I Say What What...?

Y'know, there's something unique about Daniel Craig. I mean, if you really just LOOK at him... he's kinda ugly. Okay, maybe that was harsh, but he's certainly not your normal variety of handsome. YET, he's at the same time, VERY sexy. Does that make any sense? Anyway, I was amused by this poster for Cowboys & Aliens.
BAM! DAT AZZ!!! It's just not very often that a MALE star gets marketed in such a manner. I for one approve.

And just for the heck of it, here's a "piece" (WINK!) of Justice League art I came
across er, found on Comic Art Fans:
I suppose if anyone is going to have the ultimate runner's butt, it's The Flash. I find it delightfully ironic that this artist is so heavily mimicking Ed Benes' style.

Black Canary
Lois Lane
Wonder Woman
Dove
Spider-Woman (Upside down AZZ! How's that for a twist?)
Black Canary again (Okay, this is a pin-up, so maybe it doesn't count.)

But hey, "What's good for the goose is always good for the gander." -- "Oh Shiela" -- Ready For The World.

Alex Toth/Super Friends Week - Wonder Wednesday Edition

Here we have Wonder Woman as rendered by Alex Toth for the Super Friends. Wonder Woman was one of the most pivotal members, as she was the lead female hero on the team. Most people don't consider the Wonder Twins full-fledged members and remarkably there were only two other female SFs and they made only sporadic appearances. Rima the Jungle Girl, as previously discussed, was only tenuously a DC super hero and appeared in only three shorts. And Hawkgirl who only ever appeared alongside her husband Hawkman in five shorts, including one where she was ridiculously miscolored.
(Although Hawkman made many appearances without Hawkgirl, including the entire Challenge of the Superfriends season.)
I read in Back Issue magazine, that one writer wrote a script that would have featured Wonder Woman and Black Canary teaming up to save Lois Lane on a Ghost Ship, but the producers had just decided to stop buying scripts from free-lancers. Here were have Toth's rendering of Black Canary... oh what coulda been!Here's an interesting artifact, an early rendering of Wonder Woman by Alex Toth, where she more closely resembles the way she was drawn in the Golden Age. Apparently, they decided to go for a more "current" look so she wound up with the Marlo Thomas That Girl flip that she rocked for over a decade.
Here we have a couple of drawings Toth did for the live action/animated commercials for Underoos. He actually employs a slightly different style and Wonder Woman is given longer, wavier hair than she had on Super Friends. This more closely resembles the way Wonder Woman was drawn in the comics of the time. It's too bad the Super Friends producers didn't allow her to be modernized on the show.

Here's a nice sketch Toth did of Wonder Woman. I think this is a commission piece.
For the final season of the show Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, Hanna Barbera finally decided to freshen up the look of the show and abandoned the 70s Toth designs for the then-current Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez designs from the DC Style Guide. The previous season, Wonder Woman's eagle logo had been switched to the new WW logo, but overall she still looked the same. The Garcia-Lopez look is more detailed and slightly less "cartoony" and she is given long flowing hair.
Wonder Woman is one of only five heroes whose origin was revealed on the show, in her case, in Secret Origins of the Super Friends during the Challenge season. Two of her enemies, The Cheetah and Giganta were included in the Legion of Doom. Her fellow Amazons appeared on several episodes, most notably in 1980's "Return of Atlantis" where her mother Hippolyta organizes the Amazons to battle a group of villainous Amazons from the lost city of Atlantis... apparently a different Atlantis than the one Aquaman was from. And in the final season, her comic book boyfriend Steve Trevor appeared. That same episode showed Wonder Woman in her secret identity of Diana Prince for the first time on the show. An action figure called Rocket Man, who bore a strong resemblance to Steve (who was an astronaut) was designed for the fourth series of Super Powers action figures, but the line was never produced, therefore the background on that character is unknown. Could Steve have made the jump from super hero's boyfriend to actual super hero himself?
There you have it! A SF-centric look at the Amazing Amazon!

The New JLA Revealed?

This image seems to indicate the full JLA lineup come September. On the left, from the top down, we have Deadman, Atom, Element Woman and Firestorm (just one Firestorm, so I'm hoping that the dual Firestorms on the cover of his/their own title is just symbolic). On the right, from top to bottom, we have Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary (maybe) and Mera.

Element Woman may or may not be a new character. Here we have her design and she apparently has the power to "control elements." Uh huh. That should have been obvious. Firestorm can already transmute elements, so I'm not sure how this new character brings anything new to the table.

Actually, I'm not sure she is a new character. Back in the Silver Age, there was briefly an Element Girl who was a feminized version of Metamorpho and had his same power set, the ability to turn her body into any element. But I don't know if Element Woman is an update of this character (she LOOKS very similar) or someone completely new. (Also, why not just use Metamorpho? He's really not that big a character that he needs a female doppelganger!)

