2012 “KING OF 7 SEAS - Aquaman” reimagined by Pablo Alcalde Fernández

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"The father of the hybrid Arthur Curry, horrified by the appearance of his son at birth and blaming him for the death of his atlantean lover, abandoned him at sea, to be later rescued by the Atlanteans, eventually becaming King of Atlantis and King of the Seven Seas."

Interesting reworking of a classic, even if he does look like a goldfish.

Pablo Alcalde Fernández

• BEFORE NEW 52: BOOSTER GOLD @ BOO$TERRIFIC
• “Wonder Woman - Paradise Island” @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• “LAST SON OF MARS - Martian Manhunter” @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Justice League of America Sample Pages @ Power of the Atom

2011 Black Manta color art by Cusson “Shun” Cheung

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Cusson “Shun” Cheung

• 2011 Steel color art by Cusson “Shun” Cheung @ DC Bloodlines
• 2011 Despero color art by @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2010 Elongated Man art by Craig C. Cermak II

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"Done for my friend, Ramon, who was working on a Flash mock-up cover. We both thought it'd be cool to have the co-feature on there with the Elongated Man (like it should be!!!)"

See the pencil art here.

Craig C. Cermak II

• 2011 Silver Age Atom color art @ Power of the Atom
• 2007 Captain Comet inkwash @ DC Bloodlines
• “Death of Wonder Woman” @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• 2011 Justice League of America vs. Starro @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

The Top 20 Zatanna Covers

Super-heroes failed out before the "Golden Age" truly ended, replaced by crime and horror comics. The Silver Age wasn't so much about reviving some fine heroic tradition as mining a formerly rich vein in the fallow period after Dr. Wertham ruined all that was good and salacious about '50s comics. The new wave of DC heroes worked off the premise that the original set had faded away for a reason, so any updates of Flashes and Green Lanterns needed to be separate, contemporary entities. Because of this, Zatanna was pretty much the first true "legacy" character, as she was the daughter of the outdated Mandrake knock-off Zatara, and followed his m.o. more closely than most of her fellows. Just as young collectors had slowly begun to seek out back issues and draw lines between "their" DC heroes and their predecessors, Zatanna searched for her father, who had been missing from the funny pages for ages. Also, rather than being given her own title, Zatanna linked a number of the updated heroes together as part of a shared universe through her guest appearances in various titles. Unfortunately, finding Zatara meant Zatanna would begin her own disappearing act until the late '70s, when nostalgia and the need for super-heroines in the post-feminist era kicked in. Even returned as a member of the Justice League, Zatanna remained undervalued, as she played a fairly negligible role for nearly a decade. I can't tell you how many covers hit the dust bin because I was tired of seeing the heroine played as a frail thing in need of male assistance, or depicted as though she'd stepped out of a lad mag. Only in recent years has Zatanna truly begun to be recognized as one of DC's most powerful heroes, and the bearer of a Golden Age lineage besides. Because of this, you'll be seeing a lot more modern covers than you might have expected for a forty-six year old creation.

20) Zatanna #11 (May, 2011)

This is a potent cover, but the muted "poster" coloring and overly sexy look hurts, plus a better version from the same artist turns up later in the list.

19) Justice League of America #161 (December, 1978)

She's in her terrible short-lived second costume and near unrecognizable due to bitchiness, but this is still an amusingly busy Bronze Age cover that smothers Zee in attention.

18) Zatanna #2 (August, 2010)

Stephane Roux was a good choice for interiors on Zatana's only ongoing to date, but he was in competition with Brian Bolland when it came to covers, which is a rough place to be. The stripperesque costume didn't help. I do like the theatrical poster look, though.

17) Zatanna #2 Variant Cover (August, 2010)

The first several issues of Zee's ongoing series had chase variant covers by Brian Bolland. They were often a bit stiff, and I tend to think Adam Hughes was the better Zee cover artist where Bolland was the better Wonder Woman one. Still, the Bollands were all in contention for this list, where the regulars typically were not.

