Flashback Friday: Superman #422

August 7, 2009 – 6:00 am

In case you somehow lost your invitation, I’m starting up a regular theme over here at ComicBookMarks. I used to run Friday flashbacks on an old blog of mine where I’d post videos of cheesy old ’80s songs. It’s fun, nostalgic and, well, yeah, it’s fairly easy to stay focused if I have a theme. So in the spirit of keeping me motivated on CBM, I’m starting up Flashback Fridays right here, right now. (Cue Van Halen music…)

I figure I’ll sport some of my favorite comic covers of yesteryear and heck, maybe even tie it into an old cheesy video too if I can!

This week I’m spotlighting the cover to Superman #422 by the way-too-talented-for-his-own-good Brian Bolland. Seriously, I’ve bought many comics solely based on this guy’s cover. And sadly, the bulk of the comics suck, but I kept them anyways because of the covers. Hey, DC, how about putting out a gorgeous coffee table book collecting Bollands artwork?

Anyways, this issue saw Superman turning into a werewolf of sorts. And while I barely remember any details, I do remember thinking this was possibly one of the worst Superman comics I”d ever read in my life. Awful story. Mediocre art. And I really hate Superman to begin with, so that’s saying a lot. But again, you just can’t beat this killer cover. I think the shading and black and white treatment are what really put this one over the top.

Of Wolf and (Super)Man

Since we’re on the Superman vibe, here’s a non-cheesy (heh) video for you. It’s the Crash Test Dummies singing “Superman’s Song.” I’ve always loved this one for some reason.


By Andrew Posted in Art, Flashback Friday No Comments

Be a hero… Help John Ostrander

August 3, 2009 – 4:07 pm

suicide_squad1I may’ve been a Marvel Zombie growing up, but luckily I opened my eyes (and mind) to some wonderful DC books back in the early ’80s. Just in time for Perez/Wolfman’s Titans, Miller’s Dark Knight and Moore’s Watchmen. Pretty good timing, right?

But it went beyond that. My best friend Ethan was a DC Zombie I guess you’d call it, devouring just about any and every DC book the company put out. So while I’d roll my eyes at books with titles like Animal Man or Swamp Thing, his persistence finally wore me down. And I’m definitely glad it did, because those were some of the best comics I’ve ever read. He also got me into a number of great books written by John Ostrander, mainly Firestorm and Suicide Squad. Later on, I loved his work on The Spectre with the perfect artistic teammate Tom Mandrake.

So why am I bringing up John Ostrander? Because he could use your help. John’s been battling glaucoma for years and recently underwent surgery, as he’s grown resistant or allergic to some of the medications he had been taking to help. The procedure was expensive and John’s health insurance didn’t cover it all. So John’s friends have joined forces to help raise money to cover the cost of John’s treatments. For starters, they’ll be holding a charity auction on Saturday August 8 at the 2009 Chicago Comic-Con. But you can also donate directly to the cause (as well as get more information about glaucoma and John Ostrander) by visiting Comix4Sight.com .

Hopefully John’s friends, family and fans can help him raise enough money to continue the treaments and save his eyesights. And then we can all look forward to reading more of his books for years to come.

By Andrew Posted in Creator News, charity 1 Comment

Lego Arnim Zola and His Legion of Custom MiniFigs

July 28, 2009 – 6:00 am

Like most kids growing up in the ’80s, I dug Legos. I remember this big bin I had just filled with my giant collection of Legos and the dozens of instruction booklets needed to build the various space stations and construction worker sets. And being the big geeky comic book fan that I was, I’d try making my own Lego superheroes. I didn’t actually paint or carve my Legos. I’d just mix and match pieces to give some characters a cape, or make them extra tall, and just use my imagination to fill in the blanks.

Nowadays there are Batman and Spider-Man Legos and while I’d still love to see Lego officially make an Avengers set, if I were a kid now I’d be so crazed over the current crop. And then, well, then I stumbled upon xueren’s photos at Brickshelf Gallery. I don’t know much about xueren, except he’s made hundreds of insanely detailed, awesome, killer, comic book-based Legos! (Uh, I’m assuming he’s a he. I’m not even sure of that much!)

