TRIBAL SPEAK
Site Map Contact Me
I f you want to contact me, you can send me a message through my ICQ PAGER
even if you don't have ICQ yourself. My ICQ# is 30621377. My email address
is jwestley321@icq mail.com. Send me an instant
message here
Still Here 1-20-00
The year
2000 was ushered in with nary a whimper...DAMN! I was actually hoping for
a little chaos and mayhem, along with the loss of all of my credit records.lol
Oh well.
YOU'VE GOT MAIL! 10-4-99
I got
this email a couple days ago:
Just checked
out your TRIBAL SCIENCE site... and I got what you might call mixed emotions.
On the down side: BioteKKK? *Every* flippin' melanin-challenged character
is purest EEE-vil? Gosh-a-mighty gee whiz, when did Farrakhan start writing
comics? {SARCASM} Oh yeah, *this* book is going to do absolute *wonders* for
race relations in this country... {/SARCASM} The art isn't really my cup of
tea, either; somehow, I get the feeling that you're not quite ready for prime
time yet. On the up side: The writing shows that you've got some pretty damn
good ideas floating around in your head, and you know what to do with 'em.
The art is far from a complete loss, for while the details of the execution
may not always be the best, your layout and composition are strong. One suggestion:
File compression is your friend, all the more so when you're tossing >400K
images around like candy. If you haven't already done so, I'd strongly recommend
that you experiment with various compression settings for your JPEGs, and
find out just how small you can smash 'em down to *without* screwing up the
image quality. Good luck with your comics career.
Since i started TRIBAL
SCIENCE i've received a total of 3 letters of criticism, including this one.
I usually just read em and go on about my business without giviing it much
of a second thought...can't please everyone right? But i would like to look
at a couple of the points made in this email and show how they point out the
importance of racial imagery and perception in today's society.
On
the down side: BioteKKK?
Yes...i chose to spell
it with 3k's, similar to the way ICE CUBE presented his views on racism with
ameriKKKa's MOST WANTED a few years back. No, i don't think the silly muthafuckas
runnin around in white hoods terrorizing black folk are the same individuals
running the BIOTECH industry but i do feel that a considerable amount of the
upper echelon of white corporate america believe in some of the same ideology.
They just dont wear hoods and burn crosses.
*Every*
flippin' melanin-challenged character is purest EEE-vil? Gosh-a-mighty gee
whiz, when did Farrakhan start writing comics? {SARCASM}
RACIAL IMAGERY AND PERCEPTION.
This goes back to how blacks are traditonally portyrayed in media(all types).
As long as niggas is laughin, jokin, being second rate sidekicks, singin,
runnin touchdowns or slamdunkin basketballs...everything cool. Anything outside
of these images is considered non-mainstream, "radical", "militant", etc.
1) All of the characters of TRIBAL SCIENCE (white and black) are not listed
on this site, and 2) Nowhere on this site do you see the statement that all
melanin-challenged (white) people are evil or kill whitey slogans. The statements
he made stem from the fact that the characters presented in TRIBAL SCIENCE
are entirely different from the racial stereotypes he's accustomed to seeing,
hence the sarcastic (in his view) statement.
Oh
yeah, *this* book is going to do absolute *wonders* for race relations in
this country... {/SARCASM}
WHAT?!!! Are you afraid
that black people are gonna read TRIBAL SCIENCE en masse and then rise up
against their oppressors? OH MY GOD!!! RUN TO THE HILLS!!! TRIBAL SCIENCE
IS COMING!!(that's sarcasm) Tell me this. Who created and perpetuates the
ISSUE OF RACE in this country? This country was founded by racists, built
on racist principles and a large part of it's wealth was created through slavery.
Racism is a fact of life you have to deal with in this country whether you
be black, hispanic, asian, etc...ahhh, i digress but it's really all related
isn't it? Why don't you write and tell me of the mainstream comics out right
now that are doing "wonders" for race relations in this country? Everytime
you see a racial slur in a mainstream book do you write the company and point
out how their book is "doing wonders" for race relations in this country?