16) Zatanna #13 (July, 2011)

She's a performer who deals in real magic. It's all right here.

15) Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #2 (August, 2005)

Ryan Sook is amazing enough to get me to overlook the stupid fishnet gloves, but the attitude and coloring sure help.

14) Justice League of America #191 (June, 1981)

One of the few instances where Zee's raw power and necessity are acknowledged in the team book, rather than allowing her to be marginalized by the bigger names. Strong visual "acting" as well.

13) JLA #118 (November, 2005)

Simple, but very effective.

12) Catwoman #50 (February, 2006)

Great mood on this one, offering a "Something Wicked This Way Comes" vibe to the traveling show.

11) Zatanna: Everyday Magic (2003)

Just an attractive cover that introduced the "little star" iconography to her spellcasting.

10) DC Super Stars #11 (January, 1977)

Zee's first solo story, and although she's in a too typical "damsel in distress" mode, at least she's the only one there to save herself.

9) Catwoman #72 (December, 2007)

This cover teaches us that Zatanna is powerful enough to have changed the course of the life of one of DC's most famous characters with one spell.

8) Identity Crisis #2 (September, 2004)

I think Mike Turner was a terrible DC artist, and a lot about this cover is simply awful, but the image foreshadows the story that has redefined Zatanna. Surrounded by the satellite-era League, she's the one to worry about.

7) Green Arrow #52 (September, 2005)

I know this must seem random, but how many covers can you think of where Zatanna is aggressive and heroic? Plus, Ollie cocking back an arrow does not look like he's going to be the one carrying the weight in a fight against this crowd.

6) Justice League of America: Zatanna's Search (2004)

What's nice about this cover is the way it incorporates aspects of all of Zee's early appearances, as well as making room for daddy. What hurts is that it's still the other heroes in action while Zee stands around, and it's just so damned red.

5) Justice League of America #51 (February, 1967)

I like classic, iconic covers for these lists, but Zatanna's early appearances did not often cast her in the best light. Here, she's lit up by a mystical candle while other heroes struggle to help. I appreciate that she's the character to draw your eye, but the others really fill out the cover, and she's still in  need of assistance.

4) Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1 (June, 2005)

I struggled with this one in the top spot, between those glorious bunnies and the contrast with Zee's costume. However, Zee's passivity and the unnecessary hints of goth/fetish held it back.

3) Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #4 (December, 2005)

I'm sure this has the potential to be controversial, but it's a strong image of a pro-active Zee with plenty of elements to let you know she's a powerful magician. That's a rarer combination than you'd think. She still has a lightness about her, but works comfortably in the dark.

2) Zatanna #1 (July, 2010)

I've had problems with Zatanna's costumes for years, since she looks conventional and out of place amongst super-heroes in magician clothes, but boring and generic in her super-suits. I think this is the first costume that gets the balance right, so that she looks like a magician super-hero, instead of one or the other.

1) Zatanna #15 (September, 2011)


A theme that emerges from recent Zatanna covers is Zee as the light breaking through obsidian negative space. She may be sweet, but she's not quite innocent, knowledgeable about the dark arts while defending humanity against them. Conjuring her own logo amidst five-pointed stars in a classy costume with a smile is the modern Zatanna in a nutshell.

Honorable Mentions:
Adventures of Superman #644
Blue Devil #4
Catwoman #58
DC Comics Presents #18
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5
Impulse #17
Justice League of America #164
Secret Origins #27
Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume One (2006)
Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume One (2010)
Shadowpact #16 Zatanna #5 (2010)
Zatanna #14 (2010)


Cornucopia of Top Comic Covers

• Zatanna's Top 20 @ Justice League Detroit
• OMAC @ DC Bloodlines
• Doctor Poison, Queen Clea and Veronica Cale @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Peacemaker @ Power of the Atom
• Triumph @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Ragman @ DC Bloodlines
• DC75: Top Character Covers of the Dodranscentennial

