in continuity

Penny for your thoughts

2012-01-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

A brand new addition to my art, and one so charming and lovely I'm going to frame it and hang it where I can see it while I work. Bonus points for you if you recognize the character, but even if you don't, I think you'll agree that Jamie McKelvie draws pretty ladies very prettily.

Penny B* - Jamie McKelvie

Now it is time to listen to the Pipettes.

*Penny B is one of the characters gamboling in the pages of Phonogram: Singles Club. This was the second installation of Phonogram comics from Kieron Gillen and McKelvie, books which summoned magic from the dance floors and vinyl shops of London. I highly recommend them if you're fond of Britpop and Britrock or just fun tales of urban magic.

Eddy Barrows draws a pretty mean Nightwing

2011-11-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

I had to cancel out of attending NYCC, but a good friend of mine picked this up from Eddy Barrows for me. We'd pre-arranged it, and I have to say that this is right up there with the Scott McDaniels piece I have for incredible detail. Eddy penciled it, and it appears to have been inked by Eber Ferreira.

Nightwing by Barrows, inked by Ferreira

I love this piece. Eddy has a really good hand for heroes.

Every day I'm rumblin'

2011-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

So you may wonder where I've been... I've been playing Arkham City.

And you may wonder where I'll be...

Nightwing DLC comes out next Tuesday. Sorry, work. I won't be doing you.

Flippin' out

2011-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't had any much comment yet *on here* regarding the DCU New 52. I have had a lot of comment on Twitter, but that requires so much less effort... I assure you, I have some opinions. I'll try to write a few of them up this weekend while not railed in traffic to the Sounders game.

In the meantime, check out this absolutely perfect Robin piece I got from Evan 'Doc' Shaner! You may have seen it already as he blogged it two weeks ago, but I just got it and am still quite excited about it.

Mr. Shaner does some of the most fun, most intricate pieces I've seen around. You can see more over on his Tumblr.

Winter Soldier!

2011-09-25T02:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie to note that today was the Jet City Comic Show, which is a very very VERY small show which happens in fall in Seattle. Last year I got an amazing Nightwing painting from Francis Manapul, and saw Matthew Clark working on a swanky Winter Soldier commission for someone. While I got a really nice Nightwing from him at ECCC this spring, I jumped at the chance to get a Winter Soldier this time!

Winter Soldier by Matthew Clark

We shared our mutual curses on Matt Fraction's head for killing off Bucky, and Clark teased me that with Bucky and Nightwing - chicks just dig the hair. Well, and so what! It's good hair.

Clark is working on Ghost Rider over at Marvel these days. He's also opening his NYCC list now for some pre-work. If you're interested, get in touch with him. (Try @emceeartist on twitter to open the conversation)

The other thing

2011-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Interrupting my usual not-posting to cross the streams a little bit: my other passion is soccer (football to most of the world). One of the Italian sports publications did a 20 page piece showing one star from each of Serie A's teams as a comic/manga/movies character or archetype.

These are all click-for-big. Apologies, I speak two words of Italian (calcio, ciao) so I can't translate any of this for you. Some are quite evident as to which character they are, others, not so much. I think my favorite is Gigi Buffon as Mr. Incredible.








Note: All images Copyright http://www.corriere.it/

Meet the new pull

2011-08-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

So I bet your curious where I landed on the new DC books! No? Check it out anyway. I had to send my new pull list to my shop about a month ago. Here's what I sent them:

DC Comics:

Nightwing

J.L.I.

~~Wonder Woman~~

Batman

Batman and Robin

Batwoman

Green Lantern: New Guardians

Justice League Dark

Frankenstein

Resurrection Man

Stormwatch

Demon Knights

Grifter

Teen Titans

Static Shock

Blue Beetle

Tiny Titans

Marvel:

Thunderbolts

BOOM!:

Incorruptible

The Rinse

Vertigo:

Unwritten

iZombie

You may notice that there's a strike-through on Wonder Woman. That was sort of disappointing, but yes - it's the pants thing. They would never revert Robin to green scaly panties and pixie boots. Reverting Wondy to the swimsuit and having her heaving bosoms heave even further into view was pretty sadface for me. I *love* Chiang's art but no. It's the only protest I can make, so... I took my money to Marvel!

In place of WW, I picked up DD - Mark Waid's Daredevil. Which is a fantastic book so far, and at least the person dressed like a damned idiot has the excuse of being blind.

Not included in this list is Detective Comics, Tony Daniel's new title. I am a longtime supporter of TD's art, but I found his run on Batman to be a bit ... gross-out.People punched til they puked (puked blood?) and Riddler beating up his daughter? Not so good for me. However, early whispers about Tec said it's a great set up, so while I have not added it to my pull, I will probably buy the first couple issues and see if he changes my mind.

I know some of these books will not pan out, and that DC will introduce others as we go. This is just the preliminary planning of someone who spends too much on comics. I'm also eager to pick up The Shade, but that's a mini (12 issues, not so mini) so I did not include it in the ongoings list.

So what's on your list?

The more things change...

2011-06-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Dan DiDio (circa 2005):

Some stories are so strong that undoing them would be a crime. The DCU would be a lesser place without Barry's sacrifice, or the crippling of Barbara at the hands of the Joker.

I'm on record as not in favor of either of these things [and my mind has not changed], but to be fair, the same things could be said about Jason Todd. As far as I'm concerned, he could stay dead, but a lot of my friends really enjoy having him back. Oddly enough I am pretty sure 90 percent of them first encountered him as newly alive vengeance-bunny, but came to feel his stories were important and he got a raw deal.

DC giveth with one hand, taketh away with the other. But they always have.

Let's just get the Oracle/Batgirl thing out of the way

2011-06-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

On June 1 I posted a bunch of predictions, some joking, some not, about the DC comics reboot. I had more hits than I would have liked, to be honest, although there were some moments to be grateful for as well. I personally am interested to read Scott Snyder's take on Batman. He's a lucky man, Batman #1! I'm on board for Nightwing #1 - you'd have to put DiDio on it for me to not at least give it a look, though. I'm interested in several of the 'Dark' and 'Edge' and even 'Teen' books.

But I know I won't be checking out Batgirl, at least not at first. Not unless an overwhelming amount of feedback from friends and reviewers tells me it's awesome. And not the sites which always write Gail Simone a blank check.

BOP #10

I think the wheelchair issue has been covered ad infinitum by people more eloquent than myself. Gail Simone assures us there will be other disabled characters for people to identify with, but right now it's important that smart ginger girls find redress to their lack of representation. But it sounds like they mean erase the events of the story, altogether as they de-age the character. IF this is so, in telling us that it's important to wipe out the horrible thing which happened in Babs' past, there's another chilling message being pushed by DC Comics: if you're the victim of a sexualized crime, it would be better if you disappeared. No one wants you around.

The Killing Joke came out more than 20 years ago.* DC already published it. No take backs! While I can agree with the idea that that's enough of that and we'd rather not have more rape/fridging/whatever in comics, there is no sense in pretending those storylines never happened. It stood too long and was far too high profile. For many who complained about that story, as much as crippling the woman who had already left the Batgirl identity behind, the offense was the humiliation and violation she felt as the Joker posed her sexually while she was helpless and bleeding out. Misogyny is the charge leveled at the editorial staff who would let this happen.

If you want to make up for humiliating the fictional character, celebrate the strength she showed in the aftermath. Laud the hero she became - and don't reverse it. I find more inspiring about a woman who overcomes both emotional and physical adversity than one who jumps off roofs and looks cute and oh, my, has red hair. Now you've not only fridged her, you've closeted her. Shamed her. Told anyone who's had an experience like hers, 'shut up, go away.'

Barbara Gordon's meaningfulness as Oracle went far beyond what she meant to people who use wheelchairs and face physical obstacles, although she was the most impressive and celebrated symbol I can think of in that area. She also symbolized every victim of sex crimes and their struggle - and potential - to not let that define them. Thanks to writing by people like John Ostrander and Kim Yale - and Gail Simone - she was the hero they deserved. Oracle is still a hero who is needed. Past trauma intact.

*Note: Interestingly enough, Barbara Gordon's paralysis has thus far lasted as long as Barry Allen's death - 23 years.

It's funny when it's the other way you see

2011-06-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

So my question is - when you're playing Catwoman, as you are forced to do in Arkham City...

are you also forced to chain combo sexual assault on your foes?

I'm not a huge Catwoman fan - sometimes she's awesome, most often she's a fetish object. When writers take it to the point that they think sexual assault as a combat move is awesome, I sort of wonder where exactly they lost their minds.

Forced reboot

2011-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

So I think we've all heard that the DC Universe gets a hard reboot with 52 #1s in September. Word on the street is that fan-favorites and company darlings Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison get to keep their toys with minimal fuss, but that everything else ends. I'm not sure how much sense it makes to nuke several characters, de-age most of the others, but leave the space-case Green Lanterns and Bruce and Damian Wayne alone but ok.

I have some predictions myself for what is to come. In no particular order:

Everything Mark Waid ever accomplished at DC will disappear!
Every currently established couple will be broken up, except those which were broken up in continuity - they will be magically re-iconified. Clark and Lois kaput, Dick and Babs - back on. Even though that was a brief moment in the Nightwing books.
Dick de-aged back to a young Nightwing. Wears eyeliner. Is written as emo as hell instead of chipper. Writer will still try to make him jokey, but he'll just come off as bitter. Wears eyeliner.
Babs: no more wheelchair - she's Batgirl.
Gail Simone to write the Walking, Talking Batgirl book.
Scott Snyder to write Batman, which will feature Bruce.
Everything Brad Meltzer did, undone. Identity Crisis will never have happened, Ralph and Sue Dibny alive and well.
Superboy, Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, Supergirl and Wondergirl are all fine. Teen Titans?
Either Jason is Robin, or Tim is in his very first days as Robin. Either they will meld the characters ala Young Justice, or Jason will be crawling out of his grave right about then.
Chunks of the Flash family unwritten. Probably Wally, as he's the main thing that ages Barry. No Linda, no kids.
Donna Troy disappears, current Wonder Girl stays
Kyle gets to live, because he's stuck out in space in the Rainbow Skittles Corps. He will never have been Ion.
Nonstop love triangles. Ugh. Babs-Dick-Starfire.
Dick isn't called Dick anymore. Richard Grayson, ladies and gents.
Firestorm was never a black guy! Aqualad was always a black guy!
Aquaman gets new powers, better than the waterhand.
Hawkman keeps on hawking.
Black Adam becomes a very powerful villain.
Billy Batson actually gets aged up.
Cassandra Cain and Helena Bertinelli are Batgirl's sidekicks
Stephanie Brown is Batgirl's pesky neighbor
Beastboy actually gets the girl. (You know, the whole reboot would be worth it if this happened, actually)
It all re-reverts in 18 months

OK, at least SOME of that has to come true, right?

Late, late edit: Someone on BSS noted that Alan Moore's being retconned out of existence too - Mogo, Babs' shooting, Swamp Thing retcon.

The compulsion continues

2011-05-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been under water between work and school lately, so I haven't had much chance to write anything. I did want to share a couple of pieces of art I got recently with you though!

Francesco Francavilla is one half of the art team that is, with writer Scott Snyder, tearing it UP on Detective Comics. I arranged to get a piece from him at Emerald City, but he couldn't make it. He still kept up our deal though - because he is a super-sweet fellow. I asked for a Dick Grayson Batman, and this one is fantastic. I can still tell it's Dick, even with the cowl on.

Francesco Francavilla, 2011

If you're not reading Detective Comics - what is WRONG with you?! That is definitely the best of the Batbooks on the shelves right now, and I mean across all the Batfamily. Dick Grayson hasn't had this much development since early days in Bludhaven.