As for Black Canary, she very clearly looks like Black Canary... the real Black Canary, that is, not the updated one on the Birds of Prey cover, leading some to speculate that this isn't her. I still think it is, though.

Overall, it's a pretty basic and classic lineup. Cyborg, Deadman, Element Woman and Mera are the only "non-classic" JLA members. Mera's presence isn't that surprising, since she's grown in popularity so much in the last couple of years. And lest you think she's redundant with Aquaman on the team, keep in mind she has a completely different power set (the power to manipulate water) and also, Hawkman and Hawkwoman were on the team together for years! Hell, Hal Jordan and John Stewart have both been active on the team at the same time!

File this under the FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK File. DC has killed off Donna Troy AGAIN!!! By her nature, she'll probably come back... AGAIN, but geez! Come on!

EDIT/UPDATE: I've read speculation that the character I referred to as Black Canary is actually either Power Girl (she DOES seem to have short hair, now that I look closer) or Zealot from WildCATS (she DOES seem to have white hair, plus fellow CATS Grifter and Voodoo are getting their own books, so it's not inconceivable.) With Power Girl... good for her, I guess, but when you already have Superman and Wonder Woman on the team, it's hard to see what niche she'll fill. And if it's Zealot, once again, warrior woman with a sword... you already have Wonder Woman who sometimes uses a sword, so what makes Zealot useful? (Also, you know which CAT I was partial to? Void! I wonder what's up with her.)

DC Relaunch Week 2

DC has announced more titles added to their upcoming re-boot including all(?) the new Batman books. The one non-Batbook they announced is Swamp Thing (above). As for the rest...

There's Batman...

Detective Comics...
Batman: The Dark Knight and...

Batman & Robin. Oh hey, wouldja look at that?! That's Damian Wayne as Robin! So what happened to all that "this isn't a reboot we're just setting the books back a couple of years" nonsense? This most certainly IS a reboot! They're just picking and choosing and reshaping however they see fit! Otherwise, like I said before, Damian would either not even have been born yet or would be like five, depending on how far back they were going. So Damian Wayne is Robin, but Clark Kent and Lois Lane will no longer be married... just cause! Cause that's how the powers-that-be want it. So fuck off, old comic fans!

There's more...
Catwoman... although after all that hubbub about them making their women look more modest... ahem...
Batwoman, officially confirmed as part of this initiative...
Nightwing... presumably Dick, but no one is sure since there's no sign of Tim anywhere. Obviously Tim isn't Robin, since Damian is, but wouldn't you think they're announce a new Red Robin title at the same time as all these other Batbooks? The use of red in his costume, replacing the light blue may... or may not... support that perhaps this is Tim inheriting his "big brother's" identity... but if so... what happened to Dick?

Definitely the most surprising announcement for me was Red Hood and the Outlaws, starring Jason Todd, the second, fuck-up Robin, teamed with Speedy, arm restored and of all people Starfire, Dick's old girlfriend. This just looks terrible. Nice baseball cap! Moving on...
Birds of Prey, starring Black Canary, Poison Ivy, Katanna and someone who may be Grace Choi formerly of The Outsiders. You can see the ladies are rockin' DC's new "modest" super lady look. Is Black Canary wearing Mary Janes?! The fuck?! I don't so much care that she has tights under her fishnest. She's looked like that at other times, including when I was a kid. You know what I don't like? That she isn't wearing a jacket! That's just such a huge part of her aesthetic! Also, this book is HARDLY a Batbook, now that Barbara isn't in it. Oh yeah, about that...
Batgirl, officially confirmed to be Barbara Gordon! I am excited about this! I just love the classic Batgirl and this is her, written by Gail Simone, who did such a WONDERFUL job on her in Birds of Prey, through the majority of that title's existence. She's in good hands! I like the detailed costume as well!

So, let's recap:
1. Justice League of America
2. Action Comics
3. Detective Comics
4. Wonder Woman
5. Aquaman
6. Green Lantern
7. GL Corps
8. GL: New Guardians
9. Green Arrow
10. Hawkman
11. Flash
12. Captain Atom
13. DC Universe Presents (I mistakenly called this Braver & Bolder before)
14. Nightwing
15. Batgirl
16. Justice League International
17. Mr. Terrific
18. Justice Society of America
19. Firestorm
20. Teen Titans
21. Birds of Prey
22. Red Lanterns (I forgot this one last time)
23. Batman
24. Batman: The Dark Knight
25. Batman & Robin (I just KNEW DC wasn't gonna let Green Lantern have more titles than Batman!)
26. Nightwing
27. Red Hood & The Outlaws
28. Catwoman
29. Batwoman
30. Swamp Thing

Over half-way there and still, this line up is whiter than a Tea Party rally. And don't try claiming that Swamp Thing counts as a person of color. They did state that there will be seven Teen Titans and only four (over half) would be white. Once again, don't try and pass off Beast Boy (left) as being one of the other three! I think everyone is assuming that the four white characters will be Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Superboy and Tim Drake under whatever guise he's using.