2006 Zatanna with rabbit sketch by Craig Cermak

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Craig Cermak

• 2007 Steel ink wash art @ DC Bloodlines
• 2007 Wonder Woman ink wash @ Diana Prince
• 2007 DC2 Justice League of America ink wash @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• 2006 Damage ink wash art @ Power of the Atom

2011 Zatanna color commission art by Brian Shearer

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"I love Zatanna, but I didn't want the normal rabbit coming from her hat, so I ask Brian to just go with it. Well I guess he was watching too many WW II movies, because instead of a rabbit, she summoned a Spitfire. Something wacky, but it fits somehow. Great piece."

Brian Shearer

• The Huntress @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Vibe and the Justice League of the New America

As has often been remarked, the original Justice League of America brought together the few super-hero properties DC had success with in the late '50s as Julie Schwartz's revival of the genre was gaining steam. Initially denied Superman and Batman by their respective editors, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter were soon joined by Green Arrow, the Atom and Hawkman. Every one of these characters had their own solo feature, and given that it was 1960, all but one was a white male based in the U.S.A. It took nine years to add another woman, Black Canary, and that was via the bleeding heart liberal Denny O'Neil at what was arguably the birth of the Bronze Age.



That time period is well noted for progressive white men making bold, often ham-fisted attempts at developing characters of color for four-color adventures. Marvel Comics was the hipper company, and had greater success earlier on with African-American heroes like Black Panther (1966,) the Falcon (1969) and Luke Cage (1972,) Asians like Shang-Chi (1973,) and Latinos like White Tiger (1975.) At DC, John Stewart made his debut appearance as a Green Lantern in 1971, but he then went up on a shelf until 1977, and waited until 1984 to find a regular berth. Black Lightning got his own series in 1977, which was cancelled the following year, and a guest appearance in 1979 allowed Jefferson Pierce to become the first non-Caucasian to be offered Justice League membership (which he refused.) The Vixen was almost the first African super-heroine with her own book in 1978, but her unpublished introductory issue was part of a Cancelled Comic Cavalcade instead.



Arguably, the most successfully comic book example of multiculturalism was The All-New, All-Different X-Men, launched in 1975. While still majorly white, the Caucasians were at least of unusual nationality (Irish, German, Canadian, Russian,) and there were legitimate minorities in a Native American man, a Japanese male, and an African female. Two of the latter members were gone almost immediately, but Storm became one of the best known players in the group, heralded the start of what remains one of the most female-heavy teams in comics history. The success of the X-Men inspired much imitation, especially at DC, who soon found their best-selling title to be the highly derivative New Teen Titans (1980.) In fact, it would be safe to say that The Outsiders (1983) was more of a Titans wannabe, and included the aforementioned Black Lightning alongside DC's longest lived Asian heroine, Katana.



The Justice League, ailing at the tail end of the Bronze Age, jumped on the bandwagon by making the team a bunch of scrappy upstarts joining sidelined veterans. The new Justice League of America was a home for writer Gerry Conway's failed Bronze Age concepts, including the Vixen (who had finally gotten into comics via some Superman team-ups in the early '80s,) and an update of Steel: The Indestructible Man alongside Conway inductee Zatanna and frequent guest star Martian Manhunter. Only Aquaman and Elongated Man were established long-standing members. Conway also added the quasi-ethnic Gypsy for youth appeal, and DC's first prominent Latin hero, Vibe.



