So I finally saw Superman / Batman: Apocalypse.

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So there were a handful of shots in the new DVD Superman / Batman: Apocalypse where Batman is just standing there, cape wrapped around him, more tightly around the legs, looking like Morticia from the Addams Family. …Well, it amused me*.

Overall, the film was enjoyable, taking a mostly-unreadable multi-issue story from the Superman / Batman comic book series and translating it into a surprisingly entertaining action-packed hour and a quarter. Calling it Superman / Batman: Apocalypse is a bit misleading, as it’s more Superman / Batman / Wonder Woman / Supergirl: Apocalypse but I suppose that title would be a little more difficult to market.

Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, and Susan Eisenberg reprise their roles as the DC Universe’s Big Three, and Summer Glau from Firefly and the Terminator TV series does a solid job as Supergirl. Nice to see appearances by Crisis on Infinite Earth‘s Harbinger, and (as pictured above) Krypto…I sort of wondered if younger viewers would be thrown off by the idea of a dog in a Superman cape, but I remembered that there was that Krypto animated series a while back, so the concept’s had some general audience play recently. Plus, it’s not like kids are going to question the idea of a super-powered pet dog for Superman, because, let’s face it, what kid wouldn’t love the idea of that?

Another treat was getting more animated action with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World creations…Darkseid, of course, but also the Female Furies, Big Barda, and Granny Goodness (voiced by Ed Asner, reprising the role from the animated Superman series, and never not weirdly hilarious). That there isn’t some kind of dedicated Fourth World animation project is a huge shame…all that stuff is made for cartoons.

I watched the Netflix rental version of this movie, so 1) I had to wait a month for it to clear the Warner Bros. one-month new movie embargo that Netflix has, and 2) I didn’t get any of the special features, including the new Green Arrow short, so that stuff will have to wait ’til I get the retail edition someday. (On Blu-Ray, since I recently purchased a new widescreen hi-def TV. Which means I’ll need to get a Blu-Ray player. …DARN YOU, ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY. Wasn’t my Betamax good enough? Wasn’t it?)

So, Superman / Batman: Apocalypse…one of the better direct-to-DVD animated releases from DC, I thought, and while it’d be nice if there were a follow-up full-length Supergirl adventure, I don’t know that we can realistically expect that (especially given producer Bruce Timm’s comments regarding sales on the Wonder Woman cartoon). Parents wanting to pick this up for their young’uns should note that there are a lot of spears and swords going through folks in this movie, and a use or two of some harsh language. But all your kids are playing the Grand Theft Autos and listening to the Insane Clown Posses, so it’s probably too late for them anyway.

And here are these, because I want all your monies:


Oh, this post probably contains some spoilers. Sorry about that.

* Because someone’s gonna bring it up…Carolyn Jones, who played Morticia in The Addams Family, also played Marsha, the Queen of Diamonds in the ’60s Batman TV show. So there’s your Morticia/Batman connection, aside from the one I made above.

The limited palette was an interesting artistic choice.

filed under Categories scans 10 Comments


Was the overwhelming use of brown somehow a comment on the drab existence of Beetle Bailey’s army camp life? A representation of the filth in which he was wallowing while cleaning the trashcans, leaving only the clean green caps upon his and Sarge’s heads? Perhaps it should be noted that the “clean” trashcans appear to be a lighter shade of brown than the dirty one Beetle is currently scrubbing. And why is the only use of red on top of one of the scrubbing brushes? A subtle symbol of past acts of violence perpetrated upon Beetle by Sarge?

…Or maybe this poor kid just had three crayons.

image from Beetle Bailey #106 (July 1974)

“I know no one THAT rude or THAT narrow-minded.”

filed under Categories letters of comment, wonder woman 9 Comments

I’m not familiar enough with the Wonder Woman series to know how long this was the name of its letters column:


…but I do know this is an awesome letter o’complaint, printed in issue #209 (Dec ’73/Jan ’74):


And the response, from the above-cited Mr. Robert Kanigher:


I have to admit, I find myself intrigued by what may have been replaced by all the “(CENSORED)” edits. Like “no one, be they Amazon or human can (CENSORED).” Can what? “Can kiss their own elbows?” Not sure why that would be censored, unless of course it wasn’t “elbows.”

Anyway…awesome letter. Didn’t see stuff like that in the old letter columns too often. Pretty much par for the course now, in some corners of the nerdinet.

Have a Spooky Halloween!

filed under Categories halloween, harvey 7 Comments


BOOOO!


BOOOOOOOOOO!


BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FOO!

images from Tuff Ghosts Starring Spooky #40 (September 1971)
and Spooky Spooktown #66 (December 1976)

“Wow” indeed.

filed under Categories sir-links-a-lot, sluggo 10 Comments

BEHOLD: obtained from the eBay, a magnet of Sluggo with a bat ‘n’ ball:


Don’t know much about it…a quick Googling seems to date this magnet to the mid 1990s. It looks older than that to me, but that may just be because Sluggo is eternally a creature of the ’40s or ’50s.

I have another eBay-obtained Sluggo magnet coming in the mail, and there may be more yet to come. Watch this space for all the latest Sluggo magnet news!

…

DON’T TAKE YOUR EYES FROM THIS SPACE. EVER.

• • •

In other news:

  • CO2 Comics has a neat archival comics project in the works…not of actual comics, but of the 1980s and 1990s zine Comics Interview. The 11-volume project is titled David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection, with volume one, currently in release, coming in at a whopping 680 pages.

    Comics Interview was a fine mag, each issue stuffed with interviews with comic creators, publishers, showbiz celebrities, and even the occasional fan. Some of the interviews included in this debut book include Steve Gerber, Keith Giffen, Berke Breathed, Joe Kubert, Walt Simonson, Don Rosa, Matt Wagner…man, there’s a lot of them. Just go to the site and click on the animated book cover-thingie and you’ll see the contents yourself.

    I have to admit it never occurred to me that those old Comics Interview zines should be collected into a more permanent form, but it sure seems like a good idea and I’m glad its being done, rescuing all these interviews from obscurity. Maybe this’ll lead to more zines being collected…c’mon, complete Comic Reader!

  • In the mood for something…spooky? Then treat yourself to an uncanny tale of mind-bending horror, courtesy El Gorgo!

  • Bully, the Little Stuffed Bull, finds a thread and follows the heck out of it! What terrible secret unites the Fantastic Four with one of the most beloved films series of all time?

  • Awesome Hospital wraps up Chapter Two of its ongoing webcomics saga, and if you haven’t been reading so far, it’s too late…TOO LATE! (Or you could just read the archives.)

    And in Halloween-ish webcomic news…Cool Jerk‘s Paul Horn joins Kevin Church in a weeklong zombie-riffic adventure in The Rack. People live…people die, and The Rack will never be the same!

Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.

filed under Categories End of Civilization 19 Comments

Hey, it’s a new Previews catalog (November 2010), follow along in your own copy, you know the drill:

p. 138 – Infestation #1:


Hmmm…a zombie crossover event involving Star Trek, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Ghostbusters, etc. I was going to write some kind of lengthy essay about zombies and how played out they are and how they’re overused as gimmicks to jumpstart moribund properties and so on, but I’d like to get this installment of End of Civilization wrapped up pretty quick so I can get back to playing Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare.

p. 145 – This guy:


I wasn’t going to say anything, since this is a caricature of a real dude being used as IDW’s “mascot,” popping up throughout the solicitations, but…man, I don’t know, he’s kinda scaring me. YES, I WILL ORDER THE COMICS, PLEASE STOP MAGICALLY APPEARING BEFORE ME, TINY SALESPERSON.

p. 216 – Sarah Palin Versus The World:


I can’t even work up the surprise anymore.

p. 243 – Darkwing Duck #5 Long Beach Comic Con Get-A-Sketch Variant:


Little did you know that my old pal, Ian Brill, writer of Darkwing Duck, just loves drawing things, so be sure to bring this sketch cover up to him at cons and insist that he draw nothing less than the entire Darkwing Duck cast fighting the entire cast of Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers (which he’s also writing). Tell him Mike sent you.

p. 254 – Kevin Smith’s Kato #10:


You know, with a new female Kato…it was only a matter of time before she ended up mostly naked on a cover.

p. 267 – Nancy Is Happy: Complete Dailies 1942 – 1945:


