Greenfuzz returns...

Amos will soon publish Will Sweeney's 3rd installment of the Tales From Greenfuzz comic book series. This should be available early in the new year.

Also, possibly lifted from issue 3, we welcome the amazing "SU2CV with Frite Gunner Kommandant". Produced by Three Zero from Hong Kong, this amazing piece should also be available for pre-order on the Amos online store early in January.

More Greenfuzz images and information very soon.

He's here...

Martin X is finally let loose today.



Positivity for all.

Playlounge Signing

I second James's recent post and also thank everyone that came to Playlounge last weekend. A great afternoon and really good to meet some of the people that comment on the blog. JJ signed for over two hours and everyone seemed to leave happy. Cheers to Aidan and Montse at Playlounge (always great seeing them) and to Jim at Strangeco for putting it together.

Amos enthusiasts form an orderly queue



JJ meets his audience



JJ draws a Ken

Thanks for Saturday

Many thanks to everyone who came down to Playlounge for the signing on Saturday. It was a pleasure to meet you all; I really appreciate the support.

Anyway, here's some Funkadelic for you:

A Big Saturday

Strangeco's King Ken Mini hits the streets tomorrow. 5 colours and a collectors chase. Personally I quite like the aqua blue Ken.

And, as previously mentioned, to celebrate JJ will be signing product from 4pm at Playlounge in London's Soho. Many have asked if he will sign items not purchased on the day. The answer is yes but in reason. Please don't bring armfuls of books and figures as it will not be fair to those waiting (and James gets tired). Please be reasonable and he will do his best. Right now there are no restrictions but if people ask too much we will have to limit each person to one product only.

Enough of that... looking forward to meeting people tomorrow.

Until then...

New 10k PB for JJ

I knocked off nearly 40 seconds off my PB on Sunday at the Brookes Brighton 10k, finishing 12th in 32:21. I've done a few smaller 10k races since I came back from my injury at the end of August but this was a much more competitive race. My next outing is the London Cross Country Championships on Parliament Hill which I will be doing just before my signing at Playlounge this coming  Saturday .

James Jarvis Signing at Playlounge

To celebrate the release of Strangeco's King Ken Mini Series 1
Saturday November 22, 4pm - 6pm
Exclusively at Playlounge, 19 Beak Street, London W1F 9RP.

Martin X SE

It is now common knowledge that we have collaborated with fashion brand Silas to celebrate their 10th anniversary and our 10 years of making toys. The red and grey Martin X figures are an update of the very first JJ vinyl figures we produced. But what has remained quiet, until now, is we are producing a third special edition colourway, available exclusively through the Amos online stores (with a handful on-sale at the original Silas store in Daikanyama, Tokyo).

Martin X SE is a tribute to Bounty Hunter who helped us produce the original Martin figures back in 1997/8. We collaborated with BxH earlier this year to produce King Kun, but this Martin X colourway is our personal tribute to them, in recognition of their unique place in the history of designer toy culture. Back in '97 Bounty Hunter's Kid Hunter was the first figure we saw from the new toy culture growing up in Japan. It inspired us to produce our first rotocast figure and with the help of BxH and One Gram, Martin born. So it seems fitting that our own Special Edition 10th anniversary version of Martin should be in the original style of Kid Hunter. And the Anarchy symbol on his hand is in tribute to the punk rock spirit of Hikaru and Taka, and our own D.I.Y. ethos. We hope the next 10 years will be equally creative.

Reviews

Seen a whole bunch of reviews for WWOA in mags and on the net. Here's a couple online we were quite fond of.

Pink Raygun

/Film

Also big thanks to Last Gasp Books in SF for making us last week's book of the week on their mailer.

King Ken Mini at Strangeco

Strangeco (our partners in the US) have announced the official worldwide release date for King Ken Mini.

This is Amos's first licensed figure collection and is intended for a wider audience than our in-house releases.

For more information click here for the Strangeco release info.

Where it all began...REALLY...

This was the first press we ever had for a soft vinyl figure. Seminal UK style mag "The Face" gave us a full page back in the very early days of Silas.

