Hot off Her Majesty’s press comes a limited-edition print for our upcoming 2009 season. Designer Sean D’Anconia throws some new elements into the AVENJ blender for this one - Classic roadsters, dragons right off the walls of 50’s San Fran’s Chinatown, Italian-Yakuza fusion and more all underscored by a blazing red Euro-Crime Scottish motif.
A main inspiration for D’Anconia’s work continues to be the Nikyo-Eiga or “Chivalry Films” of the 1950’s and 60’s. A shadow brother of Takakura Ken can be found in this print.
Ken-San, walking to destiny. Any second now, Ikebe Ryo will join him. Guaranteed.
Another cult-cinema easter eggs is the somewhat unique facial structure of our “faux-hero” a la Kojak who bears an uncanny resemblance to Edward Woodward of The Equalizer fame. We’re all fans of Woodward’s cult spy series - CALLAN - a clip of which you can see below. Highly recommended.
DAMN FINE BLOODY AVENJ will be released as part of the 2009 CHASER (makers of True Love & False Idols) artist series, featuring D’Anconia’s work. Stay tuned for launch details.
Another hard hitting EOS-REVENJ time piece. This one celebrates multiple themese. From cult boxing classic ASHITA NO JOE, to some of NIKKATSU and SHAW BROS. greatest sport-action epics. [Read more]
Part of the new HMSS artist-series collaboration with CHASER, “SEX, AVENJ & FURY IN WANCHAI” was designed and created in this infamous red-light district of HONG KONG. Prior to setting up shop in LA’s LITTLE TOKYO, HMSS designer Sean D’Anconia made WANCHAI his home, and lived in one of the new highrise developments to emerge in recent years.
But WANCHAI’s history is an old one and before HK executives & fashionistas walked these streets, SUZIE WONG and a host of other HONG KONG legends called it home. A notorious haven for sailors and seedy characters of all types, WANCHAI is also the location of one of the oldest temples in HONG KONG and marks the spot where the Japanese ceased their entry into the island.
D’Anconia took his own unique WANCHAI experiences, so the beauty, danger and promise of this little district, past and present, finds a home in this truly unusual print featuring a stunning “Lady of the Night” with the classic Japanese Orochi tattooed on her back. The skull/crossbones in her hair pay respects to Matsumoto Leiji’s Femme-Fatale creations, and the theme itself is in part inspired by Ike Reiko’s classic, SEX & FURY along with FEMALE YAKUZA TALE: INQUISITION AND TORTURE.
Beautiful original poster for Reiko’s “FEMALE YAKUZA TALE”!
We all know and love her, and now, POPEYE’s main squeeze, OLIVE OYL, finally gets the face-lift and make-over that she desired.
Check out this completely redesigned version of OLIVE OYL, put together by the crazy cats here at HMSS. Hand-drawn to give OLIVE & friends that vintage comic-art appeal, this print celebrates a (fictional, yet possible) launch of OLIVE’s new YAKUZA epic, OLIVE BLOSSOM - CHERRY FLAVOR ASSASSIN!!!
Classic Famous Studios “POPEYE” cartoon, with some of our favorite iconic representations of Popeye, Olive and Bluto.
Taking inspiration from JUNKO FUJI, IKE REIKO and a host of Japan’s Pinky & exploitation stars, OLIVE goes Yakuza-Eiga in this limited-edition print from HMSS & KING FEATURES.
Below: Vintage poster for RED PEONY GAMBLER 8 - EXECUTION OF HONOR, from the HMSS private collection. Amazon Japan sells these flics in their original Japanese, as part of Toei Films recent re-issue campaign. They are great whether you understand the lingo or not. Better yet, get a friend to translate! Our new OLIVE OYL takes much of her style & physique from FUJI JUNKO’s role in this excellent series.
Below: Opening to SEX & FURY! Check out those beautiful hanafuda cards. Our own original collection can be seen on the borders of the Olive print.
Here are some sneak-peeks at our upcoming King Features collaboration! Popeye finally gets some new tats and Olive gets…a body!!!
KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, a division of the Hearst Entertainment Group, is one the world’s most prestigious creators and distributors of comics, animation, characters, editorial cartoons, and more. From POPEYE to BETTY BOOP to FLASH GORDON to BLONDIE, all of us have grown up with a host of the characters created and/or distributed by this amazing company.
As lifelong fans, HER MAJESTY’S SECRET STUDIO was thrilled with the opportunity to develope a full collaboration with KING FEATURES on their amazing roster of properties and characters. Over the coming months, we will be showcasing art from this collaboration, created by HMSS’s own Sean D’Anconia.
We’re back with another AVENJ offering. Get ready for “AFTERWORK AVENJ“, a wild “Yakuza meets MOD” cinematic tribute. With Psychedlic influeces on hand, HMSS designer D’Anconia did his research in multiple genres of art and film to put this eye-popper together. From “Big Ben” to sheet music from Beethoven’s 5th to a classic “Meiko Kaji” pose (but its not her, we assure you!), “AFTERWORK AVENJ” has a story to tell!
Here’s some direct source material, starring the King of Irezumi Cinema, Takakura Ken - from the film BRUTAL TALES OF CHIVALRY: LONE WOLF (IPPIKI OKAMI)!
It’s RARE, It’s WILD It’s AVENJ!RWA pays its respects to Jean-Luc Godard’s New-Wave classic “Breathless” with a semi-Belmondo motif in the background combined with some reflections of Reiko Ike (Sex and Fury) in the female silhouette over which our signature Orochi tattoo flows. As our faux-actress Leora Francesca says, “Happiness is a warm blade on a cold london day”. Faux-movie review to follow soon!
More on Belmondo:Jean-Luc Godard hailed the new-wave in with “Breathless”, making Belmondo a household name in France. But our favorite Belmondo vehicle has to be George Lautner’s “The Professional“. Perhaps one of the only crime dramas to come out of post 70’s France that lives up to the standard set by Melville, albeit in a different direction. Highly recommended. Opening credits played to Morricone’s Chi Mai below:
MOD, MOTOR OIL and SPEED! Start your engines and prepare for the just released AVENJ “SHINJUKU SPEEDWAY”! Capturing the spirit of classic racing films like Frankenheimer’s epic “GRAND PRIX” (1966) and Kurehara’sSAFARI 5000 (1969), the SHINJUKU SPEEDWAY fuses two pistons of British MOD with 1 part Sake, for a full “CINASCOPE” vintage racing retrospective!
Check out the original trailer for “GRAND PRIX“. One of the few films to capture the truth of an era and one of the world’s most daring sports. The inclusion of FERRARI was a master stroke by Frankenheimer, illustrated in the newly released “GRAND PRIX” documentary.
Part of the 2008 AVENJ Spring Collection, “ABERDEEN” celebrates 60’s Hong Kong Shaw Bros. cinema, the films of Seijun Suzuki along with the novels of Asian Saga creator, James Clavell.
Elements of the design include another original Hanafuda card, the famous HK Skyline, a hand-drawn Mount Fuji and a plethora of Irezumi tattoo art. The juxtaposition of imagery in the print is reminiscent of the posters and themes from Seijun Suzuki’s notorious BRANDED TO KILL.