On a whim, I picked up a digital commission too. It was a lot cheaper than most of my on-paper ones, and it's very cute, but I have to admit there is something about choosing how to frame, or whether to frame, or worrying about the fragility of a pierce that just screams ownership and "mine" in a way that just doesn't happen with digital pieces.

I love comical pieces - here's Nightwing suffering a split seam.

Nightwing by nogutsnoglory

Very cute! I found the artists on Tumblr.

I finish school this week; maybe after that I can share some thoughts with you on Finder, and Tiger & Bunny, and a few other fun things. Maybe.

Batman Live sneak preview!

2011-04-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Daily Mail and the Telegraph both have previews up of Batman Live: The Arena Tour. Even the venerable BBC is on this story!

Here's a clip, with villains on parade:

And here's a photo of Batman and a Robin with a bit of a fivehead. And, chainmail pants, instead of panties. A wise choice.

It looks--let's be honest here, it looks goofy as hell. But given the television show of the 1960s, that may be ok. "Described as neither a musical, nor a traditional theatrical production, but 'an elaborate all-new, all-action arena production aimed at kids and families." says one clause (that is not a sentence, Christ) in the Daily Mail preview - it seems to describe something between a circus and a performance of Peter Pan.

A 100ft wide screen will provide the backdrop, fusing 2D and live effects together, said Es Devlin, set and props designer.

"The stage thrusts out 100ft into the arena and we've filled the airspace with helicopters, smoke, noise and bat signals," said Ms Devlin.

Discussing what she had learned from her experience designing for pop stars including Lady Gaga, Ms Devlin said: "It's crucial our design statements are bold, large scale and colourful, and the comic-book style lends itself very well to that."
-The Telegraph

Batman will be played by Nick Court and Sam Heughan and Robin by Kamran Darabi-Ford and Michael Pickering. Of the 43-strong cast, around 23 will be circus performers and the company has been working with the Circus Space as a creative partner on the show.
-The Stage (thestage.co.uk)

It could be a lot of fun, for people in the right frame of mind. And could it be any worse than Spider-Man, the Musical? Probably not. Unless...

The story - which shows how Dick Grayson became Batman's sidekick Robin - is written by Allan Heinberg, whose credits include episodes of Sex and the City and Grey's Anatomy.
-BBC

So angsty drama on the level of Devin Grayson's run on Nightwing, then?
I'll be honest, I've been meaning to plan a trip over to the UK anyway. If I do make it there this summer, I'm sure I'll cram this into the schedule.

A goofy thing I got last year

2011-03-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a Manchester United fan (just like Detective Comics' colorist David Baron!), and when I saw last year/this year's away/third kit, I knew what must be done.

I'm sure the Billionaire's Sassy Ward would not stoop to corporate sponsorship, but it's impossible to get these replica kits without it, unfortunately. Can't take any of your fandoms too seriously, I think that's what I'm saying here.

Emerald City Comin Con 2011 - last of the art

2011-03-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've done a poor job getting this up - work and school getting in the way of my good times - always.

The nice guy!
Going up to Cameron Stewart was intimidating for several reasons. I mean, he's Kind of a Big Deal, and his line was long, and I've argued with him on Twitter before! But I did stop in and talk to him, and he was wonderfully friendly - also quite concerned that he comes off as 'mean' on Twitter.

Stewart chatted while he took the time to do me a small sketch for a quite reasonable price (free, but that's not standard!). He's got work upcoming that he's really excited for, including his Suicide Girls book. We talked about how that got started - by his own initiative! He reached out to them because he was looking for something to do, perhaps draw something for some shirts or other merchandise. Quickly this morphed into a comic, on which he will be sharing art duties with David Hahn. More here. Looking at the art so far, despite the kind of 'product' Suicide Girls produces, these ladies are sexy without being as ridiculously sexed-up as a lot of the Big Two books.

Squire - Cameron Stewart, ECCC 2011 (6"x6")

How sweet is that?

I'm a shy person, but I had a great time chatting with Stewart. I saw a lot of people getting books signed who didn't really stick around to talk. Not sure if they were shy, or unnerved by the line behind them, but it was a shame. Stewart is a fun guy to talk to who really seems to have fun engaging with his fans. He doesn't mind sharing his thoughts on his own work and I know he likes to hear about it when someone has enjoyed something in particular. [The Parkour through London in his Batman and Robin arc, I enjoyed the hell out of that.]

That one thing that I had to have
When I headed to ECCC, I knew I'd get a variety of things, probably at least one Nightwing (Dick Grayson forever, etc.) But I knew I wanted one thing in particular. One goofy, fun thing which a very few artists have drawn. It's a touchy thing, asking artists to draw characters they've never worked on. It can come off as kind of insulting, really. 'I like your stuff in theory...' but most artists are pretty accommodating at cons - if they haven't drawn it before, but you can give them source material, they will often try.

Dean Trippe is a man with a serious love for Robins - mostly Dick Grayson. He's also pretty fond of Grant Morrison. So I was in luck when I went up and asked him to draw Robin the Toy Wonder for me. He said he was thrilled, and that he'd never drawn that before but that he loved the character! I left and came back later to pick it up as he was finishing, but as far as I can tell he wasn't using any source material. Surely he must have...

Robin the Toy Wonder - Dean Trippe, ECCC 2011 (5"x7")

Trippe is co-founder of Project Rooftop. I should have asked him to redesign RTTW.

And that's it. That's all I got. Well... I have another piece in the offing from an artist who had to cancel attending. But that's it, then, right?

Until the next time...

Emerald City Comic Con 2011 - the art pt 2!

2011-03-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

My ECCC kicked off by picking up a friend from the train station - my second trip ever to the Seattle train station - and being treated to lunch at Fuji Sushi in the International District. I'm not a sushi aficionado, but the king crab roll there was fantastic.

The friend in question was Douglas Wolk, who would later be hosting the Frank Quitely panel. As he was a journalist and a guest of the con, Douglas got to go in the back door and I had to go queue in the long long line. Since I walked in 10 minutes before the con was to open, I thought I'd probably be out of luck as far as getting on several artist' lists, but I'd rather have lunch with a friend anyway. I stood at the back of the massed humanity for 15 minutes, then trundled in in polite order (we're so calm in Seattle) and, consulting my map, headed for Quitely's table. Despite being approximately the 30th person in his line, I did end up getting on his sketch list, in at No. 10.

Let me explain here that I did everything wrong as far as getting the sketch I wanted. Nervous beyond measure, I chatted briefly with his handler, who quoted prices (not at all cheap) and gave minor guidelines - headshot or upper torso. I think it was upper torso, it may have been full figure... I was pretty rattled. I said I wanted Dick Grayson, and he looked at me, so I stumbled a bit further - 'you know, from the Batman and Robin run.' He said 'Ok, Dick Grayson Batman' and leaned over to see if FQ wanted to do that. FQ was in the midst of signing and chatting, but paused and nodded. He told his manager that he was game for most anything, or something along those lines. I talked briefly with FQ, who affirmed this was his first trip to the states since a Wizard Con in Philly about 10 years ago. Philly! No wonder it took 10 years to get back. Then I fled.

The truth is I knew exactly what I wanted, but had choked. A lot of artists won't let you tell them anything beyond a character. They'll pick the pose or any details - 'caught in a wind tunnel, I just thought that would look cool! Do you like it?' Sure, sure. But as I said, I knew what I wanted. When Quitely was announced as the artist on the first arc of B&R I wasn't thrilled. My friends constantly told me I was a numbskull for not getting his art. Maybe I was just rebelling against being told what I should like? At any rate, some of his art I really love, and some not as much. But he definitely produced my favorite Dick Grayson panel of the last I don't know how long:

(cropped from splash page in Batman and Robin #3)

That was what I wanted. That, and not the Batman with the cowl on. Well, with it on, but down. You know? But I had a pretty good idea that I was going to get exactly Batman with the cowl on. After conferring with a couple friends, I mustered up my courage at the end of the day and snuck back into his line so I could speak briefly with his handler. I looked at my name on the list and the note next to it said 'Dick Grayson - Batman.' "Can you do me a favor?" I asked. "Can you cross out Batman and just leave Dick Grayson?" He looked a little puzzled, and I tried to explain that while I was good with whatever I got, I really wanted a sketch of Dick Grayson. They took our cell numbers so they could call us as art was finished - he only signed the first and last hour of each day and drew all the hours in between - so I hoped if FQ was puzzled, I'd get a call. But I didn't get a call. At least I didn't think I did, as ATT's network sat on two calls I got Saturday evening and didn't relay them to me until I was back at the show Sunday morning. Apparently my art had been finished since the night before, and would I be so kind as to come and get it before the line got crazy?

Boy, am I LUCKY. (If only my scanner were any good).

Thanks Dean Trippe for the iPhoto - DC art boards defeated my scanner.

It's 11"x17" on DC boards, which means it's not even close to 11"x17" when you're trying to frame it. It's also the single-most expensive piece of art I own. I think the thing I like most about it is realizing that in Frank Quitely's mind, Dick Grayson looks a lot like Frank Quitely. More on that another time.

My iPhone ALSO did a better job than my scanner.

Emerald City Comic Con 2011 - the art

2011-03-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Most of the year I can keep my addiction in check, but during Seattle's ECCC, I throw caution to the winds and money around like a Hilton. It's a bad thing, a very bad thing, but I just enjoy getting art the way some people enjoy getting gadgets. I could have had an iPad 2 this year, though. Sobering thought.

I got some wonderful pieces, though! No regrets. And here they are.

Andy Kuhn is a fantastic artist, whose sharp definition and use of continuous lines make his pieces really engaging to the eye. You can find some amazing pieces of his on the Comic Twart site. I was originally going to ask Andy to do my default, favorite character Nightwing. But then I had a thought, based on the brilliant Johnny Quest and Lone Wolf and Cub prints he had with him. I decided I'd like to see his take on another classic character -

The Lone Ranger - Andy Kuhn sketch at ECCC 2011, 9"x12"

Andy has also been the artist on the Blue Beetle book, Brit, 10(Ten) and most lately the wildly entertaining Firebreather (also an animated movie on the Cartoon Network).

Before the show, I reached out to another Comic Twartist who was running a pre-list. Mitch Gerards has done some really fun, surprising pieces on that site so when he said he had one more opening on his pre-list, I jumped at it. We negotiated a little bit as to which character I wanted - I try to give artists something they'd enjoy drawing so I usually give them a selection. Many prefer it if you choose, but some like the opportunity. We settled on The Flash (Wally West-style, yo) and I got back a rather superlative piece when I found him at the con.

The Flash (Wally West) by Mitch Gerads at ECCC 2011, 11"x17"

This brings me to owning art by four people from the Comic Twarts gang. (Tom Fowler, Chris Samnee) That leaves what, 13 to go?

Last fall I saw Matthew Clark, artist on the sadly cancelled Doom Patrol, working on some sweet commissions at Jet City Con. I'd already overspent, plus his hands were full with the sweet Winter Soldier piece he was doing at the time. Last year, he was surprised because that was the first convention no one had asked him to do a Nightwing. This con, I was only the first person that day. Quite a sexy piece though!

Nightwing by Matthew Clark at ECCC 2011, 11"x14"

I really miss those gloves. At least Dick's bringing the escrima sticks to fights these days.

To be... continued!

Emerald City Comic Con 2011

2011-03-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Emerald City Comic Con, and it's taken me until this weekend to recover and tell you about it.

According to my friends at Comic Stop - the shop which sponsors and organizes the show - the numbers this year were excellent, with more than 30,000 people through the doors. This is the first year the show has gone to a three-day format (Friday-Saturday-Sunday), and as one of the very first shows of the season, it's great to see it do so well. Ideally this carries through to the rest of the cons this season.

