Marvel's Corner Box Icons: The X-Men

Dork Note: The Corner Box Icon tells a story all it's own from issue to issue. We see Banshee leave, Kitty Pryde and Rogue join the team and Storm change her hairdo...and it's all in the corner!

1970's Batman Bathroom Gear

Batman Bathroom Gear I had as a kid, the toothbrush, hair brush, and bubble bath. All the gear a young crime fighter or is that...grime fighter...needs to battle the filth.

The Avon packaging is as cool as the product inside. Three more things in a long list of items I should track down for my collection.

Monday Who's Who: Copperhead

Sideshow Collectibles: X-Men VS Sentinel

I admire the craftsmanship and artistry of statues in the land comicdom, but usually the cost and space requirements stop me from buying them. However, these three X-Men VS Sentinel came very close to being bought; especially the Colossus/Cyclops statue; which lights up. Pretty F-in' awesome.

Cool or Crazy Comic Book Tattoos!

Cool or Crazy?

Cool or Crazy?

The Battle of the 1970's Pinball Machines!

Evel Knievel VS Superman

A few years back I wanted a pinball machine in a big way . I debated over and over again between these two mighty 1970's iconic marvels, Evil Knievel or Superman.

Both wore the American colors proudly...Red, White (yellow-is sort of white ), and Blue. Both had bad ass bitchin' names, and finally both could leap tall things in a single bound.

Sadly, life happened and I got neither, but I can still dream.

Adam Hughes' Wonder Woman model.

It is interesting to see an artist's model and reference material used in the creation of their work. It's like peeking behind the curtain at the wizard.

Dork Note: Adam Hughe's model shown below is Julie Rapp as seen in Comic Book Artist #21.

Book and Record Set: Batman, Aquaman, and Flash

I played these two records again and again on my Dad's record player. In a time when we didn't have VHS/DVD/Net/On Demand these little LPs were the SHIT!!!

Thank you to Power Records Plaza for archiving and making these old 45s available.

Take a Listen at Power Records Plaza

Art of: Animation by Filmation

Every Saturday morning I gobbled sugary cereals in front of my favorite shows from Filmation. Shows like...Star Trek, Shazam!, The Batman-Tarzan Adventure Hour, Ark II, Tarzan And The Super 7, The New Adventures Of Flash Gordon, and The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour, Blackstar, and The Kid Super Power Hour With Shazam!

This book needs a serious reprint. If you can find this book on Ebay and that is a big "IF" then it usually runs hundreds of dollars!

Review Animation by Filmation by Thomas R. Cook posted on Amazon.com:

The book is Awesome so if you get a chance... pick it up!!! I happen to have been an animator at Filmation Studios from 1980 until they closed their doors. It was best place I ever worked as far as the friendship between the artists and the fun we had daily.

My heart almost stopped when I heard that a French company was going to purchase Filmation and that they mainly wanted us because of the large library of shows that they could release on video and that they had NO desire to keep the Studio open for any new production.

Lou Scheimer battled as long as he could to keep us in business and I am "Eternia"lly grateful to him.

X-Men Coloring Page for the Holidays

The cover of Amazing Comics #12 by Paul Smith

Review by Dana: Doctor Thirteen

Doctor Thirteen: Architecture & Mortality TPB, by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang

Think of writer Brian Azzarello, you probably think grim and gritty: His acclaimed series, 100 Bullets, or his various Batman projects (hopefully you don’t think of his incomprehensible, Superman: For Tomorrow). In Doctor Thirteen: Architecture & Mortality, Azzarello does a 180 turn, surprising us with a very entertaining ode to DC’s pre-crisis continuity.

One of DC’s more obscure characters, Doctor Thirteen is a paranormal investigator who has always found a mundane explanation behind each of his cases. Reasonably, he has become a complete skeptic despite existing in the DC universe.

In this storyline, originally published as a backup feature to the Spectre in Tales of the Unexpected #1-8(2006-2007), we find the good Doctor, who has been experiencing strange dreams, led to a plane crash in the French Alps. There, he and his daughter, Traci Thirteen, encounter D-list, horror character, I… Vampire! Things only get stranger and more absurd as Doctor Thirteen soon finds himself at the head of a small army of silver age characters so obscure, they had this comic reader of 35 years rushing to Wikipedia to find out who the hell most of them were! After battling Nazi gorillas and an animated Mount Rushmore, this motley cast of characters makes their way to New York City to battle against the ominous Architects, a quartet of men you might find vaguely familiar. Doctor Thirteen and his friends fight not just for survival, but for relevance in a “realistic” world.

Don’t pick this book up thinking it will be a piece of straight, in-continuity storytelling. It is a meta commentary on the direction of mainstream comics, that at times reads almost stream-of consciousness. That being said, the characters in Architecture & Mortality are written with such wit and warmth by Brian Azzarello, and are so beautifully illustrated by the thick line of Cliff Chiang, that this book can’t help but be a delight to longtime DC fans. In particular, those who feel a seemingly infinite number of Crises have excised a lot of wonder and fun from the comic book world.

Currently available through your local comic retailer, DCBS, or Amazon.com

Kryptonian Language Guide

Clipped from http://superman.nu/:

The "Kryptonian Language" has had many incarnations. In the early stages of the chronicles, it would sometimes appear as a set of random alien-looking characters. No concern was given to any sort of continuity, however, and from the 1950s to the 1960s, the appearance of these characters would vary wildly and were not always consistent from one story to the next.

Sometime in the late 1970s and/or early 1980s, DC Writer and Editor E. Nelson Bridwell researched these earlier incarnations of the language in order to consolidate them with the aim of creating an actual Kryptonian language. His language had its own complete grammar, a vocabulary, and an alphabet of 118 Kryptonian characters. His notes explaining this constructed language and its associated alphabet were never published, but a simplified version of it appeared in 1981's Krypton Chronicles mini-series and in other Bronze Age Superman books.

In 2000, when DC Direct started designing items that required Kryptonian, Design Director Georg Brewer, with input from DC's Superman office, created an "official" Kryptonian character set. This was an all-new version of the Kryptonian alphabet and is a direct mapping to the 26 letters of the English alphabet. It is used by both DC Direct and DC Comics.

The character-index was first released as a paper flyer insert with assorted DC Direct products, including the Kryptonite Prop and the Bottle City of Kandor Prop. This marked the first time that DC Comics had ever published an alphabet for the Kryptonian language.

Monday Who's Who: Mera

The Sixth Gun, First Story Arc Completed!

I usually don't post about individual issues; which are currently hitting the shelves, but Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun is just so refreshingly good it deserves a nod.

I just finished reading the 6th issue and final issue in the first story arc and it stayed sharp from the first panel to the end. I've read The Damned series and enjoyed them both, but this series truly eclipses those previous mini-series.

The only thing; which makes me worried like a mother hen is that when Hollywood comes a knocking and they will, if they haven't already. I just hope the stars align so this story gets told by the right people and in the right way, because The Sixth Gun deserves it.

The Sixth Gun, written by Cullen Bunn with art by Brian Hurtt and published by Oni Press.

Clipped from Comic Alliance and reviewed by Chris Murphy:

What's been so great about this series, and what continues to be great about it, is that it's created a rich, complex world while very rarely lapsing into any sort of long periods of narration. As in previous issues, we learn about the characters and the setting as we watch the action unfold before us. The book doesn't feel the need to hold the audience's hand and walk it through, carefully explaining everything. It believes that if it shows the character's actions, shows the weapons in use, shows use the fantastic creatures and magic in the book, we'll be able to understand what's going on ourselves as long as the story's well told. It is, and we do.

It's halfway through November now, so I feel safe in saying that The Sixth Gun is the best new original series from an independent publisher to come out this year. If you haven't read the book yet and you're the patient type, make certain to pick up the trade paperback of the first volume when it comes out next year. If you're not the patient type, then I recommend finding the first six issues as soon as you can and catching up on this great story.

Chibi Marvel Capsule Toy Figurines

These vending machine toys ROCK! They come as a ball with the body inside. You pull the head apart and then reassemble them back together again as a figure...fucking brilliant!
I bought Spider-Man and Iron Man for my 2 year old daughter at my local comic shop's vending machine. However, before I could buy any more their supply was wiped out. She did however end up getting the Hulk too, because the shop owner had an extra one.

Every once in awhile I'll ask if they are going to get more in. They always say the same thing, "We ordered them and they haven't arrived. We don't know what's happening." I don't know what's happening either, but whoever is making these things needs to get on it!

Damn dude, seriously, you need to put them out there so we dorks can collect them all!

Clipped from On-line posted by WebMonkey:

I can’t get over how ingenious and cute these guys are. There are unfortunately only six figurines, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. They are expected to retail at a vending machine near you for just $1 and they stand in at around 2″.

Whoever’s making these should make more and expand the roster to also DC. I would seriously buy them all.

NEW Comic Book Lingo

Batman reading in the BatCave by Gene Ha

Bleeding Off [bled off]: –verb (used with a comic book series)
1. to leave or wean oneself off a series: He was bleeding off the X-Men for a few months.

Bulletproof : –adjective (used with a comic book series)
1. book sales are impervious to lateness: Planetary was bulletproof.

Over-Publicized-Character (OPC) : –adjective (used with a comic book series)
1. when a character is in many titles: Wolverine was the most over-publicized-character in 2010.

Trade-Waiting: –verb (used with a comic book series)
1. buying the first issue of a series then waiting for the trade paperback: He was trade-waiting all of Grant Morrison's Batman books.

Cool Artist: Tom Whalen

Coloring Books: 1970's Whitman Batman

I loved these coloring books as a kid. I know this will seem strange, but they seemed to have a magical quality to them. It was as if I was bringing these characters to life by coloring them.

I found this on-line an original painting.

Costly TPB: Batman Prodigal

Costly TPB: are usually books; which had a low run and now are out of print (OOP).
Dork Note: Sometimes it takes me years to get one of these Costly TPB at a decent price.
Batman Prodigal (1997)
Cover Price: $14.95
Currently on Ebay: $59.99
Reprints: Batman #512-514, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #32-34, Detective Comics #679-681, and Robin #11-13

Marvel 1980 is BACK!

We're glad you're back to posting again, dude!

Review by Dana: Haunted Tank TPB

Haunted Tank TPB, by Frank Marrafino & Henry Flint

Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath, the original The Haunted Tank premiered in DC’s G.I. Combat #87(May 1961), and ran continually until 1987. The feature chronicled the exploits of an American tank commander during World War II, Lieutenant Jeb Stuart, who is aided in his missions by the ghost of his ancestor, a Confederate general, J.E.B. Stuart. The Haunted Tank was second only to Sgt Rock as DC Comics’ longest-running war series.

DC revisited the concept in 2008, through their Vertigo imprint mini-series Haunted Tank. Writer Frank Marrafino and artist Henry Flint update the series to 2003, taking place during the US invasion of Iraq. As before, Confederate General Stuart returns from the spirit world to fight alongside a tank squad, this time led by his modern descendent, African-American Sergeant Jamal Stuart. Sparks soon fly as both soldiers are taken aback by each other’s presences.

Though the bickering, mostly about race, between the two Stuarts can get a bit tiresome, Marrafino’s script is entertaining and at times hilarious. Henry Flint’s highly detailed artwork is just great, simultaneously capturing the ugliness of war, as well as its sometime morbid absurdity. Haunted Tank is a well-made and thought-provoking book, commenting not just on racial politics and the Iraq War, but also on the concepts of honor and glory, and how they are viewed and sometimes exploited during times of war.

Currently available through your local comic retailer, DCBS, or Amazon.com.

SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS

Monday Who's Who: Aquaman

Whatever happened to Chocolate Thunder?

Dork Note: I was going to do a post about Chocolate Thunder; which I dug as a comic and as a character. Then I found a post at blacksuperheroes.blogspot.com; which basically did it much better then I ever could. So I clipped the whole thing and posted it below.

I do want to add when I met Jeremy and Robert Love at Comic Con they were the nicest dudes. I wish them the best.

Clipped from blacksuperheroes.blogspot.com posted by wallruss:

Chocolate Thunder, (not Darryl Dawkins), is one of those comic book heroes that I never really got to know but wanted to. I ran into references to the comic many times a few years back but never actually got to have a copy of the book in my hands. The official website Gettosake.com has no direct reference to this comic at all. In fact, at the time I am writing this, the entire site is down. One of the original writers of this book, Jeremy Love, is doing some amazing work with Bayou but no word of Chocolate Thunder.

What is or was Chocolate Thunder all about? Basically he was sort of a throwback Blacksploitation hero. Here's the blurb: "Believed dead by his former employers, government agent Kevin King returned home to find his old stomping grounds over-run by crime. Unable to stand idly by, he became a costumed vigilante, whom the local graffiti artists dubbed Chocolate Thunder."

Why am I so hyped up about the guy? Well I'm always looking into new and interesting Black Superheroes but my interest piqued when I saw the video. Apparently the guys who put this character together made a flash video a few years back to promote the comic and I loved it. It even inspired me to do some of my own flash work. It was only available on the Gettosake website but with that gone, who knows. I was luck to find it on YouTube. It's called Chocolate Thunder: On My Way.

Wikipedia doesn't even have an entry on this brother but he did make their List of Black Superheroes. The best listing I was able to find, other than the official page, is a reference to him here. I looked to buy the comic on Amazon (Chocolate Thunder on Amazon) but they are either out of print or there are no books in stock for the forseeable future. To be honest I don't know if Chocolate Thunder ever made it to print at all but he will not be forgotten.

Check out the video for yourself before it gets taken down.

One Shot WANT MORE: Officer Downe

Officer Downe, written by Joe Casey and drawn by Chris Burnham

I loved the shear ludicrous and absurdity of this book. It was very much in the same vein of the comic book Hard Boiled by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow.

As an on going series this would get tiresome, but as a single issue book; which popped up from time to time...I would welcome it with open arms like a friend stopping by for a visit.

A friend; which always gets you drunk, nearly arrested, perhaps laid and leaves you with stories to tell and welcomed-back-to-normal-Mondays.

Rob's Room: Want these from Mondo Tees!

Rob's Room: Batfamily's History in Batgirl #15