I wanted to post this even if I didn’t have all the proper identifying info, because it’s just too amazing to pass up. After The Dark Knight, everyone’s Joker costumes appear to be a of the dark and edgy variety, but I think there’s still a place for a well-dressed clown prince, and so does this guy.

He’s pretty close to Hamill’s Joker, though a more cleaned up version of the one we’ve seen recently in Arkham City. At one point I saw a picture of the makeup process to transform him from normal dude into a smiling freak, but I can’t locate it right at the moment. Check back for an update once I find the info I’m looking for (or someone posts it in the comments).

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Most of the time, when featuring artwork, it’s supposed to be funny or supremely badass. I’m not sure this is either, but it’s just a damn cool illustration that I couldn’t pass up posting.

It’s from Axl Salles, and is called “Son of the Demon.” Whether this is a scene from an existing comic plotline, I have no idea, and I’ll leave it to one of you to tell me if so. I just thought it showed a side of Batman we rarely get to see, and was a damn fine bit of artistry to boot.

Check out the rest of Salles exquisite work here.

What better avenue to explore creative license than attempting to visualize God in a comic book? Imagine the fun it would be to try to illustrate the concept. Yes, that is what God is, ultimately. A concept. No one has actually seen this God everyone speaks of, so we can only conceptualize what God may look like by our own terms. The great thing about comic books is, they do what they want. They put things to visuals in THEIR OWN terms, and then show us the end result.

Though some believe in God, and others do not, comic book creators have no fear of treading on the taboo and showing you what their version of God is, in terms of their story. Here are six wildly varying versions of God, as seen through the eyes of comic book creators and illustrators. Beware, if you believe in God, these could be considered potential life spoilers.

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I’ve been hearing people saying for months that the original Walking Dead comic is better than the show, so I thought I’d give it a try for myself. I’ve said previously that I haven’t wanted to read it as not to spoil the show, so I compromised. I’ve read up only until the part which was the season two finale, or as close as I could get to it.

I was amazed to learn that out of 90 some issues, the entire series of The Walking Dead so far has only covered through the 12th book. I guess if ratings keep up, we’ve got a hell of a ways to go.

There are a TON of differences between the comic and the show, and fans of the source material seem to claim that they prefer the plot of the graphic novel. I agree on some points, but not on others, and so I thought I’d talk through the different changes, and whether I think the show improved the comic, or made it worse. Obvious spoilers ahead for the show, and please refrain from talking about events that happen in the comic after the one’s I talk about. Thank you.

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Once you reach adulthood, you’ve been subjected to a constant onslaught of talking animals through most of your life. As such, it can be hard to fathom that some of the greatest and most mature comic books ever written have starred anthropomorphic animals. Whether they’re war machines built by the government to cause unwitting destruction, or a pride of lions that lose their sanctuary, and in the process, their shackles, these books are some of the best reads you will find in comic books, hands down. But be forewarned, Disney animals these are not.

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To say there’s a bit of a disparity between how men and women are sexually portrayed in comic books is a bit of a understatement, but now the trend has translated into their movies as well.

We’re all excited for The Avengers, but while the above promo poster shows the manly heroes in various heroic poses, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is somehow twisted to perfectly show both her ass AND boobs in one contorted pose.

Below that, artist Kevin Bolk has imagined what it might look like if male heroes were forced to contort in such awkward ways, and result is undeniably hilarious.

Last of your race? I know that feel, bro.

I can’t quite put my finger on why, but this is my favorite art series of the year so far. There’s just something so charming about cartoon versions of our favorite heroes and villains empathizing with each other’s problems that makes me smile.

Artist PaperBeatsScissors has created an entire series of these, which has forlorn characters fist-bumping as they have the same issues as one another. Can you think of what Fett and Snake, Pikachu and Genie or Beaker and Chewbacca might have in common? I bet you can, and then you too…will know that feel, bro.

Check out the entire fantastic gallery below:

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As if we needed further proof that you can mash up anything with anything, today we have The Breakfast Club meets The X-Men from artist Rahzzah. It may seem like a stretch at first, but somehow, some way, it actually works. Logan, Rogue, Cyclops, Jean and Nightcrawler all do share certain specific traits with their detention-bound counterparts, and the concept isn’t as much of a leap as you might imagine.

Now, can we get an Avengers/Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

Alan Moore likes to rape people. Wait, that sounded bad. What I meant to say was: When Alan Moore writes a comic book, it is not unheard of for him to use rape as a means to garner an emotional response from the reader. He does not shy away from brutal subject matter, and for that reason, you can often come away more traumatized from a well written comic book than you can from an over the top horror movie. I decided it was high time I shared some of these traumas with you guys.

Not all of these are Alan Moore moments, but a few of them are. And the scenes that aren’t from Alan Moore, were often writers doing what they thought was their best impression of him, plain and simple. In some cases, it works. In some cases, it was just too much. Either way, who knew comic books had it in them? ( Do I even need to say SPOILER ALERTS to you guys at this point?)

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It’s an ongoing contest to see which film can generate more hype, The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers. I’m excited for both, but I’d say the cooler amount of fan art is in favor of The Avengers at the moment.

Case in point being this awesome poster series from The Creative Shark, which takes each hero and gives them an Olly Moss style artistic print. The six main heroes are featured, and Thor, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Hulk and Black Widow are below. I’m not a huge comics person, but do Hawkeye and Black Widow even have powers? I know neither got their own movies, but they seem like the odd couple out here.

See the rest of the posters below, and buy them here.

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