Martin was belatedly released in June 1998. He was the very first Silas product, style code S1000 otherwise listed as TOY.

We had actually originally conceived of Martin as a Holmes product (Slam City Skates's underground street-fashion label that predated Silas). Really Martin should have been released 6 months earlier (maybe at the end of 1997) but the demise of Holmes and the birth of Silas delayed the production. In fact, I would say that perhaps the most valuable of all Silas/Amos/James Jarvis linked paraphernalia would be the first wax mold of Martin, with the original Holmes logo inscribed on his sweatshirt. That piece is owned by a certain Mr Kenichi Omura of Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan. Offers anyone?

Many thanks to Gregory Holman for the scan.

Where it all began...

Coming soon...

Martin X

10 years on.

The Artists Formerly Known as Goat Molestör

Thanks to French for this image and inviting me down to some dark Black Metal rituals at The Bull and Gate in Kentish Town, London. The second act, Grave Miasma, used to be called Goat Molestör. Apparently they objected to the use of "Goat" in their name so they changed it!

Here for more Grave Miasma.

More Death than Black i'm sure you'll agree...

Stash for Everyone

This weekend we will open the online-store Stash to everyone. This is the last of the stock that we have carefully put aside over the previous 10 years of toy making. It is the final chance for collectors to pick up authentic Silas/Amos rarities at more reasonable prices. We have absolutely no more stock of any of these items. Once they are gone then they are gone forever.

Gold and Silver members have had their chance! From Saturday everyone else has their opportunity.


Happy hunting...

Computer Arts Projects...

... on sale 9th October.

The Stash is full again.

From this Saturday at 1pm, Amos Online Store Gold and Silver Members will have an opportunity to fill those gaps in their Silas/Amos vinyl figure collections. Watch your inboxes for emailed details!

Bird God

I've written an article about the creation of the Bird God for the October issue of Computer Arts Projects. He also appears on the cover. The magazine should be out on October the 9th.

David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace, Influential Writer, Dies at 46

Exuberant Riffs on a Land Run Amok

Infinite Jest

Federer as Religious Experience

Large Hadron Collider

2 days to go until they switch on the worlds largest particle accelerator.



More images here.

Special Thing

Sturmpercht

Slayer

I Yam What I Yam

Make 'em Laugh

10 on my turntable (and two on the CD player)

Been a while since I posted one of these. And now I've finished cleaning the spuds for dinner I'm allowed to blog again. So here's what's been getting me off recently...


1. Zomby - Liquid Dancehall 12" (a heavy, heavy UK dub from an in-form producer.)



2. Urfaust - Drei Rituale Jenseits Des Kosmos CDEP (Gothic Dutch "Black Metal?" synth noise. Amazing, dark stuff.)

3. The Puritan - The Black Law 12" EP (pounding, Sludge Doom from Finland. Relentless and epic.)

4. Darkstar - Need You 12" (21st Century UK Garage bleeps and vocoder vocals from another happening Bristolian production team.)



5. Loefah - It's Yours 12" (more super heavy bass and beats but in a slowed up OG B-Boy style.)

6. Darkspace - Darkspace III CD (another serving of beautiful cosmic Outer-Space Black Metal from these Swiss lunatics.)

7. Indian Jewelry - Free Gold LP (buzzy, electronic, post punk, MBV style psychedelia from these amorphous Texas rockers.)



8. Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista LP (smart, intricate, dreamy electronic Folk from another bunch of mysterious Finns.)

9. Caribou - Andorra LP (I'm a year late on this one. At the time I was given a heads up by Sven at Lodown Mag. Now I've grown to love the layered pop-psyche genius of Daniel Victor Snaith.)

10. Baader Brains - The Complete Unfinished Works of the Young Tigers LP (revolutionary politico hardcore punk from San Diego. Apparently a tribute to German The Red Army Faction. Amazing packaging too.)



11. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime 12" (spaced out, trippy, minimal sample based, house music from Sweden. 3 tracks taken from the excellent CD with the same title.)

