Justice League Detroit

Aquaman #4 (February, 2012)

2012-01-31T00:00:00.007-06:00

With the help of phosphorescent fish, Aquaman and Mera made their way deep into the trench. On the way down, they found a large underwater craft embedded into a wall with ancient Atlantean writing on it "...from... before it sank. This craft's been here for centuries. A hull breach indicated the passengers had been eaten by what Mera deemed their "primitive... unintelligent" prey. For the first time in this continuity, the guiding fish managed to override Arthur's telepathic commands to observe their basic survival instincts.

Although their vision was limited by the dark, the Sea King felt they could handle it, but he was still wrestling with the ethics of a final solution against what he saw as a humanoid race. Mera had notably few compunctions. After all, they were soon greeted by a "sick... mutated... inbred" child/spawn of the Trench, which promptly died. It was one of hundreds born unwell by a giant queen being served by her drones. Aquaman broke off a wall of cocoons containing the kidnapped humans, then ran interference against an angry horde of creatures while Mera took the captives toward the surface. The Trench needed food for the queen and her children, and the queen herself tried to swallow the Sea King whole. Aquaman opened a volcanic vent with the hurl of a trident, apparently killing the queen. Her king and drones sought Aquaman, but between the eruption and Arthur wedging a hunk of rock into their exit route, the Trench was sealed off.

The captive humans were freed. The mother and son from a previous issue were reunited, the latter telling Aquaman "You're my favorite super-hero." The local authorities continued to be dicks, though. "I still don't like him."

Deputy Wilson showed up at Amnesty Bay with the recovered dog, whose owner was less fortunate. "You seemed to taking a liking to him and I thought, well... How about Aqua-Dog?" Mera seemed to like the pooch, if not the name, though it would have to be taught how to swim...

"The Trench: Conclusion" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. I liked this better when it was called Aliens. Well, except without all the stuff with Bishop and Carter Burke and Newt and Vasquez and Hudson. Pretty much just the colonists and the colonial marines that died in the first encounter. Aquaman is Hicks and Mera is Ripley and the jerky cops are all Gorman and I guess the dog is Jonesy. Oh, and it's only about five minutes long, and ends when the ship picks Ripley up from the platform. Coming in 2012: The Power Loader! Okay, actually it's "Who Sank Atlantis?" Whatevs.

New 52's Day

Green Lantern Corps #4 (February, 2012) @ DC Bloodlines
The Huntress #3 (February, 2012) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #4 (February, 2012) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Mike Kunkel

2012-01-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Expand & Enlarge

Mike Kunkel was the man (initially) behind Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! I don't know if he ever got to do the Justice League there, but he picks five of the magnificent seven to render here. While not Aquaman's finest hour, it's nice to see him standing out amidst all that negative space, especially as the DC Trinity are smooshed together on the front cover. Besides, it's a cute gag and offers Detroit buddy Martian Manhunter!

JLA 100 Project

Ramon Fernandez Bachs @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Tom Mandrake @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Alan Davis @ Power of the Atom

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

2011 Aquaman art by Timothy Green II

2012-01-24T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

"A sketch of the new Aquaman. Really looking forward to the new series."

Timothy Green II

Deathstroke @ DC Bloodlines
Martian ManHunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

Justice League: Cry for Justice (2009-2010)

2012-01-18T00:43:00.000-06:00

Following Final Crisis, Green Lantern Hal Jordan made a big show of quitting the Justice League to form a more proactive super-team. Self interest was probably also a factor, given the recent killings of Martian Manhunter and Batman. Green Arrow was the first to join his friend. Vixen and Zatanna seemed to sit out most of
the discussion, although Mari did say, "Hal, Ollie, this is crazy."

A number of super-heroes joined in Green Lantern's crusade, which uncovered a vast super-villain conspiracy spearheaded by Prometheus. This group consisted of the Atom (Ray Palmer,) Supergirl, and Captain Marvel (Freddy Freeman.) Lantern's League eventually returned to the Justice League Satellite, where the mainstay team stood as Vixen, Zatanna, Black Canary, Red Arrow, the Flash, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Firestorm and Plastic Man. Roy and Dinah were of different minds of whether to extend aid to the rogue faction. Ultimately, the needs of the innocent outweighed inter-company strife, with Vixen observing of Prometheus "We have to find him and learn his plans. Well, we have been getting reports. Established villains appearing in cities that they're unfamiliar to-- and unfamiliar to the heroes fighting them."

Zatanna wondered if new Batman Dick Grayson had learned anything, and other avenues were pursued. In a blatant bit of foreshadowing, Red Arrow announced that he needed to disappear to Star City for a moment. Zee protested, "Roy Harper, if you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of something already." Single dad Roy needed to tuck in his daughter Lian for the night.

A third group of heroes showed up, including Donna Troy, Congorilla, Animal, Starman Mikaal Tomas, and Starfire. Vixen felt, "Buddy, this isn't the best time. Donna and Kory, it's great to see you, but-- we have a situation." More than she knew, since "Captain Marvel" turned out to be Prometheus in disguise, who maimed Red Arrow and began picking off heroes one by one. "Zatanna: Magic via oral incantation-- solution-- render inaudible." Prometheus shot Zee in the throat with an unknown small caliber projectile, then listened to his helmet offer more vulnerabilities to exploit. Most of the heroes were out of commission in minutes.

The Vixen leapt on Prometheus' back with a growl. The villain threw her off, then broke her left left with Hawkman's mace. "Funny... never met you... but never liked you!" Prometheus' rampage continued until he was finally downed by Donna Troy in a moment of savagery for which there was no calculated avoidance. Unfortunately, Prometheus' plan was to shunt all the major fictional metropolises on Earth to irretrievably to randomly selected dimensions, and he used this as a bargaining tool to demand his release. An example was made of Star City, which didn't teleport, but was shaken to pieces. Little Lian Harper died in the quake.

Vixen manned the teleporter while other heroes tried to find a solution or offer aid. Zatanna must have been seriously injured, as she disappeared for the rest of the series. Mari was disgusted by the extortion, and protested the final decision, but ultimately Prometheus was released. However, Green Arrow secretly tracked him down and drove an arrow through his head to avenge his ward, granddaughter, and city.

“Cry For Justice” was by James Robinson, Mauro Cascioli, Scott Clark and Ibraim Roberson with David Beaty.

1984 Vixen, Vibe, Gypsy, and Commander Steel Postcard by George Pérez

2012-01-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

One of my greatest frustrations with this blog has been my inability to acquire a quality scan of this rare piece of Detroit Justice merchandise for discussion. Muchas muchas gracias go out to Shag Matthews of Firestorm Fan and Once Upon A Geek for sending in these lovely front and back scans of his own postcard! I contrasted them up a bit to clear away a quarter century of paper jaundice, but these big bad boys are otherwise all him!

Click To Enlarge

The newest members of the JLA: Vixen... her magic amulet grants her the abilities of any animal. Vibe... a kid from the slums, he has the uncanny power to project vibratory energy. Gypsy... she's mystery personified-- with chameleon powers. Commander Steel... he's the grandson of the first Commander Steel-- with all that hero's powers, and more.

Much like the debut image of the "New Justice League of America" from the 1984 DC Sampler #2, this card was clearly put together while the concept was still being hammered out. Hank Heywood III seems to be in the final phase of his first Chuck Patton costume (which looks fantastic under Pérez's pen,) but he's being addressed by his granddaddy's rank of "Commander." I also find it funny that his description is just as a grandson of an obscure hero, as if anyone knew what Steel could do. Why not just call him the "cybernetic superhuman legacy of a World War II hero?"

Second up was Gypsy, who received a succinct description, but Pérez's detailing just brings out the ludicrous awfulness of her design. I've said it once and shall repeat, I think the JLD would have at least been Outsiders respectable if not for the inclusion of Gypsy and Vibe, who on appearance alone rendered them laughingstocks.

Click To Enlarge

Next is Vibe, who at least dropped his "Mego Molt" from the Sampler pin-up. Not even Pérez can make this guy respectable though, and his vato bandana looks more like he's a sidekick to the Duke in Hondo or something. Those dishwashing gloves have a flair that draws unwanted attention, as well.

Finally, the Vixen has dropped her one-off domino mask, but Pérez didn't get the memo that she does in fact have pupils. I don't miss the Wolverine hair, but I dug the braids, and really miss the strands of hair Patton gave her that ran parallel to her eyes (giving the illusion of cats-eyes.) It's funny to see Hank all smiles and Vixen the dour one. Still, it proves my point that Steel and Vixen projected the intensity needed to sell a hero team, while Gypsy and Vibe projected rejected extras in Angel "High School Honor Student By Day. Hollywood Hooker By Night."

Despite my mocking, this was a nifty design that incorporated the JLA shield and stars and bars. I expect I'll get my own postcard sooner or later, because this is one worth having.

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Patrick Scherberger

2012-01-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Expand & Enlarge

Patrick Scherberger is one of the most notable artists to flash up Marvel Comics' all-ages superhero titles, which might explain his anachronistic JLA. Superman, Batman, the Barry Flash, and Wonder Woman (that we can see of her) are on model, but then Hal Jordan shows up in his rookie Green Lantern costume. There's an otherwise classic Aquaman with a bushy beard, and then Brightest Day Martian Manhunter. It's anarchy, but forgivable because it looks so nice.

Hero Fund JLA 100 Project

Victor Castro & Mark McKenna @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Joseph Michael Linsner @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
José Luis García-López @ Power of the Atom
Patrick Scherberger @ Justice League Detroit

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Justice League #1 (October, 2011)

2011-12-31T00:00:00.001-06:00

Five years ago DCnÜ.
A newfangled Parademon wanted to plant a bomb in Gotham City.
Batman followed.
Gotham City PD pursued both, guns blazing from helicopters.
Green Lantern hit Parademon with a fire truck construct.
Green Lantern surprised to learn Batman in real.
Cops shot at them both. People fear and hate super-humans.
Parademon escaped. Heroes pursued.
"Gotham's mine. Coast City's yours."
"No, this entire space sector is mine... unauthorized extraterrestrial presence in Gotham."
"Hold on a second... You're not just some guy in a Bat costume, are you? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"
Green Lantern was really cocky and arrogant.
Batman stole his power ring. Stupid Hal Jordan.
Parademon planted a Mother Box, then self-destructed for Darkseid.
Batman took Mother Box.
Maybe that publicly known alien guy Superman in Metropolis knew something?
Evidence Superman just finished a fight of his own.
Batman recognized potential threat of Superman. Green Lantern didn't.
Green Lantern beat up by Superman at super-speed.
Superman looked at Batman. "I don't handle easy. So... what can you do?"
High school football player Victor Stone had a train of scouts ready to offer him a scholarship. Just wanted absentee father to love him. Too busy with science work involving super-humans. Sad Vic.

"Justice League: Part One" was by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. As evidenced by the story title, more thought and originality was put into Johns' spelling of first name "Jeff" than into this story. It's basically a fifth of the plot points of Legends #1 with a fifth of the characters but five times the crosshatching and cover price. My go-to complaint about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has been that if you asked any random person with a basic knowledge of the franchise to imagine their own Episode I, it would have been a more entertaining movie than what was produced. Ditto.

DCnÜ Year's Wildstormin' Eve

Captain Atom: Armageddon #9 (August, 2006) @ Power of the Atom
Demon Knights #2 (December, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
DC/WS DreamWar #6 (November, 2008) @ DC Bloodlines

2009 Vixen art by Flávia Güttler

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

Click To Enlarge

"It looks great in my humble CRT monitor, but her face gets messed up in those snazzy LCD monitors"

I think Mari looks great here-- so much so that I saved this piece to close out "The Year of the Vixen." At 129 posts, the initiative allowed her to unseat Aquaman and Zatanna as Queen of the blog. They haven't always been good posts-- hell, they've often been pretty crappy-- but they've at least been thoroughly researched (like hours sifting through deviantART's lousy search engine I'll never get back.) School and work responsibilities kept the year from being all that it could have been, and the imperative to get something posted every week often saw me sacrifice quality for quantity. The up side is that I have good material in progress to build from for 2012, which will not offer a weekly dose of the Lady Fox, but will contribute to her representation in meaningful ways. Since Mari and Aquaman dominated so much of the posting in 2011, I also figure it's time to give other members more attention (or at least getting poor neglected Steel his own character-specific menu like everyone else...)

2006 The Vixen color art by Jason Brown

2011-12-23T01:18:00.000-06:00

Click To Enlarge

On my site, ive been doing a series of drawings of lesser known 'second string' JLA characters. Partially to entertain myself, partially to muck around with photoshop and try to add some new element into each image. This is Vixen. I was mostly just trying to get a dynamic pose. (PS-CS and a Wacom Tablet)

The feet suck, i know. ;)

Aquaman #3 (January, 2012)

2011-12-20T00:00:00.014-06:00

Flashback: Tom Curry stood out on the dock of the bay, crying and telling his departed wife Atlanna what a good kid they had. Little Arthur ran up to see if his dad had spotted the whale he supposedly was on the lookout for every day at sunrise, "in case she came back."

Presently: The largest of the present Trench creatures tossed Aquaman around. When the Sea King tried to "VUU VUU VUU" it, the creature was briefly pained, then bit the hero's shoulder. Mera was introducing the smaller ones to the hell of getting cut to pieces by agua-fu. Aquaman continued his struggle against the boss creature until it got fed up, unleashed its bio-luminescence, and called the Trench beings to carry their food back home. A cop noted that they sounded like seals.

As dawn broke, Aquaman continued to be hassled by the cops while totally in the right, including pointing out that the fuzz should hold their fire around cocoons. The Trench had taken some of their prey alive, paralyzed inside the gooey shells.

Aquaman took one of the creature's bodies against military orders and leaped away. He explained to Mera that they would take it to Stephen Shin, the mysterious friend of his father's seen earlier in the photo album. He was a marine biologist who Tom had taken Arthur to as a boy to help develop his powers, "And then he tried to kill me... Because I wouldn't take him to Atlantis."

Shin was surprised to see Arthur again outside his house, but agreed to examine the Trench creature's body. It was somewhat like a piranha, and its energy needs would require the consumption of 20-30 times its body weight daily to simply function. A fluid they spit out caused paralysis in normal humans. The cocoons were made from a paste secreted from under its tongue. The sulfide minerals crusted in its gills indicated that its habitat was near hydrothermal vents of the kind found in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. "Out of the trench... Do you have any idea what this will do for me? With this I can get my credibility back." Or not, since Aquaman refused to leave the creature with Shin, despite his pleas and attempted barring of the exit with his frail body. The heroes were then off to investigate the trench...

"The Trench Part Three" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. This was my favorite issue so far, since I felt it had the best balance of back story, exposition, action, characterization and tantalizing morsels of future developments. A lot can come of a simple throwaway line like Shin's noting, "You still kept that trident. Despite all the trouble it might bring." Something is going on with his neck, as well. Anyway, the book remains gorgeous to behold, and while still a slight read, this time it was a satisfying one.

New 52's Day featuring Wildstorm

The Huntress #2 (January, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #3 (January, 2012) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Captain Atom: Armageddon #8 (July, 2006) @ Power of the Atom
DC/Wildstorm DreamWar #1-5 (2008) @ DC Bloodlines

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Chrissy Zullo

2011-12-16T00:00:00.004-06:00

Click To Expand & Enlarge

Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

The Atom & Aquaman by Mark Buckingham @ Power of the Atom
JLA by Alex Ross @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Martian Manhunter by Jeff Lemerie @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

2010 Vixen Sketch Card by Manuel Hernandez

2011-12-13T04:20:00.000-06:00

Click To Enlarge

2009 The Vixen art by Marcio Pazin

2011-12-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

The Top 10 Aquaman Covers of the 1980s

2011-12-07T00:00:00.007-06:00

10) Adventure Comics #475 (September, 1980)

Honestly? I expect better than this from Bolland, as it's kind of bland. Weird concept, too. Makes the trio seem like a loser squad.

9) The Best of the Brave and the Bold #3 (December, 1988)

Fantastic Aquaman and Ocean Master, as expected from Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, but too much Batman.

8) Justice League of America #242 (September, 1985)

Nice idea, but it comes off kind of stiff and staged.

7) Aquaman #4 (May, 1986)

A dramatic image, but between the pentagram and the new costume, barely registers as Aquaman. Great Ocean Master, though.

6) Aquaman #5 (October, 1989)

Command those fishies, sir!

5) Adventure Comics #478 (December, 1980)

Old school split decision cover, with a cameo by Black Manta and the complimentary art stylings of Dick Giordano.

4) Aquaman #4 (September, 1989)

Damned creepy, and it foreshadows the dark fantasy of the current series while calling back to the moody covers of the 1960s.

3) The Legend of Aquaman #1 (1989)

Curt Swan might not have been the ideal choice to launch a successful Aquaman series by 1989, but this is still a snazzy image that landed on some merch.

2) Aquaman #1 (June, 1989)

This is a badass art school project, but it seems a bit out of place applied to a guy commanding fishies. Careful that oar doesn't bean our hero!

1) Aquaman #1 (February, 1986)

It may be one of his shortest-lived looks/costumes, but this Aquaman cover composition is one of the best loved and memorable of all.

Their Top Covers of the 1980s

The Atom @ Power of the Atom
Doom Patrol @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
DC75: Top Character Covers of the Dodranscentennial

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by John McCrea

2011-12-02T00:00:00.006-06:00

Click To Expand & Enlarge

The Black Canary and the Vixen! There's a team-up I'd pay to see done right! So far, animation has done it best, though. Kudos to John McCrea for his character selection being so oddly specific that true love is indicated!

Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

JLA by Andy Smith @ Power of the Atom
Donna Troy by Gene Ha @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Despero by Dean Haspiel @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Rejected DCnÜ Aquaman design by Jim Lee from Justice League #1 (October, 2011)

2011-11-29T02:03:00.001-06:00

AQUAMAN: A more crustacean-looking armor was considered but ultimately deemed to be too detailed and "crusty" a look for the regal, majestic King of the Seven Seas. Maybe an Atlantean foot soldier will carry this mantle...

Define "abomination": See Above. What is the appreciable difference between "regal" and "majestic," anyway?

New 52's Day

DCnÜ Wonder Woman design by Jim Lee @ Diana Prince
Demon Knights #1 (November, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Grifter #1 (November, 2011) @ DC Bloodlines
Bonus: Captain Atom: Armageddon #4-7 (2006) @ Power of the Atom

2011 NYCC Zatanna Color Commission by Mike McKone

2011-11-26T00:00:00.002-06:00

Click To Enlarge

These scans are enormous, so be sure to check them out in their full glory!

Mike McKone's TwitPics

2011 Nightwing @ DC Bloodlines
2011 NYCC Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter Style Guide/Turnaround @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2010 "Vixen On The Prowl" art by Taylor Cordingley

2011-11-24T05:29:00.000-06:00

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"When it comes to Saturday morning cartoons, "Justice League" was one of the best -- until "Justice League Unlimited" came along and blew it out of the water with its massive roster! I loved that we got to see just about every Justice Leaguer we would have ever have wanted to see. Vixen was among the few who got a large role on the show. She was fierce, feisty and had super cool powers. On top of that she was voiced by the always talented Gina Torres. Even though she's often written badly in the comics, we'll always have the cartoon version to love forever.

