Brian Azarello's Joker, Cover by Patricia Mulvihill
The night Joker was released from Arkham, the dregs sent some nobody named Jonny Frost to go pick him up and show him around town. Joker had caught wind that most of his assets, and by that I mean to say his city, had been snatched up by a few unscrupulous chums looking to get ahead while the clown was away. So sets the stage for the Brian Azarello and Lee Bermejo “Joker.”
Released near Dark Knight, the book seemed to have slipped under the radar of most comic aficionados, perhaps over shadowed by Alan Moore’s representation of the Joker from Killing Joke. That is part of what makes “Joker” so successful. Let’s face it kids, Alan Moore’s Joker shot Barbara Gordon in the spine. How much darker can you get with the clown prince?
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BAD ASS! Earlier this year, Smart USA commisioned Smart42Parts to do a custom Batmobile version of their Smart FourTwo vehicle. Whats really cool is that fact that legendary customizer and designer George Barris (who designed and built the 1966 Batmobile) help design the now called “BatSmart”. Barris’ BatSmart featured a faux turbine, custom fabricated bodywork, and a faux rocket launcher. Unfortunately, everything is just for looks, cause this machine runs on a 3 piston, 70 horsepower engine. The BatSmart premiered at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show. Whats even cooler was forty BatSmarts were made to be sold to collectors. Even Batman has to be eco-friendly sooner or later.
Hit the jump to see some of the cool pictures of the BatSmart!
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Back in the days, I remember having to beg my parents to take me to a the local comic book store (which was 2 cities away) to get my hands on some cool Batman and Superman comics and goodies. Now with comics being more popular than ever, we will be seeing comic book merchandise in stores we never did before. Upscale department store, Bloomingdale will be teaming up with DC Comics to celebrate DC Comic’s 75th anniversary. Bloomingdale will be opening DC Comics specific shops that will feature exclusive apparel and merchandise that you can only find in these stores.
In a groundbreaking partnership, which brings the powerful world of DC Comics Super Heroes together with one of the nation’s most prominent retailers, Bloomingdale’s stores and Warner Bros. Consumer Products have joined forces to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of DC Comics. This holiday season, Bloomingdale’s will debut brand-new shops featuring DC Comics-inspired clothing and accessories that are sure to be among the season’s most sought-after gifts. Designers contributing to the exclusive collection include Trunk, Junk Food, Converse, Psycho Bunny and JACK SPADE in men’s and Because We Were Bored in Young World.
Some of the types of products that can be found in the stores are t-shirts, accessories, bags, wallets and more. Prices can range from $30 for a pair of Psycho Bunny socks or $225 for a JACK SPADE tote. Now, I have to ask…. Are you fuckin’ serious?! $30 for a pair of socks!!! It is pretty obvious that the direction that DC Comics and Bloomingdales has set for their new joint venture is a sad (and pretty insulting) attempt to put their licenses and brands into up scale retail shops for high-end consumers. Unfortunately, this makes it more difficult for the regular comic fans to own some of these cool items as they wouldn’t be able to afford a $30 pair of Superman socks. I think I will continue taking my business to the local “mom and pop” comic book stores who always been supporting comics regardless whether comics were popular or not. Hit the jump to see some of these ridiculously priced goods.
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Yalta Conference 1945 - Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin pose with leading Allied officers at the Yalta Conference, 1945.
I love photoshop shenanigans and I love it even more when it is done with historical photographs. Considering I’m a huge fan of both comics and history, I really dig it when someone can take those two and put them together. Maybe that is the reason that I flipped out when I saw TOYIB’s recent DeviantArt pieces. Agan Harahap (AKA TOYIB on DA) of Indonesia did a fine job of dropping iconic super heroes and villains such as Batman and Darth Vader into different moments in mankind’s illustrious history of warfare. The focal point of Agan’s newest creations are historical moments during the battle between the Axis and Allies during World War II. These pictures makes me want to jump into a couple rounds on Day of Defeat and smack some Nazi’s around with my trusty M-1 Garand. Move OUT!
Hit the jump to see more of Agan’s cool work!
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Following the recent news of Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment is making news as well. Warner Bros. Entertainment will be revamping its DC Comics franchise into a new company called DC Entertainment. DC Entertainment will be tackling the task of exploiting there catalog of comic book characters such as Superman and Batman into blockbuster feature films, television, and other types of media. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding this news and I just wanted to give you the simplified breakdown of what this change will bring.
Key Points:
- Paul Levitz who is the President and publisher of DC Comics since 2002 will be resign from his position and will become an writer, contributing editor and consultant for DC Entertainment.
- Diane Nelson (pictured above) has been appointed the President of DC Entertainment. Diane Nelson previous job was as President of Warner Bros. Premiere (WB Premiere produced all the DC Comics animated movies such as Green Lantern: First Flight) and Nelson was also in charge of overseeing the development of the Harry Potter franchise since 1999.
- Warner Bros. Entertainments move to revamp DC Comics was NOT due to Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment. This move was being planned for months. Unfortunately for DC & WB, their press release happened AFTER Disney and Marvels. Always the bridesmaid. Never the bride.
- Other than the 3 mentioned above, there is nothing else.
There is no official word on whether the change will affect the comic books or not, but it is too early to tell. It is pretty obvious that DC and Warner Bros. wants to successfully break more into the different types of media outside of comic books like they did with The Dark Knight and Smallville. DC and Marvel may be rivals in the world of comics, but Marvel is king when it comes to producing blockbuster movies, video games, and more. In my opinion, the news regarding the creation of DC Entertainment was nothing more than an announcement of a name change and a changing of the guards. Only time will tell.
Source: Daily Variety
