Friday, October 17, 2014

CATMAN AND THE ATTACK OF THE GOVERNMENT ZOMBIES or INSIDE THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY MATRIX

CATMAN AND THE ATTACK OF THE GOVERNMENT ZOMBIES or
INSIDE THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY MATRIX



And now, the Kitty Mafia Art Worx is proud to present the latest, revised edition of CATMAN COMIX: CATMAN AND THE ATTACK OF THE GOVERNMENT ZOMBIES or INSIDE THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY MATRIX. This story first appeared as a serial in August through September of 2013 and was the first major Catman story ever. We've updated the pictures, narrative and dialogue as best we can and present it now for your enjoyment. Oh, and this was also the first appearance of Catman's assistant, Professor Nuts. If you are looking for Super Sumie, she wasn't part of the team at this time, so don't expect to finder her here.













— Disturbed by news that not only Facebook but also the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) is spying on not only good American citizens, mining their personal data, reading their emails and twits (or is that tweets? Twitters? Whatever!), as well as their personal information (from what they had for breakfast to the condition of their cats box), but also good people around the world, our intrepid crusader Catman, flying, flea-bitten, feline fighter for truth, justice, transparency, and cheaper tuna, flies to Washington D.C. in an effort to investigate this travesty and to put a permanent stop to it.

His aerial patrol takes him over Fort Meade, Maryland, the home of the NSA (which also stands for “Nasty Spying Assholes,” and if the government is asked, “No Such Agency”). He spots his target, takes out his side-handled cats-paw tonfa, a weapon which proved very effective in defeating the insidious “Orangeman,” and swoops in for a closer look.


Suddenly doors on the roof open up and a huge antenna appears; one which shoots a powerful green beam at him — one that he cannot escape as it draws him closer and closer to the NSA. Is it some trick of the former “Orangeman,” now “Greenman,” who suffers from chronic cat scratch fever? Is it the “Bush Beam of Doom”? Is it the dreaded “Rumsfeld Ray”? What will happen to our hero? Is this the end of Catman, even before the adventure even gets going? Will the world ever be safe for democracy? Will the price of tuna ever go down? Stay tuned for the answer to these questions and more that I haven't thought of yet!

«««««


Catman is trapped in the deadly “Bush Beam of Doom,” more commonly called the “Rumsfeld Ray,” and is quickly being drawn into a vortex of green energy that leads somewhere into the depths of the NSA (Notorious Spy Agency) — there is no escape!






He continues to descend into the very bowels of the ultra-secret, ultra-powerful rogue federal agency through its electronic mouth, down its esophagus, quickly passing through its stomach and into its super-secret, super-corrupt intestines, plummeting ever-downward towards its mysterious lower reaches — its large intestine and cryptic colon!


Catman’s descent into the depths of the National Security Agency continues, although his pace slows and shapes start to become more distinct. However, a new sense of urgency arises!




It was a close call, and merely by some quirk of fate was Catman able to avoid a costume change!


With that crisis solved, he sets off to explore the NSA in the hopes of discovering its secrets, putting an end to its covert surveillance and clandestine stripping away of democracy —and then getting the hell out of there!


Suddenly, through the shadows, our hero first senses and then sees a strange form approaching him! Is this some doomsday machine? Is it some malevolent minion of the NASTY SPY AGENCY? Nope — just turns out to be an automated plumber on its way to fix a toilet down the corridor that is overflowing.


Catman moves down the hallway and then suddenly sees a human-like form appear at the far end. He tries to get the figure’s attention.


Just when Catman thinks he sees a “light at the end of the tunnel,” he discovers that the light is a “freight train coming the other way.” He suddenly himself face-to-face with the “face” of the NSA. Is this the end of Catman? Has our intrepid furry feline finally met his match?


«««««

It’s none other than the insidious Agent Smiff! As if things couldn’t get any worse (worser?) they still manage to. Not only is there one Agent Smiff, there are several of them ~ maybe hundreds ~ maybe thousands! Yikes! But that’s not the end of the terror. Suddenly, familiar though altered faces of the past appear — zombies — zombies from the leadership of the previous administration that gave birth to the NSA!



