The all-new single by Osaka Popstar recorded specifically for the ongoing comic book series, “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” (Dynamite) arrives just in time to start the new year with a resolution to make your life sweeter…

Fronted and produced by longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator John Cafiero on vocals, Osaka Popstar’s new single, “The Land of Hatchy Milatchy” is being released in conjunction with Vol 2 of the bi-monthly series “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” (available with multiple variant limited edition covers to collect and choose from) via Dynamite Comics, (Game of Thrones, The Boys, Red Sonja, Vampirella, James Bond 007, Barbarella, Disney’s Gargoyles and more).

The new single is available as a FREE MP3 download with purchase of the debut issue of the sequel series “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” Vol 2, #1 and simultaneously available to stream or download on all digital music platforms via the Misfits Records label imprint. In addition to Osaka Popstar frontman and founder John Cafiero on vocals, the new track also features members Dean Rispler (The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black) on guitar and bass and Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) on drums.

The “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” series is a honey-dipped, dark-humor infused horror/fantasy that tells the tale of “Sweetie”, a beautiful, charming, well-meaning, (yet unquestionably unhinged), descendant of the mythological “Candy Man.” Distraught by the blight and decay of her community, Sweetie is hell-bent on enacting a blood-caked, sugar-coated manifesto on society utilizing her other-worldly powers and family proprietary secrets in her quest to make the world a “sweeter” place. Her magical arsenal of hand-crafted confectionary weapons can prove lethal to those who are “naughty,” or deliriously scrumptious (and in some cases, eternally life-changing), for those who are inherently “good.” Through her Candy Vigilante sweet shop factory, discreetly located in the industrial outskirts of Brooklyn, she secretly fights the bad eggs of organized crime with a violently delicious fury and a loyal team of eccentric, super-natural allies who share her passion to make NYC less “salty.”

So, buckle up gumdrop, and make sure you save room for dessert, because it’s not like a little sugar is going to KILL you… RIGHT?

The series, written and created by Suzanne Cafiero and produced and edited by John Cafiero, has been lauded by critics as:

“Picture Willy Wonka directed by Quentin Tarantino and you’re getting warmer” — Comical Opinions

“Like a technicolor grindhouse film… a gory pop-color epic reminiscent of the glory days of Heavy Metal magazine and late-night cult films… endlessly imaginative… one of my favorite series last year and continues being one of the standouts among the avalanche of books coming out each month” — The Comic Book Dispatch

In anticipation of the launch of Vol 2 of the ongoing series, a “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” Trade Paperback is also available now from Dynamite. The trade paperback compiles the first six issues of the series (Volume 1), along with an interview with the creators, a gallery of original series covers by an extensive roster of visual artists, and a free MP3 of Osaka Popstar’s dynamic punk rendering of the Archies’ classic “Sugar, Sugar” (from the band’s “Ear Candy” EP).

“Like a technicolor grindhouse film. It’s a fantastic debut for the character Sweetie, a gory pop-color epic reminiscent of the glory days of Heavy Metal magazine and late-night cult films” – The Comic Book Dispatch

Meet Creators Suzanne & John Cafiero signing copies of Sweetie Candy Vigilante #1, Wed Oct 19th from 5-7pm at A&S Comics 563 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ, (201) 801-0500. Multiple covers will be available for purchase including a few rare incentive covers too!

FPNYC is excited to announce that we will be celebrating the release of the new Dynamite Entertainment comic Sweetie Candy Vigilante with an in-store event of epic proportions. Creators Suzanne & John Cafiero as well as artist Jeff Zornow will be here Thursday, October 6th from 6 to 8 PM signing an exclusive Forbidden Planet NYC variant. That’s right, an exclusive cover that you will not be able to get anywhere else!

Can’t make it to the event but still wanna get a copy of the exclusive FPNYC variant signed by the crew behind this brand new comic? We can do that. Just pre order a HERE and we’ll ship an autographed copy to your front door after the event.

We will also have vinyl and CD copies of Osaka Popstar’s new record Ear Candy which features Sweetie on the cover.

We got all aspects of pop culture covered with this one so mark your calendar cause you will not want to miss or SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE event!

FORBIDDEN PLANET – 832 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 – (212) 473-1576

It’s Sugar, Ice, and You Betta Be Nice!

Watch the TRAILER for SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE! The new comic book series debuts Oct 5th from Dynamite Comics (The Boys, Game of Thrones, Vampirella, Army of Darkness, Red Sonja, James Bond and many more). PRE-ORDER NOW at your favorite comic book shop! Click here to watch.

