Now this is a Мишка inspired tattoo we can really get behind! Columbus Ohio’s Carl Decaire sent in photos of his recently finished sleeve which include not only our “Engineered to Destroy” tag line but even a fantastic take on our old Shriner Death Adder bear. There’s also some Mars Attacks and what I think is Krang (?) all up in there as well.

The sleeve was done by the super talented Dave Tevenal out of Grandview, Ohio. If you’re ever in the area and looking to get some ink done, you know where to go mopsters.

Juliusz Salach, aka My Boy, is the fine gentleman pictured above with the dope Keep Watch Eye tat and script adorning his neck. Straight out of Poland, Juliusz is determined to make it clear that he is a soldier of Simon and a worshiper of the Fork-Tongued Bear through his now emblazoned neck. More than that, however, he displays dedication, and responsibility. Forever inscribed with the dark mark (no Harry Potter), Juliusz is that dude! Keep watch!

Peter Bagge was signing at Desert Island Comics this past Friday so Greg Kills Competition, Lamour Supreme and I rolled on over to say hi and hug the fuck out of one of the greatest cartoonists of all time.

To be totally honest, I was the only one of the three of us hugging on him but I think it’s apparent to people who are good at reading body language that Pete was completely lost in the experience.

Here’s the cover to Hate #17 which I figured would be appropriate since the heroin addict on the cover is holding a Mad Ball and Мишка made it’s fortune ripping off the designs of those stupid toy balls. For those of you who are too young to care or too dumb to read, Hate was a thirty issue comic book series that told the story of Buddy Bradley struggling through his mid-twenties and dealing with the assholes he’s surrounded himself with.

It’s often referred to as “the grunge comic” because it was set in Seattle in the early nineties but that’ s not all that it is and it’s still just as relatable now. That’s a general description but this comic is without a doubt one of the most important comics works of ALL TIME. A lot of cartoonists try to make comics like Hate and they always, always fail because they are not as funny, smart or outside of “hip” culture as Pete Bagge was.

This beautiful and talented young boozarino is Leslie Stein and she was signing books in an equal capacity to Pete Bagge, living legend. I was in school around the same time as Leslie and she came and gave a guest lecture to Gary Panter’s senior portfolio class.

After years of furious doodlery she has a book available from Fantagraphics. Where do you go from there? They publish Peanuts, Popeye, Prince Valiant, Pete Bagge anda some non-P titled books too. Leslie’s new tome is Eye of the Majestic Creature, which is a real funny comic and Leslie draws herself horrifically goofy. Chuckling at someone else’s self doubts is a right not a privilege. Exercise that right by paying full price for Leslie’s comicky book.

I was showing Pete Bagge my sketchbook and when he saw this drawing he asked me if this was based on a real instance. I told him that my friend Charly had really mentioned her plans to get a Blues Brothers tattoo and he rolled his eyes much in the same way that I did, making her rant about all the reasons that getting a Blues Brothers tattoo is a great idea.

A big part of it is because she’s from Chicago, land of bad choices. I hear that instead of colored inks the Chicago tattooists drill your skin full of melted cheese. After I showed Pete this drawing I asked him to draw me Buddy Bradley but he cut me off and let me know that he already had a thing in mind to draw.

And this is what he drew! Don’t get tattoos kids! They are expensive and they are all dumb! Buy Pete Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez’s new book called Yeah! instead because it is cheaper and only half as painful.

Our friend Kevin Kusulas, AKA Grizlli Atom, sent me this photo last night of a self portrait he tattooed on someone last night, here was his story:

“So Yeah, Scott Wilson. The lead guitarist of ‘Veins of the Sky” came by for a small tattoo last night. His other tattoo artist ‘Skin Head Jesse’ just got sent to jail for 3 years. So instead of his body suit being half Myself, half ‘S.K.J.’ I was officially put in charge of his entire suit. I told him I don’t design big tattoos for free, Or even cheap. “I need a guaranty, Like my face on your arm or something.”

Scott flipped his shit and agreed. Keep in mind this is his FIRST EVER sober tattoo. Long story short, I broke out the pen and paper sketched something up and we sent for it. The Keep Watch only seemed fitting since I rock it all day. I’m hoping This is the FIRST OF MANY. I want self-portraits of me on as many people as possible!”