Oh... and why is she one of the VERY few black superheroines at DC? Marvel has a few (one of them being Storm who is f*cking awesomeness wrapped in an often barely-clothed package) and DC has Vixen and a few randoms."

Aquaman #2 (December, 2011)

2011-11-22T03:11:00.001-06:00

The creatures from the Trench ate the crew of a boat. Afterward, they saw lights through the night along the coast. "What is this? Maybe there's more food there?" From the dock, a little boy said "Mommy! Mommy! It's daddy's boat!"

At the lighthouse, Arthur showed Mera a photo album, including a picture of himself skiing as a boy. "It looks terrible. When can I try it? ...If we're going to make a life on land instead of the oceans, I want to learn more about the world you grew up in. I want to learn more about you." Another picture of a man standing behind young Arthur and his father agitated him. "That picture shouldn't be in there."

A police officer knocked on the door. He'd been visiting lighthouses all down the coast looking for Aquaman. He got more than he bargained for when asking Mera an innocent question about her being a mermaid. Her eyes went white as she controlled nearby water to form a flying mermaid replica. The deputy was from Beachrock, site of a massacre. The heroes rode out with him to the docks, canvased by police and military. The local sheriff chastised the deputy for exceeding his authority, but the guy swore by Aquaman, who'd saved his sister a year prior on a cruise ship in Iceland. The Sea King blew off the sheriff, while Mera observed, "They should be bowing before you."
"I'm not a king to them, Mera."
"They need to be educated. I'm happy to do it."

On a pier, the King of the Seven Seas attempted to contact the denizens of the deep telepathically, complete with cartoon-style "VUU VUU VUU" sound effect. There was nothing in the waters of the area to respond to him. Police divers meanwhile found some sort of cocoon, and hauled it up to the dock. Aquaman psychically "heard" the Trench creatures as they suddenly emerged from a docked shop en masse. "Our food." The swift and powerful monarch of the ocean had never seen their like, but their intentions were clear, so his trident dug into their flesh. Mera was similarly ruthless. "You attack us like monsters? We do the same."

A "normal" Trench creature broke its teeth on Aquaman's armor, but a "hero" creature of larger proportions wrenched his trident away. It spit on the Sea King, marking "This food. This food comes home to the trench."

"The Trench Part Two" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. It is a gorgeous book, and clearly the best rendition of Aquaman ever seen. The writing also respects the character, even if the metatextual defensiveness is a bit of a self-defeating turnoff. Show, don't tell. Cool villains, and I approve of the dark fantasy direction, but it sucks to read an issue inside five minutes.

New 52's Day

Legion: Secret Origin #1 (December, 2011) @ DC Bloodlines
Stormwatch #2 (December, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Voodoo #1 (November, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Bonus: Captain Atom: Armageddon #1-3 (2005-2006) @ Power of the Atom

2008 Aquaman color head sketch by Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair

2011-11-20T04:17:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

"Diana told me to get Martian Manhunter and she was going to get Aquaman. But when she went up to Jim, she messed up. Jim started laughing because we all knew she got the wrong character. It was pretty funny, but I guess you had to have been there. Nevertheless, Alex did a spectacular job with the colors on this sketch."

Image Founders

2006 The Atom, Wolverine, & Batgirl by Jim Lee & Amanda Conner @ Power of the Atom
1985 Captain Atom, Blue Beetle and The Question art by Rob Liefeld @ Power of the Atom
1984 Green Lantern John Stewart, The Predator and Eclipso art by Rob Liefeld @ DC Bloodlines
1990 Martian Manhunter art by Whilce Portacio @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
1990 Martian Manhunter art by Jim Lee @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2007 The Question convention sketch by Whilce Portacio @ DC Bloodlines
1986 Vixen fan art by Rob Liefeld @ Justice League Detroit
2005 Wonder Woman San Diego Comic-Con sketch by Whilce Portacio @ Diana Prince
2010 Zatanna Commission by Rob Liefeld @ Justice League Detroit
Wonder Woman Gallery by Jim Lee @ Diana Prince

2011 Mari McCabe Sweater Post by Hanie Mohd

2011-11-18T02:24:00.000-06:00

Click To Expand & Enlarge

"I did a few drawings of DC ladies in sweaters. It's first inspired by this post (http://potatofarmgirl.tumblr.com/post/10723216750/i-read-this-earlier-tonight) and I ended up drawing a few more because it's freaking fun and who said superheroes need to dress up skimpy to look awesome?! I love trying to insert their iconic look/ personality into the outfits."

Aside from the Vixen, "Hanie Mohd" also offers Bab Gordon, Selina Kyle, Pamela Isley, Karen Starr, Harleen Quinzel, Kara Zor-El, Donna Troy, Stephanie Brown and blog favorite Zatanna Zatara here,

2007 "Aquaman Theme Song" by Odd Man Out Films

2011-11-15T02:10:00.000-06:00

I actually LOL'd at this, no mean feat.

"Despite Aquaman being the most kick-ass underwater crime fighter around, this son of Atlantis never really got as much glory as his abilities to communicate with fish and ride around on giant sea-horses like a total bad-ass warranted. Here is The Aquaman Theme Song, which should have been the introduction to the absolutely fantastic 70's filmation cartoon the clips are compiled from. Courtesy of Colby & Ian Day of Odd Man Out Films."

2010 "Behind the Mystique of Vixen" watercolor by Shelton Bryant

2011-11-12T00:52:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

2011 has been the Year of the Vixen for this blog, inaugurated by Shelton Bryant's lovely 2010 Vixen Watercolor. Bryant seems to like the Lady Fox, and I really do appreciate that. But, as you can see from the image above, he really seems to like Vixen is a very intimate way. We've still got seven weeks left in the year, but this gallery is a bit too hot for the holidays, so best to get it out of the way now. There are naked lady parts ahead, and honestly, so far off model as to veer away from topless Vixen toward just plain old "African American nude."

NOT SAFE FOR WORK -- NUDITY!

2009 Zatanna Convention Sketch by Joe Jusko

2011-11-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

Click To Enlarge

Bonus 2010 Head Sketch

Joe Jusko Thursday

Hawkman @ Being Carter Hall
2002 Unused TV Guide Birds of Prey Cover Art @ DC Bloodlines
1999 Wonder Woman painting @ Diana Prince
2009 Zatanna Convention Sketch @ Justice League Detroit

2011 Aquaman Watercolor by Shelton Bryant

2011-11-06T01:10:00.002-05:00

Click To Enlarge

"AQUAMAN on an 8 by 11 acid-free, 100% rag Lanaquarelle watercolor sheet (140 lbs mould-made.)"

Shelton Bryant

2009 "The Wonder Woman" @ Diana Prince
2010 The Vixen @ Justice League Detroit
2011 The Atom @ Power of the Atom

2007 The Vixen art by Rocky Howard

2011-11-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

Click To Enlarge

"Vixen in all her glory.

Prisma color pencils"

...and by "glory," he means she's got a built-in coin purse...

2010 The Vixen art by Rajinder Kaur Randhawa

2011-10-28T01:02:00.000-05:00

Click To Enlarge

"was supposed to be a fan art....a realistic portrait of the Marvel character Vixen, instead I ended up focusing on the hair style, color, and make up....and it ended up in the Singet character concept series...."

Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

By golly, who'd have thought slapping a logo at the bottom of a picture from off the DC Comics site would get such mileage as to end up on Bleeding Cool, who got it from Rafa Rivas' fan blog Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man. Created back in March, Rivas does an excellent job covering Stretchable Sleuth story synopses, artwork, merchandise, and whatever randomness sets his nose twitching. You've gotta love the sweet banner and character-specific color scheme! I've slowly been reading my way up from the beginning, and wanted to off a linkpost to help Detroit fans sample the wares. Enjoy!

2010 The Vixen color art by Georgel McAwesome

2011-10-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Dude is doing his level best to live up to the name. Check out his gallery!

1995/96 The Vixen animation concept art by Bruce Timm

2011-10-15T00:00:00.002-05:00

The Vixen was supposed to debut in her own solo comic book in the 1970s, but her first published appearance was in an early '80s Superman comic. There was briefly a proposal for the Vixen to make her animated debut on a Superman cartoon in the 1990s, but her introduction to animation came in the early '00s through Justice League Unlimited instead. While not as bad as her original suit, Timm's design rates a solid second worst status, seeing as it is so generic that the only way to identify the character is through her teensy Tantu Totem. Actually, looking at it again, this may be the worst Vixen costume ever. At least "The Blue Fox" had a neat mask and some flash. She looks like The Prickly Peach. Personally, I think her portrayal on JLU was probably her best in any medium, and it featured a far more faithful look, so I'm glad she waited until the aughts!

Bruce Timm Bits

Nightshade and the Question animation concept art @ Power of the Atom
The Huntress moon color art @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman Flying color pin-up @ Diana Prince
2001 Justice League Lunar art by Bruce Timm @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Aquaman #1 (November, 2011)

2011-10-11T00:17:00.001-05:00

At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, aquatic flesh-eating humanoid creatures discovered "It is true. There is an above." They kept going up.

Leaping like the Incredible Hulk, Aquaman landed on a city street in Boston. Having heard sirens, the Sea King decided to foil a robbery by digging his trident into the grill of an armored truck and flipping it over. One masked robber introduced Aquaman to his AK-47. The bullets bounced completely off Aquaman's armor and a direct shot to the brow only opened up a trickle of blood. Turning over the hoods to local police, the Sea King had to deal with their patronizing offer of a glass of water before moving on. "The boys at the station are never gonna let us hear the end of this."

At a local seafood restaurant, Aquaman ordered fish and chips. This roused the protest of a douchebag blogger and his friend Harry Knowles. Acting as proxies for a critical internet, the pair made snide remarks and asked loaded questions like "How's it feel to be nobody's favorite super-hero." For the record, Aquaman does not talk to fish, as "their brains are too primitive to carry on a conversation." He does eat them, and he does command them telepathically as needed (with the exception of intelligent dolphins.) Aquaman chose the restaurant because he used to go there with his father as a child. Finally, Aquaman has no shortage of pirate treasure, and offers a couple of gold doubloons to a waitress as payment and to "put your kids through college." He left in a huff, sans food.

That night, Arthur Curry stood on the rocks overlooking Amnesty Bay, near the lighthouse his father kept. As a boy, Arthur wondered why his dad never became a ship's captain. "I could. But someone has to stay on land to help those captains, Arthur. Someone has to watch the shores. It's called responsibility..." Aquaman's wife Mera hugged him from behind, asking that he come to bed. Curry explained that he had decided that he had never felt a part of Atlantis, and wished to leave its leadership behind. "I was thirteen the first time I ever laid eyes on an Atlantean... Three of them... came to kill me because of who my father was. Because of who I am... Let them find a new king." Mera agreed to a new life above the waves.

Out at sea, a fisherman was dragged underwater and devoured. The creature from below the ocean's bottom had learned, "There's food up here."

"The Trench: Part One" was by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Joe Prado. While I was happy to get to know Aquaman's new scene in a quiet debut without all the hysterics of a lot of the other DC New 52 offerings, it still felt slight. It mostly came across like a defensive interview of the writer turned into sequential art. Too many characters made fun of Aquaman openly, to the point where it undercut the otherwise effective selling of Aquaman as a hardcore super-hero. I'm also sorry to see the half-Atlantean lineage come back, not so much because I care about the Atlantis stuff, but more because that was one of the more blatant swipes from the Sub-Mariner. I kind of wish Aquaman were all-human with powers derived from science, like he was in the Golden Age, but that ship has sailed for now.

DC New 52

Action Comics #1 (November, 2011) @ DC Bloodlines
The Huntress #1 (December, 2011) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Stormwatch #1 (November, 2001) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

DC Retroactive: JLA - The '80s #1 (October, 2011)

2011-10-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

Steel: "Guess somebody forgot to tell them we're just the second string." A school bus had pulled up outside the Detroit League's headquarters, the Bunker.

Vibe: "So now we're giving tours to school kids?"

Aquaman: "For years the old JLA orbited the Earth in a satellite, Hank. We looked down on the world-- literally. One of the reasons I accepted your grandfather's offer of this factory was the opportunity it presented to ground our new League-- again, literally. Here in Detroit, the League is part of the community.

Sue Dibny: Back home visiting her mother.

Elongated Man: Loving the tour, and wishing his wife could do the same. "She loves kids. One of these days we're going to have a big family."

Martian Manhunter: "Children are precious among my people as well, Ralph. Still... for reasons I cannot articulate, I feel apprehensive."

Felix Faust: Taking advantage of the deep depression that choked the Motor City once the car manufacturers went elsewhere, the sorcerer used an ancient tablet to cast a spell that turned its citizens into monsters.

Lamont: A jerky kid on the tour who complained about the absence of real heroes from the League. "You guys are nobodies. Just a bunch'a losers."

Geoff: Another kid bearing an uncanny resemblance to a certain future writer/executive who came to the Detroit League's defense.

Zatanna: Offered to break the tension by showing the kids some magic, but they were blown away by the real deal when Faust came calling. The League were tossed around like rag dolls by his beasts.

Dale Gunn: Suggested the medical lab as the best position to retreat to, since it could be hermetically sealed behind a vault door. Ten hours after the start of the tour, and everyone was trapped by monsters.

Vixen: One of the few members to maintain her positive outlook. She had cheered Geoff on, and even when her planned kicking of some ass ended with a dragon's tail sending her flying, she kept it together. While trapped, she checked on the unconscious Elongated Man, Dale Gunn, and Martian Manhunter. She also caught the wounded but defiant Aquaman as he collapsed toward the end of a speech intended to hearten the troops.

Zatanna: Still on her feet to look over the fallen Vibe and Gypsy.

Steel: Tried to hold the line against the monsters, but any effort on his part ended with him flying and the locking vault saving his armored tushie. Hank mocked Aquaman's speech, and once again branded his team "light-weight wannabess. Vibe, Gypsy, me-- even Vixen-- we're not good enough to be part of your precious League."

Aquaman: Argued otherwise, but still called Hank a spoiled brat whose granddaddy's bucks gave him a sense of entitlement. Steel rushed Aquaman, who rolled onto his back and kicked Hank across the room.

Geoff: Convinced the team that heroes helped people rather than fighting amongst themselves.

Aquaman: Ordered Dale, Elongated Man and Gypsy to guide the children out of the Bunker to safety while the rest of the team ran interference. Gypsy protested, but Aquaman explained, "forgive me, but you're just a child. You deserve the chance to grow up. Just like these kids. They need you to do this. I need you to do this."

Zatanna: Determined from something her father told her long ago that Faust must have used the Tablet of Tel El-Amarna, stolen from Iraq, to conjure the monsters out of men. Beyond helping the children, Zee wanted the tablet targeted.

Steel, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter: Caught the vault door when it was finally burst in, and tossed it back at the monsters. The rest of the team fought hard and followed orders... except for Gypsy.

Vibe: Flat on his back as Felix Faust gloated over how his massacre of the Detroit League would serve to bring the real heroes into his murderous clutches. Vibe was playing possum, and spit in Faust's face while telling him "...bite me."

Gypsy: Invisibly swiped the tablet and smashed it to pieces over Faust's noggin. "For a guy wearing a pointy hat, you sure do think a lot of yourself." The monsters vanished, saving everyone's life.

Aquaman: "Gypsy, I told you to go with Ralph and Dale. You disobeyed a direct order... Good job."

Creators: "Siege" was by Gerry Conway and Ron Randall.

Whether you enjoy the team for the kitsch factor of its instantly dated fad jumping or recognize that the team starred in several of the best story arcs ever featured in JLofA volume I, there seems to be enduring affection that keeps readers and creators coming back to revisit this team. A shame then that Conway doesn't seem to share it anymore. Part of the joy of his early issues with the team was its unrelenting, meta-defensive optimism in the face of scrutiny in both the stories and the letter columns. Later writers even used that unmerited self-esteem as a means of generating poetic irony, these poor doomed fools believing they would someday earn a place among titans when most would instead die violently or fade into obscurity. Conway, in an about face, starts this story with the team unanimously agreeing that they suck and their incompetence was going to cost a bunch of innocent lives. Not only is that a downer, but in giving in after all these years, Conway seems as clueless about his team's retroactive appeal today as he was their complete unsuitability while he was writing them the first time.

The characters aren't in character and their powers are downplayed to suit an unimpressive threat. I guess Zatanna is consistent at least, since Conway never wrote her worth a damn. I'll acknowledge Gypsy as well, since she had a few occasions of playing David-out-of-a-box to the Goliath of the month in the original series. The bland art by Ron Randall doesn't do any favors, especially when the only thing keeping his Dale Gunn from being 100% Caucasian is someone failing to tell the colorist that this book would be printed on cheap stock. It was obviously meant for glossy, because the colors are uniformly murky.

DC Retroactive

Wonder Woman - The '80s #1 (DC, 2011) @ Diana Prince
JLA - The '90s #1 (October, 2011) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
JLA - The '70s #1 (September, 2011) @ Power of the Atom
The Huntress in "Trial by Fire" (October/November, 1978) @ DC Bloodlines

Detroit Demographics

2011-10-07T01:40:00.000-05:00

Page Views To Date:
According to Statcounter- 112,963 (starting in Fall, 2007)
According to Google- 69,457 (starting in Summer, 2009)

The Top posts to date are...

10) Colección Super Amigos: Liga de la Justicia de Detroit : 432 Pageviews

9) Dragon*Con 2010 Zatanna Cosplay: 472 Pageviews

8) VANDAL SAVAGE: 484 Pageviews

7) 2010 Zatanna Bust Sketch by Adam Hughes: 515 Pageviews

6) 2010 Zatanna Cosplay (Blue & White) by DJ Spider: 587 Pageviews

5) The Vixen's Lady Fox Index: 932 Pageviews

4) Gypsy 's Runaway Index: 973 Pageviews

3) 1986 DC Comics "Legends" Promotional Ad : 1,247 Pageviews

2) Serinda Swan cast as Zatanna on "Smallville": 1,406 Pageviews

1) "Infinitely Heroic" Giclee by Alex Ross: 4,811 Pageviews

Thanks go to referring blogs The Idol-Head of Diabolu, Being Carter Hall, and especially Firestorm Fan for offering nearly four times the referrals of any other blog!

The Vixen in Justice League of America Annual #2 (1984)

2011-10-01T23:00:00.004-05:00

The Justice League Satellite had been ripped apart by the Earth/Mars War, and so had the team itself. Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the Flash, and the Atom had all quit or were seemingly derelict in their duties. Aquaman's son was dead, his wife had left him, and his kingdom was fine without him. The Sea King decided to commit to the Justice League with all the vigor his fellow founders lacked, and demanded the same of any who would serve with him. Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Firestorm, Hawkman and Hawkwoman had lives to live beyond the super-team, so that the JLA as it once stood was no more. Aquaman officially dissolved the group, then began rebuilding anew. Zatanna, Elongated Man, and his wife Sue Dibny agreed to live for the team, 24/7. Martian Manhunter, now a permanent expatriate from Mars II, agreed to do the same. While they would form the core of a new collective, additional members and new headquarters would be needed.