Since that whole going back in time thing is now hogwash, I say that it's probably a given that the JUST introduced Indian heroine Solstice will be among them. The other two slots? I say Aqualad, because they seem to be really getting behind his character. The last spot? It could be any number of people, Static, Aquagirl, Firestorm, Blue Beetle (Jaime)... But y'know what? That joke I made about Swamp Thing and Beast Boy? I bet you my spleen, the other member is...

Miss Martian. I guarantee it!

It's nice that they are making the teams integrated, but that's easy and honestly in this day and age, expected. But that's it. It's nice. It's not enough. Mister Terrific remains the one minority in his own book, with John Stewart and Jason Rusch sharing titles. Batwoman represents the GLBT side. (Maybe The Question, Renee Montoya will get her own book... she's a lesbian of color! Or... and here's my guess, since they've returned The Demon to being Jason Blood, and flat out said they wanted their characters to be more recognizable, they'll bring back the original Question, whitey Vic Sage.) Vixen is in Justice League International, so I doubt she'll get her own title. Black Lightning probably has the best shot. I doubt Steel will since Cyborg is being positioned as DC's premier black cyber hero. Too much overlap. It would be nice if they gave a gay male character a book... but I'm not that big a fan of the ones they have, Obsidian and Mikaal/Starman, being the most notable.

Hmmm... switching gears, there are still 22 more books to be announced and a few titles that currently exist that haven't been confirmed as coming back. Let's take a look...
The Legion of (Perpetually Rebooted Almost Like Clockwork Every Three Years) Super Heroes. If there was one book I wished could escape this reboot it's them, just because they just got rebooted, what? Last year?! Alas!
Red Robin... as previously discussed. I'm a fan of both Dick's and Tim's so I hope nothing bad happens to either one... especially since that ass clown Jason Todd is still going to be running around!
Wally West. Like with Red Robin, you'd think they're announce ALL the books that are connected at the same time, so if there was going to be a second Flash book, rumored to be called Speed Force, they're have done so when they announced The Flash's main book. So that puts poor Wally in the same boat as Tim. Or Dick. Whoever isn't Nightwing.
And for that matter, what about the original Aqualad, Garth and Wonder Girl, Donna Troy?
Power Girl and Zatanna. Like I said before, I'm not sure how well their books were selling, so I'm not sure if they're on the chopping block or not. Plus, how will either of them deal with having to cover up their womanly assets? (Although Starfire is still spilling out of her corset, so it doesn't look like these ladies are being forced to cover up entirely.)
Justice Society of America... I have it listed above, but it hasn't officially been solicited. I'm sure it's coming though, although I freely admit, I don't get why this team exists. Can't everyone just be in the Justice League?
Shazam/Captain Marvel/Captain Thunder and Family. Captain Thunder is currently playing a role in Flashpoint, so I can see him spinning out of that into his own book, hopefully starring a Mary Thunder who's has the stank of the past couple of years scrubbed thoroughly from her. And like I said before...
Hopefully featuring Isis, as a full heroine this time, free of Black Adam's sway. That under-boobie cleavage isn't going to work, though.
Martian Manhunter... he doesn't have his own title, but fans have taken note of his absence on the cover of Justice League.
Blue Beetle... out of all the recent attempts to ethnic-ize characters, I'd say he was one of the most popular, if not THE most popular, depending on how well you liked Jason Rusch as Firestorm. He even warranted an appearance on Smallville! Yet he's not in JLI. Teen Titans hasn't yet been solicited. But could he maybe even score his own title once again? Hmmmm.... And on a related note...
Booster Gold. He has his own book right now. He's confirmed for JLI. But like with Zatanna and Power Girl, I don't know how well his book sells, so who knows if he's coming back in a solo title.

Speculation as to other characters who may get new titles?
Nightrunner, the infamous "Muslim Batman" from Batman Inc., a title which appears to be kaput. This guy even made it onto The Daily Show. I would expect DC to try capitalizing on that.
In Flashpoint, he's that parallel time line's Superman and he's in the new Justice League, apparently taking Martian Manhunter's spot! I'm fairly sure he'll get his own title when all is said and done.
Sensation Comics starring Wonder Woman. Yeah, I know, no chance in hell. But the Amazing Amazon DID have two books back in the 40s and fuck, Batman has four and SIX spin-offs and Green Lantern of all characters has four! You're telling me no woman, no matter how Wonder-ful, can sustain even TWO?
The Spectre and Dr. Fate... I'm not saying they're getting their own books back or anything, BUT I guarantee that they will be reverting to the alter egos of Jim Corrigan and Kent Nelson, their Golden Age (and most famous) counterparts.

Beyond that, who knows? Will they sneak in a couple of new concepts? (No.) More news as it breaks... well, y'know like the day after it breaks... and keep in mind, the Superman books haven't yet been announced!