The show had a great lineup, with a lot of big media guests including William Shatner and Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner from Star Trek, and James Marsters from Buffy, the guys from Boondocks Saints, and the entire Guild cast. In previous years, those media guests were seated at one end of the exhibit floor, and the lines would occasionally disrupt Artists' Alley and the exhibition floor. This year, they put the media guests in a separate area and the traffic flow was really good. People kitted out in Star Trek uniforms mingled freely with Iron Fists, Robins and Goons.

One drawback to being the first show of the season is that in the two weeks before it, a number of guests realize they're not as caught up to deadline as they'd like to be, so there were a few cancellations - Tom Brevoort, Francesco Francavilla and Ben McCool all had to bow out, along with David Baron who was apparently quite ill.

One thing which annoyed me this year, was totally not about the con itself but about the big two publishers. Aside from one or two answers in Marvel panels, neither publisher revealed anything new via their panels. Instead, all announcements have been either made in their blogs/releases to media via ye olde fax machine, or are held until SDCC. Granted ECCC and other cons may not be the monsters that San Diego and New York are, but there were still 30,000 people there. Attendees are learning that there's nothing to be had in these panels except people telling editors which C list person they wish had an ongoing, and that's just not good motivation or good interaction with the buying audience. Writers and artists treat these conventions as a chance to engage with the fans all over the nation and find out what they really think and appreciate. It would be great if editorial showed the same appreciation for the fans and extended them a bone or two. Figure it out, DC and Marvel!

I really enjoyed meeting Marv Wolfman and Sergio Aragones. What classy guys, and what gifts they've given to comics over the years! I was also charmed to meet David Hahn, whom I follow on Twitter and whose work on Spider-man Loves Mary Jane just makes me squeal with glee. I was psyched to meet JG Jones, who did my favorite comics cover ever (Nightwing #125). He said he was really pleased to hear that, because a lot of the time Editorial doesn't like that sort of cover, where the character's face isn't shown, and they take up a relatively small part of the image. I always felt that cover captured Nightwing's personality really well - a man with the wind in his face, soaring out fearlessly over the city. Chris Roberson was very kind, while Jeff Lemire seemed puzzled that I wanted to compliment his books but had nothing for him to sign. Greg Rucka and Jen Van Meter were lovely, Kurt Busiek was swamped with people so I didn't even get to say hello!

The best parts of the show for most of the pros is, I am sure, meeting friends who are typically all over the rest of the country - if not globe, the rest of the time. And so it was for me, to get some time to go have drinks and laughs with Brandon Jerwa and Eric Trautmann, who kindly introduced me to Matt Sturges, their writing partner on the Mighty Crusader's books. He's really nice, and very funny and has the most amazing hair! Great to meet Marc Mason and Joseph Rybrandt - I hope I spelled that right - too. And great to do lunch, chat, and exchange books with Douglas Wolk, who is a truly kind and fun person. Who also picked up the most psychedelic romance comic I have ever seen.

Enough name-dropping and soap-boxing! Next up: the art I bought, completely ignoring any thoughts of budgeting.

Well that'll catch my attention every time

2011-03-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

Marat Mychaels posted a particularly fun interpretation of Nightwing up on his blog today:

With a blurb that totally GOT MY ATTENTION.

So about 3 weeks ago writer Sterling Gates best known for his work on Supergirl and I kicked around an idea for a Nightwing series. It was going to be a brand new character taking up the role of Nightwing. I came up with this Image and we proceeded to pitch it to DC. However some guy named Grant Morrison (heard of him? LOL) apparently has a master plan for Nightwing so it's a no go. Figured I would share this image with you guys. Adelso Corona provided the inks and Splash did the colors.

1. I really dig this art.

2. Argh, plans for Nightwing? The as-yet-empty costume or the Dick Grayson persona? IS THAT PLAN DEATH?

3. That art? NICE.

I'm really enjoying Scott Snyder's current run with the Dickiebat over on Detective Comics, although I don't agree with all of his philosophy around the books and Batfamily (Bruce isn't the mask, Dick's not wearing Bruce's identity, but otherwise, keep it rolling Scott!) I really loved Hine's quick arc on Batman and Robin. And I even enjoy Tony Daniel's run, although c'mon, Tony - no one grits their teeth that much. I'm enjoying Dick Grayson being Batman, although I suspect it can't last more than a couple more years. The 'Bruce is the only Batman' contingent is very strong, and sooner or later it will become a problem to have too many Bats - most of the Green Lanterns are stuck in boring and/or terrible storylines because otherwise they get in Hal Jordan's way. Inevitably, that will happen to Dick Grayson, too.

So then, what to do when his time in the cowl is over?

Best case scenario, he picks up his old threads, discovers they're a little small because he bulked up to be the Bat, gets them retailored for greater awesomeness, and resumes the Nightwing life. Another possibility - maybe good, maybe bad - is that Dick develops yet another identity. I don't like that in general because frequent rebranding causes confusion in readers - and probably in other characters around him too.

Worst case scenario is that Dick is the dead Batman we see in Batman #666. Ideally that future's been subverted--averted!--now, and it was never exactly specified that DeadBats is Dick - but Bruce will never GTFO and Tim is never going to get to be Batman. Not to mention, his death wouldn't trouble Damian overmuch. On the one hand, all heroes rise again. On the other, I don't actually want to spend three or seven years with Dick Grayson off the grid.

So yes, my ears are up! Last I had heard, Morrison was planning to stick with the Batbook for approximately two years starting... what, this past January? So are his plans for Nightwing just around the corner? Snyder is on Detective until at least #881. No. 875 comes out in two weeks. April, May, June... Should I start looking for signs of doom in October, then?

While I'm sorry their pitch was deflected due to future (terrifying future) plans, I'm also a little glad not to see anyone slipping into the Nightwing blacks-and-blues just yet. And that's another possibility as well... Wherever Dick ends up, if it's not in Nightwing's skintights, it's not unlikely DC will try to put someone else there. And even a Kryptonian Nightwing would still be under a long shadow in that name. Ironic. Dick Grayson didn't just step out of the Bat's shadow when he slipped into the high collar and man-cleavage outfit of his early days. He stepped into himself. Nightwing wasn't the journey for Dick, it was the destination. Sending other young heroes to that identity wouldn't serve the same purpose.

As a final note, good to see Sterling Gates' name again. Hope to see something from him again soon.

Green Lantern Emerald Knights Trailer 2011 HD

2011-02-24T23:01:00.000-08:00

Holy cow. I think I might just see this and skip the live action movie. That's definitely the most appealing I've ever seen Hal Jordan be...

And let's face it. Superheroes and animation go together like chocolate and peanut butter!

Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.

2011-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been around in awhile. This quarter's classes and work are both on steroids, apparently. I haven't had time to dedicate to writing or even reading as much as I'd like.

HOWEVER, Emerald City Comic Con is just around the corner - just two weeks! I'm very excited. This is my third ECCC. I've gotten some great art before, and I hope to again--so you can tell I'm lyin' every time I say I'm done collecting.

ECCC has some fantastic guests this year, both comic creators and some media guests. The media folks never hold much charm for me, but they are pretty awesome this year: William Shatner, Wil Wheaton, Walter and Astrid from Fringe... and a bunch more. I'm more interested in the comics folks though. It is a Comic Con, you know. There are a bunch of big names kicking around - Frank Quitely, Jonathan Hickman, Brian Bendis, Mike Mignola, Matt Fraction, Cameron Stewart and yadda yadda yadda. Less well-known but dear to my heart are some personal friends who are creators - Brandon Jerwa and Eric Trautmann!

The book I am currently most enjoying is Detective Comics, by Scott Snyder, Francesco Francavilla and Jock. Luckily, Francavilla will also be at ECCC! Also on my list of artists to chase down and say kind things to is Sean Gordon Murphy, who just recently wrapped the last issue of Joe the Barbarian with Grant Morrison.

I hope I'll see plenty of you there, and I'll try to remember to write up any sessions I go to. I know Douglas Wolk will be hosting the Frank Quitely panel, so I'll hit that as much for Wolk as for Quitely.

Here's a couple more gifs from The Amazing Adventures of Lil Batman to keep you entertained.

Bestish of 2010ish!

2011-01-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

Trying to come up with "10 Best X" lists is an annoying process. After I hit 30, anything that happened before last week happened last year, and anything that happened before last month may or may not have happened a decade ago. Not only that, but it's rare for me to feel excited about 10 things all at once. Also, hey, something might happen on Dec. 31 and upset the whole applecart!

So instead I bring you the short list of comics that impressed me in or around 2010.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger (Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee, Matt Wilson)
Thor: TMA was not sent out into the world labeled as a kid's book or all-ages book, but it was. It was a reboot or retelling of the Thor story, probably in line with the coming movie. Poorly marketed, it was critically beloved but ignored by the market.

Thor: TMA was also the funniest and most enjoyable read of the year. While tons of credit should be heaped on editor Nate Crosby, writer Roger Langridge and colorist Matt Wilson, who utilized some amazing throwback flat shades, Chris Samnee's art is the star. His Thor is expressive and goofy in a way the more mainstream books would never allow. His puzzlement at telephones is conveyed in the uncertain curl of a lip, his joy at a reunion with the Warriors Three beams off his face. I hope Samnee gets more happy books to work on very soon. I sat with him at a Drink N Draw in Seattle this summer, and he said he does prefer the happier titles because he can't help but absorb his work into his outlook while he's drawing. He must have been giddy throughout this.

Sadly the book was canceled, but you can pick up a trade of the first six issues. I plan to get the remaining two, but if you're looking for a standout issue, #4 is the one to get.

Detective Comics (Scott Snyder, Jock, Francesco Francavilla)

See, this is why I feel good about running late as hell with my Best Of lists. Only two issues of this run squeezed into 2010, but they both impressed me.

Scott Snyder (American Vampire) seems to be a writer elated to pen Dick Grayson in the Bat-ears; other writers have definitely been less interested in conveying the wholly different personality of this Batman. In just two issues, Snyder has captured many of Grayson's key qualities: he's social, he's jocular, he is impatient and often works from the cuff.

The artists, Jock on the current main event and Francavilla on the current backup, do really good work. I tend to prefer artists from the Immonen-esque set when it comes to hero comcis, and while neither is remotely that, they both are creating great art. They are similar enough that both stories look 'in place' together, but different enough to indicate separate storylines. While I tend to unapologetically like a prettier Dick Grayson, the trade-off in the primary story (Jock) for his kinetec movement will do me fine. Although - a Bat-unicycle? The biggest complaint is that all these black-haired white athlete boys look a bit... samey. Perhaps Bruce Wayne is more to blame than Jock, though.

The backup story (Francavilla) features the Gordon family and is luridly colored, frank in its horror stylings. I loved that in this second issue (#872) there is moment in common with the main story - Dick leaps out the window of the Kord Tower to pursue his mystery; in the backup Babs watches him in the moment before Comissioner Gordon alerts her to their own.

I like Tony Daniel, and I feel his Batman run has suffered from first "isn't JH Williams III so he's a douche' and then 'is directly competing with Grant Morrison so he's a douche.' That said, I'll continue getting his book because I do like it, although I am sometimes puzzled by it - but I have a strong suspicion that Detective is now the Batman book for me.

Batgirl (Bryan Q Miller, Lee Garbett/Dustin Nguyen)

I was not prepared to like this book, and in 2009 I probably actively disliked it. I'm not sure who persuaded me to pick it up again, but I'm glad they did. I'm newish to comics, so whatever taint Stephanie Brown picked up during War Games didn't stick for me (I have read the books, I just wasn't particularly invested).

