lightning fast service and shipping. Expert packing. Everything is exactly as described. Oh, and they’re funny as hell too. It’s not just the same ole same ole pictures of toys ya’ll.

   @ham.and.sleaze is always posting something cool. Always. Some of it is a little risqué, but nevertheless killer stuff. They have a great sense of humor that seems to infuse their posts as well.

   @retro.cult – who is that again? Seriously, one of my long time favorite accounts. Never disappoints.

   @mindofmikey has super clear comic panels and covers with great colors. He has an eye for picking great panels and splash pages. I love that page!

   @woollymammothchicago is an oddities store in – predictably – Chicago. They have great stuff and are always posting new content. I visited a few years back and it’s just as rad in person. I happen to be wearing one of their shirts right now!

If you would like more information, follow Levi’s IG: @it_came_from_beyond_planet_x

thank you so much for letting me interview you!

Until Next time!

This week artist’s spotlight is on Midnight Drive:

1. Describe in detail your art.                                                                                                “After graduating from Savinis school in 2015 I decided to start my own mask company with my wife called Midnight Drive. Midnight Drives esthetic is neon soaked late night tv monster goodness. The louder the monsters the better!”
2.  What is your favorite piece you have done and why? What is your least favorite or most difficult piece you have created and why?                                                         “Every monster I make is always my favorite at the time. I’m too much of a monster kid to have any favorites. Although, I’d have to say the Neon Nightwolf is probably one of my favorite color schemes I did. It turned out super loud and like it came from some region beyond soaked in sleazy neon hahaha.”
3. What is your least favorite or most difficult piece you have created and why?           “I did a mask called Death Knight a while ago. He was going to be this ethereal undead space knight kinda thing. Looking back I don’t know what I was thinking with that sculpt haha. He turned out nothing like that!”
4.  Where do you find your inspiration in creating your art?                                           “My inspiration comes from 80s horror, vhs cover art, neon soaked arcades, late nite tv, Joe Bob Briggs, USA Up All Nite, local horror show hosts, new wave and sleazy B-movies.”
5. What venue has favorite place in terms of selling or displaying your art and why? “Maskfest! Hands down Maskfest! It’s a convention that happens every year around Aug/Sept in Indiana and it celebrates all things monsters and masks.”
6.  Do you have anything excited coming up in terms of your art? “I’m currently working on a large Deadly Spawn mask and some other monsters for Maskfest in August.”

If you have any other questions and/or would like to contact James for more information is contact info is his Instagram: midnight_drive

Until Next time!

Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting installment of “Welcome to the Insta-hood”! Where I interview fascinating Instagrammers. Today’s interview is with Dave Neabore (IG: DogeatDave)

1. Hello Dave, please tell me a little about yourself:                                                           “My main interests are always music and movies! I always had a love of this stuff since an early age. I was really into heavy metal, punk, hardcore and classical music as a teenager which probably started my appreciation of horror movies and soundtracks. I used to manage two video stores from 1986-1994, so I was known as “the video guy” in my town. I’ve been in bands since I was 12 and started touring Europe and recording records by 18. I’ve been very fortunate to have had a successful music career for 30 years including gold records and an MTV award by age 25. I love to travel, so touring has made it possible to visit over 50 countries and counting. I love animals and meeting good hearted people of which I consider myself one.”
2. What are your five top soundtracks?                                                                                     “I get asked this question a lot and as a serious collector I find it very difficult to answer cause I love so many! But I can say the soundtracks that influenced me the most are Creepshow, Halloween 2, Dawn Of The Dead, Maniac, and Phantasm. There’s so many more great ones including plenty of non-horror stuff too. I’m very open minded and into everything, so all you have to do is drive in my car and for sure you will say what everyone does – “WTF are you listening to?”
3. What movies have you recently really been into?                                                          “The last movie to really blow me away was A Ghost Story. That movie was brilliant and haunting (no pun intended!). I really liked Brawl In Cellblock 99, Mother!, Ingrid Goes West, Brigsby Bear, The Neon Demon, Mayhem, and Hacksaw Ridge. I prefer indie and challenging art house films and I’m really not into a lot of big budget Hollywood films. However I like Kong Skull Island, and thought Wonder Woman was fun. I’m always watching the older classics, b-movies, and trash films! My motto is bad movies and good beer are the perfect combination! I’m not really into newer horror as much although there’s still a few good ones coming out however it doesn’t have the same effect as the films I grew up on. The Suspiria Blu-ray from Synapse is mind blowing in its detail and color and for me is easily the best release of the year!”
4. You have posted some really great movie items. What are some of your favorite things you have and why?                                                                                                   “I’ve been collecting horror related items since I was young so I’ve got tons to share! When I joined Instagram a few years ago I felt like I finally had an outlet to share the stuff that has just been sitting in boxes or piles for decades. I could go on for years and never run out of items to show off. My prized possession is definitely my Zombie poster signed by Lucio Fulci. I was extremely fortunate to have met him in NYC before he passed away. I really love my soundtrack collection on both vinyl and CD.  Plus I got some great books and magazines that were published before the internet took over.”
5. Do you you any exciting events coming up that you would like to share?              “Well first in March I’m going to Monster Mania horror convention in NJ to meet John Carpenter again.” “Then I start touring Europe in April with my band Dog Eat Dog.” “After that Chiller Theatre convention in late April, then the Misfits reunion show in May, and at least 5 more trips to Europe over the summer! I have a bunch of soundtracks coming out this year including the Zombie and Bottomfeeder comics from Eibon Press, and a re-release Of my soundtrack to Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered coming out on Poisoned Mind Records, so I will be very busy and having lots of fun in 2018!”

Thank you Dave for letting me interview you! If you have any questions and want to know more information about him his IG  is: @DogeatDave

until next time!