Hammer Head

Hawaii Politics

Ahh Tom Brower. The State Representative from Waikiki and Ala Moana spent the beginning of the week as a hammer-wielding vigilante, smashing shopping carts left abandoned (and sometimes still in use too) by homeless people in his district. Brower said he was tired of the eye-sore caused by the stolen carts and frustrated by a lack of action on the part of the city.
For a lawmaker to take the law into his own hands, though, is a bit--comic worthy?
So Brower thinks he can just smash all our problems until they're gone. Homelessness? Check. How about a blazing fire? Well, he'll sure give it a swing...
Brower said yesterday that he would hang up his hammer and cape and call his vigilantism quits. Some advocacy groups and other organizations have called on the House to take disciplinary action against Brower, saying his actions were highly inappropriate for a state lawmaker. To which, Brower replied by smashing a coffee table in half.

Splintered Paddle

Hawaii Politics

Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang introduced a bill in September that would, essentially, make lying down on the sidewalk in Honolulu's three special business districts illegal. 

Yesterday, the most recent draft was deferred in committee by a vote of 3-2, meaning it will die unless another new draft is created.

Overall the reaction to the bill stalling was positive here in Honolulu. Opponents say that the bill is unconstitutional, as it violates the law of the splintered paddle--Kanawai Mamala Hoe--part of the Hawaii State Constitution, and that it targets the homeless specifically. Supporters, many of whom are small-business owners, say the bill is necessary, as many of the homeless in Honolulu sleep in front of stores in Chinatown, Waikiki and the Capitol District and can be disruptive to business.

I wondered what King Kamehameha the First, the creator of Kanawai Mamala Hoe, would think about Stanley Chang's bill. I wondered what other solutions would be viable other than opposing Kanawai Mamala Hoe. And then I wondered how people would react to an image of Chang prepping to splinter another paddle over the old King's head. So many questions...

Sometimes I like to paint zombies

I have a problem.
Sometimes, I like to paint zombies. Bloody, gory, sometimes silly, but zombies nonetheless. I love zombies. They're one of the only horror antagonists that can be absurd and terrifying at the exact same time. I love the theories behind various zombies too and the mixture of occult and bio-warfare they conjure. I also love the idea that, individually, they're no big deal, but in a massive group (or herd as they're called in AMC's The Walking Dead) they're nearly impossible to escape.
Plus, they're just really fun to draw!
I was asked to do some zombie illustrations for my buddy James Charisma's magazine Abstract, for a Zombie Survival Guide story.
I only managed to do this one. Unfortunately, James felt his publisher would find the illustration too violent and asked me to redo it.
Some of you may know that Hawaii is currently in the midst of s special session of Legislature to decide on a Marriage Equality bill. As political correspondent for the Hawaii Independent, I've been busy at the Leg every day last week and (likely) every day this coming week as well, so I told James I wouldn't have time to redo anything. Which means the poor zombies in this image would never get to be admired without this blog.
Anyway, the original concept for this image was "Go Mobile" as in, find a vehicle and drive through the herd, killing as many zombies as possible—or at least that's how I interpreted it. Maybe the killing part I made up. But I mean, come on, what else do you do when zombies attack? Invite them to a game of Backgammon? I don't think they'd understand the strategy very well.