«««««

Well, when we left Catman last time, he was in a real pickle, surrounded by numerous “Agent Smiffs,” and zombies from the past administration that gave birth (not to mention billions upon billions of dollars) to the NSA. It certainly looks bleak for our caped crusader. Has he met his match? Is this the end of Catman? (Alright, alright, I can hear some of you shouting “Just get it over with!!!” — ain’t goin’ ta happen). Catman reaches underneath his cape, into a secret pocket and removes what might be his last hope — his trusty Agent CD Grenade. (Agent CD is, to put it simply, military grade cat dander, guaranteed to cause coughing, sneezing, itching, and swelling sufficient to disable any enemy...living enemy...how it will work on zombies and Agent Smiff we don’t know). Catman closes his eyes, pulls the pin, tosses it into the air, and makes his escape!






Catman runs down a long, mysterious corridor, through a door, and into the very heart of the NSA — bank upon bank of computer servers, constantly listening to everything we do or say on our phones and the internet.


It looks like he’s safe for the minute, when perhaps the one remaining Agent Smiff appears behind him!


But Catman doesn’t stop and continues his escape, running and flying this way and that. When he thinks he might be safe for a moment he stops and takes his last three weapons from beneath his cape — his C.P grenade (militarized essence of cats box, which doesn’t explode so much as it coats everything in a thick layer of odoriferous essence of cat box) — no body will want to touch let alone be anywhere near these servers; his jalapeno grenade, so hot it can melt steel, and his takoyaki - a fried pastry filled with extremely hot ground beef and chili sauce which Catman was saving for his lunch.


The jalapeno grenade is first!



Then the insidious yellow C.P. grenade! It will be years before anyone will even come close to these servers — they’ll probably will just be thrown out...you know how that works!


The CP grenade detonates with a loud "whissshhh" spreading its horrible, sticky stench! There’s no protection against it!


Catman then drops his last weapon — his lunch — his tacoyaki — he really was kind of looking forward to a snack later!


The tacoyaki lands on the floor but nothing happens immediately. Like most spicy food, it kind of sits there just getting hotter and hotter until at last....



Catman continues on, through another door and out into a typical U.S. government, civil service, hallway. Suddenly he spots something that he had not expected — something that might be his ticket out of the NSA — what is perhaps the last remaining telephone booth in America! Stay tuned, same cat time, same cat channel to see what happens!



«««««

When we last left our intrepid hero Catman, he was fleeing for his life, but might have found the one thing that could possibly save his life — what is perhaps the last phone booth in America. He reaches for his ultra-over-priced iPhone (hardly worth it) but realizes that to use it will lead the NSA agents right to him. He reaches underneath his cape for his utility belt (all superheroes have utility belts) and opens a pouch specially designed to hold spare change — not enough for a long-distance call to San Francisco. What will he do? What will he do?


Catman hastily dials the super-extra-secret 800 number that can get him to safety. WRONG NUMBER! Our hero, not prone to profanity, curses!


Undaunted, although a little pissed with AT & T, Catman redials the super-secret 800 number to his secret lair and to Professor Nuts at Mission Control.


Our hero, usually the quiet type, feels the pressure and yells into the phone at his assistant who has been monitoring (we hope) Catman's activities on a vast computer array.


Suddenly, our furry, flea-bitten friend’s conversation with Professor Nuts is interrupted by a familiar but at the same time rather ridiculous voice. He turns just in time to see Agent Smiff (or an Agent Smiff) materialize right before his eyes in the matrix.


The gauntlet is thrown down — Catman’s superiority over Agent Smiff’s dark programming.


In the meantime, back at Catman Central Control (CCC), knowing that seconds may mean the difference between life and death for the Caped Crusader, Professor Nuts tries to locate the proper “app” for superhero retrieval and frantically tries to come up with the correct algorithm to make it work. Smiff pulls the hammer of his pistol back with a loud click and aims at Catman. Is this the end of Catman? Well...is it? I haven’t decided yet, but probably not — so stay tuned — same cat time, same cat channel for the amazing conclusion to our saga!