At a photography studio in Mid-Manhattan, Mari McCabe was in the midst of a photo shoot when she heard the news on a television. Danny the shutterbug had a deadline, but Mari quit right then and there. That same night, the Vixen donned her new costume and tracked the JLA to a temporary suite on the 23rd floor of the New York Hilton. She was spotted by Zee through a window climbing outside the building. The Lady Fox clawed her way up to the roof, reached just before Aquaman burst out from the stairwell. Vixen tackled the Sea King, but was blown away by magical winds. Elongated Man stretched to grab Vixen, but she leaped onto his head, then back, then over the ledge. While flying through the air, the She-Fox was caught in the Martian Manhunter's enlarged grasp.

J'Onn J'Onzz plopped Vixen down on the ground, where she was encircled by heroes, yet remained nonplussed. "'Female, explain yourself'-- I'm gonna choke, you guys are so funny. *Snort* HaHaHa!" J'Onzz took offense at her laughter. "Not at you, big, green and handsome. You're much too cute." Vixen introduced herself, thinking Superman might have mentioned her after the two adventures they had together from when she still wore her blue and gold outfit. She wanted to join up, and the recently separated Aquaman admitted "Well, we need more members... and she certainly has style. She's got my vote." No actual voting took place, but one wonders how that might have turned out.

Almost immediately, the new hero Steel talked the Justice League into inducting him, with the incentive of their own jetship and a new hi-tech headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. "I'm impressed, kid. Built this yourself with a tinkertoy set?" Vixen was more impressed by Steel's surrogate father, Dale Gunn. "Hey, handsome..." Curiously, Zatanna was also interested in the balding, middle-aged chocolate champion, so Mari smirked, "Careful. I saw him first."

The team settled in Detroit, and during a grocery run with Steel, or rather "Hank" while they were in plainclothes, the pair discovered the metahuman punk Vibe. They petitioned Aquaman to include him on the team, but were refused. Steel took it hard, confiding that of the group, he only liked Ralph, Sue, and the "terrific" Mari. Vibe showed up at the League's doorstep anyway, and while his attempts to pick up Mari were shrugged off, his final membership was not.

Later that night, the invisible Gypsy tried to break into the base, setting off alarms. Vixen had her own personalized kimono, and caught Zatanna leaving Dale's company in a translucent nightgown. She grinned, "Gunn and Zatanna, hm? Girl, I told you I saw him first." The juvenile Gypsy was the one prospective member refused initial admission, but she escaped before her delinquency could be discussed with local authorities.

The neighborhood threw a surprise party for their new heroes, and Vixen joined Vibe for a dance.

Gerry Conway, Chuck Patton & Dave Hunt present "--The End of the Justice League!" While there are a few nods to the old Vixen, lover Solomon Samuels was clearly out of the picture. The Lady Fox was clearly on the prowl, and in a vastly superior costume that actually evoked a freakin' fox. This fun-loving, kittenish Vixen is my favorite take on the character, and Patton my favorite artist.

The Bronze Age

Wonder Woman #290 (April, 1982) @ Diana Prince
Manhunter in Detective Comics #439 (February-March, 1974) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Atom in Brave and the Bold #152 (July, 1979) @ Power of the Atom
The Huntress in "Gotham Town Is Burning Down!" (August/September, 1978) @ DC Bloodlines

2010 DC Universe Vol2: JLA Reserves Zatanna art by alexmax

2011-09-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click To Enlarge and Expand

"Second set of characters, this time it's the turn for some of the Justice League reserves...

Zatanna: Pretty much the standard, classic Zatanna look, except I've rarely seen her drawn with tall boots."

alexmax

Hawkman @ Power of the Atom
Lobo @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Question @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Girl Cassie Sandsmark @ Diana Prince

2010 Zatanna Convention Sketch by Ted Naifeh

2011-09-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Action Comics #521 (July, 1981): “The Deadly Rampage of the Lady Fox”

2011-09-22T00:58:00.001-05:00

A cover blurb queried: “Superman meets The Vixen! Is she heroine or villainess?”

“Night in New York City… it’s like night nowhere else in the world! This night promises to be particularly special… for tonight, a She-Fox is on the prowl!” An African-American woman in a gaudy blue and yellow costume leaped across rooftops. One featured a billboard advertising Superman’s appearance at Madison Square Garden to benefit the National Diabetes Foundation on April 10th (a twelve hour charitable engagement.) “Like the sleek, sly creature that is her namesake, she pauses in the darkness to scent the air… Then, satisfied that she’s still on the track of her prey, she springs with the grace of a gazelle… and lands as silently as a jungle cat…” The Vixen set down upon the roof of a moving van behind Shandor Furs, where uniformed workers were being paid overtime to haul exotic coats from one warehouse to another in the middle of the night. Wordlessly, the Lady Fox leapt at the men feet first, catching two square in the chest, knocking them into the third.

Fifteen blocks away, Superman was being congratulated for raising nearly a quarter of a million dollars in ticket sales alone at the charity event, but the Man of Steel was distracted by his super-hearing picking up a cry for help. Superman swiftly reached the dock workers, who were stunned but relatively unharmed, as they alerted the hero to the van’s theft by “some dame in a costume!” The Man of Tomorrow pursued the red van as it sped toward the Hudson River. The Vixen spotted him in her side mirror.

“Superman? I can’t let him stop me from what I have to do! I’ll lash the wheel in place with these scraps of rope… and then try to delay Superman for the precious few seconds I need to complete my plan!” The She-Fox climbed out of the van and leapt at Superman. “What in Rao’s name! Incredible! I’m actually being knocked back… feel as though I’ve been hit by a bull elephant! And her claws… one managed to scratch me?! What’s happening to my invulnerability? How can this slim young woman do what hardly anyone has ever managed to do?” Superman pulled Vixen’s claw off his forehead and, still wrestling in midair, blasted her away with a bellyful of super-breath. Regardless, he was too late to prevent the furs from being ruined as the van hit the drink, and Vixen’s whereabouts were lost in the attempt.

Later, Mordecai Mule, owner of the fur company, bemoaned the ruination of his special shipment from India. A black police detective took the Man of Steel aside, warning that before Superman offered any information on the lady perpetrator, he hear information on Mule. It seemed the furrier exploited animals illegally in their native countries to sell legally in the States, and the officer thought perhaps this lady was a vigilante touching the untouchable. Superman was suddenly unsure of her description, and claimed he’d get back with the police after giving the matter some thought.

The next day, WGBS head honcho Morgan Edge called top reporters Clark Kent and Lana Lang in to pursue a story suggested by his old friend Solomon Samuels. The African-American high fashion magazine publisher talked Lang out of her protestation about the relevancy of fur poaching in India, arguing that rendering animals extinct for the fur trade was a threat to “ecology and the dignity of life!” Kent was suspicious of the timing, and noted Samuels’ leaving the offices with a very attractive black woman. Solomon wonder why Mari Macabe wanted to keep her joining the investigation in New Delhi a secret. “As far as most people are concerned, I’m simply a high-priced fashion model... which is another term for empty-headed beauty! …I’ll go on this trip incognito, as planned! It’ll work out better this way, I promise you!” Macabe’s true motivation, unrevealed to her “only love,” was to be able to act as the Lady Fox unhindered by her true identity’s fame.

In the overcrowded and squalid Indian metropolis, Clark Kent vanished, leaving Lana Lang in the care of a guide. Lang was spotted by Mordecai Mule, who felt that she may need to be eliminated if she planned to report on his criminal affairs. Mule and his driver were soon following Lang’s jeep, unaware that the Vixen had also hitched a ride. Clark Kent caught sight of the She-Fox lying in wait, and began his own superhuman pursuit. Superman swooped down and scooped Vixen off the roof of Mule’s ride with the villain none the wiser. Mordecai himself pulled up to an elephant herd. Aware that Lang would soon stumble upon his poachers, Mule decided it was best that everyone die in a stampede provoked by his sharpened spear.

Superman held fast to the Vixen’s behind. “Uh-uh, young lady, not this time! I’m not letting you near me with those claws of yours!” The Man of Steel wanted an explanation, and got it. The Vixen had driven Mordecai Mule to the brink financially, and knew that he would personally supervise a ramping up of poaching to make up for his losses. Vixen had arranged for reporters to be present to catch Mule in the act as a warning to other unscrupulous fur exporters. However, Vixen was worried that Mule was capable of anything in the heroes’ absence. True enough, she sniffed out the elephant stampede on the wind, and the pair sprang into action.

Just as Lana Lang and her party were about to be trampled, super-breath gently corralled the pachyderms until a makeshift stockade could be made from uprooted trees turned stakes. Meanwhile, the She-Fox declared, “You can’t get away this time, Mule! The innocent beasts your men have slain demand revenge!” Mule tried repeatedly to skewer the Vixen with his spear, but she easily evaded his with her acrobatic prowess until he was too exhausted to go on. Mule’s driver gave up without such a fight.

The Vixen left the two men bound up for Superman to find, complete with a note stating, “Here’s a mule I left for you to skin.” It was signed, “The Vixen.” Also, during the brief moments before being called away by the stampede, Superman had learned that the Lady Fox derived her animal-based powers from the Tantu Totem she wore around her neck. “Magical powers—that explains how she could hurt me! I’m vulnerable to magic!” So too would be Aquaman, in another three years…

“The Deadly Rampage of the Lady Fox” was written by Gerry Conway, with art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte. “Featuring the dynamic debut of the Vixen created by Gerry Conway.” The widely circulated one, anyway...

The Bronze Age

The Atom in Action Comics #521 (July, 1981) @ Power of the Atom
The Huntress in Batman Family #18 (June/July, 1978) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #289 (March, 1982) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
Manhunter (Paul Kirk) in Detective Comics #438 (December, 1973/January, 1974) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu

2006 "Princess & King" Wonder Woman and Aquaman Commission by Eric Canete

2011-09-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

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From the artist's blog:

"1) Aquaman is such a pretty boy - outside of the fact that he's 'King of the Seven Seas' and I crack on him for being one of the most useless characters ever created (calm down, you Aquaman freaks...I'm only kidding. I like him enough), he's also a pretty boy. And he knows it. Useless and vein, the Aquaman is. 2) Again with the bad planning. I gave ol' pretty boy a tuning fork but didn't leave enough room to draw the whole thing. I could say that I only had 90 minutes and I was worried more about the composition than the trident, but that's a crutch and almost a lie. I saw the mistake about ten minutes in and I didn't care.

Suck on that, Aquaman.

Oh hey, remember the old 'Superfriends' cartoons? If memory serves me right, 'King of Shrimps and Seahorses' here used to ride a whale in the opening credits before he sends out a telepath(et)ic call to arms to the other fish? Point is, he used to ride that whale like a horse...like a HORSE! Do you know how wide he's got to open his frikkin' legs to be able to mount a humpback like that?! Oh well, I guess he's the 'King of Liar Characters Who Are Useless' too. "

Preliminary Sketch

Also, be sure to check out Caneta's warm-up sketches for "the 'JLU' show I did storyboards for in its latest and last season." Included are the animated incarnations of Vixen, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Big Barda, Deadman and Heatwave. The gallery is here.

Dragon*Con 2011 Vixen Cosplay

2011-09-15T04:58:00.002-05:00

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One of the finest Vixen cosplays I've seen yet, courtesy of Shag Matthews of Firestorm Fan and Once Upon A Geek fame.

Dragon*Con 2011 CosPlay

The Aqua-Family @ The Aquaman Shrine
The Atom (Golden Age Al Pratt) @ The Mighty Mite
Booster Gold and Blue Beetle @ Comics Make Me Happy!
Damage (Grant Emerson) @ Power of the Atom
Firestorm @ Firestorm Fan
The Flash @ Speed Force
Hawkman and Hawkgirl @ Being Carter Hall
Killer Frost @ Firestorm Fan
Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Girl Donna Troy @ The New Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman & Superman @ Diana Prince
Once Upon A Geek DC2011 gallery

2011 Aquaman art by Ivan Camelo

2011-09-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

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VanCamelot

Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
Martian Manhunter @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Power Girl @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince
Ivan Camelo's deviantART gallery

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #52 (July, 2007)

2011-09-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

Swimming through the city "streets," Arthur Joseph and Topo began mocking Black Manta, who they knew from the cartoon show and internet. Cal Durham and Garth both jumped on the youths, explaining what a lethal threat the Manta is. Guided by a light, the group found Orin's former lieutenant, the mutated police officer Alonzo Malrey. The Chief was sealed in a tank with only enough water to keep his head wet for breathing, the lights contributing to his dehydration. Malrey tried to warn the group off, but the trap was sprung, and floating mines soon surrounded them. An unmasked Manta greeted his old friend Cal Durham but looked on the new Aquaman with the usual suspicion and prejudgment. When Arthur angrily protested, Manta punched him in the mouth. "Shut up! Where is he? Where is Arthur Curry?" Arthur retaliated with a blow that sent Manta flying hard enough to crack Malrey's case. "Hey, guess what? I'm Arthur Curry, too."

Black Manta ordered everyone dead, but his idiot men fired shots through the mine field, setting one off. The explosion burst Malrey's case and knocked Manta out. Cal had Lorena grab the unconscious Malrey, while he tossed some "flash-bangs" pellets to cover their escape in intense light and sound. Arthur had Topo release a flood of ink to further conceal the team, and everyone headed for Cal's girlfriend's place.

Back on the Arctic island of Ymirsheim, Captain Jimmy Lockhart, Elsa Magnusson, and the Sea Devil leader Dane Dorrance were exchanging fire with the Deep Church. Jimmy caught a shot in the right shoulder, but help soon arrived from "The Babe Squad." Dressed in matching pink uniforms with helmets and pistols on each hip, the Squad were female agents of Neos. Sandi was an anthropomorphic lobster with Farrah Fawcett hair, Bambi was a blond dolphin with a ponytail, and Candi was the lovely brunette walrus. The trio had unsealed the exit and guided the humans to their waiting ship, in which they returned to Windward Home. The ladies explained the researchers had stumbled upon the entrance to Dyss...

Dr. Kyesha Salton explained to Cal and his friends that Black Manta had arrived to fill the power vacuum, managing any resistance from folks like Chief Malrey. Manta's forces were also randomly kidnapping people to the long-ago stripped remains of Spawar and the old naval station. Those that returned said they'd only been subjected to routine medical testing, but others never returned at all. It was decided that Garth and Topo would stay with Salton, while the rest would investigate. En route, Lorena told the story of the extended deaths of people trapped in the tunnel through which they now traveled during the quake that sank Sub Diego. The group reached the station, finding it still operational, guarded by a newly armored Black Manta and two of his own iron men...

At Tri-Dent Industries in San Diego, Dr. Philip Curry was alive but not well, still being held captive. Curry had been held for months, answering questions about his dead son, Arthur Joseph...

"You Can't Fight City Hall!" was by Tad Williams and Shawn McManus. Absent the inks of Walden Wong, the art is less polished. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. There's also nice touches, like barnacles growing on Dr. Salton's cupboards. I'm not convinced an apartment building could at all function underwater, but there's an undeniable allure to the subversion of the norm by having our heroes swim over a familiar urban area rather than a fantasy setting.

Brave New World

The All New Atom #9 (May, 2007) @ The Mighty Mite
Breach #8 (October, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
Martian Manhunter #8 (May, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
OMAC in DCU: Brave New World #1 (August, 2006) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #8 (Late June, 2007) @ Diana Prince

2005 The Falcon & Vixen art by Peter Temple

2011-09-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

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2011 DC Fifty-TOO! Plastic Man #1 by Jon Morris and Stephen DeStefano

2011-09-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

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Jon Morris is a Washington-based cartoonist and is probably best known for his webcomic Jeremy. He is also the writer of the comic blog Gone&Forgotten, operates the Cornered collaborative art blog, and is the founder and curator of this, the DC Fifty-Too project. His website is Calamity Jon Save Us! Morris prefers the Jack Cole version of Plas as a flexible straight in a crooked world, which includes being confronted by an uncharacteristically mellow Black Lantern Elongated Man as an unwanted houseguest. Morris elaborates at DC Fifty-TOO!

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #51 (June, 2007)

2011-09-04T00:00:00.003-05:00

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the Flash attended the underwater funeral of the original Aquaman. I suppose the Martian Manhunter's absence could be chalked up to his being a coneheaded jerk at the time, but it was still unseemly for Wally West to be around and J'Onn absent. The Dweller's body was committed to a mausoleum, though Mera hoped that he might yet cheat death in some way, as he had done in times past. As for Atlantis, Wonder Woman suggested that some magic users like Zatanna or the Shadowpact might be of assistance. Begging Tempest's pardon, Mera was sick of sorcery, and Atlantis needed to make its own way.

Topo had read on Super Ultra Mega that Garth was supposed to be an energetic, happy-go-lucky guy. Clearly, the fishy internet was not to be trusted, since my recollection of Garth has been a whiny bitch since Tula died in the mid-80s, and the disappearance of his family in the One Year Later period just made him more of a tool than usual. Superman shook Arthur Joesph's hand and felt he would do fine as the new Aquaman, while Topo was ecstatic over his proximity to Superman, Batman and especially Wonder Woman. "Leaping ling cod, I was actually close enough to reach out and touch Wonder Woman's divine, magical... LASSO! ...and did you see? She was wearing the bracelets, too!" Arthur remarked, "Jeez, you really are a fanboy, aren't you?"

Issitoq the Narwhal had been expected back in Dyss after his triumph against Orin, but was instead found sulking in the Norwegian Basin of the Arctic Ocean by Pardoner. The narwhal now understood his victim really had recognized him, and was upset at having missed the chance to learn his true identity. Issitoq smashed the ground and threatened Pardoner with a boulder, until he was placed in a submissive trance state. The "fierce young corpse-whale" was his proudest creation, so Pardoner intended for him to "visit the soothing darkness for a while to have your thoughts improved" through "therapy."

Lorena, the Aquagirl of Sub Diego, visited the tomb of her former flame Koryak, son of Orin. Lorena mourned the relationship that could have been, but didn't like coming off like a soap star. She told Arthur Junior, "I'm not going to be friends with you, by the way. Then you won't die. I'm learning, see?"

Cal Durham had spent months swimming with his party to return Garth home and seek resources for his own people. He was dismayed that Atlantis had fallen so low as to be of little help, and planned to return home. Garth intended to go back with Cal, since there was nothing keeping him in Atlantis, and his only lead to his condition and family was his being found in Sub Diego's proximity. Mera felt abandoned by them both, and Topo began shouting, "What is wrong with you people? Swimming? Swimming?! To the Pacific Ocean? Is this some drawn-out practical joke on me, or are you all really crazy? What about the hatches?" The rageboy nerd had everyone's attention, to the point that he inked himself again over causing insult during "a meeting of the Atlantean Sovereign Council."

When Topo finally recovered, he explained that the Deep Church had found a way to access preexisting teleportational wormholes at points all over the sea. The hatches were locked by "a believer's code implanted from the Deep Church in Dyss," but Dr. Arkelon had invented a hack for the apostates in Neos. Mera enlisted Arthur as Topo's personal guard, since this news could be hugely beneficial, with the initial test run being a return to Sub Diego. Losing Cal, Lorena, and Garth seemed much less important under the circumstances, especially the former Tempest, whom she felt was crippled in ways beyond the physical.