Here’s a large shot of his Lego Superhero Army

500over00

There’s a few more full shots here, but you can get a cheat sheet version (with image names explaining who each character is)  for Marvel, DC and Other characters.

Here’s just a few of my favorites:

Arnim Zola! Must... Own... This...

Arnim Zola! Must... Own... This...

Ant Man. Ain't he just the cutest widdlest hero ever?

Ant Man. Ain't he just the cutest widdlest hero ever?

Seriously. If Lego were to make an official Super-Friends line, Aquaman would like 100% like this.

Seriously. If Lego were to make an official Super-Friends line, Aquaman would like 100% like this.

Yeah. The dude made a Lego Beta Ray Bill. Wow.

Yeah. The dude made a Lego Beta Ray Bill. Wow.

No Lego is safe from the fury of... Annihilus!

No Lego is safe from the fury of... Annihilus!

It’s surprising how many awesome and obscure characters that xueren made. I’m hoping he continues because I’m still waiting for a Lego Red Skull, Ambush Bug and Galactus! Be sure to check out his Lego-licious (yes, I said it) minifigs gallery for more.

By Andrew Posted in Toys No Comments

Greatest Toy Packaging Ever… Activate

July 23, 2009 – 11:25 am

wondertwinsIf you’re lucky enough to be in San Diego right now for the annual cram-way-too-many-smelly-people-wearing-Wolverine-T-shirts-into-one-giant-hall-and-make-them-forget-how-to-walk-in-an-orderly-fashion event (also known as Comic-Con), then make sure you stop by the Mattel booth. I have no clue where it is at the show. I’m not there. But chances are, it’s kind of in the middle, near all the other toy companies. Heck, you can’t miss it, since their booth usually looks like a gigantic Castle Grayskull from the old He-Man cartoons.

Anyways, once you get to the Mattel booth… go buy yourself the Comic-Con Exclusive Wonder Twins two-pack. Not only do you get Zan and Jayna, but you get space monkey Gleek! I know, I know. Zan is probably the lamest superhero ever, next to the Legion of Superheroes’ Bouncing Boy. He can turn into… water. How exciting. And just enough water to fill a… bucket, which is why you need Gleek to carry him around. Jayna, on the other hand, not only looked like a sexy version of Janet from “Three’s Company,” but she could turn into any animal. For some reason, I only remember her turning into an eagle, though. Go figure.

But besides some unbelievably amazing sculpting on the Twins and their monkey, Mattel has possibly created the greatest packaging ever. Yes, packaging. I’d even go so far as to say I’d buy this damn thing for the box alone, that’s how cool it is. Don’t believe my geeky self? Then watch this video to see the product in action. I’ll just sit here and wait for your apology…



Oh, and if you can’t make it to Comic-Con (which is probably 100% of you people reading this… or else, you wouldn’t be online, you’d be at the show), you can order the Wonder Twins two-pack (sans Gleek) from MattyCollector.com starting on August 3.

By Andrew Posted in Toys 1 Comment

Why haven’t you seen Tom Whalen’s art yet?

July 22, 2009 – 3:27 pm

There are so many great artists in comics today. And so many pretty mediocre ones too. So it always blows my mind when I stumble across a really unique and talented artist, who’d be perfect on a regular comic. Tom Whalen may not have the chops for sequential work (then again, he may; I have no clue), but he most certainly should be doing covers for Marvel and DC right now.

Tom’s gallery on Deviantart is full of superheroes, sci-fi characters and pop culture icons (like Weird Al!), all drawn in vintage movie poster styles. If these don’t look like posters you’d actually see in your local theater, then, well… you’re clearly going to the wrong movie theater. The colors, layouts and overall artwork are just crisp, clean and certainly refreshing. I’m hoping some editor at Marvel or DC catches wind and hires Tom to start cranking out covers, because his style is something that should be shared with the whole industry.

Here’s a few of my favorites:

avengers

ironman

spiderman

legion_of_doom_commission_by_strongstuff

starwars

Be sure to see Tom’s Gallery for tons more posters and pin-up art.