«««««

And now boys and girls, it's time for the amazing, thrilling, bite your nails, conclusion of Catman’s fight for truth, justice, and cheaper tuna, against the evil rogue government agency known as the NSA — NASTY SPY AGENCY who has been spying on Americans and foreign countries alike!

Cornered by Agent Smiff, our intrepid feline hero has no choice but to “go for broke.” He reaches under his cape to his utility belt and draws out his ultimate-ultimate weapon. Being the sensitive sort that he is, he abhors the use of deadly force. What he does have is his trusty Wather SS 44. magnum mini-cat gun, designed by Professor Nuts, which shoots a special breed of micro mini-cats, not quite nano-cats but almost, which are fired by spring action, fly to their target, scratch and bite, then return safely to their point of origin for reuse after a bit of tuna.


Catman is defiant as always in the face of doom, refusing to give up.


Which suits Agent Smiff just fine. He fires the first shot!


Bullets whiz past Catman’s head as his “micro-cats” find their mark on the face of the NSA —Agent Smiff.


Just as the list micro mini-cat makes its way safely back to Catman, Professor Nut’s app kicks in. There is nothing left but a phone, as Catman makes his escape!


Back in San Francisco, in Catman’s private, super-secret apartment located conveniently at the corner of Chestnut and Hyde Streets on the second floor, a worried Professor Nuts looks after the exhausted, traumatized Catman. Was it all just a terrible dream? Some strange fantasy?


Only Catman knows the truth! Or does he?







CATMAN AND THE ATTACK OF THE GOVERNMENT ZOMBIES or INSIDE THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY MATRIX. © Copyright 2013 and 2014 by CATMAN COMIX™, the KITTY MAFIA ART WORX™, Hayato Tokugawa and Aoi Tokugawa. All rights reserved.
















































Sunday, October 5, 2014

THE MISADVENTURES OF BUNNY - a quickie cartoon by Aoi Tokugawa. Narration by Panda.

THE MISADVENTURES OF BUNNY - a quickie cartoon by Aoi Tokugawa. Narration by Panda.
A few months ago Bunny applied to a company in Japan to do illustration work - advertising, cartoons, etc. - but found that high-tech obsessed Japan had left her in the dust of sharpened pencils. Here's an account of Bunny's day...which also offers theory #1 of how I also became a cartoonist...me, who couldn't draw and was more involved in serious literary and academic pursuits. Me...who now draws catkids, the Kitty Mafia, Catman, Annabelle Nekojin, and Nomi cartoons!


















© Copyright 2014 by Catman Comix™, the Kitty Mafia Art Worx™, and Aoi Tokugawa. All rights reserved.








CATMAN AND SUPER SUMIE SPEAK OUT ON THE NFL

CATMAN AND SUPER SUMIE SPEAK OUT ON THE NFL


CATMAN AND THE ULTIMATE BATTLE


A look back at the very first Catman adventure from August of 2013 which pits our intrepid "Kat Krusader" against the evil forces that threaten the very roots of our democracy.



It all started back in 2012 when the Republican held House of Representatives attempted to block President Obama’s budget – talks of “sequestration” (automatic spending cuts in various categories) and the shutting down of the government filled Congressional cloakrooms and television newsrooms. At the forefront of this was Speaker of the House, John Boehner, otherwise known as “Orangeman” owing to his orange colored synthetic sun tan. From the very onset, our intrepid hero, Catman, took a dislike to the pompous politician and took it upon himself to launch of campaign of surveillance and…well…just a bit of harassment…all in the name of good fun and transparency in politics.




As it turned out, Boehner, whose inflated ego did not leave room for humor, came to hate the furry feline.


After having been threatened by Orangeman with his “ultimate weapon,” our intrepid caped crusader returned to his secret lair on the West Coast, sequestered deep within Alcatraz Island, intent on developing the ultimate counter to his arch-nemesis’ threat. Convinced that he now had his own “ultimate weapon,” one which would certainly defeat Orangeman, Catman has returned to the skies above our nation’s capital, seeking to end this villain’s reign of terror and obstruction, not to mention bringing bad cosmetics, to an end.