I think this came out pretty rad! If you have never seen Grizlli Atom before, check out an actual portrait of him. If you’ve ever been to an event at our shop you’ve probably seen him around. I think he did a pretty awesome job in turning the cap into menacing monster and not just a cap on top of his head. GREAT JOB!

It’s either feast or famine around here with fans sending in Мишка inspired tattoos. With the weather finally warming up some, I think we’re gonna be seeing a nice run of new Мишка inspired ink well through the Summer.

Shaun Newman over in Cardiff, Wales found a fantastic way to not only show his love for the brand but to give it his own personal flair. It’s always cool to see our logos tattooed on people but I love it when people take the characters and just do their own thing with them. It’s your body, conform them to your tastes! This eye-poppingly good Cyco Simon was done by another another Мишка enthusiast by the name of Ash Davies who’s quite talented. Those of you out in the UK be sure to hit him up at Thomas Street Tattoo Studio in Llanelli, Wales for some work… you won’t be disappointed!

It appears the list of Мишка tattoos just continues to grow as we welcome Jeff Kennedy to the ever-growing club. Jeff sent us in a picture of his fresh death adders tat and god damn does it look boss. Normally most people seem to be getting the Keep Watch eyeball or a variation of Cyco Simon which are all fine but the bear is much sicker in my opinion. Who wouldn’t want a bear on their skin forever? Clearly Jeff agrees with me as he will be protected by the death adder for the rest of his life.

You guys just know how to humble us it seems and you’d think we’d get bored by seeing everyone’s Мишка tats but it’s just the opposite. So keep it up nerds because we will always welcome new tatters from the world of Мишка as long as your parents don’t send us hate mail!

Cody Kutzko is leading the Мишка tattoo revival yo! We had been running through a little bit of a dry spell (hey, it’s a recession) until Cody let us know about his dope Cyan/Magenta Keep Watch eyeball back in December. Now he’s back with another new piece of Мишка inspired ink, this time from our collaboration with Famous Stars & Straps.

I always thought that this Dia De Los Muertos lookin’ Cyco Simon calavera was dope as fuck, and I’m happy to see someone appreciated it enough to get that shit etched onto their dermis. Cody Kutzko, we salute you! All you other mopsters take notes, this is how you show true Мишка love.

Are you a white person? Do you often find yourself wondering what you should be doing with your life? Well look no further my fellow crackers as the man behind Stuff White People Like, Christian Lander shows you, and Time Magazine, what white people should really invest their time in.

Before watching this video I always thought I had it goin’ on since I am the whitest person alive and now as I’m slowly approaching my mid-twenties I realize, thanks to Christian, that I need to reevaluate my interests as a human being and more importantly as a white person.

In his travels across Brooklyn (which is white person Mecca these days) Christian stops at vegan-friendly restaurants, coffee shops, and a tattoo parlor.

In case you didn’t notice, the lovely tattoo apprentice is Sara Martin, a regular Мишка illustrator who’s stylin’ in an old school Keep Watch sweater, which is coincidentally in white!

So what has this video taught us my fellow whiteys? It’s that while you may not come off as hip or cool in your new white person ventures you can at least look good while doing it.

You know what? We haven’t really had a new Keep Watch Tattoo Club member in a long while… too long! You guys have either stopped getting eyeballs permanently etched onto your flesh or you’re just not sending them into us. Don’t be shy! If you get a Мишка inspired tattoo, email us!

But back to the tattoo at hand… Cody Klutzko joins our illustrious Keep Watch Tattoo club with this classic colorway on his arm. The magenta iris/cyan veins Keep Watch is actually one of my personal favorites and Cody joins Lauren Flax of Creep and Paul of Ultra Pop in getting one!

Well this is a Мишка tattoo I wasn’t expecting. Steven Erst of Illinois went and got a tattoo of our Bootleg Kaiju Character(s) on his calf. If you don’t recognize that drawing it’s by our beloved Toilet Cobra, Nick Gazin and is used for the Bootleg packaging insert and was made into a T-shirt when we first launched the toy last year.

I wish I could be right next to Nick when he sees this picture. I bet he’ll be thrilled that someone got his work permanently inked into their skin and may even shed a tear or two. It’s a pitch-perfect rendition of Nick’s original artwork. I just wonder if Steven is going to get it colored or leave it just black linework?