Some may consider a Nancy collection to be the End of Civilization. I consider it a reason to keep on living.

p. 269 – The Overstreet Hall of Fame NYCC/Fan Edition:


If you’re lucky, you can get Bob Overstreet himself to draw something on this sketch cover. Maybe a price guide entry for something that features a headlight cover, an injury to eye panel, excessive gore, Betty and Veronica in lingerie, and a $355 price tag in NM condition.

p. 278 – Cursed Pirate Girl The Collected Edition Vol. 1 TP:


So there was Employee Aaron, at the San Diego Comic Con, standing in front of this cartoonist’s table picking up a copy of Cursed Pirate Girl #3 for himself. Meanwhile, his kind and goodhearted boss, Mike, was back at the shop a few hundred miles north of the event, and unable to also buy a copy of #3, which had been solicited through Diamond but canceled. And there was Aaron, knowing Mike still needed a copy of #3, handing money to the cartoonist in exchange for a copy, but oh no, at no time does it ever occur to him to pick up a second copy for poor ol’ Mike, struggling alone back at the store while Aaron is off nonchalantly not buying Mike comics and proposing to his girlfriend and stuff. And lo, did Mike lord this over him at every possible opportunity when Aaron returned from his little adventure sans an extra copy of Cursed Pirate Girl #3.

Anyway, Aaron hurriedly pointed out this solicitation to me when he spotted it, in some desperate attempt to stave off his death at my hands. Only if it actually arrives, my friend…only if the book actually arrives.

p. 324 – The Woodstock Generation Trading Cards:


The set was only supposed to be about 100 cards, but thousands of other cards somehow rushed in and crashed the collection.

…That sounded funnier in my head.

p. 326 – Deadpool Icon Black Hooded Pullover:


“Man, I love cross sections of old moldy tomatoes! Where can I get a pullover like that?”

p. 330 – The Joker Dark Detective #1 Military Green T-Shirt:


These Tea Partiers are getting awfully aggressive with their tactics lately.

OR

Meg Whitman’s campaign sure took an ugly turn.

OR

In retrospect, Rand Paul probably shouldn’t have handed these shirts out to his supporters.

OR

I knew those Obamacare death panels were gonna be trouble!

p. 331 – Blade Runner Replicant Gray T-Shirt:


Oh, great, now we’re going to be arguing whether Harrison Ford’s character was wearing one of these under his coat.

p. 332 – Star Wars A New Hope Luke Ceremony Jacket Prop Replica:


Oh, sure, I don’t see Chewbacca getting any kind of ceremony prop replica! The Wookiee gets screwed again.

p. 332 – World of Warcraft Murloc Green Zip-up Hoodie:


So close to a Sleestak hoodie. So close.

p. 344 – World’s Greatest Heroes Retro Action Figures:


Behold, the tragedy of rickets.


J’onn J’onzz insists on wearing flesh colored bodystockings for all of his nude scenes.


On second thought, maybe Smallville should avoid a live action version of Darkseid.

p. 345 – 8-Inch D-I-Y Toy Truck:


Graffiti artists should plan out their work on a small scale first, before actually painting all over some shipping company’s vehicles.

p. 349 – Harry Potter Ultimate Dueling Battle Trainer:


Apparently you basically wave your wand at an animated Voldemort head.

…Those of you waiting for a Hermione version of this toy can just keep on waiting, you weirdos. Go “wave your wand” somewhere else.

p. 362 – Iron Man 2 Movie Mark V Briefcase Suit Prop Replica:


I’m going to answer the question you all have about this product: yes, it’s just a regular briefcase inside. I know everyone’s first reaction, just for the briefest of moments, in defiance of all logic, is going to be “does it turn into the suit,” even though you know full well it’s not going to.

At least, I thought that for a split second. Surely I’m not alone in this.

…

Dammit.

p. 366 – Star Wars Commando Cody “Order 66” 1/5 Scale Resin Statue:


Relive that moment when the Clone Troopers get their instructions to slaughter their Jedi allies…or prepare for that moment when the very young children watching the Clone Wars cartoon finally put two-and-two together and realize that Obi-Wan and Ashoka’s trooper pals will eventually turn on them. …Fun for the whole family!

“The many heads awe me not…”

filed under Categories scans 5 Comments

These Joe Gill & Sam Glanzman 1960s Hercules comics are something else. I’m not overly familiar with this comic, aside from repeatedly seeing its covers at the shop, but it looks like the series is mostly played straight, with the very occasional bit of seemingly uncharacteristic dialogue:


Though, to be fair, I’d probably exclaim…well, okay, apparently calmly proclaim…”oh golly” under those circumstances, too.

The…shall we say, informal presentation of the sound effects are kind of charming:


I like how the sound effects just sort of fill up all their allotted space in that first panel, there.

Man, now that’s action:


“Zillcch” is a terrible representation of the sound that is made when a sword is plunged into a giant crab by a demigod. And I should know. Okay, how ‘about “THUNK–thwiSSSSSHHH” — hitting the shell, then piercing it and sliding in, you see.

Also, never forget the hydra. I realize a giant monster with multiple heads would be pretty easy to forget, but c’mon, focus here, people.

from Hercules #10 (1978) by Joe Gill & Sam Glanzman – reprinted from Hercules #10 (1968)

Aparo Vs. Sienkiewicz.

filed under Categories batman 18 Comments

So I posted that pic from a Batman comic featuring Bill Sienkiewicz’s inks over Jim Aparo’s pencils, which resulted, as some of you noted, in a seeming mismatch of artistic styles. Aparo’s clean lines (some samples of which you can look at here) are fairly well overwhelmed by Sienkiewicz’s much looser and scratchier style, but not always to poor effect. I thought I’d run a handful of panels and sequences from the book to present more examples of this particular collaboration. I’m no art critic, so my comments are mostly limited to “DUH, HERE ART, YOU LOOK,” so please excuse my lack of informative presentation.

While the faces from the previously posted panel looked a bit…off, to those of us used to Aparo’s usual illustrations of those characters, I like this portrait of the Penguin:


That almost looks like a caricature of an actual person, which makes the Penguin appear actually somewhat menacing.

The action sequences in the book come across okay, like this one:


In general, the Aparo layouts come through fine, it’s just the details, particularly on the overrendered faces, that the discordance sets in.

Batman looks a little awkward in this panel, but I don’t know if that’s a layout problem or a finishing issue:


That’s fully an Aparo eyebrow on Robin in the first panel, there.


There are several pages in this story colored with a limited palette, like the above panels, and that seems to work to the art’s advantage, adding to the moodiness of the proceedings already enhanced by Sienkiewicz’s sketchy style.

This last panel from the story is quite moody and effective, I think…Nightwing’s a little on the wrinkly side, but crimefighting ages you, man:


Overall…an interesting experiment, but I think I prefer Aparo on his own. Or Sienkiewicz on his own. I’d totally read a regular Batman series drawn by Sienkiewicz, come to think of it.

images from Batman #533 (August 1996) by Doug Moench, Jim Aparo & Bill Sienkiewicz

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD.

filed under Categories fakeapstylebook 11 Comments

So some of you folks might remember that I’m a member of The Bureau Chiefs, that gaggle of bloggers, professors, and rapper-lawyers responsible for Fake AP Stylebook, the popular and hopefully humorous Twitter feed. And some of you may also recall that, as a result of that feed, we got a book deal.

Well, now I am finally allowed to announce that the book, titled Write More Good, will be out in April 2011 from Three Rivers Press. And it’s not just a transcript of jokes from the Twitter feed, though a few of those are there — the majority of the book is all new material. Plus, the foreword to the book is by legendary film critic (and Fake AP Stylebook fan) Roger Ebert, which I think is pretty darn cool.

The book is not yet available for preorder from the usual places, but I’ll let you know when it is.

By the way, speaking of the Twitter feed, it just hit its one year anniversary, so we’re having a contest, sponsored by Zazzle (which is also offering 10% off anything from our Zazzle store through the end of November if you use the super-secret code FAKEAPZAZZLE during your purchase).

Please excuse the commercial interruption, pals, but I’m pretty excited about all this and I’ve been dying to share it with you. (Also, I came up with the title for the book, which the Bureau Chiefs gang and the publisher all liked, so I’m pretty proud of that, too!)