On paper, NBC's "Outsouced" is the sitcom I've always wanted. Not since Margaret Cho's "All American Girl" have we seen a predominantly Asian cast on American television. Well, there was "Vanishing Son," but nobody remembers that one. Anyway, yes, "Outsourced" should be something I lose my shit over. On a tick list of things that I'd want in an Asian sitcom, this ticks them all: predominantly Asian cast, airs on prime-time, explores Asian culture in a non-exploitive manner (kinda. This point can be argued, but I think they actually do a good job), potential interracial dating. So far, so good.

So why is it so hard for me to get into this damn show?!

I didn't make it through the first episode of "Outsourced" when it aired. Every week, I try to stick with it. I usually have the tube on Thursdays for NBC's comic block while I'm working on the comic. And even then, I just can't sit through an entire episode. I usually make it half way through "Outsourced" before I click it off the idiot box and click on my Old Time Radio.

The thing is, I love a majority of the cast. I love the setting. The soundtrack is really fun. But it doesn't work. And after trying to sit through this first season unsuccessfully, I've pinpointed what keeps me from enjoying a full episode. Todd Dempsy.

Todd Dempsy is our viewpoint character. He's just like us, an average American who doesn't know jack shit about Indian culture. Okay, so he's nothing like me. Nor is he anything like anyone I've ever met, ever. But I've never been to Kansas City so who knows, he might be exactly like everyone there. Which would mean that everyone from there is deadly boring. I don't know if it's the writing or if its the way Ben Rappaport portrays him, but Todd is seriously the most boring person on television. There's nothing memorable about him. He's so bland, so milquetoast, so not there that I had to fucking look up his name because I forgot it!

Now I understand that the producers wanted to treat the subject matter with reverence. They didn't want this show to be written off as racist buffoonery. And it really feels like they've taken the time to get familiar with Indian culture. But they've created a viewpoint character who's so inoffensive, he's practically invisible. And yet he's the focus of every episode that I've tried to sit through. Honestly, I'd rather enjoy the show if he wasn't there at all. I mean, even giving him a sexy blonde Australian chick to date who flashes his brother on the internet fails to make him interesting.

Goddamn, you're so goddamn close "Outsourced." I so want to like you. Just get rid of the boring dude and focus on the rest of the cast. Send him back to Kansas City already and get on with the show!

When the Milestone Universe hit the comics scene in the 90's, I had no idea that I was being under served by comics. It never occurred to me that there could be non-white super heroes because until Milestone, there weren't any. I loved what they were doing, putting minority faces on covers, exploring issues that other publishers were afraid of. They recognized the diversity around them and crafted stories that reflected that cultural richness.

I also appreciated that they didn't lean on stereotypes. This wasn't just the Black version of Superman or Batman or Iron Man. These were fully realized characters who happened to be Black. They recognized that readers would get that simply by opening the books.

Here's a short documentary about Milestone and creator Dwayne McDuffie:





Milestone continues to be a source of inspiration for me and my work. I would have loved to have met Dwayne McDuffie in person and just geek out about comics.

National Geographic is publishing yearlong series examining the impact of humans on our planet as our population reaches 7 billion sometime in 2011. To kick things off, they wanted to see what a typical person might look like. Turns out, the typical person looks a lot like a 28 year-old Han Chinese man:



You can explore more about The Face of Seven Billion through their interactive feature. And you can follow the story of 7 billion as the year goes on at National Geographic's 7 Billion Hub.

Source: National Geographic

I've never seen the Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, but if this is the kind of thing they do on a regular basis, I'm very, very a'feared.

UPDATE: England readers can check out this link because Cartoon Network apparently hates you :(

Since Margaret Cho's All American Girl, there's been a decided lack of Asian American on American sitcoms. And until Outsourced came along, All American Girl was the only American sitcom with a predominantly Asian cast. I have a lot of problems with Outsourced, but it's leaps and bounds ahead of the thing that I am about to expose you to, The Chin Chens.