While black super-heroes have had their embarrassing moments, and Asians still have to take solace in manga from the sea of martial arts stereotypes representing them in Western books, I would argue that Latinos have seen some of the worst treatment of all minorities. No matter how poorly blacks were depicted in the Golden Age, they've had decades of quality champions since. Before 1984, DC's only notable Hispanic heroes were El Diablo (a Zorro riff in an old west setting) and Green Fury, a Brazilian heroine amidst the team of tokens known as the Global Guardians. Vibe represented more than Puerto Rico-- he was the first Latino on the premier super-team in comics. Unfortunately, Vibe was also emblematic of one of the most reviled line-ups in that team's history. Loud ugly clothes, a history in a cornball street gang, a thick phoney phonetic accent, liberal seasoning of random Spanish words in his dialogue, fad-mongering as a breakdancer, the revulsion of his own designer/co-creator Chuck Patton: Vibe was a complete embarrassment and a lightning rod for criticism of the group.



Across the group's two year history, Vibe's look and attitude were toned down, but he still holds the distinction of being the first member of the Justice League of America to die. After the team's break-up, Vixen went on to join the Suicide Squad, appeared in several episodes of popular DC cartoons, had a solid run as part of Brad Meltzer's League, finally received her own (mediocre) mini-series, and even took part in the New 52 launch as part of Justice League International. Gypsy hasn't shown up yet, and while her ethnicity remains a muddy issue, as a c-list heroine she's done well for herself with cartoon cameos and membership in the Justice League Task Force and Birds of Prey. Vibe's brother turned up for a while in the planned-pathetic outfit the Conglomerate under the names Reverb and Hardline, who were forgettable enough that no one bothered to kill them off. Vibe's lasting legacy to date has been appearances as a ghost/zombie amongst the few Leaguers who maintained post-mortal status, and as a reminder of how poorly Latinos continue to be treated in comics.



Since Vibe's death, little has changed for the Latin super-hero community. The very Caucasian looking Aztek squeaked by for a year in a solo series, but was killed in a minor "event." A few modern El Diablos have come and gone, one another gangbanger. The less said about the late Extraño, the better. Gangbuster never amounted to anything. Firebrand III died early and not at all well. Most of the rest were similarly "legacies" of original white characters, and most are similarly quite dead, a notable exception being the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle. While Marvel also offered "colored" versions of established white heroes, DC made it the hallmark of their ethnic outreach, and their most prominent minorities remain the "Black Superman" (Steel,) "Black Batman" (Batwing) and so on. However, Marvel has had no more success with Latin heroes, ranging from early misfires like El Águila to dual tokens like Living Lightning (gay) and Firebird (evangelical catholic) to the triple threat of bland copies of copies like Araña. When Sunspot is your #1 creation from south of the border, the unintentional comedy of Vibe is comparatively attractive.



As a Texan, I know what the future of America looks like. A decade ago, Latinos were a close second to whites as customers in my shop, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if local stores today host Latinos as a majority. Mexican and South American culture have long embraced comics in a way North America has really only begun to. We just saw our presidential election decided by the Latin vote, and as our populations blend, now is the time to offer strong Hispanic heroes if we want our preferred brand of funny book to stand a chance against the sway of anime all-stars. As much as I enjoyed the Magnificent Seven in their day, entrenched history and the expectations of the icons seem to have frozen that lot in a numbing stasis that requires a Grant Morrison to pull them off as engaging entertainment.



The newer new Justice League of America offers a good deal more story options and opportunities to surprise. Further, it is difficult to see a "Magnificent Seven" Justice League translating to live action in a way that isn't laughable. Characters like Simon Baz, Katana and a revitalized Vibe offer audiences the America to come, rather than a vision of bygone eras, and that diversity extends toward separating this lot from the very profitable and well regarded Avengers. Viewers have already rejected a Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern when they already have Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, and I can tell you from experience that Catwoman is more a role model to modern ladies than Wonder Woman. Marvel may have miraculously pulled off your father's Avengers, but how much of a chance does Warner Brothers have with a Grand Old Justice League as competition in a United States that is ever more soundly rejecting dreams of a Caucasian ruling class of godlings.