In Batgirl, Steph Brown is a fun teenage character who isn't losing partners and lovers and friends to death on every page--this is the antithesis of Teen Titans, and the antithesis of what people complain about DC comics about. The most resonant complaint I hear is that she's blonde and white and there are too many girls like that in the DCU and... again I don't care. The whole trinity is black haired and white and no one cared when Damian Wayne showed up... So I don't care. I missed the Cassandra Cain years, so I'm not disappointed to see her succeeded by anyone. As I understand it, all the Bat-youth models are meant for graduation now, anyway - Robins to Nightwings/Red Robins, Batgirls to a woman who isn't wholly defined by her relationship to the Bat, either.

Aside from being far less skilled, this Batgirl is a young, female, blonde Dick Grayson in many ways - she's a team player, she's funny, she's impulsive. She also feels authentically youthful in a way that even Red Robin isn't often allowed to. I hope she stays in college and continues being goofier than your average Bat.

Art was originally by Lee Garbett this year and was great fun. Dustin Nguyen took over two months ago, and while his Batgirl is clearly female, there's never any 'lookit my boobs! lookit my butt!' moments. Really grateful two such fun, classy artists were on the book when I read it. If you are looking for a standout issue, check out #14 when Supergirl comes over for a sleepover and they end up battling animated black-and-white vampires.

The Unwritten (Mike Carey, Peter Gross)

A lot of people dismissed The Unwritten as being 'some Harry Potter crap' when it started up. I've been reading novels where people slipped between reality and fantasy since I was a little kid, so it never struck me like that - it was just a graphic novel shipped serially, where people slipped between reality and literature, and I was immediately down with that.

Tommy Taylor's tale is a little Potter-esque, a kid with a destiny no one else can fulfill and a cadre of assisting friends of various value. However, this story is for grown-ups and the book nearly shed me in 2009 with an issue which was more slasher movie than mystery or fantasy. But, that was the point of that issue, and throughout the series so far, we've been treated to some literary tricks you don't often see in a comic. Issue #17 was a twist-a-plot/Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, and while it did require you to read the book in landscape mode, it was perfectly done.

It's not usually a good sign if the best thing about a book is the covers, but in this case the work by Yuko Shimizu is just the cream-cheese frosting on the red velvet cake.

Honorable mentions: Power Girl (both the Palmiotti/Gray/Conner and Winick/Basri runs), Flash: Rebirth (a book with art so good I almost forgot I objected to the writer), Action Comics under Paul Cornell, Tiny Titans, and Mark Waid's Incorruptible. I also really enjoyed a few minis - Mighty Avengers and Knight and Squire as well as DCU Legacies come to mind.

Unfortunately it's already 2011, and the start of 2010 has totally faded from memory. I am sure there were more books that deserved a shout, and in fact I know of another set I plan to write about later this week... Happy New Year - try a new book!

Once you pop

2010-12-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

I got more art. It's a sickness.

My friend Aaron took an order for me to NYCC. Actually, two orders. One was the Tom Fowler Robin piece I posted in here a while back. The other was to an artist Aaron recommended, named Jeremy Dale. I just got it back, an 11"x17" piece of my favorite bad guy, Captain Cold.

I'm not sure why one of the Flash's rogues is my favorite do-badder; I tend to stick to the Batworld for most of my art. Perhaps it's my Alaskan background - respect the cold! Maybe it's just the fur ruff.

I also just received a piece I commissioned from Scott McDaniel. McDaniel is well-known for his long runs on Daredevil, Nightwing, Batman, and Robin. His style is somewhat similar to another favorite of mine, Phil Hester, and McDaniel may well be the artist most associated with Nightwing, as he did the first 40 issues of that book's 153-issue run.

I was the last person on his list just as he got furiously busy doing a Batman arc and then a Batman and Robin arc. He reached out to me as soon as he was ready to knock it out, and was kind enough to let me indicate exactly what I wanted. I asked for either Nightwing or Dick Grayson as Batman, asleep in the Batcave or the Bunker, with an irritable Batman or Damian on the screen watching him sleep. We mailed back and forth to nail down the details, and he even sent me a rough sketch:

I gave some feedback (no Batgirl please, the shippers have taken the fun out of her for me, and could you make Batman look at Dick a little more...) He was wonderful to work with. He doesn't always do so much back and forth with people, but he seemed quite amused by my design and I got lucky! Here's the finished product.

McDaniel was excellent to work with, and I believe his commission list is still open. This is again, 11"x17". It is pencils, and he recommended some of his former inkers should I decide to go that route. It was great to deal with someone willing to converse about the art I was buying, and while McDaniel is not at all cheap, the experience and end product are worth it.

Yes, the art collection is too large. I think I may get one or two pieces at Emerald City this year in March - I want some sketches for a very particular idea I have... and then... Then I don't know what.

Catch of the Day

2010-12-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Detective Comics #872 managed to combine my two loves, soccer and, well, comics.

I don't know if the funnyman in question is writer Scott Snyder or artist Jock - I suspect it's Jock. All the cars in Gotham have British rather than American style license plates, and I suspect that's the artists' hand. THIS car's plate says MUFC SAF - Manchester United Football Club - Sir Alex Ferguson.

I'm not sure if it's a shout out in respect of SAF's recent achievement - this month he became the longest serving manager in the club's history. In a world where most clubs swap managers every two years, if not more, Fergie had a mountain to climb, a mountain which cast a Matt Busby-shaped shadow for 24 years, one month and 14 days. On Dec. 19, pass it he did. So that's quite worthy of a shout. However, the plate is on a bad guy's car - which goes up in a ball of flame two pages later. Not sure what Jock (or Scott) are saying there...

I'll take comfort in knowing that SAF drives an Audi, not a Bentley, which I think is what that car is.

(Yes, I support Manchester United. I hope Jock's not a City fan. Shudder to think!)

Aha! Jock himself has set me straight that it was colorist David Baron who did the deed.

Yay Cartoons!

2010-12-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

Young Justice returns Jan.7 after a well-noted premier last month. I have to admit, I love DC cartoons. The strength of the animation coupled with really strong voice talent in this really piqued my attention.

I'm also pretty glad that it's not necessarily tied to the continuity comics readers are overly bound to in the DCU. Dick Grayson's my favorite Robin, so I'm psyched to see him here, and the new Aqualad is quickly becoming an interesting character. Aqualad looks to be the leadership on the team at first, but that's such a trait of DG's personality, no matter WHAT continuity, I can't help think he'll end up in charge. Show me some good stuff, DC Animation!

Habitual offender

2010-12-28T01:16:00.000-08:00

At a certain point, reading comic books can pass the hobby stage. There are various signals this has happened – wild online arguments about who was the best Robin, for instance, or, gulp, cosplaying as your favorite character. Somewhere in between those extremes lies the habit – and I use this term for a reason – of acquiring original art from your favorite artists.

For some people, this means purchasing the hand-penciled pages of their favorite comics. For others, it’s getting the artist to draw them something specific. Comic conventions give fans a good opportunity to do either one, although there are opportunities to do this without catching a cold from the teeming masses as well.
I’ve got a lot of art now, which I picked up through various channels. If you think you might be up for some art, here are some things to consider before taking the plunge.

How well-known is your preferred artist?
An artist’s relative fame can impact their pricing quite a bit, both in page art or original commissions. Not only this, the more established they are, the busier they will be. Chances are not only do they have a full slate of assignments from publishers, they have a commissions list which is full at all times. Don’t lose hope though, there may be a way. Artists often keep track of people who’ve contacted them for commissions and reach out when they have space on their list.

What’s your budget like?
Many artists will offer different pieces to meet different budgets. Typically, con sketches are the cheapest as they are knocked out within minutes-or-hours, often right in front of you as the artist chats with you. This can be a good way to spend a moderate amount of money and get a personal experience with the artist. However, some will take a limited list at the start of a convention. These tend to cost a little more, as the artist puts more effort into each piece.
Published comic art is possibly the most expensive. You’re more likely to be competing with others to buy a really nifty page – you didn’t think you were the only one who liked that shot of Captain America shield-bashing someone, did you? Most artists will actually have a store of some kind online (http://duss005.com/category/store, http://www.blindwolfstudios.com/catalog/c3_p1.html ) or an agent (http://www.theartistschoice.com/index_1.html, http://www.albertmoy.com/) to handle the sales of these pieces. Some rely strictly on EBay. A few, like David Aja, won’t sell their work at all. Also, more and more artists, like Cameron Stewart, are composing digitally. This means no art to sell.

Between the convention sketch and the published page is the commissioned piece. Some artists will make themselves available via their web sites or Twitter, Facebook, or some other online forum (most of the time). This will let you choose between sizes, headshot or full-body, and if you want it inked and colored.

How do you plan to display your piece?
For some reason, most comic art tends to be slightly irregularly sized. DC’s 11”x17” page boards are not exactly 11”x17”, and a cheap frame from Target designed for 11x17 posters just won’t fit. Do not give into the temptation to trim the boards. This can cause your piece to lose value. A lot of watercolor paper comes in irregular sizes, which can be hard to frame as well. You could just thumbtack it to the wall… If you want to drive a tack through something for which you just paid more than $100. In many cases, you’ll either need to go to a framing shop (expensive) or frame it yourself via a DIY craft shop.

I called it a habit because like getting a tattoo or eating potato chips, it’s rare for anyone to stop at one. The biggest problem I’ve found, other than finding frames that fit, is lack of wall space.

Looks like I was good this year!

2010-12-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've posted before about some great art I've gotten from Franco Aureliani (the Franco half of the Baltazar/Franco team which creates the funtastic Tiny Titans books for DC). A few weeks back he ran a contest to get new followers on Twitter, and I won another piece of art from him. He asked for my address again, and then I promptly forgot all about it.

Just in time for Christmas I got an amazing, giant (11"x17") piece in the mail!

(Tiny) Teen Titans Together! Nightwing, Firestar, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. I'm running out of walls.

It always pays to be good to the artists you encounter, you never know when they may be good to you in return!

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

2010-11-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

"Girls" and "former lifestyle" and the meaningful silent look between Alfred and Dick there - Cornell’s created the most subtext in Bruce and Dick’s bat-relationship since they shared a bed!

(also do no harm hahaha)

The on-jumping

2010-11-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

I wrote this post for the Somethingawful comics forum, Batman's Shameful Secret, because the Batman thread there tends to devolve into 'Grant Morrison book times a billion' and 'other.' Here's my rundown of the ongoings, new and uhm, ongoing.

If you can't find a Batbook that interests you in this mammoth pile, you probably don't even LIKE bats.

Batman Inc. starts up tomorrow! In conjunction with Grant Morrison's new offering, several other Batbooks are either arriving on the scene, or restarting to embrace the new status quo: two Batmen. Although we have not seen the panel which brings it on yet, Dick Grayson appears to have agreed to remain under the mantle while Bruce Wayne dons a yellow oval and a massive codpiece to bring a multi-national Batcorp online.

Batman, Inc., Nov 17
Batman: Bruce Wayne
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: (Yannick Paquette at least through the first four solicits)

Solicit: http://dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=15998

Bruce Wayne is back! And he takes his war on crime global - and corporate? See Batman outside Gotham, recruiting the Batmen of other nations to his efforts. Morrison has reached into less-explored areas of Bat-history to bring this new tale to life, including the Bat-manga. This book will probably be the biggest seller and generate the most conversation.

If the RIP and B&R runs are anything to go by, this book will be moderately to really dense with callbacks to older batstories. When in doubt, consult David Uzumeri's Batmanotations (typically appearing now on Comics Alliance).

Batman and Robin
Batman: Dick Grayson
Robin: Damian Wayne
#17-19
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Scott McDaniel

#20 and ongoing
Writer: Peter Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason

Picking up apres-Morrison at #17, this book will enjoy a 'filler' arc for 3 issues. Paul Cornell and Scott McDaniel will pilot 17-19 due to Green Lanntern/Brightest Day-related delays. Then Gleason will bring his snub-nose figures to the book and the pre-solicited run will begin. Either way, the book will have Dick Grayson in the cape with his impolite sidekick, Damian. I'm interested to see if this book does more to feature Grayson, as the Morrison run was primarily centered around the mystery of Bruce's 'death' and the coming-of-age(10) of Bruce's son.

