2.27.2008

JUSTICE is Served

Looks like it's back on!
from Variety:

Warner Bros. to serve 'Justice' in '09
Studio going full speed with superhero film
By DIANE GARRETT

Now that the writers strike has been resolved, Warner Bros. is pushing ahead with its plans to make "Justice League" in time for a 2009 debut.

Warners tried to get "Justice League" into production earlier, but put it on indefinite hold in January, allowing the cast options to expire (Daily Variety, Jan. 16). At the time, the studio said it didn't want to move ahead until the scribes had another shot at the script.

Scribes Kieran and Michele Mulroney are busy polishing up the script, which is expected back at the studio in several weeks, and the cast has been advised to keep training for their superhero roles. Director George Miller is in pre-production in Australia.

Adam Brody, cast as the Flash, is the biggest star in the superhero lineup. Rapper Common nabbed the Green Lantern role; other roles went to lesser-known thesps such as Armie Hammer Jr. (Batman) and Megan Gale (Wonder Woman).

Yay! I didn't win again!

Well, my entry in the Living Between Wednesdays Caption Contest didn't win, but I did get a special mention, so that rocks! Feel the love! :)

Best (?) Covers: DC Solicitations, May '08

Okay, this is the time of the month that I usually show the covers which I think stand out from the crowd in the DC and Marvel solicitations. (Okay, it should've been last week, but you'll get over it) The thing is: I don't think there really were any. Not one that was just a "wow" kind of image. Not from either company. There was just one that stood out and was pretty cool:

COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER TP by Greg Tocchinni

Of course, the big problem with this one is that I've read all the stories and this is basically a big bag of suck. Stories that suck while they suck away your money and suck away your time. But that cover is beautiful. I just love it.

Well, since I have nothing nice to say about May's covers, I'm gonna do a little complain':


TITANS #2 by Joe Benitez & Victor Llamas

First of all, where is Ian Churchill? Don't get me wrong, I don't want him on this series, but isn't he supposed to be the artist on it? And they already have a fill-in on the second issue!!??
Second: When did Raven get that rack? And how big is it that she's turned away from the reader...and you can still see it!!?
Finally: Who thought this was a good look for Donna Troy?
I couldn't have come up with a worse look, and everyone knows I'm no costume designer!


WONDER WOMAN #20 by Aaron Lopresti

This is actually a pretty nice cover. And I find the background intriguing. But I have a problem with her chestplate. Two actually. Don't get me wrong, Lopresti is the WW artist, and as far as I'm concerned, he gets to dictate the look. But if J G Jones is using the Dodson-styled chestplate for FINAL CRISIS, it's just going back to the old inconsistency crap.
Plus, I absolutely HATE the look of the crooked W. It's not the first time an artist thought he was being clever. And it just doesn't work. You cannot stylize the WW to look like an eagle. Get over it. Either do an eagle, or do the WW. That's why the Dodson design worked. He didn't try and morph the WW into an eagle, he just added accruments. So you got your WW and your eagle and the design worked. This one...not so much.


DC SPECIAL: RAVEN #3 by Damion Scott & Robert Campanella
URGH. Could it get any worse?

2.24.2008

Upcoming Wonder Woman swag

Mattel has announced their Fall 2008 line and we get more Barbie as DC Superheroes. Including yet another Wonder Woman! Wahoo! Check out Barbie Collector.com for pics of the new Batgirl, new Supergirl and all-new Black Canary Barbies!

Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures introduces Wonder Woman into the line with Wave 4. I assume since Waves 2 & 3 are scheduled for Spring and Summer (respectively), that this should be hitting stores in the Fall as well!!

In November, DC Direct is unleashing the Wonder Woman 1:4 Museum Quality Statue. Action-Figure.com calls it the second 1:4 Statue after Batman, except that there's also been an announced Superman 1:4 Museum Quality Statue. Not sure which is first, but Wonder Woman is obviously third. That's a shocker. Anyway...the price is $295. Good luck with that. Tell me how it works out for ya.
But damn it is pretty hot!! Check out more (and bigger) pics at Action Figure Insider.

Dick Cole, Wonder Boi

Honestly, I can't even remember why, but for some reason I was looking for info on the golden age character Dick Cole, the Wonder Boy. And along the way I stumbled across an old blog post about the Dick Cole story from 4 MOST COMICS #1 (Winter 1942). OMG! It's so totally gay! Which was the point of the other blogger's post. Here are a few sample panels:
Now run and read: Lady, That's My Skull: Let its sweet perfume sizzle into your brain! It's just too funny!

2.10.2008

Living Between Wednesdays: Caption Contest!

The Contest is probably over, since it started last weekend. But, WTH, I decided to play anyway:I colored it too, cuz I was bored today...

2.09.2008

Superpowers: Origins - The Black Terror & Tim

One of the golden-age stars of Dynamite's PROJECT: SUPERPOWERS is the Black Terror:
But just who is the Black Terror?
Travel back to May 1940 and read EXCITING COMICS #9 featuring the origins of the Black Terror and his sidekick Tim! Notice at the bottom of page 3 how Bob Benton has got a little bit of Frank Miller's All-Star Batman 'tude goin' on!


You can find this and many more apparent public domain comics at Golden Age Comics Downloads.

2.07.2008

From Dark Knight to Knight Rider

From Newsarama:

According to Variety, Val Kilmer, who portrayed Batman in Batman Forever, will replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT in NBC’s revival of its Knight Rider franchise.

Arnett had already completed his part for the project – a backdoor pilot for a full-on new possible Knight Rider series, when it was learned that he had to be replaced. As the trade reports, Arnett was asked by GM to remove himself from Knight Rider, due to the fact that he has been the “voice of GMC Trucks” for the nearly ten years. The new KITT is played by a Ford Mustang, and Ford, according to Variety is “taking an active role in the marketing and branding of the pic.”

"I was very excited at the prospect of playing the part of KITT in the new 'Knight Rider' movie," Arnett told Variety. "However, because of a long relationship with General Motors as the voice of GMC Trucks, I had to respectfully withdraw from the project."

2.06.2008

Superman and the Secret Planet

I stumbled across a cool website today called The Adventures Continue, a tribute to George Reeves and the cast and crew of The Adventures of Superman TV series. The layout is kinda wanting of a 21st-century makeover, so it's easier to browse through, but it's got lots of cool stuff.
But the pièce de résistance is Superman and the Secret Planet. It's apparently a script for a Superman movie written during the filming of the series, but (obviously) never produced. Awesome artist Randy Garrett took the time to draw the script out as a 40-page comic book story. It's pretty amazing. He even captured the likenesses of the actors! Here are 6 random pages to whet your appetite:

Now, if you want to see the whole story (and why wouldn't you!?), head over to the site and start reading!!!

2.04.2008

Ribaldry with Amazing-Man and Tommy!

Ribaldry. What a great word! I stole it from The Absorbascon (after I looked it up, LOL!)!

Batman could learn a lot from Amazing-Man in how to cultivate the perfect boy sidekick.

First, you need villains who like to drug and enslave sidekicks...

Stripping and branding is always an added plus...

If all else fails, push him to his knees and slip him a Mickey...
"Special" pills. Heh.

You're best bet, though: Raw material.
Start with someone who thinks like you do...

2.03.2008

Superpowers: Origins - Boy King & the Giant

One of the many golden-age characters to make a cameo in PROJECT: SUPERPOWERS #0 was Boy King (along with his "sidekick" Giant). But who is/was Boy King?
Well, we'll get a clue from his origin story printed in CLUE COMICS #1 (January 1943). Page 2 of the story proclaims that "the people of Swisslakia were light-hearted and gay..." And you may think that gay is used as a colloquialism of the day. But when you get to page 11 and see the attention to detail that went into the Giant's, um...below-the-belt region...you may start to suspect otherwise. Enjoy!


You can find this and many more apparent public domain comics at Golden Age Comics Downloads.