Vibe may not have a lot of cache, but at least he isn't the second version of a white hero, and his last days include some of the best and least heralded JLA comics ever produced. Vibe has places to go, potential to explore, and I'm a lot more interested in where that takes him than in the further retrograde adventures of Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. It isn't about exclusion, as Hawkman, Green Arrow and Steve Trevor are still in there, while Stargirl could be the face of the Midwest if one were so inclined to canvas for one. Justice League Detroit was a Jimmy Carter team in Ronald Reagan's America, but the morning is long past and halftime has arrived. If Motor City truly is fighting again, maybe a Detroit League finally can be done properly, and place the Justice League on the right side of history. If Vibe can be redeemed, anything else is possible.

Post-Racial DC Comics?

• Victor Stone: Affirmative Action Cyborg @ DC Bloodlines
• All The World Is Waiting For Nubia! @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• The Atom: Big Little Man @ Power of the Atom
• Race & Mars @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2009 Gypsy color commission by Joe Orsak

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"Always thought Gypsy was a neat character. Being a gypsy, I wanted her to be in color. Plus she is from Michigan like me."

2012 “Classic Vs DCnU: Aquaman” by TJ Frias

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"Continuing my series of sketches themed "Classic Versus DCNU", I present Classic (yet modern) hook-handed, hairier Aquaman versus DCnU, yet oddly more familiar orange and green clad Aquaman. I might have to give the edge to the guy with the hook for a hand, having lost his hand and all. So he's really upset."

I liked Aquaman well enough as a kid, but didn't become a fan until my then-favorite writer, Peter David, was announced to take over the character's adventures. I bought a lot of back issues in preparation, and came to love Atlantian lore. In fact, Time and Tide was comparatively disappointing, and I found the harpoon-hand to be very stupid. I didn't make it a year into David's run, which only seemed to get worse, especially on the art front. The more David tried to make the guy kewl and edgy, the lamer and more desperate he seemed.

Geoff Johns had already rebooted back to the iconic Sea King for Brightest Day, so he didn't really benefit from the New 52, and I feel he lost a lot from his past history. On the other hand, despite emphasizing the lack of respect Aquaman receives, it also means unloading a lot of terrible baggage that no one will miss. I think it's fair to say that even David supporters probably won't shed any tears over misplacing Koryak along the way, and once you factor in Erik Larsen and the Sword of Atlantis, we all win. Aquaman, though he suffers from a writer wanting fans to like him sooo hard, is still a lot more keen and formidable today than that dirty hippy looking dude from the '90s.


TJ Frias' Post-Crisis DC versus New 52

• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

The Vixen in DC Universe Halloween Special #1 (December, 2008)

"Can one woman make a difference? When I was growing up, there were few role models for young black girls. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to discover Honey Williams one Saturday afternoon. She was different. Feminine but powerful, and tough as nails. Kinda like me." Williams was a Pam Grier type used up and spit out by Hollywood when the blaxploitation fad ended, "but this intombi* never forgot." Although it had been twenty years since Mari McCabe had last seen the grindhouse classic "Scream, Baby, Scream," she still remembered every frame that flickered across the silver screen as she ate popcorn in a darkened, sparsely populated movie theater for Halloween. The part where Frankenstein's Monster stepped out of the frame and began terrorizing the patrons was new.

"Hey, Purple Rose of Bavaria! Over here!" Mari had her Vixen costume on over a coat, but shedding it cost her time better spend not taking an uprooted theater chair to the face. A bystander in an Aquaman costume complimented Vixen's suit. "It's 'Jackie Brown,' right?" The Lady Fox replied "You should go. Now." Especially since the Wolf Man and the Mummy had joined into the breaking of the fourth wall. The Vixen had always wanted to be like Honey Williams, but starring in a chitlin' circuit Abbott & Costello riff while innocent lives were imperiled wasn't what she had in mind. Williams had always done the unexpected, so Mari tried slashing the screen instead of the monsters, which was not clever. However, Honey Williams stepped off the frame to literally point out the obvious, that the movie projector was to blame. Vixen leapt through a wall to the booth, and found an "insane creation" full of mirrors that was manifesting the monsters. One punch killed the camera, saving a father and daughter from the boogeymen. Mari mourned not getting Honey's autograph though, and missing the chance to explain what her movies had meant to her.



