Illustration roundup

Green Lantern #57 cover. Via.




One of several ads for DirecTV HD.




Otis Frampton was commissioned to create an original Indiana Jones storyline and has started posting some rough illustrations.




Seven samurai poster by David O'Daniel on sale here.




He-Man wallpaper by Ewen Stenhouse.

Best Covers: DC Comics Solicitations for August 2011

My favorite covers from the DC Comics solicitations for August 2011:


FABLES #108
Written by BILL WILLINGHAM
Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and STEVE LEIALOHA
Cover by JOAO RUAS
They say the wages of sin are death. If that’s so, the community of refugee Fables hiding out in the Kingdom of Haven have to pay dearly for their past sins. First Prince Charming died to win their war. Then Boy Blue died to pay for the imagined peace that followed. And now... well, let’s just say the bodies have really been piling high. The tights and capes have been stored away forever, but it remains to be seen if Haven and its refugee inhabitants have survived the onslaught of. Where do the Fables go from here? Bigby and Snow White’s cubs try to move forward after learning a hard lesson about life and death. And the loveable, fan-favorite hero Bufkin the Flying Monkey gets into more trouble when he finally reaches his homeland of Oz.




BATMAN AND ROBIN #26
Written by DAVID HINE
Art by GREG TOCCHINI
Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
1:10 Variant cover by J.G. JONES
Le Jardin Noir – France’s very own Arkham Asylum – falls under siege! Someone has freed the lunatics, and unless they can be stopped, they’ll turn Paris into a surreal Hell on Earth! Batman and Robin join Nightrunner in a mind-bending battle with the strangest lineup of villains this side of Bizarro World.




DC RETROACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – THE ‘90S #1
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DEMATTEIS
Art and cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
It’s time to “Bwah Ha Ha” all over again as this classic JLA team tells a lost tale from one of the JLA’s most popular eras. The Injustice Gang is back! Not the truly menacing, more recent incarnation, but their not-so competent predecessors. Still, when they stumble upon a device they should never be allowed to have, the results might prove more disastrous than if they actually knew what they were doing! A previously released story from the era rounds out the issue.
(An homage to one of my alltime favorite single issues.)

*See more of my favorite comic book covers here.

Batman Black & White Statue: Batman By Sergio Aragones (yes, really)

Batman Black & White Statue: Batman By Sergio Aragones:

DESIGNED BY SERGIO ARAGONES
SCULPTED BY JIM SHOOP

BATMAN GOES MAD!

This latest statue in the popular Batman Black & White statue series is designed by Sergio Aragonés with a classic MAD look!

This cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 6.5” high x 7.5” wide x 4” deep, is painted in monochromatic tones, features a Bat-logo-shaped base and is packaged in a black and white box.

Limited Edition.

On sale January 18, 2012 * Statue * $90 US

Via.

I don't know if they're related, but here's a Batman story by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones.

DC Action League Series 3

Fwoosh has lots of photos of DC Action League Series 3, including adorable Kilowog and Deathstroke.

*Buy DC Action League at Amazon.

Illustration roundup

Because dragon's are overdone, a fire-breathing swan. Merlin's Ring is available at Amazon and eBay. Via.




Orangutan with magnetic powers used magnetism in a suspect manner via this list of goofy Fantastic Four moments. The existence of this comic is an indication of how much education has improved, right?




Tattooed Black Manta by Dave Mott.




Longshot and She-Hulk by Jesse Hamm (I think).




Barbara Gordon/Oracle by Adam Hughes.

*Buy Batgirl toys at eBay.

Catwoman's outfit from Night of the Batmen

I mentioned how much I liked Plastic Man's look as Batman in Night of the Batmen. Catwoman looked pretty striking, too. A reader's comment sent me looking for the source. Turns out the costume was featured in Batman #210, in which Catwoman recruits eight new Catwomen:






That costume was also produced as a Mego costume:




You can find both the comic and the Mego figure at eBay.

Night of the Batmen (Plastic Man as Batman)

In last night's episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, "Night of the Batmen," Batman suffers a serious injury, and his fellow Justice Leaguers take his place patrolling Gotham. Green Arrow, Shazam, and Aquaman settle on their looks quickly, but Plastic Man tries out a few classic styles before settling on a pantsless look:











He has a fight with Catwoman:









And argues with the others as to who's the best Batman:





The end of the episode shows several more Batman volunteers:



*Buy Plastic Man toys at eBay.

DC created a super hero costume tailor shop in the real world

As the video explains, Mr. Lee's Tailor shop was opened in Madrid to create costumes for super heroes and villains. It was a promotion dreamed up by Leo Burnett to advertise DC Universe Online.

*Buy DC Direct action figures at eBay.

Link roundup

1. "Turn a Webcam into a Security Camera with Email Notifications."

2. Pro Football Talk says that Tiki Barber's agent is claiming that he knew almost immediately that Tiki's broadcasting career was going to fail, and tried to convince him to promptly rejoin the NFL.

3. Interesting comic book legend this week - - "DC forced Siegel and Shuster to 'prettify' Lois Lane in the early 1940s." Part of the memo instructed the artist, "She looks pregnant. Murray [presumably Murray Boltinoff, longtime DC staffer - BC] suggests that you arrange for her to have an abortion or the baby and get it over with so that her figure can return to something a little more like the tasty dish she is supposed to be."

Green Lantern and bride and groom Dunnys

I usually just post custom toys at Toycutter, but thought these deserved to be posted here, too:








Green Lantern custom Dunny with removable ring and scratchbuilt lantern by Ian Ziobrowsk. The groom Dunny is by Ian, and the bride is by ZAM. You can see more custom toys by ZAM at Toycutter.

*Buy Dunnys at eBay.