Patiently he cruises over the city, back and forth between the White  House, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Memorial. He cruises the FBI building, the CIA, the Smithsonian, and even the Boy Scouts of America Headquarters, but not a trace of the evil Orangeman. Deciding he has “holed-up” in his seat of power, Catman makes for the Capitol Building, confident that Orangeman lurks within, abusing his power and not taking care of the nation’s business. But the Caped Kitty is confident that justice will triumph and that he alone can right the wrongs that have been wrought; at last liberating the “land of liberty” from his enemy’s evil clutches.

Our valiant, daring, courageous caped crusader spots his quarry, deep within the House Chamber, mounted on high on his pernicious podium, wielding his gavel of gratuities, his mallet of malevolence, his hammer of something-something.


“CRY HAVOC! AND LET SLIP
THE CATS OF WAR!"

It’s a hard-fought battle, turning the normal sleepy, quiet, tranquil House Chamber into a war zone. There are casualties and collateral damage. Can man will always feel just a bit sorry that Nancy Pelosi got caught up in the fray — but sacrifices must be made — can’t cry over spilt milk…well, milk…yes you can!

Unscathed, the heroic Catman savors the agony of his arch-nemesis, Orangeman, now Greenman. Once again justice has triumphed and Washington is safe for democracy.

His enemy vanquished, Catman returns to his secret tower high on Alcatraz Island, safe in the middle of San Francisco Bay, hidden from men’s minds by the thick, pea soup fog that lingers there. Still he is aware that his job is not done. There are still even bigger fish to fry — maybe tuna! Yeah, tuna is good!

THE END






This comic parody is © Copyright 2014 by Catman Comix™, the Kitty Mafia Art Worx™, Aoi Tokugawa, and Hayato Tokugawa, excluding the backgrounds in some of the illustrations which were borrowed from various news sources. 























Saturday, October 4, 2014

ANNABELLE'S LEMONADE STAND

It's going to be really hot again today ~ summer showing us that it's not ready to give up and make way for autumn yet ~ so Annabelle decided to open her lemonade stand one more time and invite all her friends.



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

KOMANCHIKI: THE LEGEND OF THE CLIMBING PIG



Today we present for your enjoyment and old tale from Kyoto that seems to have started during the Edo period, but it could be much older - who knows!!! It is entitled KOMANCHIKI, or THE LEGEND OF THE CLIMBING PIG, sometimes also known as "PIGS DANCING OVER KYOTO". So grab a snack, sit back and enjoy our fable, which is dedicated to all the "Climbing Pigs" out there - I'm sure we all know at least one!


Once upon a time, so very, very long ago, on a very average farm, in the very average village of Mibu, on the outskirts of Kyōto, lived a young pig named Komanchiki. And, just like the other pigs on the farm, Komachiki was…well…average. Not that there is anything wrong with being average. Sometimes it makes life a whole lot less complicated, simple if you will; and thus, a whole lot more enjoyable. But Komachiki didn’t see it that way.


Even at a very young age he would often say to himself, “Average is boring,!” and promised himself that when he grew up, he would be anything but average. “Average is boring,” he would often say to himself again! But life doesn't necessarily work that way. Being more than average requires…well…a lot of effort and a whole lot more. Lots of people, no matter how hard they try, simply remain average and are very happy with that. But no matter what Komachiki tried, and no matter how hard he tried, he really was just an average pig — he knew it and he hated it.


So he started making up little stories that he would tell himself — to make him feel better about himself and to help convince himself that he was above average. 


Now, this may have been fine when he was a piglet (but it’s really not ever good) and then when he grew older, he began telling the stories to the other pigs, so that they would think he was above average. For example, one day two of the elder pigs on the farm, Mr. Otaka and Mr. Ito, were playing a game of go when Komachiki proudly walked up to them and announced that, “Wow! Farmer Izumi just asked me to help him plant rice, which of course I did, and when we were done, he said ‘Komachiki, you are a very good rice planter indeed. I would be so pleased if you will help me every planting season and perhaps you will be so kind as to help me with the harvest.’”