Mirror Master had been tipped by Harley Quinn to a fortune buried under floorboards in the theater, but hadn't counted on the Lady Fox being present. "Hi, Evan. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. And since you just ruined my night off, please make it the hard way." Mirror Master figured she'd need her JLA buddies to get this particular job done, but his ass swiftly meeting the floor meant she didn't. "Never get between a black woman and her stories." The Flash Rogue was soon led away in handcuffs, and Mari was introduced to the little girl she'd saved, Shaunequa. "I've never seen a lady like us beat up bad guys before. Can I be like you when I grow up?" Mari thought the "imbali encane" had a beautiful name and the right idea. "Can one woman make a difference? Yes, she can."

"Role Model" was by Eric Wallace and Tony Shasteen. The art was Photoshoppy, referenced to board stiffness, and the story didn't offer a Vixen that was too impressive, but I respect the overall intentions. Per an editors note, "intombi" meant "young lady/girl" in "African," which was helpfully translated into Western Hemisphere speak for us Upper Equatorians. "Imbali encane" meant "little flower."


Join the Spooktacular Samhain Celebration at this coven of blogs!

GHOSTS ANNUALS

1. "Bough Breaks" @ Batman: Gotham Knights Online
2. "Haunts" @ The Flash: Speed Force
3. "Dead Calm" @ The Aquaman Shrine
4. "The Distance Gone" @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
5. "Ghosts' - The Corpse Corps!" @ Green Lantern: Corps Conjecture
6. "The Death Sentence" @ Superman: Great Krypton!
7. "Heart's Afire" @ Martian Manhunter: The Idol-Head of Diabolu
8. "Life Itself" @ The Captain's JLA Homepage

HALLOWEEN HEROES

• "Shrinking From The Past" @ Power of the Atom
• "Ragman - Ripped to Shreds!" @ DC's Tatterdemalion of Justice
• "Legend of Driq" @ Indigo Tribe
• “Zor!” @ The Spectre of Siegel & Shuster: Mythmakers
• "Shoe Shine.. Back from the Dead" @ Firestorm Fan
• "Role Model" @ The Vixen of Justice League Detroit
• "Seeing Ghosts" @ Boosterrific
• "Swamp Thing's Ghost Dance" @ The BLOG from the BOG
• "What Creeps Out The Creeper?" @ DC Bloodlines
• "Happy Halloween" @ I Am The Phantom Stranger

2011 Zatanna commission by Will Conrad

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"Will Conrad did that nice piece for me. Nice guy too."

2012 Aquaman art by Yıldıray Çınar

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Intense!

Yildiray Cinar

• 2012 Art Gallery: Mera @ The Aquaman Shrine
• 2008 Mister Miracle color art @ DC Bloodlines
• 2010 Wonder Woman color art @ Diana Prince
• Classic Firestorm @ Firestorm Fan
• Sketches of Jason and Ronnie @ Firestorm Fan

2012 Justice League International art by Yıldıray Çınar

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"As Firestorm #9 will feature Justice League International, I drew this piece to warm up for the characters before I started drawing the issue. I added the greytones in photoshop directly on pencils."

The team looks great, although I do wish the Vixen had gotten a more prominent spot. New 52 Batman is right up there. Also featured: August General, Rocket Red, Fire, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Godiva and Ice.

Yildiray Cinar

• 2012 Art Gallery: Yildiray Cinar @ The Aquaman Shrine
• Hawkman Sketch @ Being Carter Hall
• 2009 Orion color commission @ DC Bloodlines
• 2012 Wonder Woman angry art @ Diana Prince
• Jason Rusch’s first costume @ Firestorm Fan
• Early Firestorm Try-out @ Firestorm Fan
• Guy Gardner @ Green Lantern Butt's FOREVER!
• 2012 J'onn J'onzz sketch @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2012 Zatanna color art by Johnny J. Segura III

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Here's a fun Zee piece, which the artist also did a digital reworking of for added electro-cuteness.