12. Valet - Naked Acid LP (floating, dreamy drone and guitar in a Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3) vein. But this is Honey Owens and she's from Portland, Oregon.)

Something for the Blunted

Gratuitous Cosmic Interlude.

NOW it's time for the 'Wind...

"Bear" good hols...

While James has been building sculptures for sporting mega-conglomerates, I've been keeping it organic while on holiday in mid California. Bit of camping, bit of hiking and some serious wildlife encounters in Kings Canyon, CA. Here's some holiday snaps. Excuse the indulgence.

Big old Redwoods. Over 2,000 plus years. I'm the tiny figure in the foreground.



The end of the road, the beginning of the Wild.



Me, on a canyon side, looking like an extreme sports plum.



After a tense, noisy night, the morning unveils signs of bear just outside our tent.



Bear cubs on the trail. Mum's just out of shot.



This one was on our path and coming our way!

Window Display

I have designed a window for Niketown in London which went on display this Saturday. I haven't had a chance to look at it in person yet, but my Dad sent me this photo this afternoon.



Many thanks to Beanie Brownjohn at Make Stuff who made the sculpt and to Acyde at Nike for the comission. I also designed some posters which will be given away at the shop. I'm not sure if they're available yet; I'll post more details later this week.

The window is up for a month if you want to have a look in person.

Mind Your Language

Clean Up after Your Dog

Don't Drop Litter

Put a Donk on It

Wonder Woman of the Week

The final Wonder Woman of the Week for July is Carla from San Diego, CA, alter ego: Seras Victoria

What I Did in My Summer Holidays by James Jarvis Age 37 3/4

Whilst Russell has been gadding about Southern California I have been keeping things real in South London.

I am working on two projects at the moment. One is a large scale sculpture which should be revealed early next month. The second is quite an ambitious and exciting multi-disciplinary undertaking that won't be exposed to the public until next year, but should keep me busy for the next few months.

In the meantime I have discovered a new manifestation of the potato-head which I can't stop drawing. I'll try and post an example.

I am still not back to running. The fracture has now healed, but at my last consultation (three and a half weeks ago) I was given another six weeks before I would be discharged back to full activity. It's very frustrating as I am itching to try out the new Nike Lunar Racers which have just come out.

Until then I have really got back into cycling, doing as many miles as time permits. Its very liberating riding the North Downs and out into Kent, which look amazing at this time of year.

Interview Film

Earlier this year Alex Gould, a student at Liverpool, came down to London to interview me for a film he was making for his Degree Show. He's just posted it online.

James Jarvis from Ika Zcha on Vimeo.

SDCC Saturday 26th July

My last Comic-Con blog before I go off camping in what forests are still left in California...



WWOA back cover girl Crystal comes to visit the Strangeco booth.



Hello Kitty goes in search of YOD to help her cause in the myspace battle with worldwide Black Metal.



A Saturday afternoon zombie flash mob.



Our favourite WWOA zombies, Dead Trixie and Eva.

Now it's over to you James...

SDCC Friday 25th July

Frenzy as the King Kuns go on sale. Gone in a matter of minutes.





More frenzy as a multitude of Slave Leias descend upon a huge Jabba the Hutt sculpture. More than a few of these girls are WWOA.



After last night's disappointment, Samantha and Jacquelyn are happier today after collecting their copies of WWOA and posing for all to photograph at the Strangeco booth.



WWOA cover girl Ruby Rocket comes and visits the Strangeco stand dressed as Starfire.



And later, after a ride in a cab driven by William Burroughs, we go and see Ruby headline at a burlesque review on the other side of town.

SDCC Thursday 24th July

Up high in San Diego.



Yaya and Ruby at the Strangeco booth.



A happy Mina on seeing her picture in the book.



An unhappy Samantha and Jacquelyn who, having no ID, were refused entry to the Strangeco/G4TV/WWOA after party. You were missed!



Astra and Nerdcore friend.



Amanda (previously Evil Lyn) in a new disguise.



Wonder Woman Debra puts on her costume for the evening.



Trista, "Han" and another "Slave Leia" friend relax at the party.



Trista's other passion.