Remix Culture - the 2024 Series

 

Earlier this year I explored the roots of urban vinyl toy design, and my love of basketball. I talked about how China, street culture, and pro sports changed the aesthetic of both toy designs, and video games. Below are all the entries in the series. If you love toys, and rambling posts that go nowhere then please check it out.

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 1 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 2 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 3 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 4 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 5 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 6 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 7 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 8 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 9 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 10 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 11 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 12 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 13 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, part 14 

Remix Culture, how Asian designers changed the game, final part 

Remix Culture: Bonus Entry 

As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection part 23...

I had so many posters in my Capcom collection that I had to break them over several separate blogs. Here's a reminder for any Street Fighter, or fighting game fans in general. If you want to get into collecting the posters then try to track down the game guides from Japan. The gems in my collection came from Gamest. It was the premier arcade magazine through the '90s. When they published guides, which they called MOOKS after Magazine-Book they often included a poster.

My Marvel Super Heroes poster was actually autographed by AKIMAN, the father of Chun-Li. It was at the San Diego Comic Con at the UDON Booth. The booth did not want to honor their commitment to one autograph per person who purchased one of the Capcom hardcovers. I said I didn't want the autograph on the book, but instead the poster. They pushed back until I talked to the managers, then they told the staff that it was okay, in fact that I could get the autograph on my book too for the hassle.

There are two Muscle Bomber posters that I know of. The first is the same as the main art that most people are familiar with. This version I had no idea existed until I saw it pop up in a Japanese auction site. I was super happy with it, and was one of the official drawings by Tetsuo Hara where I could see the details on the CWA belt that I used as reference for the actual belt I commissioned.

I don't believe in wall scrolls since they usually steal licensed art. I bought this Marvel vs Capcom 3 poster under false pretenses, I was told it was an official poster, and was sent a scroll instead. You just can't trust people online.

The Pocket Fighter is too cute, as is this classic illustration of Sakura.

Do you have a favorite game, or character that you wish you had a poster of? I’d like to read about them in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 22…

I had so many posters in my Capcom collection that I had to break them over several separate blogs. Here's a reminder for any Street Fighter, or fighting game fans in general. If you want to get into collecting the posters then try to track down the game guides from Japan. The gems in my collection came from Gamest. It was the premier arcade magazine through the '90s. When they published guides, which they called MOOKS after Magazine-Book they often included a poster.

I thought the 3D remake of Bionic Commando absolutely failed to capture the magic of the original NES hit. I called it one of my favorite games of all time. If you can track down a copy of the 2.5D "Rearmed" remake I implore you to check it out. Sadly the 3D remake failed in every regard, and pretty much buried the franchise.

My friend was actually in Japan for work, and he asked me if he could pick anything up for me. I said anything from Capcom would be great. He got me a Capcom Girls Calendar that featured some art that I do not think was published in any other artbook. It's certainly one of my treasures.

I also have a collection of Capcom Secret Files. These were previews that were only available for arcade operators in Japan. I don't have all of them (yet) but I do have some gems in my collection.

Are there any rare items from a favorite game studio that you're proud of? I’d like to read about them in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 21…

I love fighting games of all kinds, and today I’d like to look at the posters for some of the rarer games. Everyone knows about the versus series between Marvel and Capcom. Arguably a better crossover was between Capcom and SNK. Who knows if those two worlds might come together again, especially now that a few Fatal Fury characters have popped up in Street Fighter 6.

One of the biggest posters I have is for Fighting EX Layer. It took forever to track down this poster. It’s a little rough around the edges but I love it. I think it was only available with the collectors edition of the game in Japan. However it is larger than regular posters, so this might have come from an actual arcade, making it even rarer than I thought.

I don’t want to get a copy of every fighting game poster that was ever made, but I am partial to rare fighting games. That was why I had to track down a copy of the Groove on Fight poster. I had talked about the Noise Factory series on the blog previously, which had art by the amazing Range Murata. I’m eager to see, and share what other rare fighting posters I can find on my searches.

This Rage of the Dragons poster had been on my bucket list for two decades. I've talked about the game before on the blog. I didn’t think I would ever find for less than $100 in any condition, let alone a good condition. This poster popped up on eBay one day with a buy it now price of $15. At first I thought it was one of those replica wall scrolls out of China. But I researched the seller and saw that he was selling off a bunch of old game items so it seemed legit. I bought it, and sure enough it was a genuine poster in great condition that I got for a steal. Now if I can luck out with a low priced Capcom Alien vs Predator poster (which currently goes for around $800) then I’ll be a happy man.