At a hatch, Topo focused mentally to gain access, but the door opened to a Punishment Shoal vastly more dangerous than the one previously faced. "That's... that's Baron Gorgos! Flipping flounders, we're doomed!" Tempest was able to fend off Benthocto, an anthropomorphic octopus. Aquaman took on the brawny Leatherback. Gorgos himself threatened to eat Topo, so Aquaman had to change dancing partners. The Baron was a sadomasochist, taking pleasure in both the searing pain delivered by his head tentacles, and his own agony at having some ripped out by Arthur. King Shark happened along to devour a fourth, unnamed shoal heavyweight. The group then fled into the hatch, turning up in a volcanic region near Sub Diego. Garth immediately started criticizing King Shark as a "murderous monstrosity," driving him off, and leaving Arthur to argue his virtues against the unrepentant Tempest. Regardless of the trouble, Lorena and Cal were just happy to be a day out from home, rather than two months.

Back on the Arctic island of Ymirsheim, Captain Jimmy Lockhart, Elsa Magnusson, and the Sea Devil leader Dane Dorrance continued down a mysterious staircase leading them below sea level. The group had second thoughts about continuing, but when they doubled back, found a doorway had sealed behind them. Trapped, the group's surrender was demanded by more members of the Deep Church.

Cal Durham was uneasy at the silence as his group approached the remnant portion of Sub Diego that he had governed. A large sign had been posted, alerting citizens to the curfew invoked by their new leader, Black Manta.

"The Once and Future Sea King" was by Tad Williams, Shawn McManus, and Walden Wong. As a welcome change from the Busiek issues, even in a relatively talky issue, there is tons of stuff going on to keep up interest. The massive losses in Atlantis were finally being addressed on a personal level, favorite supporting characters from the Sub Diego issues and more classic runs were being restored. The situation in Atlantis was finally acknowledged at all by the JLA. The Deep Church seems interesting and offers a host of new villains created specifically for Arthur Joseph, instead of his constantly running into Orin's tired old foes calling him out as inferior (while backing up the claim.) Topo is fun when he's not obnoxious, and I really appreciated Williams' ability to juggle a lot of very different personalities. My only complaints in the script are that even in the face of teased sparks with Arthur Joseph, Mera comes off as an old maid, and it's a might too convenient that the Deep Church were suddenly everywhere at one.

Shawn McManus' art took more getting used to, especially since his style had grown so cartoony that he often more resembled Bob Fingerman than his own past super-hero work. The main negative effect is that the violence of the book has no weight, because you expect anyone that matters to bounce right back, like a Looney Tune. On the other hand, it fits the book's quirk vibe, and McManus does a fine job of juggling a suddenly huge cast. Coupled with the coloring of Dan Brown, you can tell everyone is underwater, but it's a far more vibrant and varied place than it had been in the early going of Sword of Atlantis. Both writing and art embrace the inherent ridiculousness of fishy fantasy, for the first time allowing Aquaman to laugh with the comedic potential, rather than just being the butt of jokes.

Brave New World

The Trials of Shazam! in DCU: Brave New World #1 (August, 2006) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #7 (Early June, 2007) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #7 (April, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach #7 (September, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #8 (April, 2007) @ The Mighty Mite

The Vixen #1 in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (Fall, 1978)

2011-08-31T00:00:00.004-05:00

"Meet Marilyn Macabe. Fashion model. Business woman. A lady with places to go and things to do... In one sense, her story begins today, at a Park Avenue studio near the end of a long day's photo session... and in another sense... it began seventeen years ago, in a small African village, to a frightened eight year-old child... Tonight, past and present will come crashing together, and in that cataclysmic joining-- A HEROINE WILL BE BORN!"

Photographer Willie Lockman was trying to sweet talk foxy model Mari with some delicately chauvinistic jive, which Mari totally called him on as a ridiculous act. No future trophy bride, Mari wanted more than the cover of Vogue. In fact, she worried her temporary but lucrative modeling career might mean she wouldn't be taken seriously when she tried to do good in the world.

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Marilyn's oldest, dearest friend and business partner, Peg Potamkin, showed off the proofs for her second photo book. It looked to be as big a smash as the first. Next Mari met with Solomon Samuels, her rich boyfriend and publisher, who'd brought flowers and champagne. Their romantic moment was spoiled when footage of the president of the African nation of D'Mulla appeared on television in relation to an upcoming speech at the United Nations. The press may have lauded him as a peaceful leader and the greatest hope for a unified Africa, but Mari went into hysterics upon recognizing the face from her past. In a nicely played moment, panels switched back and forth between the speech and General C'Tanga Manitoba laughing maniacally while firing a machine gun. The woman screamed and fainted.

A few hours later, Mari woke up in Samuels' apartment after a nightmare involving menacing shapes, voices laughing or screaming, and a large knife glinting in the moonlight. These same dreams had haunted Mari as a child, and their return made Mari question her memories and her very sanity. She retrieved a tribal totem she had possessed since before her adoption as a child, from a time she had no clear recollection of. However, she could just imagine a man giving it to her... someone she had loved very much.

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Soon, Mari realized that the man from her dreams was her father, whom she had seen brutally murdered during the bloody revolution of General Manitoba seventeen years earlier. Among C'Mellu Dantogi's final acts was to give his daughter best wishes and a gift from around his neck. "Here, child... this talisman is yours now. Wear it always-- and one day, perhaps... it will give you the power to free your people. But whatever strength you find in it-- you will also find-- in yourself!" Before being butchered, Dantogi also swore to the general that "Memories can kill, Manitoba. You can stop me-- but you cannot stop my truth!" Macabe had been safe in the United States, with Manitoba unaware that she was even alive, but now Mari swore hers truly was a memory that would kill!

Mari and Peg had been friends since school with their lawyer, Andy Jackson Jones, so he was honest with Mari's chances of bringing formal charges against Manitoba. "Dealing with foreign powers--there's just not very much one person can do. Who can you go to? The U.N.? Hell, they rolled out the red carpet for Yassir Arafat..." Frustrated, Mari was reminded of her father's words about her talisman, and thought she might use it as bait to lure Manitoba into a trap. Still, she needed to know what the thing was exactly, and paid a visit to the New York Public Library.

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Following hours of study, Mari determined that she possessed the Tantu Totem, a priceless piece of African art rumored to posses mystical attributes. Supposedly, a special ceremony could allow its wearer to take on the powers of animals. "Obviously, this is an offshoot of Animalism-- the African religion that worships the spirits of animals!" Mari wondered if that was what her father meant, and felt compelled to perform the ritual. She spoke in a foreign tongue, performed prescribed motions, and called on the aid of the lion, the fox and the antelope to "Let vengeance be mine!" Mari let out a scream, collapsed, and was bathed in an unnatural light. When Mari awoke, she was immediately aware of her heightened senses and extraordinary new abilities. The world might not take a model seriously, but Mari hoped an old Halloween outfit could spook a confession out of a general she supposed was craven and superstitious.

A creature of shadow and stealth, the "flashing figure of ebony, silver and gold" relished the sensations she felt through her body as she covered forty blocks in under ten minutes by rooftop acrobatics. Mari realized that the talisman not only gave her the powers of the animals she requested, but an intrinsic self-assurance to use them. Perhaps this explained her willingness to break into the United Nations, stalk General Manitoba, leap onto the room of his car, and follow him all the way to New Jersey. Manitoba's men had traced the person they believed to be the last living witness to the Dantogi Massacre, the holy Reverend Peak, to a nearby monastery. Shock troops already surrounded the building, and Manitoba promised the men responsible for the capture "a place of high high honor in the new order!"

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Mari had been listening the whole time, and thought Manitoba had "taken a page or two from the Nazis!" Mari jumped clear of the limo and began making short work of this wannabe gestapo. "From the shadows, she strikes in deadly silence-- making no sound but a low throaty snarl... Her eyes are no longer human now... something feral has claimed her soul..."

Meanwhile, the Lion of Hell finally confronted Reverend Peak, who like Dantogi before him, stood firm against General Manitoba even in the face of death. "Preaching instead of prayers, no pleading? You disappoint me! For seventeen years you've eluded me. Moving from city to city within this overfed nation-- like the fox before the lion! Now I've run you to earth at last-- and you deny me the pleasure of your protests! No matter! For both of us, this is an ending! Greet your god, minister! Good-bye!" Mari burst through a stained glass window, shouting "NO! I won't let you kill again!"

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"A sleek silver tigress, she is among them in an instant, whirling and slashing, giving no quarter-- attacking with all the primitive fury of a beast of prey! Screams shatter the chapel, echoing the screech of breaking glass... The men have no chance to speak-- They can only cry out, and fall sprawling like broken dolls...! At last, she is done with them. And now she turns, light catching the eyes beneath her mask, gleaming with bestial fire..."

"So this is the mighty man-god Manitoba! A man-god so weak, he prefers to kill old men, while his troops fall like wheat before the scythe! You are nothing, Manitoba! When they hear of this-- your men will spit on your name in shame!"

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The Lion of Hell pushed Reverend Peak aside, advancing with his blade on the woman who dared speak to him in such a manner. "YOU VIXEN! I will split you like a pig!" The Lady Fox kicked Manitoba in the face, slashed his flesh, and evaded all his swipes with the machete. A cunning smile stretched across the Vixen's lips as Manitoba charged her like a bull, timing her diving roll so that the Lion rammed into a towering cross. Crushed under the cross' weight as it fell, "General C'Tanga Manitoba's last breath is a gurgled sigh... Limply, his hands grope for his treasured machete and then stiffen..."

The pair looked on at the passing, then Reverend Peak turned to the Vixen, who he eventually recognized as Mari. "It is regrettable it all had to end with another death... but vengeance was served this night... was it not?"

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The following dawn, Solomon Samuels told Mari about the death of the "dude who freaked you out on the tube... killed by someone called the Vixen!" Mari was surprised the media had bestowed a titled upon her. "From the sound of it, it seems this old town's got itself another super-hero-- as though Wonder Woman and Firestorm weren't enough!"

Solomon found Mari moody, as her mind was miles away, fascinated with the primitive completeness her new powers had given her as "almost a rebirth! I can't leave that behind! The Vixen lives-- and god help me, I love it!" Mari decided to buy her man breakfast...

"The Vixen is a Lady Fox!" was written by Gerry Conway with the aid of Carla Conway, and artist Bob Oksner was inked by Vince Colletta. George Tuska may have had a hand in there somewhere, as well. Original art linked above indicates that the Vixen was almost "The Blue Fox" instead, so at least something worked out for her in the early going.

Many of the comics tossed into the two volumes of Cancelled Comic Cavalcade were later reworked into serialized back-up features or otherwise employed in other titles. For some stupid reason, the Vixen's origin story was never offered this courtesy, even though for my money it was a fantastic first issue. The main problem with the costume was how it was colored, not the actual design, and the art was solid enough. What surprised me upon finally reading this lost tale was how strong the script was. When I manage to enjoy these '70s DC titles, I'm often being charitable with regard to their many flaws, finding potential in the germ of a good idea or some cheesy charm. Here we have an interesting protagonist with an unusual job which would afford her the income and flexibility to be a super-heroine while maintaining the requisite physique as part of her day job. Her origins are relatively unique, and she has a perfect motivation for seeking justice outside the law. A potent, well executed story that anticipated the popularity of '80s anti-heroes. If only it had been published!

The Bronze Age

The Sensational New Wonder Woman #288 (February, 1982)
@ Diana Prince
Manhunter in Detective Comics #437 (October-November, 1973)
@ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Superman starring in Action Comics #530 (April, 1982)
@ DC Bloodlines
The Atom in Action Comics #530 (April, 1982)
@ Power of the Atom

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #50 (May, 2007)

2011-08-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

Arthur Joseph Curry, King Shark, and the Dweller in the Depths had defeated a new version of the Fisherman, or as Artie Joe put it, "evil jellyfish man." The Dweller wanted to continue pursuing the forces of evil, but Arthur just wanted to relax for a while. The Dweller received a premonition alerting him to a need in Atlantis, so the other two followed. En route, Arthur spied some religious zealots attacking a diminutive squid-boy, and a fight broke out. King Shark didn't like how the mouthpiece of this Purification Shoal was looking at him, so he bit the fishy jerk in half.

The survivors fled, and the Dweller pressed Shark to carry on with him, but Arthur insisted on staying behind to see to the squid-boy. "Excuse me? I am nothing so primitive as a squid. I am a coleoid humanoid, a freeborn citizen of Neos." The squid-boy kind of recognized Arthur as Aquaman, but kind of not. Introductions were made, but the squid-boy's name was a series of color changes to his face. Arthur decided to call him Topo instead. "What kind of name is that? ...It sounds like something you'd name an organ grinder's monkey!" Arthur liked it, because it felt right somehow, but wondered how Topo knew anything about monkeys or organ grinders. Topo's people were advanced enough to have their own version of the internet, and the guy was no ignoramus. The pair made off for Atlantis, with Topo believing he'd been drafted as Aquaman's sidekick.

The Molloy Basin, under waters off the coast of Greenland. The one called Narwhal attracted attention with a simple glowing staff with a sharpened tip. A massive saurian creature of the depths tried to devour him, but the power of the staff tore the creature apart from the inside out. The trap was a test put to Narwhal by Pardoner, and he asked his master whether he had passed. "Yes, my pallid fingerling. Ah, Narwhal, look at you! Why would you ever want another name, my sweet corpse-whale?" Narwhal was amnesiac, and longed to know his true identity and history.

Pardoner took Narwhal to the hidden city of Dyss for an audience with the Sea Bishop. The holy man was garbed in a purplish brown robe, his inhuman face obscured by a hood. Sitting on a throne, the Sea Bishop was served raw octopus, which he devoured whole. "Call him 'Your Grace,' my pale beauty. Don't embarrass me with bad manners." Narwhal felt he had not a name, but a "battle flag" to carry against the Sea Bishop's enemies. Narwhal was a rare warrior, so the Sea Bishop indulged him to maneuver Narwhal toward mortal combat with Orin of Atlantis, the greatest enemy of the Deep Church. Narwhal recognized the true name of Aquaman, but could not recall how. The Sea Bishop continued, speaking of how the city of Dyss had been built around the sleeping form of their deity, Urlok the Awaited, who would awaken at the death of "the wicked monarch of that debauched, cursed place..." The Sea Bishop granted the name "Issitoq, the spirit of vengeance-- Issitoq the Narwhal." It didn't resonate as Orin's name had, but Issitoq went off on his mission regardless. The Sea Bishop then discussed with Pardoner how the narwhal had not forgotten his other life, and may need to be disposed of once Orin was dead. Also, "I'm tired of octopus. Have the prison send up a heretic or two. Smallish. I don't want to spoil my supper."

Ymirsheim, an island in the Arctic Ocean, where the ship that hosts Windward Home had traveled. The ghost of Vulko was sure this place was written of in Atlantean texts, but those were out of reach, so he made do with surface world resources. Captain Jimmy Lockhart met with Elsa to discuss the energy signature detected in the area "hot as a nuclear stockpile" and getting worse. An expedition onto the ice was mounted, but a snowstorm forced its members to seek shelter in a cave. The interiors were amazing, with writings on the walls resembling ancient Atlantean. It was theorized that this place had been hidden for God knows how long, and only revealed due to global warming. However, what little could be made out of the writing indicated a warning of death...

The Aquaman crew reached the ruins of Atlantis, where Arthur was introduced to the Sea King's former kid partner. Garth had been found wandering without memory of where he had been the past year, his hair gone white and his ability to breath either air or water compromised. Cal Durham had found Garth, and fitted his with a breathing apparatus before presenting him to Queen Mera. Cal had been presiding as mayor over those who had not risen with Sub Diego when it was restored to San Diego, and welcomed the excuse to reestablish ties with the remains of Atlantis. Garth asked after his wife and child, but received no answer. Topo spotted a Thorny Crown symbol on the back of Garth's neck, and the mere mention sent him into convulsions. Garth could hear only the beating of savage drums, and prophesied that only the Sea-King could stand against Urlok before passing out. Mera argued with the Dweller who exactly the champion Sea-King should be, until the Dweller swam off.

Topo explained that the people of Neos were refugees from Dyss fleeing religious persecution from the Deep Church. "...We fled with Dr. Arkelon and Lady Pelikaia-- but barely escaped from the Bishop's Punishment Shoal..." Arthur ignorantly referred to Neos as "Squidville," to which Topo sternly replied that there were a variety of peoples there, and it was technologically advanced. The topic of Topo being a well informed super hero geek was broached, and Topo kept wondering why people of Atlantis would swim great distances when there were "hatches" all over.

Elsewhere, prideful Atsiul led a company of guards in search of a monster that had made a massacre out of a caravan. Atsiul was the lieutenant of Mera's who kept fighting with Arthur Joseph Curry, and now had the misfortune of crossing the path of Issitoq the Narwhal. Demanding he stop and give an accounting of himself, Atsiul joined all but one member of his party in being killed to death in short order. The lone survivor had access to a power-sled meant for supply transport, and used it to reach Atlantis just ahead of Issitoq.

Arthur met up with King Shark, who revealed that he had only stuck around on orders to kill the new Aquaman when the time was ripe. "I wasn't going to do it-- I don't think I was going to, anyway." King Shark liked Arthur, but hated the Dweller now that he knew that he was really the previous Aquaman responsible for spearing him on a trident. King Shark didn't want to stick around Aqua-Town, where everyone wanted a second chance to gut him, but promised that he would have his final reckoning with the Dweller at a later date. Until then, King Shark had decided to leave the group. "And when you see that Vulko spook again, you tell 'im I was paying attention to what he said. See you around, pink boy." Before long, King Shark managed to find the Dweller alone, but the former Aquaman's confusion about his present nature perplexed Shark, as well. King Shark swam away to "go kill something I'll want to eat afterward..."

The survivor warned Queen Mera about Issitoq, "more powerful than anything I have ever seen-- even the king himself, in his prime! He slaughtered dozens of us!" Rodunn was to assemble the Atlantean guard at the ruins of the Great Gate, while Arthur set out to find the Dweller. Topo inked himself.

The Dweller could sense the coming of Issitoq, specifically to kill him, and warned Arthur to save himself before the Narwhal's arrival. Issitoq dealt death at the gate, and reaching Arthur, made short work of the young fool. The sword of Atlantis broken, Issitoq approached the Dweller, who recognized him. "You do not know me! Do not try to trick me!" Issitoq stabbed the Dweller in the chest, then swam away. Arthur woke up later to find and cradle the Dweller's body. "I failed, damn you! You tried to make me a hero, but you failed. But I'll avenge you." Arthur picked up the shard of a sword he still had left by the hilt, and drove it into a nearby rock to serve as a tombstone. "I don't need the sword of Atlantis... to be the sword of Atlantis!"

"Cold Water" was by Tad Williams, Shawn McManus, and Walden Wong. Kurt Busiek and blogger Scipio Garling were thanked in the credits. Quite the sea change, no? Tons of stuff going on, recent supporting cast members out, old and new ones in, completely different art, coloring with colors instead of slathering everything in murky blue. This has already been a long entry, so more next week.

Brave New World

Doom Patrol #6 (March, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #6 (Late May, 2007) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #6 (March, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach #6 (August, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #7 (March, 2007) @ The Mighty Mite

2011 DCU Movie Fan Casting: Robbie Amell as Steel: The Indestructible Man II

2011-08-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

With Hank Heywood III, I didn't need a big name, but I did want a decent sized young guy with a good build and an All-American quality. Since most of the actors of note who fit any of that bill seem to be too lean, shortish, or English, I went with the six foot Canadian. I tried to find a good blond, but Robbie Amell had the sweet-natured wholesomeness and lack of self-awareness that I was looking for, and at 23, I figure he can still play 18-19. Grandpa Steel had black hair, but I suppose a modest dye job to red could do for utmost authenticity.

For more, check this clipshow from 2008's Picture This.

Diabolic Movie Fan Casting

Bel Juz 2011 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach 2011 @ Power of the Atom
Doctor Psycho 2011 @ Diana Prince
OMAC 2011 @ DC Bloodlines

2008 The Vixen art by President Nelson

2011-08-25T00:34:00.001-05:00

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"I didn't like her at first when I started reading the JLA but recently they made her have Rogue's powers (tech. Peter Petrelli's but why be picky) now of course I'm all aboot her......"

Sorry about another dang art post, but I'm playing through a crossover that will run here tomorrow involving a long neglected Detroit Leaguer, and I just needed to get the weekly allowance of Vixen in. How about next week we cover the original 1970s Vixen #1?

The Top 10 Aquaman Covers of the 1960s

2011-08-21T00:00:00.025-05:00

I felt like I gave the Sea King short shrift by summarizing seven decades of comic covers into one top 20 list. Since I'm trying to do some more of these after a lengthy hiatus, and the other Detroit members lack the library to offer more expansive lists, I thought I'd revisit Aquaman for some countdowns by decade.

Honorable Mention:
Showcase #30 (February, 1961)

The first Aquaman solo cover, but mediocre all the same.

10) Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #29 (November, 1961)

Aquaman is an obvious romantic lead of choice, so of course after more than a decade as a loner, they saddle him with an adoptive son, followed by a wife. I love seeing the Sea King pursuing other options, and it's no wonder he's so anxious to make time with Superman's best girl.

9) Aquaman #3 (June,1962)

I've heard all the same "talks to fishies" jokes as you, but seeing all those finny fans leaping into the air to catch arrows like Frisbees is wacky fun.

8) Aquaman #46 (August, 1969)

You can only have Aquaman holding an unconscious Mera so many times, but this is one of the better renditions, so it makes the cut.

7) Aquaman #44 (March, 1969)

I hate that there are so many Aquaman in Peril covers, but they really sell the danger, don't they?

6) The Brave and The Bold #82 (March, 1968)

The Somnambulist Surfer! How can you resist?

5) Aquaman #18 (November,1964)

Everybody loves a wedding.

4) Aquaman #34 (February, 1968)

There's such concern on Arthur's face, and this is the first of many covers of Aquaman cradling Mera.

3) Aquaman #30 (November,1966)

Aquaman covers are kind of morbid, aren't they?

2) Aquaman #45 (May, 1969)

So many of the great Aquaman covers involve our hero defeated or otherwise in the underdog position. Given his shaky reputation, I'm not so sure that's a good thing.

1) Aquaman #42 (November, 1968)

If there was ever any doubt Black Manta was Aquaman's arch-foe, this should have removed it. Eisner-style lettering incorporated into a dramatic, moody whole.

Top Character Covers Countdown

The Top 20 Atom Covers of the 1960s @ Power of the Atom
The Top 20 Blackhawk Covers (and lots more!) @ DC Bloodlines
The Top 20 Martian Manhunter Covers of the 1960s @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
The Top 20 Wonder Woman Covers of the 1960s @ Diana Prince
DC75: Top Character Covers of the Dodranscentennial

2006 "A Call to Arms, Part 5" by Darryl Banks

2011-08-18T01:48:00.000-05:00

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I've leaned pretty heavily on amateur devianART of the Vixen for a while now, so if I haven't got a story post together yet, the least I can do is go pro on the pin-ups. This one even has personal relevance, since it was commissioned by friend and former customer Damon Owens as part of his "The Brotherhood" series featuring dream teams of African-descended super-heroes...

"This is part 5 of a 5-part commission featuring the Brotherhood answering a call to arms. This one features the Black Panther, Icon, and Vixen, beautifully penciled by Darryl Banks."

You can see the complete image here, adding Storm, Cyborg, the Metropolis Guardian, Hardware, Black Lightning, Mister Terrific, Technique, Triathlon, the Falcon, Green Lantern John Stewart, Mister Miracle, and Captain Marvel/Photon.

2011 DC Movie Fan Casting: Paul Walker as Aquaman

2011-08-14T01:58:00.003-05:00

I did not want to cast Paul Walker as Aquaman. Back in the late '90s, I fan casted a prospective Martian Manhunter with actors in or fast approaching middle age. I reposted the same cast a few years later, and was embarrassed to realize that just in that span of time, almost all of the actors were over forty, and today many are in their fifties. We have a young fresh Aquaman liable to demand top ten sales in September, a massive sea change from what one would expect from the Sea King. I tried going really young to match that fresh energy with Zac Efron, but the dude is just too small and, frankly, seems to be fading as a star already. Chris Pine, the new Captain Kirk, seemed a lot more viable. However, besides being a dye blonde, the guy has a rather nasal voice that just didn't have the stuff for a monarch.

Paul Walker is about to turn 38, and has been popping up in Aquaman fan casts for years, in no doubt due to his cut body and appearances in movies like Into The Blue. He seems too old and too obvious, but the latter can't be helped, because he really is perfect for the part. He's handsome with a winning smile, piercing blue eyes, a fantastic body, and a voice that could believably command the sea. Prophylactic agism is no excuse for being dumb, so I'll pick the right Aquaman with a clear conscience.

Diabolic Movie Fan Casting

The Atom (Ray Palmer) 2011 @ Power of the Atom
The Huntress 2011 @ DC Bloodlines
Martian Manhunter 2011 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Woman 2011 @ Diana Prince

2009 The Vixen by Jim Kilpatrick

2011-08-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

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The Justice League's Vixen, Mari. I was never keen on her original design, back in the Detroit Justice League days. But she's kinda neat now, so thought I'd try a pic of her.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #45 (November, 2006)

2011-08-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

Those underwater mechs? Sea Hammers. They tore up the freed Atlanteans and Aurati Raiders. Ocean Master? Talked mess about sending a boy to do a man's job, and how only the strong survive in the ocean, yadda yadda. Arthur Joseph Curry? Really was gutted, and had to be pulled to safety by King Shark. Mera? Used her hard water powers to destroy a sea hammer, but then fainted out from the expenditure of her compromised energies. Dweller in the Depths? Half his body was animated ocean, and he used his magic to heal Artie Joe.

Arthur led the escapees into a narrow cavern, and they were pursued by the sea hammers. The pilot of one was a black man dressed in purple, so he surely worked for Manta at some point in the '70s. Dane Dorrance was supposed to set off some charges to cause a rock slide the agile swimmers could avoid, but Ocean Master kicked his ass. Somehow, the rock slide still took place though? Ocean Master ripped out Dane's throat and left the Sea Devil as a distraction while Daki helped him escape. The Dweller healed him too, so Dane was totally cool while still leagues under the ocean in a compromised suit, which I'm sure is how science works. As it turned out, whales had caused the rock slide, alluding to Artie Joe having additional powers without actually having to cop to talking to fishies.

Mera was worried about Orin's transformation into the Dweller, but her husband felt that this was part of a destiny he needed to fulfill. I guess talking like a wizard or the Phantom Stranger or whatever instead of like Aquaman was part of that ~~metahuman cosplay~~ destiny. It was revealed that King Shark's father had compelled him to stick close to Arthur into such time as he should pull a Brutus, but only to the reader. Arthur Joseph Curry recognized the oceans needed a hero, and that he didn't need shoulder pads, so he accepted the role of Aquaman. Finally, Tri-Dent Industries, the guys who had hired Ocean Master, had managed to resurrect Arthur's father through extraordinary measures as a tool for their schemes.

"Watery Grave" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice. It wasn't as deathly dull as the prior five issues, and the art was much more dynamic this time, but I still wouldn't exactly call it good. Artie Joe was thoroughly punked by Ocean Master, and the way that works isn't making Orm look tough, but Aquaman Jr. look wimpy. I thought the point of this series was to get away from Aqua Dolittle, but the real heroes were the whales. Despite her weak constitution, Mera was still the closest thing to a badass with her water wedge. I guess the Dweller got to show off, but that just reminded me that he should have been the hero of this story, seeing as he was the star of the first thirty-nine issues of this series. Ah screw it, I'm just glad to have read this story for the second and final time, hopefully of this life. As soon as I get around to it, we'll jump ahead five issues to Tad Williams' vastly superior yet still just okay run.

Brave New World

Doom Patrol #5 (February, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman Annual #1 (November, 2007) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #5 (February, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach #5 (July, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #5 @ The Tiny Titan

2009 The Vixen Digital 3-D Pin-Up by Gustavo

2011-08-03T00:00:00.002-05:00

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I don't know what would possess someone to render the original eyesore Vixen costume in 3D computer graphics, but between the textures and the liberties taken, I think it looks outtasight.

By the way, I should start having more substantial Vixen posts within the next couple of weeks. No flies on some of the fantastic art featured here over the last several months, but I want to get the stories and biographies out this year, as well.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #44 (September, 2006)

2011-07-31T00:00:00.006-05:00

After Atlantis fell, things went to crap, and fish people enslaved Caucasians with gills. They were used to mine minerals in toxic environments for some unnamed evil surface people. The Dweller in the Depths showed up to do his best Iron Eyes Cody impersonation, but Arthur Joseph Curry displayed hateration over that whole abandonment thing. The Dweller apologized, but Artie Joe still wanted to kick his ass, and the completely unnecessary ruckus alerted a sentry. King Shark caught the Aurati fish trooper for some fine damage control, and the Sea Devils threatened to beat information out of the poor chump. Whoops, vicious cycles, as the Aurati Raiders had themselves been coerced by bad guys in armored sea-mechs. The Sea Devils wanted to liberate everybody, but Aquaman was a pissy little jerk who still thought the Aurati needed punishing. Dane Dorrance explained to Arthur Joesph that he was being less than pragmatic, and let's be honest, getting schooled by one of the Forgotten Heroes means folks can hear your gills suck at 50,000 leagues.

A mer-gator chick King Shark popped a woody for named Daki patrolled the area, and the captured raider explained she was the beloved pet of the master. The Dweller used magic to help free Mera and her men, while Arthur Joseph started arguing with Mera's main warrior Atsiul again, and we're on page fourteen. Could something remotely interesting please happen? Okay, Mera finally cornered the Dweller and moved those tentacles out of his face, presumably recognizing her husband.

The group finally made their way to the master, who was the Ocean Master, "revealed" on a splash page after it had already been spoiled on the damned cover. Since this is the Savage Sword of Aquaman Jr., Orm brandished a blade and ran around without a shirt, which doesn't fix the ongoing liability that is his dorky mask. Also, the two main adversaries swim to the nearest rock so they can stand there and swordfight as though they were on dry land, because you could fit the imagination brought to bare by these creators in a thimble. Orm talked crap about the corporations that I guess he was still in league with, and how he loved the lawlessness of the ocean, and then he stabbed Aquaman at a weird angle with a knifed glove instead of skewering him. Sounds like the makings of a superficial wound and a tepid cliffhanger to me.

"Masters" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice. Before I forget, seeing as this is the penultimate issue of these creators' run I'll cover before my subscription blessedly ran out, Jackson Guice draws the oldest late adolescent ever. Arthur Joseph Curry must have that early frost disease, because he looks like he's a fiftysomething chain smoker in more panels than not. Cut your hair and spit out your chaw, creep. People liked this?

Brave New World

Doom Patrol #4 (January, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #4 (February, 2007) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #4 (January, 2007) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach #4 (June, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #4 @ The Tiny Titan

2008 The Vixen art by Marsonite

2011-07-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

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"Toldja I was gonna do more DC superhero stuff.

I don't know about most people, but being myself African (enough), I've always liked the idea of a more African-looking Vixen, not the, forgive me, whitewashed version they draw these days.

So I had a friend kinda sorta working on colouring this a while back, but I don't think that came to fruition, so I figured it was safe to put it up.

You know what, I like it. Sure I messed up the collar, and the pose is kinda funny, and her forehead is ridiculous, and don't even gey me started on the leg muscles and those knees...Perhaps an update is in order...

Anyway, mah poin' eeis, don't misundurestimate it, y'hear? Heh heh. Don't miscalculatize my hypotomis. Don't misconscrutinize -- Ah, I'm going to miss that guy...Well, not that much..."

2009 The Vixen art by Angela Peak

2011-07-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

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"Started out as a 20 minute sketch which has since been embellished upon.

Tried to do something a bit different here. This is an awkward pose to draw but I gave it a go anyway. The left hand I tried to draw about 10 times before giving up so I just left it as a shape and left it alone. It clearly did not want to be drawn."

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #43 (August, 2006)

2011-07-17T00:00:00.082-05:00

"I pretty much knew him from that cartoon. You know, the one with the stupid walrus?" Yeah, nothing so endearing as Arthur Joseph Curry mocking the legacy of his namesake in the face of the ghost of one of Aquaman's best friends. "I liked the guys who could fly. Superman, Green Lantern, soaring around up there in the clouds... Aquaman breathed water and talked to fish. I breathed underwater... And talking to fish? No offense... but they're fish. I guess what I saw him as was the guy who stood around in the background when the JLA were on TV. I was a kid. I didn't see the appeal."

Vulko revealed that Thomas Curry, who raised Aquaman as a lad in coastal Maine, was Artie Joe's great-uncle. Vulko also explained that when the Spectre destroyed Atlantis, he died, but decided against going into the light with the other spirits (like Koryak, for instance.) Elsa Magnusson later performed experiments over Atlantis' remains, and sort of ghostbusted Vulko, who now hung out at Windward Home. Vulko "mystically Googled" Aquaman, and got Artie Joe instead.

Later, Arthur Joseph played around with bikini girl Jessie Silver on her jet ski. "I'm studying oceanography at the New Athens Experimental School in Florida. Mostly, that means I surf." She was interning while her dad, Jerome Silver, was on staff at Windward Home. I'm sure that would have mattered if the creative team had stuck around, but as far as I know, that exposition went nowhere.

King Shark ran afoul of the distrustful Sea Devils, but a low-level child telepath named Maria allowed the mute-on-land creature to defend himself against false accusations. Shark bailed so that he could be left alone, which made me envious, as the book continued on with yammering between old scientists and boring ass Arthur Joseph and friggin' Vulko. Elsa found out that Artie's dad's corpse had been found, so he pouted underwater. Some big battle erupted on a spread from pages 20-21, and Queen Mera needed help, so "Aquaman" and the Sea Devils prepared to do something after wasting another entire issue on exposition. I hate this series.

"Conversations With Vulko" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice with very heavy inks by Tony DeZuniga. Whether Busiek was writing Artie Joe as a proxy for himself or skeptical readers, his sentiments early in the issue pissed me off. This lack of faith in the Aquaman property was why Sword of Atlantis was an abject failure that the creators abandoned within the first year, while Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' embracing of what was great about the property revitalized it. Also, DeZuniga was a welcome relief from Guice's sleep-inducing art, offering Bronze Age style heavy detailing with a visceral yet ethereal energy. It was the saving grace of another crap issue.

Brave New World

Doom Patrol #3 (December, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #3 (October, 2006) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #3 (December, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Breach #3 (May, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #3 @ The Tiny Titan

2007 The Vixen art by lenboogie

2011-07-14T19:44:00.001-05:00

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"This is Vixen from the TV series Justice League Unlimited. She is a DC comics character. I drew Green Lantern so I hade to draw his girlfiend. hope yall like it."

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #42 (July, 2006)

2011-07-10T00:00:00.006-05:00

Mera tried the hard press to get Arthur Joseph Curry to stay with her as another capable warrior, even if he only powered his way through combat, but nothing doing. Mera still passed the kid some coin, and King Shark took him to a dive bar (ba-dum-bump-pish.) There, A.J. was seduced by a mermaid named Tejaia, who tried to roll him and kill him after the interspecial sexin' with the help of her friends. Fins were kicked, bars were totaled by super-strength, yadda yadda.

On the way to Maine, A.J.'s conscience got the better of him when he tried to ignore a beacon calling out for Aquaman. It turned out to be from this giant twisted mansion on the open sea called Windward Home. The Sea Devils hung out there, as did Mark Merlin's widow, Elsa Magnusson. A former weapons contractor turned philanthropist named Jimmy Lockhart financed the operation, a "cross-specialization think tank" of "scientists, philosophers, mystics" answerable to no one in international waters. The reason why they were trying to reach Aquaman was because they were hosting the ghost of Vulko, his former adviser.

"Deep Down" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice. The art got really rough in places, and the script is clearly still fine-tuning the intended story engine, which was surely supposed to spin a lot of plots out of Windward Home. That might have been okay, but Busiek ditched the book in under a year, so not too much came of the joint.

Brave New World

Martian Manhunter #2 (November, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Wonder Woman #2 (September, 2006) @ Diana Prince
Breach #2 (April, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
Doom Patrol #2 (November, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
The All New Atom #2 @ The Tiny Titan

2008 The Vixen art by larthosgrr8

2011-07-07T12:55:00.001-05:00

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2008 The Vixen art by larthosgrr8

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 (June, 2006)

2011-07-03T00:13:00.002-05:00

Nanaue the King Shark agreed to go with Arthur Curry to what was left of the Curry-Jonas Oceanographic Center at Avalon Cay, but there was nothing left but debris and corpses, including at least one that had been shot dead. Curry was in denial, and overexerted himself trying to find his father. Nanaue couldn't speak out of water, and Arthur couldn't survive long on air, so King Shark dragged the kid back to the Dweller of the Depths. King Shark decided to part company at that point, so Curry talked the Dweller into seeking aid from his great-uncle, a lighthouse keeper in Maine. En route, a representative from Queen Mera asked the pair to take a detour, to thank Curry for (inadvertently) freeing a scouting party while rescuing King Shark in the previous issue. The Dweller thought it would be a good idea, but couldn't bear to see Mera for reasons unknown to himself, and snuck off.

Mera explained that not only had Atlantis been destroyed in the Infinite Crisis, but other forces demolished the sister city Tritonis, and any attempts to rebuild either were thwarted by barbarians. Mera acted as a leader in a settlement called Surfaceman's Grave. One of her lieutenants was the prideful Atsiul, who had been in the captive party, but took offense to Arthur posturing like Aquaman. They ended up in a sword fight, which Arthur won based on his superior inborn strength and the fury of a guy who had nothing left to lose. Also, something compelled King Shark to return to Curry's company.

"Over His Head" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice. For the second straight issue, it was all about exposition, with a fight sequence to break things up a bit. Of course, standing on a rock swinging swords makes no dang sense underwater, while the art and coloring remained a murky slog. Arthur Joseph Curry is really getting on my nerves, because when he's not whining, he's talking smack with nothing to back it up. The dude spent his entire life sheltered in a fish tank, he doesn't know how to do anything, and he only wins fights because of innate physical superiority to sea life. Also, the dude has shoulder pads and walks everywhere, which would stand out more if all the other sea people didn't do the same. WTF?

Brave New World

Doom Patrol #1 (October, 2009) @ DC Bloodlines
Wonder Woman #1 (August, 2006) @ Diana Prince
Martian Manhunter #1 (October, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #41 (June, 2006) @ Justice League Detroit
Breach #1 (March, 2005) @ Power of the Atom
The All New Atom #1 @ The Tiny Titan

2010 The Vixen by Aron Morales

2011-06-29T22:55:00.001-05:00

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2010 The Vixen by Aron Morales

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40 (May, 2006)

2011-06-26T00:00:00.006-05:00

There was a storm. A research lab fell partially into the sea. A young blond man awoke disoriented in the ocean. A voice inside his head called him to help the wounded Nanaue, King Shark and son of the god of sharks. Nanaue had been speared through the sternum a year earlier during the Infinite Crisis, and the blow had never healed right. That's why he struggled against a band of Aurati raiders, so that even the comparatively slow and awkward help of the boy named Curry was enough to turn the tide. The kid's game was weak, with lines like "You want a... piece of me, guys? Take your best shot!" He was your basic Peter Parker analog, but in swim trunks.

Arthur Curry led Nanaue to the Dweller of the Depths, a semi-amphibian humanoid with strange powers. The Dweller gave Arthur an amulet that would allow him to communicate with the creatures of the sea, and had him don an armor that resembled Aquaman's old costume. The Dweller had healing hands, but they could not help with Nanaue's old war wound. Nanaue didn't appreciate Arthur reminding him of the guy that skewered him, but he got over it. The Dweller though the boy was Aquaman, also named Orin. The kid corrected that Arthur Joseph Curry was his only name, and he was no super-hero.

The son of oceanobiologist Dr. Philip Curry, Arthur Joseph was born three months prematurely at a research lab in Avalon Cay roughly twenty-three years earlier. Philip used his knowledge of marine adaptability and amphibian evolution to save the child of his dead wife, but the boy would have to live the rest of his life breathing through gills underwater. The boy grew up in a tank at the Curry-Jonas Oceanographic Center at Avalon Cay with very few outside trips. "Most of what I've seen, I guess, I've seen on television."

The Dweller of the Depths explained the prophesy he knew, which more closely resembled that of the Silver Age Aquaman born of Atlantean and lighthouse keeper, who married an otherworldly queen to help him rule his kingdom. The Dweller predicted the death of a child, and other doings that were in fact from Aquaman's past, not Arthur Joseph's future. Curry rightly thought the Dweller nuts, but what he didn't know was the Dweller actually was a transformed and slightly addled Orin. Still, Arthur and Nanaue let the guy feed them a meal.

"Once and Future" was by Kurt Buisek and Butch Guice. I was in the minority that was really enjoying John Arcudi's run on Aquaman, and my liking Busiek's work is an exception to the rule. Busiek had helped restart the Conan franchise at Dark Horse, and tried the same formula on Aquaman, to bland result. It's Luke Skywalker, Old Ben Kenobi, and a Han/Chewie hybrid, but underwater in loincloths. Arthur Joseph's dialogue is straight out of the Bronze Age, all the backstory is a snooze, and Jackson Guice is really lousy at drawing undersea action. Instead of multidimensional combat, dudes just stand on rocks against dark blue backgrounds and throw punches. Yawn. I especially like how they gave A.J. nice long hair that somehow lays flat in the ocean depths, but I guess if gravity affects fights, why not 'dos that have been passe since the early '90s? The coloring by Dan Brown is also super drab, which I guess suits the art and subject matter, but still feels like an entire movie shot through the same blue filter.

Brave New World

Martian Manhunter in Brave New World #1 (August, 2006) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
"The Secret Origin of The Doom Patrol!" Annual (1987) @ DC Bloodlines
The All New Atom in Brave New World #1 (August, 2006) @ Power of the Atom
Wonder Woman Annual #1: “Backstory” (2007) @ Diana Prince

2010 The Vixen by BeeBoyNYC

2011-06-23T19:21:00.001-05:00

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2010 The Vixen by BeeBoyNYC

Sorry for phoning it in lately, Vixen fans. I'm on a summer schedule that's kicking my butt, so it may be a bit longer for something substantial. Aquaman will be getting the treatment for the next few weeks, instead...

2010 Zatanna Commission by Evan “Doc” Shaner

2011-06-18T02:17:00.002-05:00

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"Doc" Saturday

2009 Wizard World Chicago Convention Sketch @ Diana Prince
2009 Justice League of America Mugshots @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2009 Evan “Doc” Shaner's Justice League @ Power of the Atom

2011 The Vixen art by Ivy Monica Landon

2011-06-15T20:33:00.001-05:00

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2011 The Vixen art by Ivy Monica Landon

2010 Detective Comics #380 Twin Pocket Folder Style #3008DC

2011-06-12T00:52:00.003-05:00

I wasn't a big fan of Wall*Mart just from a customer experience standpoint, and after seeing The High Cost of a Low Price, I feel really sleazy when I cave and shop there. Still, they're usually open 24 hours a day, and have a grocery store, so I try to stay alert for blog chum when I do find myself there. I scored a nice batch of DC folders on my last visit, and at just fifty cents a pop, I decided to pick up some that I passed on the first time for variety's sake.

Irv Novick's 1968 Batman and Robin cover is probably the best crop job I've seen on one of these folders yet. The enormous twelve cent cover price and Comics Code Authority seal are cut out of the top right corner and filled in with solid black (along with a small crease in the curtain.) You lose an inch or so of costume at the bottom and a trim at the top, but the changes are so minor I didn't even bother posting the cover here for comparison. In fact, the claustrophobic framing and vastly superior printing on the folder make me like this presentation of the art better. That said, this is the oldest cover I've encounter in this series by far, and part of the appeal is its randomness and dubious appeal to the younger demographic. Even the mystery girl is only, from what I gathered at GCD, Ginny Jenkins (better known as "WHO?")

I recycled this back cover scan from a previous post.The Innovative Designs logo is a dark purple on the actual folder, and the interior pockets are simply black. I'm really glad the company decided to jazz up the look with their 2011 offerings.

Folders & Fodder

2010 Wonder Woman Twin Pocket Folder Style #1490DC @ Diana Prince
2010 DC Originals Men's Sleep Pant RN# 82457 @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2011 Justice League of America #212 Twin Pocket Folder Style #1490DC @ Power of the Atom

2008 Mary Melody as Vixen by José Ramiro Acosta Péa

2011-06-10T00:47:00.001-05:00

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2008 Mary Melody as Vixen by José Ramiro Acosta Péa

Post-Pointal Discussion: Aquaman and the Justice League

2011-06-06T22:45:00.004-05:00

I've always had a soft spot for Aquaman, seeing as he's one of the great iconic super-heroes, but never receives his due. That seems to be changing, thanks to the efforts of Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and now Jim Lee with the launch of a new Justice League. This marks the first time in nearly twenty years that a universally recognizable Sea King has served with the group in whose books he's made more appearances than any other, save his decades in Adventure Comics. If rumors are true, it also marks the first time the monarch has actually led the team in ages. It seems like a natural fit, except of course that Aquaman is a horrible leader.

When Aquaman was first created, he was a good-natured cowboy patrolling the range, an American with powers born of the marriage of modern and ancient science. He did his part during World War II, and managed to hang on through the fallow 1950s, a rare accomplishment among super-heroes. Since he was still around at the dawn of the Silver Age, he was drafted into the very first Justice League line-up, and served consistently for eighteen straight years. I figure he earned 1979 off. During those years, Aquaman's legend grew massively, through his adoption of the young protege Aqualad, learning he was in fact Atlantean royalty, his marriage to the other-dimensional queen Mera, the nigh-unprecedented birth of a son to a super-hero, and a successful cartoon series. Unfortunately, Aquaman was among the most humbled of super-heroes, infamous for his uselessness on the long running Super Friends cartoon, the unavenged murder of his son, an acrimonious relationship with his adopted ward and kingdom, the dissolution of his marriage, and repeated cancellations. It's no wonder Aquaman held on to the one good thing he had, his super-team, but perhaps he held on a bit too tightly.

After numerous Satellite Era Leaguers failed to show up in the face of an invasion from Mars, Aquaman disbanded the team in disgust, and restaffed it with a widely ridiculed, underpowered collection of misfits (see sidebar icons.) Not only did Aquaman render the Justice League laughingstocks, but he commanded them through the force of telepathy in an unethical manner against such thoroughly ridiculous "menaces" as The Cadre of silly stereotypes, the Fiddling Ruskie, and Hobo Amazo. No wait, scratch that last one. Aquaman actually went AWOL to search for his wife, having come to his senses with regard to a) redheads are hot and b) he'd royally screwed the pooch on this new JLA thing, with even these nobodies ready to turn on him. Aquaman and Mera did show up to help stop AmazEskimo, but then promptly resigned to work on his marriage. Please remember, the reason Aquaman drove off Green Arrow, Black Canary and Firestorm, who had helped stop the Martians, was because he only wanted Leaguers willing to give their all to the team. His all was all of a year (or less, actually.)

The Sea King wasn't such a hypocrite that he lacked shame for what he had done. Like many of his fellow Silver Age friends, Aquaman isolated himself from the DC Universe for the rest of the '80s, appearing in several mini-series and specials, attempting to catch some heat from Post-Crisis revisionism. When Aquaman rejoined the League in 1992, he served quietly in their European branch for only a year, deferring to Green Lantern's stewardship. How humiliating must that have been?

Aquaman dove headfirst into the '90s, growing a beard and mullet, replacing a hand with a harpoon, and swaggering as best as he could with fins on his calves. For a while there, he was outright hostile the other super-heroes. However, when Grant Morrison decided to reform the Beatles, the Magnificent Seven JLA founders, Aquaman was all in. He appeared in almost as many issues of JLA as there were editions of his first solo series, and they had to kill the guy off in "Our Worlds At War" to cut him loose. Even then, his swift return to life and a spin-off solo series formed the basis of a JLA story arc.

Aquaman has gone through a lot of problems in recent years, including becoming an amnesiac mutant, being replaced by an idiot kid with a sword, being killed by a z-lister, becoming a zombie, and playing a role in the death of Aqualad. Atlantis (Mera included) had their fill of their king years ago, repeatedly trying to kill or replace him before the entire empire was finally destroyed while he stood powerless. Aquaman also failed to save most of his supporting cast, leaving him at present with Mera (she came back around,) Aquagirl (the second, by way of poisoning,) and Aqualad (II.) Aquaman's relations with the Justice League also remain strained, past brawls with Hawkman and Martian Manhunter coming to mind, plus a stillborn flirtation with Wonder Woman and chilly acquaintanceships with most of the rest. Frankly, J'Onn J'Onzz is one of the few guys that even tries to be Aquaman's pal, and the Sea King has immolated him repeatedly for his kindness.

All this having been said, I look forward to seeing where leadership of the reunited Justice League goes. Mera's back in the picture, and has already tried to impale Wonder Woman with a trident. Batman's not likely to listen to any orders. Green Lantern's never seemed to have much use for Arthur. Superman and the Flash get along as best they can. Cyborg, man, watch out for the dude, given how he treated Steel the Indestructible Man. There is so much more potential with Aquaman at the fore over the World's Finest duo, because he's way bossier and prone to unscrupulous crap, plus there's no guarantee anyone will follow directions. That could get very interesting...

...and the Justice League

2007 The Vixen as Rosario Dawson by Jamie Rimmer

2011-06-03T02:57:00.001-05:00

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well here is rosario dawson as dc comics and current member of jla vixen-i love this character and i love dawson, so why would that not work/:)

this is quite old

2008 Aquaman Convention Sketch by Phil Hester

2011-05-31T01:23:00.001-05:00

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A nice little headshot, no?

Tuesday With Hester

2008 Hawkman & the Atom Convention Sketch @ Power of the Atom
2008 Martian Manhunter Convention Sketch @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2005 Wonder Woman Commission @ Diana Prince

Vixen: Return of the Lion #5 (April, 2009)

2011-05-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

Whisper A’Daire was a minor Batman villain from 2000 originally affiliated with Rā's al Ghūl, but now working with Intergang to set up shop in Zambesi, with Aku Kwesi as their representative. Under her command, the chemically controlled Black Canary and Superman launched attacks on the other members of the Justice League present. Batman managed to gum up Dinah’s pipes and kick her in the gut which Red Arrow and Black Lightning tried to fend off the Man of Steel.

As they flew in to help, Sia questioned the potentially Vodun nature of Vixen’s powers, which she shrugged off as too simplistic an answer. The Lady Fox then kicked Whisper in her ugly face. Batman complained, “You’re late.” Mari replied, “You’re losing.” Sia tangled with Kwesi and Vixen fended off Superman by adopting attributes of the armored beetle. Yeah, I don’t buy it either, especially when this mini-series was spun out of a Justice League of America subplot where Vixen could borrow Superman’s own powers.

Batman kept Whisper busy while Black Lightning destroyed her doomsday device. Red Arrow tried to rouse Dinah. Sai stabbed Kwesi in the thigh, then tossed a vial of antidote to Mari. Vixen poured it into her mouth, then sprang like a butterfly at Superman, offering a very wet kiss. The antidote immediately took effect, so the battle wrapped off panel on the next page. Sia had managed to convince Kwesi’s armored troops that he was a fraud and puppet for foreigners. Vixen challenged Kwesi to single combat to prove his mettle he next day “in the village where you killed my mother, if front of all the people you’ve frightened into silence.”

Question: Anyone know when Superman had his first interracial kiss?

Both the Vixen and Black Lightning finally got to wear their costumes for the big showdown, but only one would participate. In short order, the “She-Spirit” had removed Aku Kwesi’s power vest, but tossed aside her own Tantu Totem when goaded to show she still had power without it. After picking Kwesi up over her head and throwing him, there should have been little doubt left. The beaten Kwesi was turned over to the villagers for justice.

Sai conceded “You are a strange and unpredictable woman, She-Spirit… Life here is not easy. But if the strongest and best of us leave, it will never get easier. We are your people, Mari. This is your place. Come back to us.” Mari promised someday that she would, but made up some hooey about her commitment to her friends and such. In a one page coda, Brother Tabo pointed out to his companion lion Zaki that “She is learning.” Zaki agreed, briefly shedding its disguise to reveal the West African spider god Anansi, who is supposedly responsible for Vixen and Animal Man’s powers.

“Return of the Lion Finale: Idols” was by G. Willow Wilson and Cafu with colors by Santiago Arcas. Somehow, sorry editing continued the cover declaration of this being “5 of 6,” but it was finally over. The cover by Josh Middleton was easily the weakest of the lot, amounting to a head sketch glossed over with digital effects. Caption boxes held purple prose, and threats were contained before the issue was halfway done, leading to an extended anticlimax. Creator Gerry Conway intended the Vixen to be an urban avenger with a colorful back story, so all this African adventure stuff feels wrong for the character, and a retread of old Storm solo tales. Mari’s rationale for leaving her country again was lame, and I just wish she’d come out and said she didn’t want to be stuck as the token African super-heroine. What a dull, pretentious, pointless series this turned out to be!

Bizarro Comics: Aquaman in "Silence of the Fishes" (2001)

2011-05-25T00:57:00.002-05:00

In this two page gag strip by Evan Dorkin, Brian David-Marshall and artist Bill Wray, the entire Aquaman family had been tied up by Black Manta. Mera thought the Sea King should call on the Denizens of the Deep for help, but Arthur refused, as they were not on speaking terms. Aquaman wouldn't budge on the issue, so Aqualad and Tula tried to call on their finny friends to no avail. Arguments ensued, and lets just say you don't want to jack around with Black Manta's stakes. The strip is cute, with some good digs, but it definitely falls under the "Aquaman sucks" humor heading.

ElseWednesday

DC/WS DreamWar #5 (October, 2008) @ DC Bloodlines
Bizarro Comics: "Wonder Girl vs. Wonder Tot" (2001) @ Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
2001 "Bizarro X-Ray Two" by John Kerschbaum @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Captain Atom: Armageddon #7 (June, 2006) @ Power of the Atom

2009 Zatanna 11x14 Commission by Phil Hester

2011-05-22T14:35:00.001-05:00

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Bonus Pieces:
2004 Zatanna Convention Sketch by Phillip Hester & Andy Parks
2007 Zatanna KC Planet Comicon "TAE EM." headshot

Sunday With Hester
2007 Wizard World Texas Convention Sketch by Phil Hester @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
2006 The Question Mo-Kan Comics Conspiracy Commission @ DC Bloodlines
2009 Red Tornado & the Atom Planet Comicon Sketch @ Power of the Atom
2005 Wonder Woman Meets Swamp Thing Commission @ Diana Prince

2011 The Vixen by Arie Monroe

2011-05-19T00:34:00.001-05:00

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I apologize for phoning in another Vixen post, but I promise to cap off "Return of the Lion" next week, and I should be wrapping up a bunch of 75% completed quality posts that I haven't had a chance to do much with since January. Juggling school and four other blogs gets tricky.

2002 Zatanna: Everyday Magic Cover Concept Rough by Brian Bolland

2011-05-14T20:32:00.001-05:00

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Before the book had a title or an artist, Bolland was already working out the cover. I like the descriptive text:

ZATANNA
Mistress of magic
Doyen of the dark arts
She will amaze
and confound

You can see the finished art without type here, and as published here.

Brian Bolland Roughs Day

2005 "Work It" by FallenAurora

2011-05-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

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Mari Macabe, aka Vixen for the Vixen from JLAU. She's working teh sexiness ( you think GL's taking this one? *gigglesnorts*) in a photo shoot. Happy Birthday Vixen! and don't worry, you're not old!!! Old is when you remember what you were doing on V-J and/or V-E day.

2008 Zatanna Conventon Sketch by Ted Naifeh

2011-05-07T00:58:00.003-05:00

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From CAF:

"I finally get to scan this image in, instead of a wonky pic with a camera on my phone. Zatanna. Ted Naifeh. DragonCon 08. True, the scan took out a bit of color (mainly the green he used as the outline), but this is my favorite in my sketchbook. She is the "Z" in my alphabet."

Vixen: Return of the Lion #4 (March, 2009)

2011-05-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Mari hunted a mad and/or diseased lion rampaging through the Nzembas’ village, reeking of blood. “The Totem is like a distant heartbeat; I’m channeling the power that flows through it. I hear insects moving in the dust… the velvet footfall of the lion.” Mari knew she must kill the beast, and hoped she was capable of doing so without the Tantu Totem around her neck. “I don’t think of tokens and symbols. I don’t think of Anansi… My vision goes red. I am the lion. I am the lion.”

Brother Tabo made another big speech about how strong Mari was, and how she might return to defend her nation, but if not how the people must rise up against the evil in their midst. Mari returned with the corpse of the lion, because nothing says “impressive A-List super-hero” like killing a big cat with your powers. “You were right… my powers are my own. All these years I was afraid… Afraid of what would happen if I lost control. I felt like a fake around the other Leaguers… They’re so confident because their powers are inborn. Part of them. But it was fear itself that held me back. It kept me from realizing that my powers are apart of me. The Totem doesn’t control me… I control it. From a distance, even for a little while-- if I have to.” Mari and Brother Tabo would tend to the wounded back in the village, but then Vixen would have to confront Aku Kwesi. “I just hope I can keep in the anger I feel about my mother’s death long enough to beat him. Last time, it made me irrational. It almost got me killed.”

Arsenal, Batman and Jefferson Pierce secured Superman and Black Canary within their aircraft, then defended it against armored Intergang troops. Roy Harper took out most of them out on his own with a bow and arrow without once whining about being underpowered, fake, or out of place (which used to be Roy’s side job, so suck it up, Mari.)

Mari tracked down Sia and again enlisted his aid. “So I owe you one. Now I’ll owe you two.” Sia was resistant to taking down the man who paid him, since at least Kwesi was “a Zambesi thug,” rather than another foreigner raping Africa. Mari explained that Kwesi was just “a puppet, and his strings are pulled by outsiders.” This caused Sia to relent, and take Mari to a secret lab he’d stolen the key to. Inside, Mari discovered some of Kwesi’s claws, realizing they were artificial. Kwesi used “performance-boosting equipment,” and poisons to further enhance his reputation. “Kwesi doesn’t use magic or metahuman powers—he’s faking it. It’s all a trick.” Also within were puffer fish and datura-- “zombie poison.” While working with Batman back in the day, Vixen had been quizzed on the poisons of the vodun she had known of from her time growing up in this land. “(T)hey can make a healthy man appear like one of the living dead, and be commanded like a sleepwalker.” Further, Intergang had engineered a strain that could affect even Superman. Vixen found what she believed to be an antidote, then carried Sia as she flew to where he guided her, “To rescue the rescuers.”

At the jet, the three remaining Justice Leaguers were confronted by Aku Kwesi and a woman with whom Batman had a history, Whisper A’Daire. Through lips charred, along with the whole left side of her face, whisper said, “You can call me yes ma’am” Whisper then commanded the revived but enthralled Superman and Black Canary to “kill them all.”

“Return of the Lion Part 4: Risen” was by G. Willow Wilson and Cafu with colors by Santiago Arcas. The revelations and action ramped up with this issue, so it was a nice change from the last several issues of Vixen’s pity party. Let me say that the line about how Vixen’s “powers are apart of me” was not a typo, at least on my part. Since internalizing powers has become such a cliché, I like to pretend Vixen was confirming in some Freudian fashion that she really is still dependent on the Tantu Totem. It’s kind of like how people snicker at Wonder Woman’s lasso and invisible jet, now that she can fly under her own power and is near Superman strength. Why deflect bullets with your bracelets if they can no longer penetrate your skin? Without her own distinct powers, weapons and weaknesses, isn’t Wonder Woman just Superman with boobies, or Vixen just Animal Man with a uterus?

Zatanna by David Michael Beck

2011-04-30T00:00:00.002-05:00

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David Michael Beck made a big splash with his work on the Devil's Due G.I. Joe comics about a decade back, but he seems to have moved on to more lucrative commercial art outside our field. This Zatanna piece was posted at Comic Art Fans in 2009. Check out his website here.

More Beck
DC Powerhouses (Trinity + GL)
Martian Manhunter
Wonder Woman

1984 The Vixen "Wanna Good Time..." Sketch by Chuck Patton

2011-04-27T01:25:00.000-05:00

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"Got this at a friends little comic convention at his store in 1984."

God, I love vintage stuff like this!

2009 Heroes Convention Zatanna Commission by Eric Canete

2011-04-23T00:00:00.008-05:00

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"I did commissions at the show and the above image of Zatanna is one of them."

Other Canete Zees to catch:
2006 Commission
2009 Mirrors Commission
"Art Bomb" head shots

Easter Canete Weekend

Vixen: Return of the Lion #3 (February, 2009)

2011-04-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

Superman, Batman, Black Canary and Arsenal were in flight over the Atlantic Ocean, while Jefferson Pierce was “already on the ground, gathering more intel.”

Mari woke up on a mat on the floor of a stone hut. Various native creatures like the lion and monkey lounged in the same room, as well as some sort of memorial to the dead. Brother Tabo, keeper of this Shrine of Saint Amica, brought Mari some milk in a wooden saucer. Brother Tabo explained that “St. Amica was a slave in a Roman house. She became a Christian in secret, and was executed for abandoning the Roman gods. A monk brought her body here to Zambesi-- the country of her birth.” As for the animals, “They are Lady Amica’s miracle. They seek this place out, and while they are here they live in the brotherhood, without aggression. You are lucky Zaki found you when he did. You would not have lived another day with those wounds.”

Meanwhile, former United States Secretary of Education Jefferson Pierce had thrown on a dashiki and grabbed a walking stick, so of course he was totally indistinguishable in color and facial features from native born Africans. Pierce also managed to walk right up to Sia, Kwesi’s good-hearted henchman, and ask about his relative with “hair like the Ajnabi.” I assume that since Pierce decided to only pepper his dialogue with Zambesi, all the natives spoke English, which must have been handy. Sia delivered a recap of the last issue, and then pressed a fight to get answers of his own, but the plainclothes Black Lightning kicked his ass. Pierce finally shocked Sia unconscious to insure his silence while he set out to find Vixen.

Only the white heroes get to wear costumes in this mini-series, so Dashiki Pierce joined the Justice League in raiding the Ridge Ferrick mining facility. Two present were struck by bladed weapons with “black junk on the spikes.” Within, Black Canary found plans that revealed that the “mining facility” was actually a weapon unto itself, employing seismic energy to potentially produce “a shock wave stronger than a megaton bomb-- anywhere within a thousand-mile radius.” Unfortunately, she had been poisoned with the voodoo concoction datria and collapsed, soon followed by Superman.

While all that was going on, Mari whined about her lack of an identity with the Brother on the Dagombi. Vixen felt like a third wheel among all the more competent, experienced heroes within their own incestuous little hierarchy. Amazing observation, considering it took nearly a year into Brad Meltzer’s run before the new League actually formed, and that she was serving with no other members of her previous League team after a two decade publishing absence. Anyway, Mari recognized that she was always planning to leave Zambesi, “there were so many things I wanted to do that I couldn’t do here,” but now felt selfish for abandoning her people in their time of need.

Brother Tabo tricked Vixen into calling upon the animal spirits without the Tantu Totem, because it’s now a law enforced by the Comic Code Authority that all super powers must be internalized (just ask Jefferson Pierce.) “I thought that without it, the Red would overwhelm my mind…” A boy named Antoine ran up, announcing that his sister had been killed by a rogue lion, and Brother Tabo thought Mari should handle the problem without the Tantu Totem. “I believe that Vixen owes nothing to totems or gods. That she was born to play this role, with or without help. Now you must believe it too.”

“Return of the Lion Part 3: Sanctuary” was by G. Willow Wilson and Cafu with colors by Santiago Arcas. Zambesi, not M’Changa! Why did M’Changa get the works? That’s nobody’s business but Wikipedia… M’CHANGAAAAA!!!! Also, G. Willow Wilson, not Chris Claremont, but not for her lack of trying. This whole mini-series reads like an episode of that intermittent series of special Uncanny X-Men issues Claremont did with Barry Windsor-Smith called “Lifedeath” where Ororo would return to Africa for some mystic crystal revelation and the mind’s true liberation—Aquarious! Aquaaaarrrious! Cafu’s art is nice, but it kind of looks like an ethnic motivational poster. The book looks soft and somewhat static, while the flimsy plot plods along. The story is Mari being introspective and finding herself, while the rest of the details are illogical and obligatory contrivances.

2007 Zatanna Commission by Chris Stevens

2011-04-15T00:06:00.002-05:00

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Tekcubotohp segami raeppaer no golb!

Presto! A second weekly helping from Chris Stevens!

Chris Stevens Commissions

2009 Morbidly Obese Vixen Commission by Derrick Fish

2011-04-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

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As you can probably tell from the jacked up background, past posts and link images, the Photobucket account I rely upon for three of my blogs is having "a little work" done "right now." As in, they've been useless all day, and for an indefinite period of time to come. Therefore, I decided to run somebody else's embed-abled Vixen image, and chose one I would never want to actually host myself. Fetishists enjoy, while the rest of us feel like my upset blog...

2010 Zatanna Commission by Chris Stevens

2011-04-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

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Be sure to check out the awesome and well stocked Chris Stevens deviantART gallery, or try the following spotlight posts:

2010 Chris Stevens Commission

2010 C2E2 The Vixen Convention Commission by Eric Canete

2011-04-05T20:05:00.000-05:00

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"That said, here's a commission I did at last weekend's C2E2 in Chicago of DC Comics' PETA rep, Vixen. And I know she's not very Vixen-y without her trademark claw necklace. So... maybe she's not Vixen and instead she's just some random lady who has animals growing out of her back? Yes. Let's say that instead."

Also, be sure to check out Caneta's warm-up sketches for "the 'JLU' show I did storyboards for in its latest and last season." Included are the animated incarnations of Vixen, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Big Barda, Deadman and Heatwave. The gallery is here. There's also a series of "art bomb" head shots involving Bats, Zee, and many others here.

April Fool's Day Blogging

2011-04-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

I've been kind of peeved at Google lately. A recent update screwed up my March Madness polls, my scheduled posts keep resetting to unpublished drafts, and even the words I type right now are the result of some coding snafu destroying my first draft of this paragraph. I'm going to go study this weekend, and offer this post recapping holiday shenanigans that never came up on my own Google Reader.

The Irredeemable Shag is usually the ringleader of these April Fool's goofs, and first suggested a 2011 edition in January. His mailing list then promptly forgot all about it, Shag included, or bowed out early. Out of the blue on March 19th, Boosterrific announced that he was going ahead with the plan, and several of us ostriches pulled our heads out of the sand and went, "Oh? Well, okay, I think I'll join you."

The premise this year was to convert your entire blog into something different, devoting it to some obscure property that you have an affection for. Shag of course went the most gloriously nuts by converting Firestorm Fan into B'wana Beast's Blog, dedicated to the curious prevalence of a virtual nonentity for forty years into an enduring cartoon guest star (Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold.) Shag created ten entirely new posts, including Why a B’wana Beast Blog?, B’wana Beast in Who’s Who 1985, B’wana Beast gets animated!, Best B’wana Beast Covers of All Time, B’wana Beast Action Figures, POLL: B’wana Beast or Freedom Beast?, B’wana Beast Cosplay at DragonCon 2010*, B’wana Beast Temporary Tattoo, Napoleon Dynamite’s Liger – B’wana Beast’s Greatest Achievement? and my personal favorite, the fan fictional B’wana Beast and Beta Ray Bill – Marvel vs DC Amalgam.
*Caution: May require Kleenex after viewing, regardless of gender

Boosterrific was the one bringing this back, so he sure as heck brought it, with Red Star Fire, the most famous Communist at DC Comics replacing the capitalist running dog Booster Gold. I adore old Soviet bloc propaganda imagery, so the design of the blog alone had me drooling. I don't know how long it will be up at 100%, but it should be accessible through the weekend. If not, the direct link to the permanent content is here.I very much approved of his offering the people a weekly poll to explain what their correct opinion should be, as it was pre-rigged.

Kelson's Speed Force briefly turned Cobalt Blue over: Cobalt Blue, Classic Rogue?, The Flash vs…Barry Allen? The Bronze-Age Origin of Cobalt Blue, “Seeing” Blue: TV’s Cobalt Blue Prototype, Flash Facts: Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Blue T-Shirt Available Exclusively At VA Comicon, Who Is Hot Pursuit, REALLY?

Liquidcross briefly lost the reins to the Indigo Tribe blog to Flash rogue Roscoe Dillon, who tried to prove Nobody Tops the Top. That is, until he found himself Dead and loving it.

Always handy as a bulking agent, I converted five of my own blogs, like Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman into Wundercar Valkyrie!, dedicated to the Nazi aviation from '40s Hillman, '80s Eclipse, and '00s Moonstone comics. That one was mostly pin-ups and pieces from aborted coverage of one of her mini-series.

DC Bloodlines became Marshal Law's San Futuro Police Blog, revolving around synopsizes of the very mature and anti-superhero first six issue mini-series, plus a few extras. It's actually relevant, since DC (of all places) will be reissuing the series.

Power of the Atom was given over to Dreadstar & Company, a childhood favorite creator owned science fantasy series by Jim Starlin. That one was stocked with remembrances, pin-ups, and crudely glued together custom Overpower cards from when I was younger and even more poor.

I had already planned a fan fiction 1995 Manhunter from Mars Annual #12 and some new icons for the sidebar, but The Aviary of the Osprey kind of laid an egg in terms of raw material in replacing The Idol-Head of Diabolu.

I was running on fumes by the time Vibe's Beat Street Blog spun off from Justice League Detroit. That one was cobbled together, like many of the other blogs, from old crap on my ...nurgh... blog from when I did more there than comic book and movie review. Since I already cover Vibe's stories there, that one descended into music videos, pop-lock educationals, and a look back at 1983's D.C. Cab. Apologies for scrapping the bottle of the barrel on that.

Vibe's Beat Street Blog

2011-03-31T22:19:00.000-05:00

Hola vatos! ¿Cómo estás? If chu haven't been to the blog for a while, chu might not know that a few months back, we changed to a funky fresh format spotlighting the Puerto Rican b-boy sensation Paco Ramone's aniversario cuarto del siglo, the culture of su vida loca, and the chill pop-locking jams of the old skool and moderno breakdance scenes. Mi homies are gettin' our posse on Broadway to raise the profiles of all our radical blogs, so be sure to bookmark this crib, and bust a move to these tricky treats. Don't be illin', yo!

Boosterrific.com:

The Web's Number One Website of Booster Gold, the Corporate Crusader!

DC Bloodlines:

The Little Blog for the Lesser Known Universe

Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman:

Figuring the Amazing Amazon out one "Bold New Direction" at a time.

Firestorm Fan:

The Source for DC Comics' Nuclear Man

The Idol-Head of Diabolu:

A Blog for J'Onn J'Onzz, the Manhunter from Mars

The Indigo Tribe:

Green Lantern Reviews & Commentary

Justice League Detroit:

Vibe! Vixen! Gypsy! Steel! Zatanna! Men Aquatic, Elongated & Batty!

Power of the Atom:

Sometimes the Sword of a Tiny Titan, other times saluting the Quantum Captain.

Speed Force:

Following the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Boom Box: "How ya like me now: by Kool Moe Dee

I throw my tape on
And I watch ya
Three second later
I got ya shakin' your head
Dancin' instead of sittin'
The rhymes kick
The beats hittin' you
Just like a home run
Slammin' like a slam dunk
Riding the wave that James Brown gave funk
It happened to James like it happened to me
How you think I feel to see another MC
Gettin' paid usin' my rap style
And I'm playn' the background meanwhile
I ain't with that
You can forget that
You took my style
I'm takin' it back
I'm come back like "Return of the Jedi"
Sucker MC's in the place that said I
Could only rock rhymes
Only rock crowds
But never rock records

How ya like me now (x2)

Now brothers are riding me
Like a pony
I'm no phony
I'm the only real micaroni
Playin' the mic like it's supposed to be played
New jacks,you all shoulda stayed out of the business
What is this,amateur night at the Apollo?
Get off this stage,I'm in a rage
I'm like a lion that's been trapped in a cage
I'm the real king , rap is a jungle
I never understood,how could one go
To a party,watch me,stand around and jock me
Become a rapper,then try to rock me
Scheming like a demon,you're screamin' and dreamin'
I'm from the old school,I used to see men
Dies for less,but I'm not living that way
I'll let my mic do the talkin'
And let the music play

How ya like me now (x2)

Rap is an art
And I'm a Picasso
But of course
Why else would you try so
Hard to paint a picture, and try to get ya
Self in my shoes,but they won't fit ya
I'm bigger and better,forget about deffer
Every time I rocked the mic,I left a
Stain in your brain that will remain
Stuck in the back of your brain till you see me
Again,respect,I come correct
The rhymes I select are nothing short of
Vernacular's pure and I can insure
Life od death with my breath,my voice is a cure
I heal life from the words I spread
I'll make a sick man rock on his death bed
Sucker MC's , I'll make your girl say "ow"
She's jockin'

How ya like me now (x2)

It irked my nerve
When I heard
A sucker rapper that I know I'll serve
Run around town sayin' he is the best
Is that a test?
I'm not impressed
Get real,you're nothin' but a toy
Don't ya know I'll serve that boy
Just like a waiter
Hit'em with a place of
These fresh rhymes and
Make sure that he
Pays the bill,and leave him standin' still
When he's had enough,hit him with a refil
And for dessert it won't be no ice cream
I'm just gonna splatter and shatter his pipe dream
Make him feel the wrath,beat him and laugh
Then when I finish them,I'm gonna ask him
Who's the bests,and if he don't say Moe Dee
I'll take my whip and make him call himself Toby
Put him on punishment just like a child,then ask

How ya like me now

Whip him good,then I'll make him sweat
Talkin' about battles and never had a battle yet
But if we ever did
How could you beat me
You're so petrified
Even scared to meet me
My word's the law
That's why you don't beef
You're nothing but a punk,track star,and a thief
So I'm puttin' you on punishment
Just like a child
Never touch another mic

How ya like me now (x2)

I could continue
There's more on the menu
But relax 'cos I'm so far in you
You had enough
I know you're overstuffed
If I keep going
You'll be throwin' up
Old rhymes I used to say
Back in the day
When you used to me
To my parties and pay
Nobody's ever gonna rack me
This I vow
So all I wanna say is

How ya like me now (X2)

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

How to Pop and Lock With Adam Sevani and Jon Chu

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Barrio Review: "D.C. Cab" (1983)

I remember watching this movie as a kid at a dollar cinema in 1984. The opening "Star Wars" riffing trawl and the spooky night sequence drew me right in, until the comedy stylings of Charlie Barnett completely sold me. Further, this was the inspirational story of a Vietnam vet and his dead buddy's son turning around a bottom-feeding cab company. How could you lose with such a fantastic ensemble of luminaries like Max "Wojo" Gail, Mr. T., Paul Rodriguez, Whitman "Grady" Mayo, Bill Maher, and the Barbarian Brothers?

In 1984 with an idiot kid, you couldn't. In 2009? Big, big loss.

Written by a Joel Schumacher early in his direcing career and likely trying to recapture the magic of Carwash, D.C. Can is a monstrosity. A painfully young Adam Baldwin headlined the weak thread of a main story, while oversized TV and comedy club entertainers were expected to ad-lib their way to a funny movie. That expectation does not pan out, resulting instead in relentlessly obnoxious mugging for the camera. Falling back on the most tired of formulas, the movie drifts from one random episode into another until wrapping things up with everyone banding together to save our imperiled hero. There's lots of cursing, and an obligatory nude scene, capping D.C. Cab as the epitome of bad 1980s distractions that masquerade as humor.

All in all, the flick isn't completely worthless. Gary Busey has some good bits, while a young Marsha "Roz" Warfield offers both a solid dramatic performance and *gasp* some sex appeal. Scream Queen Jill Schoelen at 19 should have guys my age panting, and the soundtrack is surprisingly good. The movie, while still garbage, doesn't so much stab you in the eye as lap lazily against you. If you can allow yourself to passively idle on the beach along the vast ocean of 80s mediocrity, you could discard a small piece of your life with this flick. Otherwise, it should be avoided at all costs.

Speaking of the soundtrack, Irene Cara makes a cameo, and offers a memorable tune over the closing credits, "The Dream (Hold On To Your Dream...)"

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Vibe on Justice League Unlimited

Every appearance! Word!

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Lowrider Favoritez: "Jungle Fever" by The Chakachas

Written By: Bill Ador
Released: 1972
Album: Jungle Fever
Single?: Reached #8 on Billboard

The Chakachas were Latin soul studio musicians out of Belgium whose string of charting European singles began in the late 1950s. However, in the States they're generally regarded as one hit wonders from this funk hit.

