Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Nebraska Plays Football in Gotham?

Did you know in 1962, Nebraska played in the Gotham Bowl? Its true! Yes, Tracie! Another reason you should like football.

Playing under Coach Bob Devaney, Nebraska won its first bowl game in 3 tries, upsetting Miami & Coach George Mira.

Nebraska 36
Miami 34

In the second and last of New York's now-defunct Gotham Bowl. Playing in Yankee Stadium before only 6,166 fans in freezing weather, the Huskers and Hurricanes put on one of the greatest bowl shows ever, trading scores in every quarter.

If you look in the now classic photo below, you can see Batman and Robin up holding the Nebraska Black Shirt tradition and backing the defense! Go Big Red!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Superman: Earth One Review

Tracie and I have recently read Superman: Earth One. We both wanted to critique and discuss. So in this open format, I’ll fire the first shot. Tracie and all others... feel free to shoot back.

I hate when some non-comic book reading book reviewer says something about a character that is completely wrong, but the common (non geek) public sees it as fact. Before I had read Superman: Earth One, I noticed many critics (all who loved Superman:Earth One) stating some "facts" that were completely off based. The largest was that this graphic novel made Superman relevant again. WRONG! You aren’t reading Superman... just because you picked up the hot Amazon book of the week, doesn’t make you a Superman Expert. Have you read the last 2 years of Superman’s titles? Have you read Superman: Secret Origins, or seen Smallville? There are new live action movies in the works, DC has also put out multiple animated movies starring Superman. The Man of Steel is as relevant as ever. (editor’s note: not saying Smallville is good, just relevant)

Having written all that, I had a bad/biased mind set against Superman: Earth One.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

OCW- Gus Beezer (12/26/10)

Wow, Tracie... I either never, ever heard
anything about this- or just blotted it out.
I drew Peter Parker's distant cousin in an
outfit every little white boy in the 'burbs
dresses up in- 70s era Power Man.
Happy Boxing Day!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Happy Holidays!

Poorly Drawn Conclusions 1

True fans of a character love
--L O V E-- darker, grittier re-boots.


When all else fails, revamp the origin, update the costume and wait for the Eisners!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

OCW - Dakota North

Ahh the 80's! Women with frizzy hair, Leg warmers, and shoulder pads. I knew nothing about Dakota North either. But she was fun to draw! Thank Matt for picking her.

Martian Manhunter... Aquired!

I have been looking for J'onn J'onzz of the DC Universe Classic line made by Mattel, for some time. This week I finally found him.

My Satellite Era, JLA is closer to complete... Just need a Zatanna, and if they make a Snapper Carr!

OCW- Dakota North

I have never read Daredevil, so this character
was completely in known to me. After looking
her up though I remembered just how nutty the
80s were. I assume Ms North always dressed
 like Dee Dee McCall... don't you?

Saturday, December 18, 2010

OCW-DAKOTA NORTH

This week was my pick and I went with my favorite supermodel-turned private investigator, Dakota North!
Loved this comic as a kid. Love Tony Salmons artwork! Great stuff!



Later-
Doc G

CBXF MailBag: Paul Levitz sexist?


Hey XFers, welcome to the CBXF Mailbag! Where we the panelist communicate with you directly and not through our team of lawyers!

Dear Yelling Internet People,

Now this interview has been getting a lot of play on various comic sites and web logs particularly the comments about female readership. I know this may make me look bad but I am having a hard time figuring out what exactly is getting people up in arms. From what I gather people see his comments as him dismissing female fans. I can see how some of his broad-reaching comments could be insulting, but it seems more to me as comments made by a person who has been heavily involved with the industry for what 4 decades now and about the trends he has seen. I would actually like to hear some of your opinions on this, particularly Tracie.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Bad Comic Book Haiku

First Night
Criminals can be
Cowardly, superstitious.
So I'll be the Bat


One More Day
Beautiful young wife
Traded in for old lady
Spiderman's life sucks


Dead Hero
When will I return
When will sales need that big boost?
Who stays dead for long?

In the Submarine
How old am I now?
I slept through a few decades
entombed in the ice.

From Tracie

Jesica Jones Show?
Network will totes Censor any
Luke Cage doggystyle'n

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Bad Comic Book Haiku

Bizarro's Love or Hate?
Me am Love Kal-el.
Me am number one of me.
Down, down, and come here!