Tell me Damian doesn't look like Pugsly in that cover.

Batman (Nov 17)
Batman: Dick Grayson
Writer/Artist: Tony Daniel
Preview: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?...6987&disp=table

Tony Daniel resumes irritating/thrilling with his art and writing on issue #704. Early arcs promise to bring back the eye-boggling Catgirl (Kitrina Falcone), give Dick a new love interest (that'll last), and let Daniel show off a new brush technique he's really proud of. Daniel's earlier Batman runs were criticized for juggling too many characters and taking characters (the Riddler) in directions audiences didn't appreciate. The sales were quite decent though and I, personally, like Daniel for getting out there and swinging for the fences. He's not trying to completely reset the status-quo, and Batman's definitely not pissing his pants in this, but Daniel is not interested in keeping it safe either.

Myself, I am a big fan of Daniel's art, and I'm ok with his writing. He hasn't had perfect execution - in particular, he struggles to wrap his arcs. It's a strange move to let him have his growth spurt on such a high profile book, but I think he's learning a lot. Unfortunately it's brought him a lot of glaring eye attention, which seems to have caused him to remove himself from his audience a little bit. He doesn't post as much to his blog, and that is a pity. I'd like to see this do well but I think it will come in behind Inc, Tec, and B&R.

Detective Comics
Batman: Dick Grayson
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock/"Second" feature artist: Francesco Francavilla

(Skipped ahead to the third cover because it's that awesome)

The new run starts at #871, in a book where Snyder has promised to reshape Gotham to match the new Batman. This is the book I'm excited about!

"...since we want this to be about how Gotham's changed since Bruce Wayne came back, we really want to give this a super modern edge in terms of the tech and the action and the dynamism. It's not just Batman lurking in the shadows." Source

Originally we had been promised a Comissioner Gordon co-feature, but DC's new drive to 20-page, less expensive books means the co-feature will not last long but instead become a 'second feature,' entwined with DickieBat's story. This has also sported three absolutely gorgeous covers in the solicits.

Batman: Dark Knight (Delayed until December)
Batman: Bruce Wayne
Writer/Artist: David Finch

Announced back in July, Finch becomes the second artist to take on writing duties on an ongoing Batbook. He's promising a book as dark as the title. Solicits full of terms like 'brutal' and 'horrific' back that up.

"The Dark Knight takes Batman outside what he knows, into a world of demonology, dark arts, and mystery. He’s the ultimate detective, faster, stronger and smarter than any villian, but now he faces creatures to whom logic and mortality don’t apply." Finch, in the DC blog.

True facts: I wrote this whole post, including the snarky bits about Streets and Sirens, without remembering this book even exists, that's how little I am interested in it.

Batwoman (#0) (Nov 24)
Batman: It says Batwoman right on it, man.
Writer: JW Williams III, W Haden Blackman
Artist : JH Williams III (and Amy Reeder)

A new introduction to the life of the character, according to the solicit, leading into JHW taking over the book that Rucka left behind. It should have amazing layouts and really striking art, but I'm not familiar with Williams' writing myself so I've got no idea how 'good' it will be.

Streets of Gotham
Batman: Bruce Wayne
Writer: Paul Dini (sometimes)
Aritst: Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs

This book is still happening? I'm not sure how. Are any of you reading it? It's at least on through February as Dini finishes out his sequel to "Heart of Hush."

Batman Beyond
Batman: Terry McGinnis
Writer: Adam Beechen
Artist: Ryan Benjamin

This book wraps 6 of 6 in the current mini on Nov. 24, but has an ongoing coming in January. The ongoing will be written by Adam Beechen, art by Ryan Benjamin too. So yeah, not the book for me. Sales have been solid enough to keep it around, so clearly it is working for some fans of the series.

Batgirl
Bat~~man~~girl
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller
Artist: Dustin Nguyen

If you've been looking for a fun teenage hero with a self-effacing interior monologue, this is a good one. Unless you just have an irrational fear of blondes.

Former Spoiler Stephanie Brown is still rocking the purple-ribbed costume, and having slapped Bruce Wayne in the face in the craptastic Road Home book, she's back doing what she does best - lucking and juking her way through fights with assistance from Oracle-proxy uh, Proxy. (Wendy... don't even ask about her
origin). With Tim Drake's Red Robin busy in his own book, Stephanie's a lot more effective character without the boy drama. Dustin Nguyen has recently joined for art, giving what is plainly a 'cute' book an even cuter look.

Seriously, if you don't read this, don't bitch that DC isn't doing good teen books. They're just not doing MANY.

Red Robin
Robin: Red
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Marcus To

Well, at least it has pretty art.

Nicieza is setting up to prove his assertion that Tim is the 'smart one' and the best successor to Bruce Wayne's Bruciness. I don't expect this book to take many chances, but it will be interesting to see how many parallels to Bruce's thinking and life Fabs can set up. So far Tim's purchased the theater on Crime Alley for his base, embarked on an ill-advised flirtation with a cat-themed villainess/heroine/whatever, and created a hit list which included many allies whose takedown he pre-plotted, "just in case". On the positive, Marcus To is one of the only Bat-artists out there getting the characters to look age-appropriate. This book should give a lot of fans exactly what they want, as long as they don't want anything to change.

And it has lots of huggings.

Gotham City Sirens
Writer: Peter Calloway
Art: Andres Guinaldo

For people who are new to the scene and don't know what it is about, this book features Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn sharing living quarters and adventures. It probably would have been good if it had gone for an amusing tone throughout, but all-too-often it tries to be serious and really goes off the rails.

Like Streets, I can't believe this train is still rolling. Abandoned by former writer Paul Dini, the Bad Girls club of Gotham is still hanging out. This doesn't even have the draw of March's art on it anymore - although to be honest, Guinaldo has given the women a warmer, more approachable and less fetishistic look.

Batman Confidential
Writers: Revolving
Artists: Revolving
Batman: Bruce Wayne
This book never paused for the new Batman, and probably never will. It remains a sideline playground for writers and artists to put out short arcs of Batstories.

"Batman Confidential features stories by rotating creative teams and will continue to be set in the early years of Batman’s career. The similarities, however, stop there. Rather than feature early crime-fighting Batman tales, Batman Confidential will feature stories that illustrate key moments in the character’s past such as first meetings, critical decisions, alliances, confrontations and events that would shape him as the character he is today." (from Wikipedia, thanks Wild)

Azrael
Batman: Umm, Dick I think.
Writer: David Hine
Artist: Cliff "FUCK" Richards

This book's sales must keep it teetering on the edge of cancellation. However, it's solicited through February! It just finished an interesting arc with AMAZING art by Guillem March, who has now been replaced by Cliff Richards.

This book is still telling the story of Michael Lane, the evil imposter Batman of Batman #666. Upcoming arcs have him still struggling to stay in control of the cursed armor he wears as he is recruited by Batman to join the global corporation featured in Batman Inc.

He is crucified, and in the third issue he rises again ! David Hine, you daredevil you.

Aaaand some minis I'm not reading.

I've probably left some books out and some important links. And of course, this is just my biased outlook.

I love you too, Mark Waid

2010-11-03T00:39:00.000-07:00

IGN asked Mark Waid 50 Questions in 50 Minutes. Two of them were mine.

Weiland: Taterpie asks: Which is harder to write, the descent of a hero like Plutonian was, or the rise of a villain like Max Damage was?

Waid: The rise of a villain like Max Damage is much harder to write. The descent of a hero is easier to write because everybody knows what its like to have a bad day. Everybody knows what it's like to, no matter how good you think you are as a person, to want to punch that guy in the face because he should stop standing at the front at the top of the escalator at the convention, you jerk. By the way, it's not any of you out here [Audience laughs] Especially at conventions is when I want to punch people in the face. None of you people! I'm referring to New York. Here's my new rule for conventions: you know how when you go on an airplane they've got the silhouette there that says your luggage must fit in this space? I want that same silhouette for your costumes at the convention. If your costume doesn't fit this space, we're not letting you on the floor, mister giant Pikachu! [Audience applauds] So that makes it easier to write "Irredeemable," moments like that.

Conversely, "Incorruptible," it's clawing your way up. Max looks at the world the way an alcoholic does. He's terrified of doing anything bad because he doesn't know where the slippery slope begins. It's like the same philosophy where, have one drink and I'm suddenly back off the wagon again. He doesn't want to do anything villainous or evil, but that's much harder to define. It's much easier to look at stuff and go, "Oh, that's a good thing to do." It's harder to see in a gray society, in the grays we have everyday, what exactly is wrong. If Max goes into a bar and he sees somebody robbing it and he sees somebody smoking in the back, it's the same level of wrong to Max. They're both breaking the law. So, it's much harder to write that.

Weiland: This is actually one of my favorite questions, because it brings up a funny quote from you. Taterpie is back...

Waid: I love you Taterpie.

Weiland: And he asks: You once said you'd write Dick Grayson in a "cocaine heartbeat." What's the first thing you'd do with him if you wrote him now?

Waid: With all due respect to what they're doing now, I never thought Dick would work as Batman, and Grant's convinced me otherwise. Not forever, but for a while, he's working well as Batman. That's not what I would do. There's no one specific story you tell, you've just got to make him happy, you've got to make him the big laughing daredevil, you've got to make him bounce around, you've got to make him the opposite of Batman. He is in a position to do that after what they're doing with him in Batman now, provided they ever take him out of the Batman costume. I think he'd be even more eager to re-embrace the laughing young daredevil he used to be.

I just think it's easier to figure out what you wouldn't do. You wouldn't make him dark, you wouldn't make him a Batman clone and you wouldn't make him just exactly like Batman. Unlike most sidekicks, he never grew up wanting to be Batman. Wally wanted to be the Flash and Speedy wanted to be Green Arrow. Early on, Robin realized, "I love Batman, I respect Batman, but that's not what I want to be when I grow up."

( Taterpie: Nightwing's origin in 52, by Mark Waid and George Perez. That's as close as we got to a Waid NW run.)

(And just FYI, Weiland, I'm not a he.)

I'm a big fan of Waid's Incorruptible and Irredeemable, Incorruptible far more than Irredeemable. And it's for the reasons Waid speaks of as the difficulties of writing Max vs. writing the Plutonian. I'll be honest with you. I opt out of most descent arcs for hero comics. Current Daredevil shenanigans? Not for me. The end bit of Dark Knight Strikes Again? No way. It's just not fun for me to see a good person go bad.

The sheer challenge of coming good, though. I love that. Capital L love that. Most of us will never know the difficulties that felons face coming out of prison, trying to find jobs and do all the things that fine, contributing citizens do. A bad reputation is harder to get rid of than a whiskey hangover. Lingering fear and distrust is a hell of an obstacle to taking on responsibility. It probably helps to have superpowers to bend to the benefit of others, but the suspicion has got to remain. Like the alcoholic police chief in Incorruptible can only be considered 'recovering,' not 'recovered,' Max's battle to do right and cause right is complicated by his own past more than the Sisyphian obstacle of the Plutonian's power. That's the good stuff. That's comics worth reading. At least, it is so far!

I would still love to see Waid on a Nightwing book. Maybe if and when he puts Irre/Incor to bed, he'll do a thoughtful, fun piece on a sidekick-grown-up for Boom. If anyone can put a new twist on it, it's Waid. And who knows. In an ideal, far future, Mark Waid may run DC and write there again as well.

Why I read Thor: The Mighty Avenger

2010-10-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

That's why.

For the folks who appreciate words in an explanation - because the book is warm, funny, and superb.