[Original Source: Abduzeedo]

By Andrew Posted in Art No Comments

School’s In at Hero House

July 20, 2009 – 6:00 am

hero_houseIt’s shout-out time. My buddy Justin has been working his tailbone off for the past 18 years or so on his comic book Hero House. Well, I’m pleased to finally announce (mainly because it means he’ll stop complaining to me regularly about all the delays and problems involved in getting your own comic published… kidding, Justin!) that Hero House is being published by Arcana and will be hitting comic book shops this November. Even better, if you’re lucky enough to hit San Diego Comic-Con this week, you can pick up an early copy at the Arcana booth.

So what is Hero House about? Oh, roughly 104 pages or so. Haw haw. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. It’s the story of teen superhero Nate Hedges. Formerly the star of his high school, Nate quickly finds himself a small fish in a big pond of superheroes once he hits college. At the center of that pond is Epsilon Epsilon Psi, a frat dedicated to preparing superpowered students for the real world. But something’s not quite right, and the university’s president taps Nate to investigate the Eps. What he finds will either crush him or offer him the salvation he’s been looking for.

So why should you buy Hero House? Well, for starters it sports a spiffy Ed McGuinness cover. And second, it’s written by Justin Aclin, head writer of Twisted ToyFare Theatre, so you’re practically guaranteed to laugh, cry and stuff your face by the end. Plus, Justin’s a real nice guy who’d like to pay his mortgage and not have to dress his two daughters in potato sacks and go back to moonlighting regularly as a plasma donor.

Look for Hero House at your local comic book shop or bookstore this November!

By Andrew Posted in Uncategorized No Comments

The Battle for New York starts in Queens

July 17, 2009 – 1:44 pm

Don’t bother hitting your local comic shop for this summer’s latest Marvel Comics crossover. Uh uh. Instead, hop in your car and head to Queens, NY to see the work of street artist Gusto. Located at 86th Street and Roosevelt Ave., this giant wall mural covers the side of a T-Mobile building, which donated the space.

Done in a Simpsons-style (Gusto says he was inspired by Springfield Punx artist Dean Fraser), the mural depicts Marvel baddies Rhino, Doc Ock, Venom, Dr. Doom and Magneto versus the Big Apple’s protectors Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk and Wolverine. Five on four? Not a totally fair battle if you ask me; though Rhino is a two-bit villain. Numbers aside, my only question is where the heck is Captain America?

graphitti_left

graphitti_right

See Gusto’s original post and panoramic shot of mural: thumbnail

[Source: io9.com]

By Andrew Posted in Art No Comments

Rob Liefeld’s Greatest Work

September 4, 2008 – 3:27 pm

Love him or hate him, you’ve gotta remember this classic Levi’s commercial from the ’90s. It features my all-time favorite superhero: The Spike Man! And of course the classic revelation that Rob’s never had any formal art training. Shocking I know!



By Andrew Posted in Art 1 Comment

A Different Kind of Sketchbook

August 20, 2008 – 3:51 pm

Anyone who’s ever been to a comic convention knows that artists will sit there sketching out doodles or detailed illos for fans. Usually in those little black hardcover books. Well, I may not be able to take this sketchbook home (heck, nobody could), but the Etch-A-Sketchist has done some amazing comic work. Yes, all on an Etch-a-Sketch.

Thanks to a little digging by Comicmix’s Karl Cramer, here are some pretty damn impressive pieces of Etch-A-Sketch comic art.

See more Etch-A-Sketch Comic Art including Hellboy and Joker.

By Andrew Posted in Art No Comments

Batman Who? It’s All About Watchmen!

July 17, 2008 – 9:37 pm

So the new Batman movie opens tonight (well, technically tomorrow at midnight). And yes it looks great, is getting rave reviews and all. But the real star of the show is a short preview trailer appearing before “The Dark Knight.” Yep, Warner Bros. is finally ponying up a full-fledged Watchmen movie trailer. And honestly, I’m shocked that the first peek at the movie isn’t a few quick shots, lots of overdubbing and a big close-up of a bloody smiley face. That’s completely what I expected for now, followed up in a few months by a more legitimate trailer.

Boy was I wrong. While I’m not sure when the trailer technically is supposed to be out, it did leak early. And there’s no stopping an internet leak once something this big is out. And I really have no words to describe it, because frankly, I’m speechless. And March 6, 2009 cannot come soon enough!

View the Watchmen Trailer

And be sure to check the official Watchmen Movie site.

By Andrew Posted in Comic Movies 1 Comment