Pissy Dr. Doom
Oh fuck you, Reed Richards.
Metal Halloween mask forged.
Hey Sue, free tonight?

Flying Superman Blunder
Spit curl in my eye.
Didn't see that flying bird.
Daily Planet falls.

Wolverine's stuff
Knives come from my hands.
I forgot my teenage years.
Girlfriends are all dead.

Bad Comic Book Haiku

Thor is Pretty?
Thunder pounds the earth.
A hammer swings a circle.
Is that Fabio?

Firestorm's deal
Voice in my head talk.
A flame produces no heat.
Ex-girlfriend of salt.

60's Batman
Bat signal in sky.
Teenager in tights and cape.
To the Batpole, chum!

The Best Superman Figure Ever!

This Superman toy from the newest DC Direct figure line is by far, my favorite Superman action figure... EVER!

Let me list the reasons:
1. The sculpt is based on Gary Frank's Superman/Christopher Reeve model. And its dead on. (I love Gary Frank's Superman pencils!)

2. The uniform is the coolest costume design and has never been seen before on a Superman figure.

3. Its a solid toy. Very heavy plastic and the articulation is stiff and doesn't fall loose like every other figure I own.

This is the greatest Superman figure ever!!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Robb's Comic Book Code

Robb's Comic Book Code #5

If you want people to jump onto a title because you are taking it into a new direction… just give it a new number one. Don't worry in a year or two you can change the number back to what it originally was. Or better yet, have both numbers on the cover.

(example:: Adventure comics, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Thor, Daredevil, Hulk, etc.)

Monday, December 13, 2010

OCW- Magpie

Mmmm...Magpie...
This lady was on the cover of one of the first Batman comics I ever bought. That's all I got on that subject...
Doc G

Sunday, December 12, 2010

OCW - December 5th - Demolition Man



It's funny how, once we decided on Dennis Dunphy to be our 2nd Obscure Character of the Week, he would wind up in some pretty good gags in both New Avengers and I Am An Avenger. STILL, it been fun to see everyone at CBXF honor this former Avenger with their art.

Me, I decided to go with the sad, homeless version of D-Man from Kurt Buseik and George Perez's Avengers run. Poor, sad Dennis...

(seriously, check him out in New Avengers #7)

OCW - December 12 - Magpie

OCW for this week is:

Magpie

Margaret Pye was no ordinary jewel thief. A curator driven crazy by all the "shiny pretty things" at the museum where she worked, Magpie turned to a life of crime. Going up against DC's finest heroes, she was put away by the first Post-Crisis team-up of Superman and Batman. Magpie was later killed in a revenge plot by the Great White Shark (who?) and recently popped up in the mini-series Blackest Night.

Will Magpie be the White Lantern? Doubtful!

OCW- Magpie

Margret Pie- magpie... get it?

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Issue 24: T'was the Podcast Before Christmas

TEST

This is only a test. Had this been a real emergency, the skies would be red and some broad named Harbinger would be crying about something.

Robb's Comicbook Code

Robb's Comic Book Code #4

Nothing is more infuriating than someone who doesn't know their basic superhero/comic book characters.

(example:: The Flash runs fast, Flash Gordon fights in space and has an awesome Queen soundtrack)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

OCW - December 5th - Demolition Man




Just a quick "Hey!" This is Doc G. Wanted to say thanks to the fine-ass folks here at the Crossfire for inviting me to take part in their Obscure Character of the Week art posts. This'll be a blast!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Robb's Comic Book Code


Robb's Comic Book Code #3


The best way to make a comic book title/character successful is to add more color.

(example:: Hulk: Red, Blue, Gray, etc. or Green Lantern: Red Lantern, Blue Lantern, Indigo Lantern, etc. or Superman: Superman Red, Superman Blue)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

OCW - December 5th - Demolition Man

OCW- Demolition Man



This is my pick, Dennis Dunphy, AKA 


It's like for a while in the late 80s Steve Rogers was
working with the "Make a Wish Foundation".
How about a wrestler, how mentally unstable, doesn't bathe
and is dressed as Wolverine and Dare Devil's baby.
By the way D-Man is from Lincoln, Nebraska. Yay, us.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Robb's Comic Book Code



Robb’s Comic Book Code #2


If a title sucks... drop it. Do not pick it up out of habit.