Let's go to the official description:

The Chin Chens is a television show that details the life of a loving but unique family. They are unique because the family members come from different ethnic backgrounds. The father is Chinese and the mother is Vietnamese. They have three children, two of whom have chosen to "downplay" their own cultural identity in exchange for the American way of life. Like it or not, the grandmother is doing what she can to get the family back to their cultural roots. However, the inherent cultural difference between the parents makes for a humorous and educational journey in every episode.

It's clear that they want to do for Asian Americans what The Cosby Show did for African Americans. How does it stack up? Let's take a look at the highlight reel.



Wow. That was... wow. Where to begin.

1. Fail 1, Leaning On Stereotypes
   The Cosby show was not about African American stereotypes. Just by having the show on primetime, Cosby knew it would challenge these stereotypes. Instead, the show focused on the Huxtable family, a family that everyone could relate to with problems that every family faces.
   
   What's the first thing we see of the Chin Chen family? A discussion that basically reinforces two stereotypes. Asians can't drive. Women can't drive. Bravo. If you made it past this first segment, you are a brave person.
   


2. Fail 2, The Accents
   I don't know these actors so this could indeed be the manner in which they speak. But their Asian accents sound forced.
   
   Why bother with the accents? You already have a show with a family that doesn't look like any other family on television. We get that they're different. You don't need to reinforce that with accents.
   


3. Fail 3, The Chin Chens? Seriously?
   The name of the show is a terrible turn off. It's too close the Crayon Shin Chan which is way better. But it's also too close to "Ching Chong," the stereotypical way Asian languages sound to non Asian language speakers.
   
   One of the things that I do like about Outsourced is that the name actually tells you what the show is about. Chin Chens makes it sound like the show is playing on Asian American stereotypes. I know, I should talk. My comic is named after an Asian American invective. Still, they should take a hint from All American Girl and Outsourced and come up with a more clever title.
   


4. Fail 4, Where's the Funny
   There's a serious lack of the ha ha. The jokes all fall terribly flat. I found myself raising an eye brow when the laugh track would kick in to indicate a punch line. Really? That was supposed to be a joke?
   
   The bedroom scene is particularly painful. All the humor that might be there is completely sucked out by poor timing, bad editing, overacting, and weak writing. I'm not sure why the clip was included in the highlight reel because there's no context for the fight, but it fails to draw me in as a dramatic piece nor does it make me laugh.
   


5. Fail 5, It's All Forced
   Nothing is more cringe worthy than a comedy trying too hard. That's what ultimately brought down All American Girl and that's what prevents The Chin Chens from being enjoyable. Now granted, this is only a three minute clip. But if the rest of the full episode is comedy gold, what the fuck is wrong with the highlight reel?
   

From the accents to the writing to the relationships to the sitcom cliches, The Chin Chens falls on its face before it even gets a running start. This show needs a lot of polish before its ready for prime time which is a shame because there's certainly room for more Asian American sitcoms. In its current state, I don't think it will find an audience, Asian American or otherwise.

Source: Angry Asian Man

This is cross-posted from my horrible Angry Zen Master blog.
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There are moments of self delusion when I think that minorities have made significant progress in Hollywood, that there are non-token roles in films in which minorities play against stereotype, that American films are starting to portray the rich diversity of this country. And then I watch the Academy Awards and the homogeneous reality of Hollywood comes crashing in.

No One Looks Like Me

There were four Black presenters at last night's Academy Awards, Morgan Freeman (who didn't actually present anything), Jennifer Hudson, Oprah Winfrey, and Halle Berry. There was one Asian winner last night, Shaun Tan, who won for best animated short. And that's all you get.

There was a decided lack of diversity in this year's Oscar nominations. And thinking back over the 2010 movie season, the big films that everyone was talking about were pretty homogeneous in terms of casting. Just the same, there were plenty of diverse films released in 2010 that featured very colorful casts. So what's the deal, Oscar?

Something's wrong with the major studios. I'm sick of people telling me that things aren't that bad or that minorities just aren't trying hard enough or just aren't good enough to carry a major motion picture. Bull. Fucking. Shit. 83 Academy Awards and I can count the number of minority winners on both hands? Fuck that. The big studios are either ignoring minority actors or think that general audiences don't want minority actors. Cause lord knows there are a shit ton of minority actors looking for work.

Fear, Not Racism

I will not accuse the studios of being racist because that's unfair. The situation is more nuanced that just mere ethnocentricity. But what baffles me is that while television programming is making decent headway on minority representation, major studio films are lagging behind.

I think it really comes down to fear.

Ticket sales are down and were sliding even before the economic fuck you. Studios blame the loss of revenue on downloads or streaming or whatever else they can think of while ignoring the quality of their product. With less money coming in, they're becoming increasingly wary of new stories. This is reflected in the sheer number of sequels, remakes, re-imaginings, comic book movies, old tv show movies, and other remixed content that continues to fill up the studio slates. And as much as we complain about sequels and the like, the sad truth is that they get asses in to seats which makes them sure fire wins for the studios.

The studios have a winning formula which almost guarantees them money. It doesn't advance the art of film, but it keeps them afloat. A major part of that formula is the cast make up. And here's where I think the fear of change comes in. Since the original films these sequels and remakes are base upon feature homogenous casts that lack diversity, the studios think that the new versions must reflect those old casting choices. Never mind the fact that minorities communities continue to grow as the years roll on. Never mind that the more people see actors who look like them the more likely they'll go to see these films. If the original cast lacked diversity, so too will this new cast.

Can We Change It?

The longer the studios cannibalize their old ideas, the more ticket sales will slip. It's going to take a major slap in the face of movies for them to take notice. Everyone jumped on the 3D bandwagon when Avatar destroyed every single box office record. Will it take an Avatar sized hit for the studios to realize that audiences are ready for diverse, non-stereotypical casts?

I certainly think a message was sent when Airbender fared so horribly at the box office and was humiliated at the Razzies. But it's going to take more than just a statement of what we don't want. There's got to be a big ass movie that everyone can get behind, minorities and non-minorities alike, that will prove to the studios that minorities can carry big budget films. Slum Dog Millionaire won a bajillion Oscars and should have been that, but it didn't really impact the next year's offerings.

I don't know what kind of movie it will be that will finally break this barrier down. Maybe it won't be a single film but a number of smaller films that will add up to a major movement. Maybe it will be a giant, blockbuster that comes out of no where. But whatever it is, I feel like it's close. It's gotta be. Maybe we won't even recognize it when it happens, but when Oscar looks less homogeneous, we'll know we've made it.

Today we pay tribute to Dwayne McDuffie, creator of the Milestone Universe, who passed away this week much too soon.

This is my humble take on Static Shock, one of McDuffie's most well known characters. I never liked the white mask so I simplified his color scheme to a two-toned gray and orange.

This is a pretty awesome bit of role reversal with the ladies objectifying the hapless dude who jumps in on their multiplayer. But it also gives me a whole lot of twisted ideas to draw in the next Super Art Fight Unleashed where they let me draw really twisted and fucked up shit.

Steven Ho is an amazing human being who has done two things that I once thought inconceivable. One, he has made Britney look like a complete bad ass as she fights herself in the music video for her latest song (if we can call it that), "Hold It Against Me." Two, he has convinced me to watch a new Britney Spears video in its entirety on purpose. Fortunately, for you, Steven posted a video of just the fight segments so you won't have to sit through what sounds like a song made up of every bad pickup line anyone has ever used on Britney.



In an interview with MTV, Steven revealed that Britney did most of her own stunt work:

Britney was really excited throughout the whole process. It was a grueling shoot of dance and stunts, but her passion for the video and professionalism never wavered. There were some pretty tough insert shots where we needed Britney to actually get hit in the face by "herself." We did several consecutive takes of this, and she had a lot of fun with it and was a great sport.

Britney was very enthusiastic about learning how to fight; she's an athlete. I got that Jonas' concept was partially about the duality of self — we all deal with that, so who wouldn't have fun fighting their alter egos?

Alright, even though I think the song is total dreck, I gotta give the lady credit. She put in the work and it shows. But I think we all know who the real hero is, here. Steven Ho, congratulations on a fine piece of action choreography. There should be an extended version where the rest of the video is just shucked and replaced with more ass kicking.

Source: MTV

I had a tremendous time at Katsuchan 17. It feels great to be back on the con circuit to meet new fans and fellow creators. There were aspects of the convention that seemed broken to me but I won't dwell on those issues because the staff was abundantly aware of their shortfalls. Also, there was probably a lot of behind-the-scenes drama that played out that doesn't need to be aired out in public. Overall, I had a great time and it seemed like the attendees that I talked to were having fun. And in the end, that's what these things are for.

The Back of the Alley

My table was all the way in the back of the Artists Alley right before the webcomic guest section. I was in the weird position of being a Guest of the con and a Staff Artist but not a Webcomic Guest. Someday, I will join their ranks and stare at a back wall as well!

I could be mistaken, but the ass back of the alley is not terribly good positioning. So it amused me greatly to hear other artists complain about their positioning in the feedback meeting. Those bastards were all closer to the entrance. Fortunately, the power of Puppy Cow compelled people to stop by and check out my stuff.

I wish I had a camera with me to record all the reactions Puppy Cow got. Even if I didn't sell a blessed one, those reactions were freaking priceless, everything from abject horror to squees of adoration. Loved it!

This was the first convention where I had products on my table. And not just the typical art prints and postcards. I had stickers, pendants, shirts, mini comics, and Puppy Cow. I sold more Puppy Cows than anything else which I kind of expected. But I didn't expect to sell any mini comics which turned out to be the second best seller on my table. Stickers as well sold much better than I expected. I think having a variety of items at a variety of price points really helped. I probably would have sold more buttons than anything else if I had a chance to make some up for the con, but because of the fanart policy mess, I decided to just bring all original work with me.

Next time I will probably also offer to do sketches. I think $10 for a quick sketch might be reasonable. Full on commissions will probably be price terribly unreasonably. But I also might bring along a handful of original inks and such. We'll see. So far the only other con I have lined up is SPX.

Going to School With Uncle Frank

One of the highlights of my weekend was going up against Frank Cho at Super Art Fight. Last year, Jo Chen cleaned my clock so I was used to public humiliation in front of my art heros.

I've been following Frank's career since college when he drew University² for the Diamonback newspaper at the University of Maryland, College Park. Getting a chance to meet him let alone draw along side him was an event that I never knew I could even dream about. The actual fight went by like a blur and while I felt like I was just walking around like an idiot making stupid marks on the canvas, a few people came up to me after the show to congratulate me. I'm so glad I didn't totally suck.

I'm happy that the piece sold well at the charity auction. I got a chance to talk to Frank afterwards and he seemed to enjoy the fight. He's a really nice guy and I got to talk about art stuff and how his books and covers are going. He introduced me to his girlfriend as a sick bastard which, strangely enough, I take as a huge compliment for reasons which will be explained in the next segment.

After Hours With Drunk Cartoonists

I enjoy drawing cute things. I enjoy drawing cute yet disturbing things. And there are times when I enjoy drawing completely fucked up things. So when challenged to a "Let's-see-who-can-draw-the-most-horrifically-depraved-thing-ever"-off by a fellow cartoonist, I take it as a matter of pride to rise to challenge.

And so, Friday and Saturday night, if you were in the courtyard by the fountain at the Gaylord hotel and happened upon a group of drunk cartoonists, you may have witnessed horrific things being drawn by yours truly, Ross, Bill, and Danielle as Dani, Dern, and James (I'm sorry, I don't have a link for you!) looked on in amused horror.

Now of all the people I ever thought I would ever have the opportunity to meet, the one person I would have thought would be immune to the horrific images I am able to conjure on paper was Danielle Corsetto. From reading her comic and her twitter feed, it is clear that not a whole lot shocks her. However, operation horrify-a-drunk-cartoonist was a big success. I'm not sure if these terrible things will make their way onto the interwebs, but the fucked up thing is that they were kind of tame compared to some of the other shit that I've drawn.

There's gotta be a market for this kind of thing.

These late-night, early-morning drinking/drawing sessions are the best part of going to conventions. Meeting fellow cartoonists, talking about cartooning, conventions, working shows, process, and generally just shooting the shit, this is what I've been missing for the past few years. It's good to get back into the swing of things.