You didn't find ANY racial slurs in TRIBAL SCIENCE, yet you take the time
to send me your "sarcastic" comments.
Let me give you an example
of how racism is entrenched within all aspects of this society we live in.
Todd McFarlane is a white guy who created a comic character that happens to
be black. SPAWN. No. 1 comic on the shelves for years from the time it first
appeared. When the movie came out a few readers (including myself) were puzzled
as to why Wandas husband is white in the movie? He explained in the back of
one of the comics that the movie executives suggested that he change the color
of at least one of the characters because with that many black leads (i belive
it was 5), he would wind up with a "black movie". Making a "black movie" meant
that he would recieve a much smaller budget (no special effects) and no marketing
dollars. So basically the movie executives told Todd that we would like to
make a movie but ya got too many niggas in the story to get any "real money"
from us. Todd opted to make the husband (Terry) white so his movie could reach
a wider audience. That's one example of the racist reality we (non whites)
deal with on a daily basis.
The
art isn't really my cup of tea, either; somehow, I get the feeling that you're
not quite ready for prime time yet.
Let me say this once and
for all. When i actually make money from TRIBAL SCIENCE, the first thing i'll
do is hire an artist. I draw it because I have to! Who else is gonna do it
for free? I do feel i have enough skill to tell the story i have in mind tho.
This ain't Marvel or Image where they have 4 or 5 people to complete a comic
page. This is an independent production. Don't like it? Don't read it! Well...that's
all for now. Later this week I plan to expound upon one of my favorite terms
by my boy Yommi called "CHAOS MATHEMATICS" and look into the phenomenom of
why we skip along the yellow brick road searching for THE WIZARD. See ya
BACK ONLINE 8-22-99
I've been offline for almost 2 months now due to computer problems. A
new comic page will be up this week.
THE MATRIX (4-015-99)
"How come my eyes hurt?" "Because you have never used
them"
THE MATRIX - Messianic comparisons
THE MATRIX - the new sci-fi, action flic starring Laurence Fishburne
& Keannu Reeves. Five years in development by the Wachowski brothers (writer-directors).
On the surface...an action packed, kung fu sci-fi extravaganza, but underneath
the messianic overtones and biblical symbolism run rampant throughout and
shows the amount of thought put into the movie. Some of the biblical symbolism
is obvious; Morpheus = John the Baptist, Neo = Jesus, Cypher = Judas, The
name of Morpheus ship is the Nebuchadnezzar, The final remaining human city
is Zion. Jesus rose from the dead in three days, Neo rose in three minutes
to overcome the MATRIX and realize his destiny.
Neo: "What truth?" Morpheus: "That you
are a slave Neo, that you were born into bondage...a prison for your mind"
In my humble opinion, THE MATRIX is more than just a kung-fu sci-fi extravaganza.
I think that now more than ever, people are questioning our existence and
reality and THE MATRIX is the first mainstream film i've seen that attempts
to question our concepts of reality, faith, belief, and sensation.
"...there is a difference between knowing the path
and walking the path." "...you've been down that road Neo, you know exactly
where it ends."
(Click the pics below to go to THE MATRIX website)
UPDATE (4-05-99)
There's been no update for like...forever.
To make a long excuse short, I had to take a break. Seriously. Had to get my
head together and get back into what i was doing. Anyhow, i'm back at the drawing
table with a vengeance and the next pages should be appearing by the end of
April.
I HAVE A DREAM (4-05-99)
A lot of times when i dream, i'm
aware that i'm dreaming inside the dream. At that point of awareness inside
the dream i can then do anything in the dream that my mind can concieve.
Stuff like flying, running incredibly fast while the scenery around me moves
in slow motion or thinking about being somewhere entirely different and
then just be there. They call that Lucid dreaming. I love it when i have
those. I used to write my dreams down until i had an out of body experience.