(example:: Justice League of America by James Robinson)

Robb's Comicbook Code


Robb's Comic Book Code #1

If a character is back from the dead. Publishers shall not use him/her in any other title, until that resurrection story is complete!

(
example:: Bruce Wayne: Batman, Steve Rogers: Captain America, Barry Allen: Flash)

Monday, November 29, 2010

OCW - Doop



[EDIT: Upon deliberation, we've decided to change this feature from monthly to weekly. REJOICE!]

In case you may not have caught on yet, we at Comicbook Crossfire have decided to do something a little fun and different around here. Each week we're going to choose an "obscure character" and each take a stab at drawing them.

It fell to me to choose our inaugural Obscure Character of the Week and the first name that popped into my head was Doop from Peter Millgan and Mike Allred's beloved X-Force/X-Statix.

I hope you enjoy each of our takes on that creepy little cameraman. Tune in next week for another Obscure Character.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

My Loot from Black Friday!

Last week, I hit my local comic store and cashed in on some half price goodies. Then I hit Target and scored Season 12 of Simpsons! All in all, a lot of loot for cheap!

Superman 2 pack: Early Appearance and Modern Superman

Brainiac: History of the DC Universe

Simpsons Season 12

Hero Clicks: 2 Clark Kents

Flash Ring

Superman Earth One, Graphic Novel by JMS (Review to come soon)

OCW - November - Doop


My 2nd Contribution...

OCW - November - Doop


Obscure Character of the Month for November is: DOOP! Here is my contribution.

OCW- Doop

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Full GreenLantern Movie trailer

Ok, this preview is sooo much better than the clips posted earlier. I'm officially pumped to see this movie... "In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night..."

(If this embed sucks, go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NWGl_A3b60&feature=player_embedded)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Should Hal & Barry have returned?

Blackest Night and the Upcoming Flashpoint, along with the Green Lantern Movie and the Flash movie in the works has put these 2 DC characters back into the top tier local of the DCU. Both Hal and Barry are back and fighting for their place as DC Elite. A lot has happened in the last 20 of so years.

There is a big part of me that believes both Barry Allen and Hal Jordan should have stayed dead. Both of their counter parts were much more interesting to me as I was getting into comics. Hal was written pretty 2 dimensional in the late 80's - early 90's until Ron Marz took over the book. The Fall of Hal, turning him to a villain was genius and truly made me, as a DC fan, feel like the sky was falling in an event sort of way! Introducing Kyle and showing how the dismantled Corps and Guardians made me care so much about Green Lantern. I cared so much for Rayner, I have every GL issue since Ron Marz took over. Kyle kept the light burning and was a way for me to jump on board as a GL fan and learn as he learned. Wally West was the same. Carrying the legacy of his uncle, worrying that the other Heroes of the DCU looked at him different. Eventually both of these characters really came into their own and at one point Wally was leading a JLA book. When there was rumblings to bring back Hal, I thought… "WHY"? Kyle is my GL! He has good connections to Guy and to John Stewart. Why make it muddy?

I REALLY felt the same when I heard of bringing Barry back. We have a world of Flash characters and Barry's death was so important to the Flash line. Honestly Barry's death was the most important death to any DC character, including Superman. The whole Universe centered around his heroic sacrifice. Why undo that story? Why cheapen it? Wally was so well written, first by Mark Waid, then for a short time Morrison and Millar, then Geoff Johns. Why add more? Especially when "ONE" flash couldn't hold a book's sales? Wally is a fun character. Really he's everything I like Kyle with the inexperience and predassessor's shoes needing to be filled. Trying to get out of his mentor's shadow, but Wally was different. We saw him come of age, take over leadership. Leave the Teen Titans and join the JLA. He married, had children and was written as a 100 times deeper than Barry. He lead a small battalion of speedsters and really estabilished a connection to the past. (Jay Garrick and to the future (Bart Allen). Forgive the pun, but Wally was the lightining rod that speeders followed in the DCU.

DC, why turn back the clock… well he's my thought as to why.