We're all all right, we're all all right

2010-10-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

I love the cartoon Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It's fun, it's appropriate for several age levels, it's self aware - and did I say fun? It's given me exposure to DC heroes I would never have taken note of before - B'wana Beast and Vixen, for instance. It really makes the most of the Batman + guest template, bringing in favorites like Booster Gold and Robin/Nightwing - but none too often, so you won't grow tired of the same thing you could get in one of the major books.

It has also dabbled in awesome musical episodes, allowing Black Canary and Green Arrow to find each other via harmony while taking on Neil Patrick Harris's Music Meister. More recently, the Birds of Prey and Catwoman colluded musically in The Mask of Matches Malone. Their song was penned by Gail Simone, and it bothered me. To tell you why, I need to tell you about something that bothers other people tremendously.

Some folks were discussing this over on Tumblr: Damian and male privilege. Damian Wayne, if you somehow don't know and yet are reading this blog, is the miscreant son of Bruce Wayne and current Robin to Dick Grayson's Batman. Raised by aristocratic eco-terrorists, he's not a nice kid. The topic people are complaining about here is that he's mean to female characters in a really gender-specific way. He is, there's no getting around it. Most of the time it doesn't bother me - characters aren't always nice, or even people you'd want to hang out with. Even heroes. I do think it's getting to be a bit much, a staple of the little brat, and I'd like to see some more repercussions from that. Mostly they stalk off indignant but with a 'what can you do' attitude,because he's 10. Sometimes they give him what he deserves, though...

I find it frustrating sometimes though, that the people who are offended by 'slutshaming' and talk about women's bodies in comics refuse to apply the same standards to male characters. Gail Simone is a female comic writer and champion of the cause of Women in Refrigerators. If you're new to all this, it's the frequent use of female characters as nothing more than a figure to be hurt or killed to torment a male character. She found it annoying and a bit disturbing last year when two characters she's written frequently, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk of the BOP were casually mentioned as a past drunken fling (menage-a-trois style) for Green Lantern Hal Jordan. She wrote the lyrics for this piece from BATB.

Flash's foes, they finish last - too bad he's just too fast
Green Arrow has heroic traits - that is when he's shooting straight
Aquaman's always courageous - his little fish, less outrageous
Plastic Man can expand - becomes putty in our hands

If you had three heroes singing double entendres about how the women of the DCU were terrible in bed, had loose vaginas, were terrible lays, or were easily manipulated via sex, the reception to the song would have been much more hostile. Coming hard on the heels of folks complaining about Damian, it just took some of the giddy fun out of the piece.

I'm torn, in this situation. Part of me says folks need to understand that characters can be absolutely unlikable and still not be a reflection of a greater policy of misogyny from a publisher. Another part wants to remind folks that if it's not cool to talk like this about women, it's not cool to talk like this about men. And yet another part just wishes people had a better sense of humor and quit trying so hard to be offended. What do you think?

The hero... waits?

2010-10-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to avoid the internet today so I can get home and read comics unspoiled. In particular, I'm wanting to see what happens in Batman and Robin #15. I'm not a huge Grant Morrison fan, but this series has been fun. However, it has had one main failing for me from start to finish - it pretty much should be called Robin and Batplaceholder.

I got into comics fairly recently, and it was oddly enough with the legacy bunch of characters - Wally West Flash, Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, and Dick Grayson's Nightwing. I've read a lot of Batman, but only a small chunk of what's out there. Right now, it's an especially frustrating time to be a fan of these guys - except Dick Grayson. And yet...

I was really hoping for more for the character from Grant Morrison. I'd heard so much about how he elevates the characters he takes, from Bruce Wayne to the X-men. Unfortunately it's just not happening so much for Dick. This book is clearly about Damian and about Bruce's mysterious time-traveling past. Which is great, unless you were waiting for Dick's ascent to greatness.

To be fair he's done a good enough job for the most part, making the cowl his own to some extent. However, largely he's had two jobs 'Don't get dirt on the cowl' and 'keep Damian from running off and becoming a bad guy.' He's done fine at both but really neither one is a starring turn. Damian had a triumphal moment that keeps people up wanking - facing down his mother.

Not bad, little man.

The biggest badass moment for Dick so far? Punching Deathstroke! That's awesome! Oh, wait, he was laid up in a hospital bed after a heart attack. But Dick caused that heart attack! By electrocuting Damian, sending the shock back to Deathstroke through the convoluted feedback system embedded in Damian's fresh-grown spine. (Complicated) That's clever, Dick, but you still smote a 10-year-old.

He's fallen through trap doors searching for clues under Wayne Manor. He's gotten his ass beat by Dollotrons - TWICE in one issue. He's killed Batwoman on accident and resurrected the homicidally insane degraded clone of Bruce. He really hasn't shone in any way except keeping Damian from flying off the handle. I keep waiting, but no.

Today's book may or may not show us whether Dick rescues himself from Hurt's machinations, or if it takes Bruce's time-travelling heroics to do it. If after 15 books, Dick's whole raison d'etre has been to be nice to Damian and wait patiently for Bruce to make everything better?

I'm gonna be so sad.

Well this is another fine thing

2010-10-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

When Tom Fowler posted on twitter that someone had bailed off his NYCC list, I jumped on even though I wouldn't be able to attend myself. I have been quietly simmering a real regard for his art, from his cartoony action to his amazing faces. As most artists seem to do, he asked only to be given a character to work on, that he'd supply all the results and he personally guaranteed I'd be happy. And I am!

Robin - roughly 9"x12"

You can see more of his comission work at his blog here.

Oh it's the best week to be me!

2010-09-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Checked the mail today and discovered I had a package from Blindwolf Studios. This is the Best Thing, because it means I have paintings from Franco Aureliani!

I've posted excitedly about my Franco paintings before. He does 6"x6" canvas oil paintings for quite a good price. Last time I just asked him for two subjects, Nightwing and Flash, and was totallyy delighted with what I got. This time I asked more specifically for Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson era, as we agree that's the best Robin!) out and in flight.

I can basically do a solid wall of Franco paintings now - (click to embiggen)

There's a fairly significant change in style between these two and the others though, so I may end up hanging these separately.

Big wins at a small con

2010-09-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

I went to the Jet City Comic Con, which was a very small event compared to Emerald City. One large room bordered by artists tables, with vendor tables through the center in 4 aisles. Easy to navigate, easy to talk to people!

I was lucky enough to have already arranged to get a piece from Chris Samnee, artist on Thor: The Mighty Avenger. I'd come to appreciate his art on The Mighty, which was a fairly dark book. T:TMA is a light-hearted book, almost but not quite innocent enough for Marvel Adventures. He said it's doing better sales numbers than Marvel had originally anticipated, which is fantastic. You can pre-order it on Amazon for Dec 22 delivery - make someone's Christmas happy!

That turtle is going to be sore tomorrow!

Samnee was at the Drink and Draw the night before the con, where I also met Francis Manapul and Agnes Grabowska - two nicer, friendlier people could not exist. I stood in line the next day for two hours to get a piece from Manapul, then splurged and got a piece from Grabowska as well. They were both working with these really nice watercolor pens, of which I forgot to ask the name. Agnes was inking sketches, then coloring them while Francis was freepainting watercolors on 10"x14" board. It was interesting to hear him ask her for color tips, as he's never studied color theory! He whipped out some amazing Flashes - a Barry and an Impulse while I watched, and then did an Iron Fist for the guy in front of me, using an image from an iPad for source. When I came up and asked for a Nightwing, he asked if I minded him using the cartoon design because he's never done the comic Nightwing before (other than the Nightwing-Green Lantern hybrid in SM/BM). He was able to take a tiny image of the Jim Lee Nightwing on my iPhone screen and extrapolate this:

It's a little big for my scanner, so I had to set it on the floor and take a picture.

(Check out this Iron Fist he did for the guy ahead of me too: http://yfrog.com/f/n9merrzj/)

I had to run to the quarter bins to find source for Agnes to do Robin, as she's a little more versed in the Marvel Universe.

She was out of her book You, Me and Zombie at this point, which is just as well as I'd spent way too much as it was. You can get it at her site though, or read the webcomic here!

I also met Matthew Clark, the artist on Doom Patrol for DC. He was doing some fantastic comissions while I watched, but I was sadly out of cash. I will be looking forward to getting something from him soon. I totally fell in love with the Winter Soldier he was working on, and we had a pretty fun little chat about what it is women see in Winter Soldier, Grifter and Nightwing. He also mentioned that Nightwing was probably his most requested character, stemming from his days on Outsiders, and this was the first con where no one had asked for one. Hmmmm. Is DickBats supplanting Nightwing in people's minds?

It was a really nice, relaxed show. Many of those folks will now be off to New York City Comic Con. I hope you'll see them there.

Bati-no-gol

2010-08-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Not only is the keeper for Paraguay's Club Guarani, Pablo Aurrecochea, wearing the Batsymbol as he performs his duties... He's clearly expressing his preference for the new Bruce Wayne Batsuit.

We'll have to agree to disagree there.

Guarani kept a clean sheet in his club's 2-0 win over River Plate in the Copa Sudamericana match. Not too shabby.

Please hit Dirty Tackle to see his other shirty moments - Krusty, the Pink Panther, Spiderman...

Iron Fist commission

2010-08-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of this day's posting is spelling the word 'commission.'

I don't read a whole lot of Marvel books. This is probably a temporary thing, when I've exhausted all DC has to offer and I still have money to fritter away on books, I'll probably read more Marvel. What I have read and enjoyed tremendously though, was Brubaker/Fraction's Iron Fist. In particular, Aja's art run on it was just amazing. That gave me a particular mental concept for Danny Rand's Iron Fist, visually, and it'll be hard for anyone else to measure up, there.

My friend Adam Rosenlund is an exceptional artist, and a very busy one. He rarely takes commissions, so I jumped up and down with excitement when he said he could do one for me. Ordinarily I would not advocate getting art done by a friend on spec, as there's often a large gap between expectation and delivery. However, sometimes things work out.

Click for big.

You can see more examples of Adam's work and awesome webcomics at http://www.floodworks.net/webcomics. I particularly recommend Light Years Away.

My first comission/convention piece

2010-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

2009's Emerald City Comic Con was my very fist comic convention. I knew there would be great artists there and I knew I wanted *a* piece, but I had no idea what.

I chatted with my friends about it, and one turned me on to the work of Scott Morse. He's an excellent artist, known more for his own work than his times with the Big Two. I think if I had it to do over, I'd have gotten one of his tiger pieces or something a little more esoteric. But I am a Dick Grayson fan, and this was my first piece ever, so it was of course going to be Nightwing. I brought along my favorite Nightwing cover in case he needed reference:

Morse does paintings on really thick, nice board. I believe I paid $100 for my piece, which turned out pretty great, although this is the most Frankenstein-iest Nightwing face outside a Mankhe book.

Morse is a supercool guy, and you can see more of his work at his blog. I own a couple of his non-comic books, and one of my friends owns a gorgeous ukelele that Morse painted. He also did my favorite piece in the comics that came out in relation to Michael Chabon's "The Adventures of Kavelier and Clay," - 'The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist (Vol 2)'.

This piece cost me $100, if I remember correctly.

Tony Daniel Batman RIP work

2010-08-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

My entry into reading ongoing-continuity superhero comics was recent and coincided with Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel's run on Batman. I was coming off reading a long back catalog - by no means complete - of Batbooks - the usual Batman, sans Dark Knight, plus the whole of Nightwing, some Robin, Flash, Teen Titans, etc. When I think Grant Morrison Batman, I think Tony Daniel, not Frank Quitely or JH Williams III.

Interesting that while I don't think RIP will ever rank in my top Batbooks, I did fall in love with Tony Daniel's art. I had a great job that overpaid me and had recently started chatting with a lot of comics folks who collected page art. So I took the plunge and was just going to buy a Nightwing page from that, but the agent who handled TD's work advised me he was having a sale, buy 3 get some large percentage off. So I got the following, all from Batman 678, as my first ever comic-art purchases:

Page 2, Tim Drake reads Batman's 'black casebook.'