Translated Lyrics:

Oh-- oh, what a fever.

No. No. No. Ahh-- Aiii...

Like that-- like that-- like that-- ahhhh!

Softly-- no--no-- no-- yes...

There!

Ai! No! More!

Keep going! Tell me!

No!

Softly!

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Boom Box: "Nobody Move" by Eazy-E (featuring MC Ren)

Released: 1988
Album: Eazy-Duz-It
Single?: No.

Yo Ren, you're ready to go get this move?
[Believe that, boy]
You're strapped?
[Yeah, you know it]
Let's go do this, man, I got it all planned out
[Yeah, shoot any goober that moves]

*pow*
["Alright everybody..."]

This is a stick-up, everybody get face-down
Ren, gag their mouths so they can't make a sound
Tie em up for the fact that I'm kickin butt
I got my hand on my gat, and I'm tempted to blast
My name is Eazy, but I go the hard way out
This ain't personal, but now I'm about
to commit a crime and go thru with it
You know what, no need for shakin, because I'm used to it
Take out the security guard with a slap of my hand
Yeah, he's wearin' a badge, but he's a old fart man
Pump his bum in the head, and take his gun
so me and the punk can go one on one
Cover the lens on the TV screen
you know, so me and my gang just can't be seen
Lock the doors, and throw away the key
Close the blinds, so no interlopers could see
and smile, you know, cause I'm controllin the stuff
and no sucker ass colored persons' gonna stop the hit
Wardrobes and locs, and a Ruthless shirt
That means I'm ready to work, and rush a fool to the dirt, so

Chorus:

["Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt"] *pow*
(repeat 4X)

[Alright, anybody move and I'll blow yo fornicating head off]

Allright...
Empty your pockets, but do it slow
Take everything you got and lay it on the waxed floor
Don't make me have to set an example today
and blow one of you wild and crazy guys away
I'm in a bank, and it's a little bit funny
takin all you stupid ignoramuses' money
Peepin at a mademoiselle cause my phallus' on hard
Laughin at the dumb crumb security guard
who's tied up for the moment, not sayin' a word
I should have known it before, the poindexter's a nerd
But back to the fairer sex I'm peepin
and then untie the lady of the evening, so I can start creepin
Took her to the backroom, about to masturbate
Cold trailed the senorita, with a gun in the back
I said: "Lay down, and unbutton your bra!"
There was the biggest mammaries that a person of color ever saw
I said: "Damn", then the air got thinner
Only thought in my mind, was goin' up in her
The suspense was makin' me sick
She took her panties down and the "lady" had a penis!
I said: "Damn", dropped the gat from my hand
[What I thought was a female, was nothing but a man]
Put the gat to his legs, all the way up his skirt
because this is one homosexual that I had to hurt, so

[Chorus]

[I said get down. I want you all face-down on the floor
Anybody moves and I shoot]

Stackin up the money and there's more to collect
cause I don't give a care, I take traveler's checks
Yo, Ren, peep out the window, and tell me what you see
[Three mother loving police starin at me; what to do now?]
Hurry up and get on
Alright, tell me, who hit the gosh darn alarm?
I'm a give ya a chance, and count to three
or else five of ya folks are comin with me
[Police: Alright, Alright, come out negroids, or we're coming in
This is the only chance to turn yourself in]
Skunk you! We got hostages, and plenty of loot
and don't give a heck and not afraid to shoot
We're sendin out the hostages, all except five
and if you don't meet our demands, they won't stay alive
We want a copter, so we can get away clean
and take some vagina along, if you know what I mean
One hostage got brave, and got off the floor
but I smoked his buttocks before he got to the door
[Police: They shot a hostage, they shot a hostage!]
[MC Ren: You're a stupid poopyhead tryin' to run
now ya dead as Elizabeth Taylor tryin' to race a gun]
[Police: Alright, this is the last chance to get off your booty
or else the tear gas is about to blast]
I ran to the back and Ren followed behind
to a h-e-double-hockey-sticks of a spot that was hard to find
The bank was fritzed up, the doody was smokin
with screamin hostages, runnin and chokin
Gettin away, but I was suddenly stopped
at point blank range, by a jaywalking cop
And I hope they don't think that a lesson was taught
cause an African-American like the E was finally caught
My gat wouldn't fire, the thingy wouldn't work
So, y'all know what time it is

Chorus

[Gangster: Well I'm giving you five seconds to let us thru the gate or
I'm gonna shoot two of your guards]

[Hehe, they got me once, but they'll never get me again]

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

2001 Aaliyah Album Comic Book Ad

Added Bonus: The advertised single, "We Need A Resolution" by Aaliyah (featuring Timbaland)

Written By: Tim Mosley & Steve Garrett
Released: 2001
Album: Aaliyah
Single?: Yes-- A minor hit.

[Verse - 1]
Did you sleep on the wrong side?
I'm catching a bad vibe
And it's contagious, What's the latest?
Speak your heart, Don't bite your tongue
Don't get it twisted, Don't misuse it
What's your problem?
Lets resolve it
We can solve it, What's the causes?
It's official, You got issues
I got issues, but I know I miss you

[Chorus - 1]
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Who should be blamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Who should be ashamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Will we remain?
You need a resolution, I need a resolution,
We need a resolution, We have so much confusion.

[Verse - 2]
I want to know: Where were you last night?
I fell asleep on the couch, I thought we were going out
I want to know: Were your fingers broke?
If you had let me know, I wouldn't have put on my clothes
I want to know: Where'd you go instead?
Cause it was 4 in the morning, When you crept back in the bed
I want to know: What was in your head?
Or what was in my head? Am I supposed to change?

[Chorus - 2]
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Who should be blamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Who should be ashamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? And will we remain?
You need a resolution, I need a resolution,
We need a resolution, We have so much confusion.

Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? and who should be blamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Who should be ashamed?
Am I supposed to change? Are you supposed to change?
Who should be hurt? Will we remain?
You need a resolution, I need a resolution,
We need a resolution, We have so much confusion.

[Bridge - Aaliyah]
Baby let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)
You'll let me know, You'll let me know (I will)

[Rap - Timbaland]
Girl holla!!
You give me bits and pieces
You tryna blame me when I don't even know the reason
I think it's just the season, Maybe the month, Maybe the building
Now tell me what's the reason? Snoop video? Looks are deceiving
So, cut the crying, Cut the coughing, Cut the weazing, Girl
Quit the blaming, Cut the naming, Cut the sleeping, Girl
I think you need some prayer, Better call the deacon, Girl
So, get your act right or else we won't be speaking, Girl
So, what's it gonna be? Freaky, freaky... Me and you?
Or is it gonna be who blames who?
I'm tired of these things, I'm tired of these scars
I think I'm gonna get me a drink, I'll call you tomorrow

Comments: 0

Posted by Diabolu at 12:00 AM

1978 The Vixen Promo Ad

2011-03-29T04:11:00.000-05:00

I thought I might have had this ad in one of my own comics, but I can't seem to find it, so I pulled this image off the internet and tarted it up digitally. The art is by Bob Oksner and Vince Colletta, taken from a half-splash on page fourteen of what would have been The Vixen #1. It remains the only piece of art from the first Vixen story to ever be professionally colored for an official DC publication.

2007 San Diego Comic-Con The Vixen & Captain Atom Cosplay

2011-03-25T00:00:00.009-05:00

Click To Enlarge

I mourn never getting to see actress Gina Torres play Vixen in the flesh as well as she did the voice for the character on the Justice League Unlimited, but the above amateur's cosplay form the San Diego Comic-Con International may well be the closest I'll ever see to realizing that dream. I don't care if the muscles are airbrushed, that is a fit model in a ginchy uniform. Weird combo with Captain Atom, though.

Hopefully, next week our Lady Fox coverage will finally drift back to Wednesday/Thursday after getting juggled around because of other characters' features. We should also have more substantial posts in April, as I have several still in the can, but want them to have breathing space.

Zatara in Action Comics #16 (September, 1939)

2011-03-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

"Walking in the country one night, Zatara and Tong pause to look at a man who stands in the moonlight..." They noticed that any part of the farmer that came in contact with a moonbeam was turned to mist, and suddenly the fellow was being swept off the Earth against his will. Zatara conjured magic hands through backward speech to catch the farmer, then questioned the man. The farmer was disoriented, having been immaterial, but never losing his senses during the change. Zatara decided that they should consult his scientist friend Djersinsky, who was aware that Harron in England was experimenting with such a principle. The idea was to convert a man to "cosmic molecules" and transfer the weightless being across planets, but it was only theoretical. Zatara thought this was unreal, "but adventurous," and vowed to investigate fully.

Back at the farm the next night, Tong was shot in the shoulder by a would-be assassin looking to deal with these "meddlers." Zatara caused his arms to freakishly extend and "sic" the gunman. Zatara then made the goon see visions of ghouls surrounding him as a means of extorting information. Zatara was magically able to see what happened as the man spoke. The gunman had been confronted by a glowing triangular being that communicated directly with his mind. "You want to be given food- or else you'll burn me to a crisp by a touch of your queer body!" The gunman directed Zatara to the observatory where the alien had first arrived, and from which he had sent food to some elsewhere.

Zatara met with Gorla, the triangle creature, who demanded obedience. The Master Magician tried to read its mind, but was left reeling as if struck by a physical blow. For centuries, Gorla's planetmen had been forming a small pool that would help the aliens transmit themselves anywhere in the universe. Zatara was placed in this pool, and sent to the mother planet Saturn, where he would serve as a sample Earthman for their ruler Ool. The method of transport was beyond Zatara's knowledge or ability to affect, so he passively traveled to Saturn.

Once there, Zatara was bound by a green alien with "A lasso! This is something I can understand, at least." Zatara commanded "Ossal flesruoy," and the alien was himself lassoed, rather than the magician. Poora was surprised Gorla had sent such a dangerous Earthling back home, but agreed to take Zatara to Ool. "He will know how to handle you!"

Poora revealed that Saturn had once been covered in water and navigated by great sailors, but since drying up was left as nothing but sandy sea bottom. Tests were being conducted to determine if Earth was inhabitable, and if so, all of Saturn would migrate there. The "grand and noble" city of Ool yet stood. "Look how its walls and towers gleam in the sun!" Zatara released Poora so that he could command the city's guards to clear a path to his father. Poora was concerned about Ool's anger should they catch him in the midst of one of his experiments.

Ool was in contact with Gorla, and although surprised by his strange appearance, was pleased the scout could confirm Earth's habitability. A guard then alerted mighty Ool of his son's arrival with Zatara, and the ruler looked forward to meeting a foolish Earthling. Zatara tried to negotiate a peace pact, but Ool mocked the magician and proclaimed, "Know that I, Ool, command- and you obey!" The Saturnians are really big on dominance and S&M imagery, something that would turn up again in Jemm, Son of Saturn.

Zatara continued trying to make nice with Ool, but upon threat of imprisonment, turned the tables on the ruler of Saturn. When reversed words caused the city of Ool to disappear, the leader yet refused to relent. "I- I'll have your blood for this, Earthman!" Zatara showed Ool visions of a revived Saturn, and Ool tried to stab the magician to death. Zatara simply vanished, and Poora attempted to sooth his father's fury. Ool cursed Gorla for sending such a powerful opponent, and when Zatara and the city reappeared, Ool continued his attempts on the magician's life through a guard's chucked spear.

Zatara had enough of this nonsense, and proceeded to initiate a protracted regimen of humiliation and demonstration to finally cow Ool into accepting his defeat, ending with a vision of Saturn's destruction. Ool ordered Gorla's return from Earth and the cessation of all activities there. Upon returning, Gorla reverted back to his normal form. Ool saw Zatara as a "god like friend" after the magician constructed an "irrigation canal system" to help Saturn produce vegetation anew, as well as instruction on how to build more. Zatara then bid Saturn adieu, returning to his wounded manservant Tong, who was still laying in the grass. Zatara figured Djersinsky would never believe his tale, but thought he might share it with his more accepting readers in "Action Comics!"

"Zatara the Master Magician and the Terror from Saturn" was produced by Fred Guardineer.

Golden Age Day

New Elongated Man Blog!

2011-03-18T02:18:00.000-05:00

Rafa Rivas of the Yucatán claims to have a direct line on Gingold, the elixir that has been a contortionist's favorite for years and bestowed the power of elongation upon one Ralph Dibny. Perhaps this explains Rivas' being enamored enough with the character to give him his own blog, Ralph Dibny, the World-Famous Elongated Man. I firmly believe that every super-hero possible should have their own blog, and I certainly support the creation of ones for JLD members. Between my treating 2011 as "The Year of The Vixen" through weekly posts and cutting back frequency of this blog (obviously not as of this week, but feast before famine,) I think it's great that someone's picking up my upcoming slack. Rivas also authored an Elongated Man Biography online, so check it out!

2010 Vixen by mic?

2011-03-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Click To Enlarge

It's Spring Break, and I've got the middling-to-poor page load numbers to prove it, so we're going all pin-ups this week. Here's the Lady Fox by mic?

If it ain't obvious yet, you gotta know... I loves me some Mari Jiwe McCabe.

Motor City Links

2011-03-16T00:28:00.005-05:00

I'm tired of covering all that Batman crap among the links, so I'm evicting him. Same goes for Aquaman, as he has entirely too many Flashpoint appearances solicited this month, and two perfectly good solo blogs to cover them. It was that or give up this link list altogether, but there were too many JLD-related spotlight comics this month for me to do that. Martian Manhunter stuff remains slim here, because I already cover it at a blog of his own. See here:
The Idol-Head of Diabolu, a Martian Manhunter blog
The Aquaman Shrine
The Aquaman Website

DC COMICS PRESENTS: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – BLACK BAPTISM #1
Written by RUBEN DIAZ and SEAN SMITH
Art by JESUS SAIZ and KEITH CHAMPAGNE • Cover by TIM BRADSTREET
When the World’s Greatest Heroes learn that a family of mobster demons called the Diablos have declared a gang war on the Sentinels of Magic (Dr. Fate, Zatanna, Deadman, and others), the JLA split up to protect the mages of the DC Universe. Collecting the four-issue miniseries from 2001.
On sale JUNE 15 • 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US

I already covered this mediocrity as a four issue mini-series: #1, #2, #3, #4

CITIZEN STEEL

JSA 80-PAGE GIANT 2011 #1
Written by IVAN BRANDON, MATTHEW CODY, MATT KINDT, B. CLAY MOORE, STEVE NILES and others
Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO, NIC KLEIN and others
Cover by VICTOR IBAÑEZ
The JSA’s many members each take a turn in the spotlight in seven stories from some of the brightest talent in the industry! Judomaster, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Tomcat mix it up with the Yakuza in Japan! Citizen Steel turns to Jay Garrick when he finds the only pain that can penetrate his unbreakable skin! And the Spectre returns to haunt the Society! Plus stories of Alan Scott, Hawkman, Sandman, and more!
On sale JUNE 1 • 80 pg, FC, $5.99 US • RATED T

VIXEN

TITANS #36
Written by ERIC WALLACE
Art and cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO
As the Tattooed Man battles Vixen, Deathstroke and The Titans finally put aside their differences to escape the telepathic madman Drago. And if they do manage to meet up with Osiris and his sister Isis, will they be able to survive the long-awaited confrontation with the JLA?
On sale JUNE 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

ZATANNA

ZATANNA #14
Written by PAUL DINI
Art by JAMAL IGLE and JON SIBAL
Cover by ADAM HUGHES
Zatanna’s struggle against Brother Night forces the Maid of Magic to reach into the darkest places for a mystic edge in battle. But now that she’s fighting as dirty as Night, will Zatanna’s own soul be lost in the process?
On sale JUNE 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

2009 Zatanna Commission by Cat Staggs

2011-03-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

Click To Enlarge

Copic Markers/colored pencils... Bristol paper...

A VERY VERY long over due commission. First time I have ever drawn this character..I think.. Thank you for being so patient.

Zatannaday doesn't work as well on a Monday as Saturday, but I recently learned The Other Side blog hosts a far more consistent and in-depth Zatannuday post than I can manage. Since I'll be trimming blogging here down to 1-2 posts per week for the foreseeable future, with emphasis on the Vixen, I say catch your Zees whenever you can.

Spring Break Staggs
2007 DC Legacy The Atom Chase Card
2011 The Huntress Art
2007 DC Legacy Martian Manhunter Chase Card
2009 "Tales of Wonder Wonder Woman" Charity Auction Art

Mordecai Mule

2011-03-10T00:30:00.000-06:00

PERSONAL DATA
Alter Ego: Mordecai Mule
Occupation: Furrier, smuggler
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Metropolis
First Appearance: Action Comics #521 (July, 1981)

HISTORY
Legally in the United States, Mordecai Mule was an exotic furrier who owned legitimate Metropolis businesses like Shandar Furs. Illegally abroad, Mule poached endangered animals protected by the governments in their native lands, specifically India. This unconscionable trade brought Mule to the attention of the vigilante known as the Vixen, who began systematically destroying Mule's shipments to America. The Vixen's crusade in turn drew Superman into the plot.

Near financial ruin, Mordecai Mule traveled to New Delhi to personally oversea a major shipment. Mule became aware that the television reporter Lana Lang was investigating his affairs, and decided to eliminate her. Mule started an elephant stampede to crush Lang and her associates, but Superman saved the group in time. Mule himself was confronted by the Vixen, whom he tried to skewer with a blade hidden in the tip of his cane. The corpulent criminal lacked the speed and stamina to connect with the Vixen, causing himself to pass out from exhaustion. Mule and an accomplice were bound together by the heroine and left for local authorities.

Quote:
"The wind seems strong today. That's good. It'll carry the scent of fear when we start the stampede!"

Created by: Gerry Conway & Curt Swan

2009 "JLA-Aquaman" by Marcus Kelligrew

2011-03-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

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I dig this picture because it takes an often mundane Aquaman activity and makes it dynamic. The Sea King is really bursting out of the ocean, with roiling and splashes of water looking like liquid flames. The awkward bending of the wrist grabs your attention in a good Steve Ditko way, and the pose as a whole reminds me of the Aquaman Silly Bandz. I also think it's cool that instead of some lame ass lighthouse or boring cove there's some kind of mid-Atlantic super compound in the background. It's probably an aircraft carrier or oil platform, but let's pretend it's an advanced island city for Aquaman to patrol instead, like Shark-Man's. My only complaint is that distracting black moon, extraneous in more ways than one, considering the Martian Manhunter also got one as part of this seven piece set...

Batman
The Flash
Green Lantern Hal Jordan
Martian Manhunter
Superman
Wonder Woman

2008 "Fox Hunt" Vixen & Zorro Commission by Tony DeZuniga

2011-03-04T00:00:00.002-06:00

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Michael "Swanshadow" Rankins is a prolific comic art collector and blogger who makes a living with writing (and some voice acting on the side.) Rankin often commissions two characters to a piece for a series called "Common Elements.":

"For the second consecutive year, I decided to take a shot at commissioning a new Common Elements piece at WonderCon. Tony DeZuniga accepted the challenge of matching the legendary Zorro with the JLA's Vixen, who makes her second Common Elements appearance here. In case you're struggling to figure out the common element in this one, ask a Spanish-speaking friend what "Zorro" means. Commissioned and completed at WonderCon 2008. Special thanks to Tony's lovely wife Tina, for hunting up some Zorro reference for Tony on the spot."