In issue #1, on a snowy, icy night, Sweetie pays a visit to a NYC landmark sweet shop ‘The Ice Cream Bunny’ hoping to find its namesake at the helm. To her dismay, she finds the shop transformed from its once sugary splendor to a salty den of iniquity. The once beloved store is now a front for a notorious crime syndicate, and they’re not very nice at all. Sweetie uses her captivating persona and unassuming confectionary weapons to tear the place, and its gang of thugs, limb from limb—as the first step to restoring its former glory.  All the while enjoying a dynamic punk rendering of The Archie’s pop classic “Sugar, Sugar” on the jukebox, as heads roll – literally.

Sweetie Candy Vigilante kicks off with a 40-page issue for the regular comic price of $3.99! Includes free pop-rockin’ MP3 download of “Sugar, Sugar” performed by Osaka Popstar, (as featured in the issue) so you can listen along with Sweetie!

Will Sweetie find any good eggs among them? Who is the Ice Cream Bunny? Who is Sweetie’s oversized Gummee hench-bear? Blood! Guts! and a Sugar Rush! It’s all going down in the debut issue of “Sweetie Candy Vigilante”. Isn’t that nice?

Look for issue #2 coming November 2nd…

For more info visit: SweetieCandyVigilante.com

Coming monthly in October from Dynamite publisher of The Boys, Vampirella, and many others!

Sugar, sugar, a brand new super-sweet antiheroine is hitting the stands! Meet NYC’s Sweetie Candy Vigilante – from creator/writer Suzanne Cafiero and producer John Cafiero.

Honey-dipped and dark humor infused, Sweetie Candy Vigilante is a unique multimedia character following in the footsteps of other “bad girls” like Harley Quinn and Dynamite’s own Vampirella. She first debuted on the cover for the album Ear Candy by the group Osaka Popstar (featuring a dynamic punk cover of the classic Archies track, “Sugar, Sugar”). The first issue of the new comic series comes bundled with an MP3 download code to check out the song – perfect to put on while reading the book!

“I’m honored to have Sweetie continue the long legacy of badass vigilante women in comics and media, including those in the stellar orbit of Dynamite’s roster,” said writer Suzanne Cafiero. “I created Sweetie Candy Vigilante because I wanted to read a comic that has authentic NYC flavor infused with fantasy, horror, and dark humor. I’m really immersed in the SCV story. My lifelong NYC residency, along with childhood obsessions, love of art, music, film and comics has culminated in the creation of Sweetie, so buckle-up gumdrop!”

Dynamite and the creative team are kicking off this exciting treat with an extra-sized first issue – extra pages, same sweet price of $3.99. The comic series is written and created by Suzanne Cafiero, produced, edited, and art directed by John Cafiero, and features artwork by Jeff Zornow (Godzilla). Artist Josh Howard (Dead@17) provides two variant covers in addition to Zornow’s, with one presenting the artwork he created for the aforementioned album cover.

Sweetie is an ethereal, charming, and beautiful relative of the mythical “candy man.” She might just be a little bit unhinged, or perhaps unconventional. When she starts to notice her community of New York City being plagued by blight, decay, and dourness, she becomes hell-bent on spreading her blood-caked and sugar-coated manifesto on society. Equipped with other-worldly powers, confectionary weapons, and a passionate heart, she won’t stop until the world around her is as sweet as her!

First on her list is her favorite sweet shop the Ice Cream Bunny, run by an eponymous old friend. Only problem is, what stands there now is a front for a notorious crime syndicate. Which means it’s time for Sweetie to tear the whole place and all its thugs apart, limb by limb. All the while enjoying the new version of “Sugar, Sugar” on the jukebox!

“I was readying to record new material with Osaka Popstar and Suzanne asked if I would record a punk cover of “Sugar, Sugar” to connect with Sweetie,” said producer John Cafiero. “I thought it would be fun and cool to include it as a free MP3 in the first issue and decided to take it a step further by having Sweetie appear on the cover of the record, which I titled Ear Candy. I love to create a full multimedia experience, and thought, let’s introduce Sweetie to the world not only on the cover, but set the stage for the upcoming series by including a variant version of issue #1, digitally, on the download card of the physical vinyl and CD. For the cover art, I wanted Josh to illustrate Sweetie holding a record literally made of candy, with a bite taken out of it. Bringing it full circle, I went to great lengths to create a real-life vinyl record you could hold in your hands, and even spin on your turntable, that looks exactly as you see it in Sweetie’s hands in the cover art!”

Osaka Popstar is the pop-punk multimedia music and art project led by singer/producer John Cafiero, longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator and platinum selling film and video director. Alongside backing band members from the Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag, and more, Cafiero and Osaka Popstar have been met with rave reviews.Their latest release Ear Candy has been featured on CNN and debuted at #7 on the Top 10 SubModern album chart.

“When John called us to publish the new comic series he’s produced, we were more than intrigued. He then sent us some of the art and story, as well the album, and we were floored at how great everything is and said yes immediately!,” said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “The mix of story and art is fantastic, and the fact that John is adding in an MP3 to the comic, is helping to grow the market in bringing his audience to comics retailers. We know the fans will love this, and to bring in more fans, is what any publisher wants for the industry, to grow it.”

SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2022 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2022. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more!

Read more at Bleeding Cool.

_{About Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Gail Simone, Christopher Priest, Leah Moore, Kevin Smith, David Walker, Vita Ayala, Danny Lore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Mark Russell, Brandon Thomas, Amy Chu, Reginald Hudlin, Nancy Collins, David Walker, Steve Orlando, Greg Pak, Jenny Frison, Matt Wagner, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s Project Superpowers – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.}

Written, Produced & Directed by John Cafiero (Osaka Popstar), the new animated music video for the single “Lost & Found” from the band’s latest release “Ear Candy” (out now on Misfits Records in association with Demented Punk), stars actor/comedian/musician Fred Armisen (of Portlandia, Documentary Now, SNL), along with Osaka Popstar (all in animated form), and features cameos by the Osaka Popstar Devil Dogs, the Kawaii Black Metal trio, Sweetie Candy Vigilante, and includes nods to Saturday morning breakfast cereals, the Partridge Family, The Archies, the Monkees and more! Click above or below to watch now.

Ear Candy debuts all-new material and ‘sweet’ new recordings by Osaka Popstar wrapped in a candy-coated punk-rock package sure to induce a sugar rush!!

Limited Edition Candy Swirl “bite” Vinyl (as seen in the cover art), includes download card with MP3s and exclusive variant “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” 32-page digital comic book.

CD in deluxe gatefold packaging with free 2-sided poster and download card with exclusive variant Sweetie Candy Vigilante 32-page digital comic book.

Fronted (and produced) by longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator John Cafiero on vocals, with Dean Rispler (formerly of NY performance art-rock band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black) switching off on guitar and bass duties, with Jon Wurster (of Superchunk, Bob Mould & The Mountain Goats) on Drums. Includes guest appearance by indie rocker Colleen Green on backing vocals for two tracks, gorgeous front cover art by Josh Howard (Dead @ 17 comics), wicked back cover art by Jeff Zornow (Godzilla comics), kawaii black metal interior art by Nemons (Gary Hall), download card w/ MP3s + an exclusive variant full-color 32 page “Sweetie Candy Vigilante” digital comic book unavailable anywhere else!

In addition to being one of the coolest and most unique looking vinyl records you’re ever to find, Ear Candy is cut at 45RPM for maximum sound quality.

ORDER NOW on Vinyl or CD plus look for the new Ear Candy & Kawaii Black Metal Tees and pins too!

Also available wherever digital music is offered.

Get EXCLUSIVE variants and FREE Osaka Popstar Saturday Morning cereal Candy when you order the RED Swirl “Bite” Variant Vinyl or Deluxe CD bundles in the Osaka Popstar Online Store NOW!

All-new Expanded Edition of the anime-punk-rock mash-up debut album by Osaka Popstar!

Available for the first time on vinyl, “Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk” has been fully remastered and pressed on limited edition 180-gram vinyl with enhanced front and back cover artwork, newly added bonus tracks, 20-page book with expanded art, essays, liner notes, and more. LP comes housed in Deluxe gatefold spot UV packaging with MP3 download card. Also available on CD in Deluxe spot UV Digipak w/ 20-PG Book.

Check out the new animated spot starring Osaka Popstar’s ‘Crunchy Crossbones’ mascot voiced by Roger L. Jackson (best known as the voice of Mojo Jojo in “The Powerpuff Girls” & Ghostface from the “Scream” horror film franchise). Click Here to watch and confirm for yourself that Osaka Popstar Sounds Crunchy Even in Milk!

Fronted and produced by longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator John Cafiero, “Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk” features a backing band of super luminary original punk rock super heroes, including Jerry Only (The Misfits), Marky Ramone (The Ramones), Dez Cadena (Black Flag), and Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & the Voidoids), plus a special guest appearance by indie music icon Daniel Johnston. They rip through a roller coaster of high-speed hooks and catchy choruses, recalling the very best of New York City punk rock.

If classic NY punk, anime, cult movies, comic books and toys formed a band on a sugar rush it would sound like Osaka Popstar.

“The Best ‘Punk’ Album in 25 Years. Osaka Popstar is a high concept project that bashes through generational barriers. They combine roots-punk style music a la the Buzzcocks, the Undertones, the Ramones, and the Misfits, and then incorporate this into Japanese Saturday morning cartoon imagery. It’s sort of like the Archies on steroids, or the Fountains Of Wayne on amphetamines. Osaka Popstar have perfected a near-miraculous combination of fun and catharsis that leaves you breathless, exhausted, and completely satisfied.” – American Hit Network

“You should be warned… The verses are catchier than many a groups’ choruses, and the choruses are like three-chord crack. And similarly irresistible.” – Classic Rock Magazine

“The existence of the Osaka Popstar’s debut is further proof that God loves the Ramones. The album is a phenomenal ode to power pop and deeply infectious pop punk. Inspired heavily by Japanese Animation (check out the album art work and the two music videos)… it should be standard issue for every punk popper wannabe even dreaming about starting a band.” – AMP (American Music Press-Monthly)

TRACK LISTING

1.) Wicked World
2.) Astro Boy
3.) Sailor Moon
4.) Man of Constant Sorrow
5.) Insects
6.) I Live Off You
7.) Xmas Intro (That Almost Wasn’t)
8.) The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t
9.) Love Comes in Spurts
10.) Blank Generation
11.) Monsters
12.) Where’s the Cap’n? (Extra Crunchy Mix)
13.) Shaolin Monkeys

Bonus Tracks:

14.) Super Hero
15.) Beat on the Brat (Studio Version)

Get the new Vinyl or CD in one of our online Exclusive Expanded Edition Bundles to score some ‘crunchy’ new Osaka Popstar Merch along with it, save money, and score a FREE MYSTERY TEE too!

For a limited time, all Osaka Popstar Expanded Edition Bundle orders will include a Free Bonus Mystery T-shirt featuring a classic Osaka Popstar design!

This special 12-inch split maxi-single features GRAMMY award winner “Weird Al” Yankovic teamed with NYC’s Osaka Popstar paying homage to the founding fathers of punk rock, The Ramones!

Pressed on black vinyl in an edition of 3,000 for indie shops through RSD Black Friday, it’s now available in an ONLINE EXCLUSIVE RED VINYL VARIANT limited to 400 pcs wordlwide while supplies last! The 12-inch features cover art by Topps Garbage Pail Kids artist Neil Camera and includes a 2-sided full color inner sleeve with live photos, artwork and liner notes, plus MP3 download card.

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a blistering, accordion-tinged cover,” “Beat on the Brat” features “Weird Al” on lead vocals and accordion, backed by Osaka Popstar, (John Cafiero on backing vocals, Dean Rispler on guitar, Sal Maida (Sparks) on bass, and Dennis Diken (The Smithereens) on drums). Originally appearing on the #1 charting punk-comedy crossover album “Dr. Demento Covered in Punk,” the aforementioned studio version, (Produced by longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator John Cafiero), is accompanied by two exclusive, previously unavailable LIVE bonus tracks (“Beat on the Brat” and “I Wanna Be Sedated”) performed by “Weird Al” and his band on the “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour!”

“Weird Al”, a pop culture icon, who also happens to be the most requested artist in the history of the Dr. Demento Show, stated of the recording, “How could I not contribute to this project. I love punk music, and Dr. Demento changed my entire life in an extraordinary way. I selected “Beat on the Brat” by the Ramones, because I truly believe it’s the most upbeat, danceable song about child abuse ever written.”

The flip side features an all-new studio version of the title track by Osaka Popstar (from the new Expanded Edition of the critically acclaimed “Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk” album), plus 3 additional Ramones covers by Osaka Popstar recorded LIVE in concert—with special guest appearances by members of the Misfits, Ramones & Black Flag—never before released on vinyl!

The black vinyl pressing debuted at participating indie stores on Friday November 26, exclusively from Demented Punk Records for RSD Black Friday 2021.

T-Shirts and pins featuring the “Weird Al” GPK-inspired ‘Brat Beater’ artwork are available from Demented Punk.

Side 1: “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC

1.) “Beat on the Brat” (from the album “Dr. Demento Covered in Punk”)
2.) “Beat on the Brat” – LIVE (First Time EVER on Vinyl)
3.) “I Wanna Be Sedated” – LIVE (First Time EVER on Vinyl)

Side 2: OSAKA POPSTAR

1.) “Beat on the Brat” (from the forthcoming expanded edition of “Osaka Popstar & the American Legends of Punk”)
2.) “Beat on the Brat” – LIVE (First Time EVER on Vinyl)
3.) “Blitzkrieg Bop” – LIVE (First Time EVER on Vinyl)
4.) “The KKK Took My Baby Away” – LIVE (First Time EVER on Vinyl)