Page 10, Nightwing stops in for some ruckus.

Page 20, Bruce sews the Zur-En-Arrh Batsuit.

None of these are splash pages, and probably not iconic to many people. They were just the pages that I enjoyed the most, which I felt were important to the story - and could afford. That really plays into it folks, sad fact.

As you can see from the watermarks on the scans here, I purchased through Albert Moy.

Yet more comic art

2010-08-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

Franco Aureliani is one of the nicest people working in comics. He's half of the Tiny Titans creation team, but since it is Art Baltazar's art that graces the pages, a lot of people don't realize what a fun artist he really is. You can see more of his work at Blindwolf Studios.

I saw him at 2009's Emerald City Comic Con and he was selling his paintings, large and small. While I will forever kick myself for not buying the large one he had of Lois and Superman dancing, I did snag a little 6"x6" he'd done of the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes era). I hung it on my wall and it grew on me more and more every day, plus all my friends absolutely loved it. So I poked around his site and it turns out he runs a store from there where you can commission paintings! So I got two more.

They hang together above my bookcase (and thermostat, for scale... yeah for scale). I also have two more on order from him. The idea is when I move next year I'll have a den/office and can have those occupy one wall.

Higher resolution for ya:

Click for Big

You really should look at that one, look at the details on the side. I didn't even frame these because I like that so much.

Updating my comic art collection

2010-08-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some other pieces of comics-related art I have gotten in the past couple years. Mostly so that I can show it off to a friend, but also so you can get an idea of pieces you can have commissioned or sketched at a convention, if you'd like.

This is a George Perez disco-suit Nightwing I had done last year when I was still pretty flush with money. He's not cheap, this was about $275 including shipping. I had asked for 'sheepish' and I think this is closer to 'let's get it on', but I really still like it quite a bit.

edit: My friend tells me in Dundee they would say this look is 'caught bonny' and I think I love that.

Still freakishly excited about this

2010-05-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell from the number of times I've posted about it already, I'm very excited about the upcoming release of "Batman: Under the Red Hood." Amazon put up its pre-orders for it today, for delivery on July 27.

I hopped right on that bandwagon and got the two-disc with a lithograph. I wanted that Blu-ray but I don't have a player, and at some point you just must draw the line.

If you are not interested in the DVD, you should still read the books. I insist.

But I don't HAVE a Blu-Ray player!

2010-04-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

CBR just posted the extra features for the upcoming animated DVD release, "Under the Red Hood."

As well as an excellently voiced Jonah-Hex short feature, fans of Robins get quite the treat!

The 2-disc Special Edition release will include the following goodies:

- Featurette – Robin’s Story – It was decided it was time to add a fresh face into the story mix, which turned out to be Dick Grayson, aka Robin. This is the story of Dick Grayson and how he transformed into Robin, with Batman as his father-figure role model.
- Extended Sneak Peek at the next DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movie.
- Widescreen (1.78:1)
- Two title-themed episodes from of Warner Bros. Animation’s 20-year history of Batman television series, hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm.

Folks with Blu-Ray get a really nice selection, including everything listed above and the following extras as well:

- Featurette: Death in the House of Batman – The story of how DC Comics heard the fans’ cry that the new Robin was not going to fit the cape, and how the Boy Wonder was scheduled to die.
- Two additional bonus Batman-themed episodes personally selected by Bruce Timm
Digital copy

I'm going to guess that one of those episodes on the Special edition (and Blu-Ray) will be the acclaimed "Robin's Reckoning."

Typically I just Netflix DC animated features, but with this selection of extras, I am definitely ordering this one.

See it here, now!

2010-04-20T13:51:00.001-07:00

I know I linked you guys to the "Under the Red Hood" trailer yesterday (I was first, as far as I can tell!), but since MSN are buttheads that won't let me embed on blogger, here's the Youtube so you don't have to travel.

Again, not sure about Bruce Greenwood as the voice. To me, Bruce Wayne, simply due to his size if nothing else, is a deep-voiced man. If you've watched the related videos, Jensen Ackles' delivery concerns me, although his timbre is at least more appropriate for the smaller Jason Todd.

Tony Daniel gets a B&W statue

2010-04-20T12:33:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy Tony Daniel's art, and I think he's an up-and-comer of a writer too. I tend to prefer his Bat-book as I am a Dick Grayson fan more than a Batman fan, and I feel like Daniel seeks to celebrate Dick's character a bit more than most writers.

So I'm pleased to see (and pre-order) a Black and White statue from the guy. I like it - it's that little bit more slender than the Bruce-bats, and it expresses athleticism and energy which reflect Dick's character too. The other Dick-bats statue in this line I have seen, Quitely's, is a very accurate representation of the first B&R cover. However I find it to be sort of emotionless and drab in execution - that pose just isn't exciting when brought to a statue.

You can find more angles for this piece over at Daniel's blog.

a view askew

2010-04-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Josh Rogan's Etsy shop has mod(ern) takes on our favorite superheroes. And they're fantastic!

You can find this and a lot more at the shop. Love the Superman one, LOVE the Iron Fist and Power Man one, but the Batman and Robin ones are clearly of heroes he loves less. Not a DC man perhaps.

(Via @graphicly.)

Under the Red Hood trailer

2010-04-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/exclusive-batman-under-the-red-hood-trailer/5jho4cp

I really cannot wait for this. Although I find Greenwood's voice to be too light for Bruce/Bats, this story just worked so well on the page... I hope it intrigues as well on DVD.

It's not you it's them

2010-04-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

"To combine every version of Batman into one — in that way, it's constantly referencing Batman's history. I didn't look at anyone for Damian, or for Dick Grayson, except for portrayals of him I'd seen before. Damian was kind of my own character, so it was more a case of giving him a stronger story arc that people could really follow. Readers used to hate the kid and now they love him."
-Grant Morrison, at MTV's Splash Page interview.

It never seems to occur to Morrison that the people who love Damian either loved him because he was Morrison's idea to start with - plenty of them, so there was no universal hatred of the kid to begin with - or liked the way OTHER WRITERS handled him.

I find myself particularly frustrated with the way Morrison depicts the little bastard as the perfect ninja/inventor/CPA/mimic with the last word and the plan for everything. When in the hands of Sterling Gates, where Damian's a skilled fighter with a penchant for retardedly dramatic (and archaic) lines who can't get along with girls, or Peter Tomasi where Damain's toned down the need to win every argument either on screen or off... Yes, he's much more likable. Morrison, other people did a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Don't wrench your shoulder patting yourself on the back, ok now?

I'm an Avenger, how 'bout you?

2010-03-16T03:41:00.001-07:00

"So we're agreed. It's Robin and the Avengers from now on."

Convention Art from ECCC

2010-03-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

This weekend was Emerald City Comic Con, which I was pleased to attend. It's local for me, and this is my second time. I knew I'd like to get some sketches from some favorite artists, in particular some folks from the Bat-books and also folks I've connected with on Twitter.

I lucked out and got some great stuff, and here it is for your viewing pleasure! All images are 'click for big.'

Colleen Coover, in addition to being talented, gracious and amazingly friendly, is a genius. She put out a call on Twitter a few days in advance, suggesting if people knew what they might want as a convention sketch, they contact her, exchange the money right then, and she could deliver at the Con. This is my Nightwing doing the Batusi (shout-out to the Doing the Batusi blog). This was a great way to handle the situation, as she said later that when people entered the Con, she received more requests by noon on the first day than she could fill in the whole weekend. [ColleenCoover.net]

I've chatted with Michael Oeming (Powers, Mice Templar, What If... Thor) on Twitter several times and I met him in the bar the night before the Con started, so I really wanted to get a piece from him. It's more fun if there's any sort of connection to the artist, I think. I ended up with a really sweet Powers piece. By the way, if you're ever in Seattle and down by the Convention Center, he really recommends hitting the Von and getting their Smokey Martini. He and his wife, Taki Soma, both recommended fervently. [MichaelOeming.com]

Dustin Nguyen will do you a quick headsketch when you buy one of his posters. He's also a friendly and engaging guy - who adores Batman Beyond. And Barbara Gordon is his favorite Batgirl. [duss005.com] Last year he drew me a very spiffy Nightwing, this year, I opted for something more feminine. Currently he is the first and only sketch in my new sketchbook, as I forgot it at home on the second day.

Jo Chen was the first person I chased down. I had NO idea how popular she would be, and her booth was right by the entrance so she was mobbed. I was lucky to get on her list and lucky she could actually find the time to do this, as she had to run back to her hotel for more books (her art book is lovely, I splashed out for that too) and due to a family emergency almost had to leave the Con. Thank you Jo Chen, you were a champ, and I love this! [Jo-Chen.com]

Phil Hester was the person at the top of my list - and I was near the top of his list! And yet I almost didn't get this. I sprinted over to find him after extracting myself from the pile-up at Jo Chen's table, and was second on his list. He was doing quickies for free or 9"x12" for $50. I let him know I was there both days, and then checked back periodically. He was gracious about telling me it would be awhile yet... I was the last thing he delivered at 5 minutes til close of the Con, and it is AWESOME. I loved Hester's run on Nightwing, and his sharp, angular heroics just work for me. [Phil Hester's twitter]

Even as a newbie at Cons I've already realized that since I don't keep floppies and I don't ever want to tote around libraries of books to have signed, getting a momento from a favorite writer can be hard to do. Unless, of course, they're selling a book I don't have and would want to take home.

To solve that problem this year, I had a new idea. There's a lady who does little 4"x4" paintings of major characters from both studios, with a big word balloon over their heads. [Blank-Ees.Com] She was there, so I bought a Batwoman from her and took it to Greg Rucka, and asked him to fill in the balloon. he thought this was awesome and hilarious, and this is what he wrote in:

Coincidentally, congratulations to Rucka for winning GLAAD's award for Outstanding Comic Book. Story.

Iron Man 2, Trailer 2

2010-03-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

I can't wait. Why? Robert Downey Jr makes Tony Stark a character I can really enjoy.

Batman: Under the Red Hood & what to do with Jason Todd

2010-02-25T01:24:00.001-08:00

So the previews for 'Batman: Under the Red Hood' which can be found on the 'Crisis on Two Earths' DVD are up on Youtube:

It's interesting, I've always heard Bruce Timm has no time for the character of Dick Grayson, and you can kiiiind of sense it here, except he can tell how blessed he is to have Neil Patrick Harris doing the voice of Nightwing.

I am not at all sold on the voice of Jensen Ackles. Maybe it's his lack of experience as a VA, but it's just... flat. Cmon, we know you can yell and even sob as Dean, why does this guy sound like he's not even breathing? Neil Patrick Harris is playing to his strengths, on the other hand - he's done lots of VA work, and he does best as a light-hearted, flip and engaging character... Which is all-things Dick Grayson. I'm not sure yet on Greenwood as Bruce/Batman, but it's certainly not bad.

***

I've talked a bit about Jason Todd in the past, and his advent as a tragic villain. This is probably Winick's best work, even including Pedro and Me. It was the only time I've actually wanted to have Jason on-stage in my reads. Brothers in Blood was so bad I was just glad it ended, although I did feel bad for Jason, and his note to Dick at the end about being 'a family again' prickled at my stony heart. This story built such a good foundation for Jason, it's a pity that it has only been rehashed... Then again, where do you take a tragic villain whose raison d'etre is usurping the Batman to prove his way isn't the best way? Both Tony Daniel in 'Battle for the Cowl' and Grant Morrison in 'Batman and Robin' simply restacked the blocks Winick had used to build Jason's house, although Morrison did at least try to reassign Jason's frustration to Dick Grayson. I have not read all of Jason's other appearances, so I cannot speak to them too much, but yes, when you have a single-silo villain, no matter how tragic, sympathetic and intrinsic to the back story, they simply cannot appear too often.