To say that it was life changing is an understatement. I'll leave it at
that. There's no way i can put it into words (tho i tried cause i wrote
it down). Every once in a while i'll have a dream that's more real than
when i'm awake (try ta figure that one out.lol). Very intense and very (for
lack of a better term) real. Had one last week. I still can't get it out
of my mind. Last week i dreamed about the end of the world.
Seriously thinking about tryin to
illustrate it but a part of me knows i could never come close to recreating
everything exactly the way i experienced it. It went something like this.
I'm standing alone in a wide open field. This field is all i can see in
any direction. It seems to go on forever. When i look up into the sky, there
are four planets or moons next to the moon we see everyday. Three of these
moons are dark grey and give off no light, the fourth is blue with light
blue streaks travelling across the surface. Upon the sight of this i cannot
move. The planets or moons seem very close to the earth. I wanna look away
but i cant. Deep down inside i know whats gonna happen next. That's why
i want to run so bad but not one muscle in my body would respond. As i'm
looking up the blue heavenly body slowly moves out of formation and begins
to plummet toward the earth. At that point whatever was stopping me from
movement releases it's grip and i'm runnin for cover. I'm movin at what
i call "dreamspeed". I'm moving so fast that everything around
me begins to move in slow motion(best i can explain it). Inbetween the time
it takes me to get "home", i realize i'm not scared of what's
going to happen, it's that i dont want to witness the collision. I have
no recollection of what "home" looks like or where "home"
is in relation to where i was in the field. In the next instant i'm in the
living room and the TV is on. I dream in color but the TV was playing in
black&white. As i stood in the living room i felt this incredible sense
of peace...uuumm, actually i cant describe the feeling....sort of like something
you've been waiting for has finally arrived or is gonna happen. i fell to
my knees and just waited for impact. there was a rumble and the ground shook.
i remember at that moment thinking, "i'm finally going home, finally
gonna leave this place". but then nothing happened. someone came on
the tv and said that china or russia was like totally destroyed and there
was catasrophes all over the planet. i felt a tinge of dissapointment. this
would drag on. for how long?
The next instant i'm standing in
the field again(hey...it's dreamtime.lol). There are no planets in the sky
this time. I look down and look up again and there is the biggest fucking
spaceship i've ever dreamed. Now...as i said before this dream was extremely
vivid. I can remember everything about this ship. It seemed almost as big
as a planet. It was circular in shape and the color was white to a light
grey. There was a blue dome in the center of it. There were some kind of
inscriptions engraved on the sides of it. Here's the weird part. It seemed
to be out of control and falling towards earth. It seemed bigger than a
planet at this point. There was no sound and it was wobbling like it was
going to crash. Again I wanted to run but couldnt. At that point i awakened,
sweating, in fear, the whole nine.
Now my whole day was fucked up behind
that shit. Kept running back over and over in my mind. I can still see the
imagery today as clearly as i dreamt it that night.
UPDATE (2-02-99)
Well...the Falcons didn't pull off a victory but they get much
respect for a winning season.
UPDATE (1-31-99)
Finally got page 19 up.
Look for page 20 to be here real soon (this week maybe). Do me a favor and
sign da guestbook before you head out, aiight.
Peace.
BLACK COMICS (1-22-99)
A few weeks back I'm talkin to a friend
on the phone and I mention that I'm gonna create a black comic that has longevity,
to which she replied "There are no black comics!?" Even though she's
mistaken, that's probably a commonly held assumption by most folks. The truth
is that there are quite a few independent black comics that have been published
and some that are still being published. Traditionally, black characters in
comics (published by the big 2-Marvel and DC) have been portrayed as sidekicks
or second rate characters. That trend pretty much continues to this day despite
the fact that a major percentage of comic buyers are black. Here's one example
of the industry's nonchalant attitude (in my view). Wesley Snipes brings to
life on the big screen one of Marvel's second rate characters BLADE and has
a HUGE HIT! The first Marvel character brought to the big screen with any measurable
amount of success. You would think that they would capitalize on that momentum
and give BLADE his own book with "hot" artist & writer team. duh?
They currently feature BLADE in STRANGE TALES and the shit is weak! The main
point is that he still doesn't have his own book!
Let's look at THE BLACK PANTHER.
Wesley was actually going over scripts for a movie based on this character
for years. Marvel has just launched a new BLACK PANTHER series under the
MARVEL KNIGHTS line of books. The hype was there, finally a BLACK PANTHER
series!!! FINALLY! To top it off they enlist the writing services of Christopher Priest (who happens
to be black) and get Mark Texeira to handle the art. Two of the finest creators
in the biz. I'm thinkin how could they go wrong, this is a no brainer, can't
miss. duh again! The story is being told through the eyes of the white FBI
agent who is assigned to "babysit" the PANTHER while he stays
in New York as this story starts. HUH? George Jones vocalized the frustrations
of many when he wrote this month's issue of WIZARD MAGAZINE and expressed
his frustration over the current PANTHER storyline. To quote the first paragraph
of his letter, he wrote "I've been a Christopher Priest fan ever since
he went by the name "James Owsley." I'm jumping up and down that
he and Mark Texeira have a new gig on BLACK PANTHER. But I'll give this
series 14 issues before it gets cancelled. Black comics don't sell. Aiight,
I actually gave it 12 issues before Marvel cancels it.lol.
Let's hear what Christopher wrote in response
to George's comments. Christopher wrote "Black
comics don't sell? I agree. That's why I'm not writing one. Christopher continues
"Black Panther is based on a similar formula MD Bright and I created for
Quantum & Woody (that book was cancelled too-my comment), that allows for
culture and ethnicity of the characters without being exclusive to any audience.
BLACK PANTHER is as much about Everett K. Ross, Panther's reluctant co-star,
as it is about Panther himself. Wer'e confident this decision will position
Panther as mainstream fare, suitable for a wide audience. "If we can get
beyond people's resistance to trying something new, they'll see the race of
the hero is the least relevant thing in the book. As king of an African nation,
there is no denying the Panther's ethnicity, so we hardly have to clobber anyone
over the head with it. He could be king of Scotland. It doesn't matter. "I
think you can produce a work about a black character without the work being
about race. I think we have a unique formula in PANTHER. At least that's what
we're hoping. Try it. Or at least think about it." It sounds reasonable.
'Cause when you get right down to it, a good comic is a good comic regardless
of what color the characters are. And BLACK PANTHER is lookin like a good comic."
Can you belive this bucketload of shit!!!
Niggas kill me! It's no wonder we aren't represented in the comics we buy. This
is one of the best writers in comics today. Let me break down just what Mr.
Priest is saying. "Black comics don't sell? I
agree. That's why I'm not writing one". What da fuck is dat
shit?! You're writing Marvels premiere black characters, who is an African king,
yet you say you're not writing a black comic?
"Black Panther
is based on a similar formula MD Bright and I created for Quantum & Woody,
that allows for culture and ethnicity of the characters without being exclusive
to any audience". People...it's
1999. We're headed into a new millenium. Why is he making excuses for the ethnicity
of the character he's writing? Why is he worrying about excluding "any"
audience? In this sentence "any" is the code word for "the white".
Does Marc Silvestri worry about "being exclusive to any audience"
when he creates THE DARKNESS? How about Jim Lee when he does DIVINE RIGHT? How
about Mark Waid with CAPTAIN AMERICA? Palmiotti and Quesada when they create
ASH? Warren Ellis with TRANSMETROPOLITAN? I don't think they give a fuck about
anything but creating what they have in mind! hmmmm...now there's an interesting
concept.
You're basing PANTHER on a formula
you created for Quantum & Woody?!!!! That BOOK WAS CANCELLED!! "BLACK
PANTHER is as much about Everett K. Ross, Panther's reluctant co-star, as
it is about Panther himself." I've waited years for a PANTHER BOOK!
Fuck a Everett K. Ross!!!! Punk ass muthafucka! DAMN! That's some annoying
shit!
"Wer'e confident
this decision will position Panther as mainstream fare, suitable for a wide
audience." "wide audience" = white audience. I
say this...the trials and tribulations, struggles, triumphs, and defeats of
T'Challa are suitable for any audience because his struggles are universal.
By overtly trying to craft a "mainstream fare", you have failed before
you started. "As king of an African nation, there
is no denying the Panther's ethnicity, so we hardly have to clobber anyone over
the head with it. He could be king of Scotland. It doesn't matter."
"Clobber anyone over the head?" King of Scotland? It doesn't matter?!!!
Hey Chris, let me let you in on a little secret buddy. IT DOES FUCKING MATTER!!!!!
If he was the king of Scotland I would not be buying the fucking book!!! Fuck
I care about the King of Scotland?!!! I'm buying a BLACK PANTHER book! If you're
not gonna stay faithful to the character then let it rest. How do you clobber
someone over the head with ethnicity? So I guess you will do everything just
short of denying his ethnicity, downplaying it as they say, in order to craft
a "mainstream story"? Damn...last time I looked, our ethnicity was
"mainstream". Dig it, the fashion, the music, the language. My boss
is Pakistani, his son is 13 years old and he listens to hardcore Hip-Hop! Fuck
you talkin bout man! Quit makin excuses about goin "mainstream" and
write the BLACK PANTHER book that we fans have been waiting for!!! I guess that's
too much to ask huh? To be continued....
GIVING
YOU SOMETHING YOU CAN FEEL (1-22-99)
Work has begun on the TRIBAL SCIENCE
comic. That's right folks. It's comin, the first issue (of many to come)
of TRIBAL SCIENCE will be dropped this spring. I've got the first three
issues plotted and have begun laying out the first issue. I won't drop the
first issue until I've pencilled the second as well. The first few issues
will be black and white interior with a color cover and an initial print
run of 2-3000 issues. Of course the books will be available here and also
in the local stores that will carry it. Planning to hit urban clothing stores,
bookstores, record stores, flea markets, clubs, etc., basically whomever
will carry it. If you know of a place, send me a business card or the address
of the place and I will get in touch with them and arrange to send some
promotional materials(color posters, flyers, etc.).
Also lookin at hitting the spring/summer
southeast convention tours along with fellow ATLien comic publishers Peachtree Comics
and Native Comics. Some may ask,
"Why don't you go through Diamond?" For those who don't know,
Diamond is the ONLY distributor available if you want to get your comic
distributed to comic stores. They are a monopoly right now, the only way
in. They carry you if they want, if not-you're fucked. If they do decide
to carry you then you get listed in they're phone book sized monthly catalog.
Needless to say, without buying advertising from them you will most likely
get looked over because the premium ad spots and space are given to the
largest publishers (Marvel, Image & DC). That's the system. I can't
change it, don't have the money to participate, so I have to go a different
route. Simple. If I had $20,000 to launch a book through Diamond, then I'd
be singing a different tune.lol. Anybody out there wanna loan $20,000 to
a technically homeless, no collateral possesing brother with an indefinite
period to pay you back?LOL. Hey, it was worth a try right?
Next time I'm gonna talk about black
comics, blacks in comics, the perceptions, the lack of blacks in comics,
etc. I also wanna let you know about the black independent comic publishers
out there in the trenches right now that could use your support. Oh yeah,
before I go, gotta hip ya to two BAD ASS Comic Artists out there doin they
thing on the web as well, JOMARO
and JAMAR LOGAN.
Check em out. Till next time.
Site Map Contact Me
Sign
My Guestbook
View
My Guestbook