Do you have any posters for rare fighting games, or other games in general? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Street Fighter 6 master class index

I am grateful for all the new readers to the blog at the end of 2024. I noticed that a number of different entries into my Street Fighter 6 master class were getting shares. For those that do not know I did a 30-part series in 2023. It took a lot out of me, in fact I got super sick because I was spending so much time working on it. I’m pacing myself better now. For those that are interested here are all the links. I discuss the history of Capcom, Street Fighter, Final Fight, and the arcade legacy. We look at the mechanics of fighting games. We dissect the origins of the cast, and how they were improved over time. Plus how the new developers were making everyone a better fighting game player. Please share this if your friends love fighting games. 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 1 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 2 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 3 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 4 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 5 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 6 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 7 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 8 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 9 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 10 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 11 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 12 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 13 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 14 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 15 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 16 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 17 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 18 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 19 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 20 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 21 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 22 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 23 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 24 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 25 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 26 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 27 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 28 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 29 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 30 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 31 

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, final part 

As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 20…

It turns out that my fighting game posters are not limited to Capcom. I also want to celebrate their friendly rivals at SNK as well. One of my favorite games is the Samurai Spirits / Showdown series. If you are looking for posters from the SNK franchises then I would suggest tracking down issues of NEO GEO Freak from Japan. They often came with a poster. There are a few issues that I’d like to get still, but if, and when I do I’ll blog about it in the future.

I’ve written about the genius of SNK’s art team on the blog, especially the brush style used by the Samurai Spirits illustrators.

Samurai Showdown II was ranked one of my favorite games of all time. If you’ve never played it then please try to track down a copy in an anthology.

Garou Mark of the Wolves is one of the most underrated fighting games in the history of the genre. Thankfully it is getting a sequel decades later.

I love the SNK posters that I have, and I’d like to add a few more. I’ll never get as many as the Capcom posters I have, but it’s always work trying. Do you have any favorite SNK games or posters? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 19…

I may have a lot of posters from cartoons, and comic books, but my biggest collection comes from video games. I have a few from Namco, and tons from Capcom. However I also have a decent collection from Sega.

A couple of the silk screen prints I got from the Sega pop up booth during the San Diego Comic Con. The employees printed posters right in front of us, and zapped them with UV lights to get them dried, and rolled them up for us. It was a cool giveaway.

I have a few old posters from US game magazines. These were often the only ways to get some of your favorite games in poster form.

If you have ever played Sonic Adventure then you might remember the fictional Chao in Space movie posters around town. I was so happy to see Sega actually sell them. Now I just need to find some Soap shoes to frame them with.

Speaking of Sonic Adventure I still have a sticker sheet from the fantastic Dreamcast game.

Sonic Mania Plus was one of my favorite games of all-time. It was the only game in the series not made by Sonic Team that I absolutely loved.

Sega also dropped a cool glow in the dark poster celebrating the game. It took a few tries to get a picture of it in the dark. Thankfully I had a UV flashlight that helped me get the glow right.

My kid surprised me for my birthday one year, and got me this wonderful Sonic poster from an artist at a convention. She said keeping it hidden from me was the hardest part until my birthday rolled around. She also got me the Mighty, and Ray Missing posters, but I can't seem to find which box I stored them in. If I do track them down I will update this post.

NiGHTS Journey of Dreams was a tremendous disappointment for me. Especially considering that the original NiGHTS into dreams… was my favorite game of all time. I’ll never stop loving the character, and universe Sonic Team created. I can only hope that there might be a directors cut of the original NiGHTS in time for its 30th Anniversary.

Are there any favorite Sega games, or other studio games that you’ve collected poster for? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 18…

Today we look at some of the Oswald replica posters in my collection. One day I hope to get my hands on an original. But for the time being I’ll settle for these.

Are there any classic cartoon characters that you’d like to get a poster of? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 17…

I like my Disney posters, but I especially love my Oswald prints. The first drawing I have is by Senior Disney artist Stacia Martin. This was actually a prize at the Epic Mickey 2 press conference. The press group was invited to dinner, and a presentation at Club 33 in Disneyland. I wrote about it in an earlier blog. Stacia drew both a Mickey, and an Oswald. The person I was with won the Mickey drawing, and he asked the person that won the Oswald if he were willing to trade. The guy just gave him the drawing, so I actually own both of them now.

The second Oswald sketch I have I got from a D23 event at the San Diego Comic Con.

The two Epic Mickey posters I have are little bit worn but I’m not letting them go, as official print items with Oswald are so few, and far in between.

Do you have any sketches of your favorite cartoon characters? Are you a fan of classic characters getting some shine in video game form? I’d like to read about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Freeze frame, my poster collection, part 16…

Today we’re looking at some of my favorite Disney posters. The one from Coco we got when my family attended the D23 convention in Anaheim.

The original DuckTales cartoon series was sublime. The movie was okay. However the poster by Drew Struzan was amazing. Drew had created the Indiana Jones posters to name a few of the amazing pieces he’s done. The fact that he can also deliver cartoon characters should not go overlooked.

The Elemental movie was great, if poorly marketed. This poster was so well done it should be studied by all designers learning to work with color.

Fantasia is probably my favorite animated film of all time. When I heard that there would be a sequel in 2000 I made sure to get my tickets for day 1, which was Jan 1. The film played in IMAX, and I treated my little brother to the show. I still have the ticket stub in my wallet. One of these days I’m going to get this poster framed.

The pixelated Gravity Falls poster we got at the D23 event happening at the San Diego Comic Con. The show creator Alex Hirsch was very kind to us.

Are there any Disney shows, or collectables that you enjoy? I’d like to read about them in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!