However this movie should serve to heighten his popularity - while not wildly, at least a bit. Jensen Ackles has a rabid fan base who aren't ordinarily comic book readers, who may give this story a shot and come away with a deep appreciation for the character. I wonder what this will do to Jason's status in the DCU, and his frequency? Perhaps he can move away from Gotham and assert a new identity. A broader focus could make a better character.

There were some events in the story as written that I bet end up cut - the bombing of Bludhaven witnessed in the distance as Bruce and Jason fight the final battle of the piece, for once. Even though it made sense in the context of the books as they unfolded, in a standalone piece, not so much. Which is a pity, as it emphasized Jason's jealousy of Dick, however briefly, before he drew Bruce back in to the fight.

I don't usually bother with the animated movies for some reason, but I think I'll pick this one up. What can I say, I'm a compulsive.

Crisis on Two Fandoms

2010-02-09T21:00:00.001-08:00

Jason Todd's one of those characters whose fans always surprise me. Not that he has them - there were some readers voting not to kill him back in his Robin days (losers!), and every villain has his or her adherents. It's the fans who proclaim he was the nicest, sweetest boy and it was the writers what done him wrong - they surprise me.

While it's possible for a writer or two to take someone with a long-established personality and write him or her out of character, when they stage an event in that characters life, it happened. Rejecting it as not canon is, for lack of a better way to say it, silly. Jason's fun and eager-to-please nature were erased along with his red hair in the Post-Crisis reset- and that IS canon. No one writing him as troubled and sullen was doing it wrong. Barring the Grant Morrison 'all that has happened has happened' approach, those days are a separate legend for a separate invention. Moving Jason out of Dick's shadow gave him his own life, but in many ways brought on his death. He was replaced by a more engaging Robin, Tim Drake.

When Jason got punched back to life (hurrr) he came back damaged and troubled, and fell into Talia's grasp. He emerged from this like a poorly-set bone: healed but twisted, and nothing short of a re-shattering is going to untwist that. And yet, it is not uncommon for people confronted with Jason acting a villain to proclaim that he is being written wrong. He's not. He's being written. Just because you don't like the direction of a character does not mean it's wrong. I don't like the direction of Supernatural, but I'm not saying it's WRONG.

See what I did there? Yeah. Jensen Ackles got cast as the voice talent for Jason Todd in the upcoming Under the Hood adaptation.

Written by Judd Winick and based on his 2005 Batman comics story line, it's Batman versus another vigilante, Red Hood, who doesn't mind cleaning up Gotham by leaving dead bodies in his wake. Animated guru Bruce Timm exec produces this pretty violent look into crime on the streets, and it's directed by "Superman Doomsday" co-director Brandon Vietti, with a cavalcade of stars as voice talent. It all starts with Bruce Greenwood ("Star Trek") as Batman, then continues with "Supernatural" star Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") as Nightwing, John DiMaggio ("Futurama") as the Joker and Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter films) as Ra's Al Ghul.

"Under the Hood" is actually a really good story, wherein Jason is a tragic villain. But a villain! Sure, he was pushed to the place he is in now, but he is there. In "Supernatural" Dean Winchester, played by Jensen Ackles, is a dickhead. (In the show, they call him a dick, but because of Nightwing, I won't do that here.) And yet fans of the character will brook no such accuracy. Though Dean is a jerk, physically abusive of his younger brother, sexist, homophobic and intolerant, all of these characteristics are often handwaved away by an adoring fanbase. Though the show has its flaws, I would say that Dean's well-enough written that those flaws are justified. Raised by a largely-absent father, on the road, with no strong female figure in his life after the age of five, mostly in the rural areas of America where intolerance is tolerated - Dean lives in that skin. He's a fully realized sympathetic jerk. Occassionally he gets a lesson in manners, tolerance, cause-and-effect and it's a part of the show. So I find it bewildering when folks deny that he is those things. Of course he is those things, those are the qualities that serve as outward dressing for the man burdened with saving the world. He's not Superman, he's a messed-up guy in a messed-up situation.

Similarly the re-done Jason Todd is a messed-up kid, plucked from the streets in the act of robbing the tires off the Batmobile, product of a troubled family past and caught in the lasting shadow of both his mentor and the first Robin. His discovery that his death was, to his standards, unavenged by Batman, would only serve to deepen those feelings of resentment and inadequacy. If he went bad - and he did - at least he had good reason.

I think this is all jangling around my head because I get tired of the apologists. A good character isn't always a good person, nor does a sympathetic villain always equal a good person waiting to burst free. And I know that the real reason I'm writing this is that I get tired of the whining about Jason and I'm afraid of the unleashed tongues of the fans of Supernatural!

I laughed a little, guiltily, about Neil Patrick Harris being cast as Nightwing. The usual (male) crowd of comics fans always teases me that Nightwing is the choice character of women and gays (re: not real fans), and I'm sure they'll have something to say along those lines here. But NPH is a great and fun actor, so I'm thrilled he's voicing my favorite guy.

According to the Superhero Complex story which revealed this casting, we'll see the first Promo for "Under the Hood" with the new DC JLA Movie, "Crisis on Two Earths."

Young Justice-ish

2010-02-01T14:25:00.001-08:00

Apparently there's a new animated series coming from DC/WB called "Young Justice League" with a Pick'n'Mix style lineup.

Rumors first seemed to start over on Action Figure Insider forums, where a user spilled the beans about what he had seen at an industry toy fair. While he lated edited out his post, information on the internet yearns to be free, so it cropped up on Titans Tower.

He summed the lineup up thusly:

It's Sorta THE Young Justice. They will be going out with this BIG TIME at Comic Con. From what I saw, it's Martian Girl, Aqualad, Nightwing, Impulse, Arrowette, and Connor Kent. The poster gives me the tone that it's a cross between JLU and TT. I liked the look a lot. It's not quite Timm-style, but it's not All Murikami'd out like Teen Titans.

The kids were the focus of the poster, in the center, but The JL was behind them.

On both forums, the mere idea of "Young Justice" drew some scorn and disbelief, specifically revolving around the reported title Young Justice, which is for many a very fondly-remembered comic book from DC starring a line up of youthful and/or legacy characters including the Tim Drake version of Robin. Further internet detective work revealed this blog post by an actress who was cast as Arrowette: Animation: Young Justice League.

Well, I am beyond thrilled to announce that I was recently cast in the new animated series, YOUNG JUSTICE LEAGUE, based on the famous (and awesome) DC Comics. I seriously could not be more excited about being welcomed into this amazing family… what a fantastic way to start the new year! I will be voicing the character of Arrowette (see ridiculously hot avatar below!!! um, could I love her anymore?) as well as several supporting cast members… Due to the extreme popularity of this series, however, that’s about all I can say… for now. So excited, this is really a dream come true for me, I have ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A SATURDAY MORNING CARTOOON!!! Woohoo!

The young lady has multiple roles to her credit [IMDB], including voicework on the straight-to-video "Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five."

It's doubtful DC would give Peter David the pleasure of realizing a "Young Justice" animated series or movie, so "Young Justice League" allows the cartoon creators flexibility among the characters. But the line-up of this team also raises questions. Will Nightwing and Aqualad be the same age as Impulse and Arrowette?

Additionally announced in that first forum post was a Bruce Timm-led Green Lantern CG series, also for release in Q4 of 2010.

Additional Credit: DCAU Resource

The Babysitter's Club: Maryanne Saves the Day

2010-01-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

Dick Grayson wears the mantle of the Bat, these days. You might not know that if you stripped the names out of the books - a lot of the time, it's impossible to tell this Batman from the dead/missing Bruce Wayne Batman. Not only do they look similar in a superficial way - dark hair, blue eyes, impressive physiques - they're similar enough in spirit that they pose difficulties even for accomplished writers to divide. Because writers long to write Batman, so in many ways it doesn't matter who's tucking themselves into the tights. The author is here to tell his or her Batman story, not the tale of the man within the mask.

While Tony Daniel and Paul Dini also present us with Batman titles every month, there's no doubt Grant Morrison is the driver of this bus. Like it or nay, he is the captain of this ship and no one else will get the OK to execute a course change for the characters he's got designs on - Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson - and most importantly, Damian Wayne. Make no mistake, the Batman and Robin book really is the Robin and Batman book. Morrison tell us repeatedly in interviews that it is, from statements that Damian will "still get all the best one-liners," to

Enough said.

And if you think there's room in Grant's heart for another Bat-boy, let's be honest here - that slot is taken, too, by Bruce Wayne. And the Bruce Wayne Batman he loves is the best Batman there can ever be until his own creation can step into the cowl. (Which is never. As "iconic" Barry Allen has shunted aside the fully-realized and welcome Wally West in the service of the industry of comics itself, writers, publishers and fans know in their hearts that only one man can be the Batman.) The Morrison Bruce Wayne is the 'optimal man', and there has been no challenge he could not surmount; not insanity, not the devil himself, not his own code of ethics -

So far I've had him overcome the Devil, Madness and Death; now we see him, truly lost, amnesiac, and stripped down to basic human survival mode in some extremely hostile environments and unfamiliar situations. He's the best fighter in his world, he's one of the smartest and most driven men who ever lived... - Morrison, USA Today interview.

- all of this and he didn't even have to die. Take that, Hal Jordan!

"Prodigal" was a wonderful story, but it didn't really get to the meat and bones of what the world would be like with Dick Grayson as Batman, and I'm happy to see they we're finally getting there now.

- Dan Didio, Comics Alliance Interview June 2009

Sandwiched between the 'real' Batman and the one of Morrison's future is Dick Grayson. First Robin, then Nightwing, now the Bat. This is his second stint in the suit. The first time, not even Dick had any real expectation of holding the role for long; he was just doing a job for Bruce when Jean-Paul Valley could not. Valley's lasting legacy as the Bat is to have been crushed by the role and his own demons, and some funky Bat-outfits. Dick managed to stay alive, stand off the usual Two-Face plotline, and maintain the status quo. This time he's playing for keeps, but are the writers? Not only have they taken sunshiney Dick Grayson and made him startlingly dark and brutal, which is excusable if he's still roleplaying as his mentor, but half of them have robbed him of his identity more thoroughly than when Bruce took away his Robin panties. Nine out of every ten chararcters don't even call him Dick these days. Richard Grayson, not Dick, is the man of the hour.

Dick's death along the road to either Bruce's resumption of the mantle or Damian's ascendancy seems virtually assured:

Knowing that he cannot, under Morrison, reach the heights of greatness that Bruce has nor can he hold the role of the Bat for very long, should he even survive it, it really does beg the question of what his legacy will be. Surely there must be either a great height or a great fall? A great victory or a great defeat? Defeat and possibly death seem more likely than saving the world in this book.

It appears the one thing Dick Grayson can do that Bruce Wayne cannot is tolerate a sidekick who doesn't leap to attention and obey every order. While Bruce Wayne may consider the raising of Dick Grayson to maturity to be the monumental achievement of his life, most readers do not. If the 'high point' of Grayson's run as the Bat is to babysit this insolent, entitled child who still doesn't value human life, it will be a crying shame. Bruce Wayne would have fired this kid (preferably into the SUN) long ago.

Today is the day a new arc of Batman and Robin starts. Damian Wayne is recovering from his injuries and Dick is operating - never alone! - with other people. I hope to see a more DickieBats Bat than I'm seeing in Streets of Gotham or even Batman. It would be a shame if one of the only truly organically evolved characters of comics was simply used as a crowbar to open the box that holds Future Batman and then thrown away.

Latin-a

2009-02-20T12:35:00.001-08:00

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