Mr. Ito and Mr. Otaka simply nodded their heads and kept right on playing go. Satisfied that he had impressed his neighbors, Komachiki proudly strode of to tell some other people how above average he was. Of course, what really happened was that farmer Izumi was planting rice, but caught Komachiki frolicking in the mud and tearing up the plants he had just planted. What he really said was that Komachiki wasn't good for much of anything and it would be fine with him if the pig went away and never came back! Just a bit different story I think...


Later that same year, in autumn it was, Komachiki excitedly ran up to two lady pigs and told them that he had just been helping Mrs. Izumi make apple pies. And of course, she told him that he was a tremendous help and couldn’t thank him enough! Well, what really happened was that she caught the pig merrily munching on a basket of apples she was going to use to make an apple pie. Not one apple had been untouched — all had been munched on!

“Oh my! My lovely apples!” shrieked Mrs. Izumi! “I was going to make my sweet husband a sweet pie for his enjoyment after working so hard in the fields. What will I do now! They are ruined. Perhaps I can save just enough to make him some apple sauce…get out of here you terrible pig!”


And so it went. The next year, Komachiki would tell anyone who would listen (or seemed to listen anyway) how so-and-so had asked him to consult on a project in the barnyard, or how he had caught Mr. Izumi making a mistake and how he, Komachiki, had immediately corrected it. Obviously he was a very intelligent pig and thus — well above average. But as you might expect, folks grew rather weary of hearing all these tall tales from Komachiki about Komachiki; but people, as I’m sure you also know, try to be tolerant and hate to hurt someone else’s feelings…even if it may be for their own good.


Yet, the fat little pig was still not satisfied with himself. He decided that what he really needed was to do something that no pig had ever done before — something so stupendous that they would never, ever again think he was average. He thought and he thought and then one day it came to him. At the front of the farm was a magnificent cedar tree, taller than any of the other trees in the neighborhood. What he would do, for all to see, would be to climb to the top of the tree (or as high as he could go) in front of everybody. Then they would have to admit that he was above average.

So, one bright Saturday morning, he called all the pigs and all the other farm animals together at the giant tree and proudly proclaimed that he would do what no pig had ever done before — climb to the top of the tree. And with that he started to climb. His little fat arms and his little fat legs were shaky to say the least and grew more so the higher up he went. In the meanwhile, people looked at each other; nodded, whispered — this would come to no good end for certain.


Well, Komachiki showed them all! He did climb almost all the way to the top, with the people below cheering him on, and there on the last branch that could possibly support his porky weight, he stood with his arms stretched over his head, shouting to those below to look at the wonderful thing he had done. Well, people did look, and they saw the climbing pig standing near the very top of the tree; but they also saw something he didn’t see. A small dot in the distant sky, behind the pig, began to grow larger and larger until everyone could see that a great eagle was swooping down from the sky in the direction of Komachiki.


And before anyone could shout a warning, the eagle darted through the air and snatched Komachiki up in his massive talons and flew away.


No one ever saw Komachiki again; and I’m told, not so many really cared anyway!


And that’s how the saying, which perhaps you have heard, that even a pig who really can’t climb trees can do it when he is cheered on, came from. Of course that is all nonsense, but old folks like to tell the story and then wink an eye at its conclusion.

There is another saying also which grew out of this story, “Only crazy people and smoke want to go up to high places like a climbing pig,” and I tend to agree with that.

And there is one more saying, really almost another legend in Kyōto that says, when the clouds, and the sun, and the wind are just right, you can see Komachiki dancing high up in the air — “When pigs dance over Kyōto,” meaning that something is pretty impossible; and not unlike that old Western saying, “When pigs fly.” — I think they borrowed that from us!

Text and illustrations © Copyright 2014 by Aoi Tokugawa, Hayato Tokugawa, and the Kitty Mafia Art Worx (™). All rights reserved.