Johnny J. Segura III

• 2012 L'lex Xanadar Comicpalooza Commission @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• 2011 Wonder Woman print @ Diana Prince

2012 Hitfix: Aquaman is a Superhero who Really Doesn't Need His Own Movie

HitFix is a four year old movie site that I don't recall ever having heard of before stumbling upon their underwhelming list of 10 Superheroes who really don't need their own movie. As is often the case, there may be one or two insightful offerings, but before long they start reaching for the low hanging fruit. For instance, it's common knowledge that Aquaman sucks, right?

Aquaman

After being the subject of a running joke on "Entourage" and the focus of an abandoned CW series, it seems that the maritime muscleman just don't get no respect. In the comics, several attempts have been made through the years to make the old-fashioned hero a little edgier (he has long hair! He has a hook for a hand!), but seemingly nothing can make Aquaman a marquee movie star.

-Dave Lewis

Iron Man was a middling performer at Marvel for decades that they tried to jazz up by making an alcoholic, turning evil, replacing with a black guy and teenage version of himself, plus near constant costume changes. Captain America's first motion picture went straight to video, not to mention his two lame TV movies and inability to get his own cartoon. Thor only appeared in one Hulk TV movie and as a segment on an anthology cartoon. Each earned back several times their substantial production budgets when faithfully committed to film. Meanwhile, Disney has placed supposedly safer bets on less "silly" properties like The Prince of Persia, John Carter of Mars and The Lone Ranger that have or inevitably will cost them a fortune in currency and good will.



Only unimaginative, insulated comic book geeks still get their panties in a bunch over how stoopid Aquaman is supposed to be. They'll reference Waterworld, even though that pseudo-bomb dropped nearly twenty years ago and was actually an international success earning back its ridiculous production budget with substantial profit to spare. Disney's big crossover action franchise was Pirates of the Caribbean, about sailors on the ocean fighting giant squid. Aquaman can do that, and bring along his own quasi-Darth Vader in Black Manta besides. His costume actually works a lot better in live action than most, since it's actual armor from the real world. He has a power set with a strong visual hook that hasn't been seen that often, whereas someone like the Flash would either employ comically sped-up film or recycle gimmicks from The Matrix that have already been done to death. Is it so hard to picture Deborah Ann Woll in a dripping wet skintight body suit as Mera selling tickets? When Michael Phelps was breaking Olympic records, they weren't calling him the Sub-Mariner! Aquaman can be done, and given his rare global brand recognition, sex appeal, and unique setting in an increasingly overcrowded genre, getting it done should be a top priority for Warner Brothers!

Superheroes who really don't need their own movie

• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince

2008 Zatanna convention sketch by Marcio Takara

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Marcio Takara

• Patrolwoman Diane Meade @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
• The Huntress @ DC Bloodlines
• Captain Atom @ Power of the Atom

2012 “JLA by George Perez” Elongated Man Commission

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Aric Shapiro is a comic art collector with the good taste to pursue a series of Justice League of America member spotlight commissions in their full Satellite Era glory by George Pérez...

"Ralph Dibny, how I've missed you!! Ralph is a character that George drew so well; I can look at this drawing and wax nostallgic about a character long since gone. Another Perez masterpiece."

There's a whole slew of Detroit favorites in Shapiro's gallery, which I'm sure I'll revisit for this blog at a later time. I chose to feature the Elongated Man piece because Ralph doesn't get enough love here, and Dibny is one of the heroes most classically "on model" of the set, though it bears noting that the Stretchable Sleuth was never model pretty to begin with.

2012 “JLA by George Perez” Commissions

• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• Firestorm @ DC Bloodlines
• Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince