My issues and concerns with DC’s decision to reboot their entire continuity are significant enough that I literally boycotted the entire comic line. The scrapping of fan favorites, the rebrandings and redesigns, the fact that Amanda “The Wall” Waller -a rare strong female comic character who wasn’t meant to be overtly sexy, just intimidating- now looked like typical eye candy and Barbara Gordon was Oracle no more; I was neither pleased nor impressed with any of this. So much so that I didn’t even subscribe to Batwoman in spite of the fact that Elegy was one of the better comics of the last decade. Such was my wrath.

In my article of favorite under-the-radar superteams, I mentioned writer Gail Simone more than once. This is because she is one of the best in the business. When she was suddenly fired from Batgirl, the internet comic community exploded with such fury that DC was forced to rehire her for the job within days. After that display of fan passion, not only did Simone get to keep her current job, but she got a rare opportunity to create an entirely new property within the DC Universe, and make a statement about the power of the masses while doing it.  That new property is The Movement, the first issue just hit stands this month, and it’s the very first comic from the New 52 I have purchased.

Simone calls The Movement “a book about power — who owns it, who uses it, who suffers from its abuse.” It’s an entirely new aspect of the DCU that combines elements of V for Vendetta and Runaways with a little Sin City thrown in for good measure and draws inspiration from real world events like the Occupy Movement and the operations of hacktivist groups like Anonymous. At this point you’re likely either shouting “hell yeah!” or you’re raging at the audacity of these spoiled punk kids who dare suggest our corporate government is bleeding us dry for anything but our own good. Continue Reading »

Growing up, my love of the X-Men was based not on the comics (which I wasn’t allowed to read), but on the action figures (which inexplicably, I was allowed to buy). Cable quickly became one of my favorite action figures I owned, and I really didn’t know anything about him other than the fact he was Cyclops’ son from the future.

But a metal arm? A glowing eye? A shit ton of weapons? That’s my kind of hero, and he was my favorite until the day I punched Wolverine so hard his arm broke off.

Nicole Marie Jean here is doing him proud with a female version of the character. Perhaps a comic fan can explain to me the little Kuato-like baby attached to him (her).

Keeping with the internet rule that everything must have a cat counterpart, artist Jenny Parks has taken it upon herself to render our favorite superheroes in feline form.

Yes, that’s the Catvengers you see above, but she also has variants of Spider-Cat and the Batcat and Banecat below. She even has a Daryl Dixon Cat. I guess he’s technically not a superhero, but he’s pretty damn close. Check out the rest of the kitties below: Continue Reading »

I’m far too young to have actually listened to any of these artists back when they were actually popular, but I’m proud of my self I at least know who five out of the seven are. And I don’t even like music!

The art comes from Butcher Billy, who I think we’ve featured here before. He calls the series the “Post-Punk/New Wave Superfriends” and explains what inspired the series:

“As a child of the 80′s I was heavily influenced by everything from saturday morning cartoons on TV to the music coming from the radio. Ian Curtis or Johnny Rotten are as iconic to me as Superman or Batman. Real people or imaginary characters, the incorruptible ideals of perfect superheroes or the human flaws and desires sometimes so desperately depicted in song lyrics – all of those influences affect us to the point of defining our character and personality, career paths and life choices.”

If I did this, it would be like Fred Durst, Tom Delonge and Britney Spears as The Avengers. Oh, the late ’90s. See more of the series below: Continue Reading »

It’s always fun discovering new and talented artists for the site here, but I can’t remember the last time I found one with a style as…memorable as Patricio Betteo here.

I don’t know enough about art to actually classify this, but it reminds me of a few famous abstract-ish paintings I’ve seen before, with a bit of Salvador Dali thrown in for good measure.

Betteo’s work has spanned mostly comic book superheroes from Batman to Wolverine to Hellboy, and you should check out some of his best stuff below: Continue Reading »

Whoa. What a month!

Though the great Mickey Spillane crossed over to the other side a few years back, the equally laudable Max Allan Collins has kept private eye Mike Hammer alive for a whole new generation of readers. May saw the publication of “Complex 90,” a Cold War thriller that pits the private eye against (practically) the entire Soviet military machine. Not only that, but Dark Horse resurrected one of the bloodiest vigilante titles I’ve had the privilege to scoop: X is once again walking the streets of Arcadia!

Can there be a better time alive to be a confident heterosexual male? Continue Reading »

I guess there’s some controversy about a new all-girl X-Men comic that apparently guys don’t like because well, I don’t know. There’s no one to project themselves onto? Comic book nerds are confusing some time.

Anyway, inspired by that recent development comes this whimsical piece of art from Skottie Young showing the girls with their own “No Boys Allowed” tree fort build over the skull of a Sentinel. I don’t think the actual comic is this adorable, but I’d actually rather see this in action, I think.

[via NerdApproved]

I’m currently in the middle of planning my own wedding, and by planning I mean nodding a lot and going “mhmm, that’s great.”

I can’t help but think it would be a lot more fun if the whole thing was superhero themed, but it takes a special kind of dedication to make that happen. Dedication like this bride and groom.

She’s obsessed with Batgirl, he liked Nightwing. As Batman can’t exactly marry Robin (in most states) it’s the Bat-themed wedding they chose. The sheer level of detail in this gallery is astounding, and it looks like one of the most fun weddings I’ve ever seen. Be sure to check out all the pictures by Dianne Personett below: Continue Reading »

Alright, so my buddy had a rather cool idea for an Unreality contest. He’s looking for a Batman-themed tattoo to put on the arm seen above. You can photoshop or draw your way to victory, the winner will get a free video game and an immortal place on his body. I’ll let him explain the details:

“This contest is for the best entry of fan art (of any kind), where the winner’s submission will be tattooed on my body, specifically my left bicep.  All entries of any kind will be considered including, but not limited to: drawings, photoshop, or even verbal descriptions a tattoo artist could use to make a drawing.  You DO NOT have to be a great artist to win.  As long as I choose your concept, even though I may have it re-drawn, you will be the winner. PLEASE NOTE: Because this is something I will be getting tattooed on MY body, a winner is NOT guaranteed.

The winning submission will receive the video game of his or her choice for any gaming system available, including PC or Mac (Up to a value of $60), and will have the tattoo featured on the site when comleted.

Here are the specifications of what I’m looking for and please be as creative as possible:

• The tattoo is Batman themed, specifically focusing on the the topic of “the good (light) always rises out of darkness.”
• I would prefer the Batman logo in some way, but any Batman themed submissions are accepted and will be considered.
• Regarding the logo, I want it to be recognizably the Batman logo, but to be a unique twist making it one of a kind, sharp, dark, and have a sort of pop to it.
• I want the final product to also include some variation the the text: “We fall so we can learn to get back up.”  The EXACT wording and phrasing of this can be edited in any way to fit your design, as long as the message stays the same and is grammatically correct.
• The rest is up to you, so be creative, make it unique and sharp-looking, and I can’t wait to see the final product.

Please send all submissions, and/or any questions, to: batmantattoo12@yahoo.com and also paultassi@gmail.com (be sure to send him the submissions as well).”

Well, this should be interesting. Alright, make something good so he actually does this! And so I can buy someone a game!

It stands to reason that if superheroes did exist in real life, they’d be using social media like the rest of us. Artist Jaime Calderon came up with a series of superhero themed Facebook like icons for such an occasion.

The Avengers, JLA and the X-Men are all well covered. For how separate The Avengers and X-Men are, I keep forgetting that they’re actually in the same universe. Someday the rights wont be so separate and perhaps we’ll get a crossover film.

Check out the Likes gallery below. Continue Reading »

Reader warning: the following article will contain minor spoilers to discuss the developments of Dark Horse’s new, stellar run (pun intended) in the worlds created by George Lucas. Consider yourself warned, padawans.

May the Force be with you. Always.

Once the Death Star exploded in those final minutes of the first Star Wars flick ever filmed, we all knew that the Empire was not just going to pack up, take its ball, and go home. No, we trusted that there were plenty of nefarious characters – admirals, Moffs, Grand Moffs, etc., not to mention bounty hunters – who couldn’t wait for the chance to strike back at our rebels. As a consequence, George Lucas, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox gave us The Empire Strikes Back a mere three years later.

But the question remained: what happened in-between? Continue Reading »