The Green Lantern Corp is why. I didn't get it at first. I didn't like it. Hal was the Spectre, shouldn't that suffice to Hal fans? I'm glad it didn't. Geoff Johns took what Ron Mars started and kept the rich universe Kyle had and baked it into the Corps' world. That is why it works. DCU needed the cosmic connection. DC is the fantastical world of comic characters. Marvel has always bragged, (rightly so) That its world is steeped in realism. A world that under the "right" situation, these events "could" happen. DC is over the top, grander than life, cosmic crazy… and the absense of the Corp and their world of stories had been missing since Hal's fall. I think a few writers tried the bring the Corps back under Kyle, and it didn't work. That’s not who Kyle was. Hal is the Corp. He was written and created with the Corp in mind. Kyle was the opposite. But now, I feel as a fan of DC we have the best possible Green Lantern situation. Hal is back and is written better than he ever was since Denny O'neal and Neal Adams. Kyle is here and still feels like the newer kid on the block, but has earned the respect of all other gl's as the "Torch Bearer". John Stewart is around, appearing in JLA, and all the GL books. Guy is basically in his own book, still kind of a jerk, but respected. We have a Universe full of colored Lanterns and 2 mini series that focused on Green Lanterns role in the DCU. And I'm told we have a new GL book coming that will focus on one of the Spectrum colors. (Maybe all of them).

As for the Flash "Rebirth". I'm still waiting. DC still hasn't justified to me why we need Barry? (Other than an upcoming movie) Why return the silver aged Scarlet Speedster? Even in the "Flash Rebirth Series" I felt like I wasn't suppose to like Barry. Like he was a force of nature, not a man with flaws and cracks and interesting stories that need to be told. I've lost track of how many times Iris has died, and even though they are playing up the "Man out of time" aspect with the bowtie and not understanding the internet, I just don't find myself loving this book, the way I love Green Lantern.

Geoff John's looks like he's establishing the same format for Flash that he did with Green Lantern. Obviously, return the character in a "rebirth" book. Start a new series around that character, then have a major cross-over centered around them. "Sinestro War" cemented Hal's place in the DCU, will Flashpoint do the same for Barry? Maybe then, my opinion will evolve. I love the art on Flash, and the Rogues are so much fun. But justify his return… and it doesn't help that Grant Morrison wrote Barry's confusing return in "Final Crisis". I'd hate to guess what warped metaphor Grant was hinting at with the return of something fast and red… maybe his wife missed her period.

Friday, October 22, 2010

DVD Review - Wolverine & the X-Men

So I had a rough week, and it was a late Saturday Night, when
I came across this cartoon find. 26 episodes of Marvel Universe fun in a complete series box set.

I grew into the Xmen primarily due to the Fox cartoon during the 90's. Not to mention the Xmen Evolution during the early part of this decade. Both cartoons had their flaws and both had many great moments and awesome character takes on the Xmen Universe. So Wolverine and the Xmen was already starting behind the 8 ball as series when I saw the dvd box set on sell last week. Three disks, 26 episodes, and a couple of making of documentaries later… and I'm ready to give my assessment. To sum it up in one word sentence: "The cartoon was okay, with some really cool pay-offs".

Wolverine and the Xmen was the answer to the popularity of the Up-coming Xmen Origins: Wolverine movie, that at the time was in the works. Executives wanted a Wolverine cartoon and the writers emplored the company to include Xmen. So around the Focus of "Logan" as the center point, the concept grew. Wolverine would be put in a situation where Charles Xavier was unable to lead and Scott Summers would be the Loner of the team. Basically a role reversal of every other incarnation of the Xmen. And it works. Sort of.

I've written and re-written a couple of reviews and I keep going back to things that bother me about the series. Ultimately is ok. It really is worth a watch. But of the 3 (4 if you count the stuff that came in the mid 80's), it’s the poorest version of animated xmen. I can't seem to get ahold of Steve Blum as the voice of Logan… it needs to be raspier, grittier. Scott shouldn't be such a down daisy. I understand they wanted Logan to run the show, but did they really have to make Scott suck so much? And the fact that Magneto has signs all over the road with his face on them… might as well have "Welcome to Genshoia" postcards floating out there too. The plot really tried to keep it simple and edgy, but sometimes it really felt like a kids cartoon and others it felt like it was ONLY geared towards geeks. That was my favorite part of Xmen Evolution, it really knew the balance of core fans and children. Ok that’s the bad.

The Good! Kurt Wagner was awesome. They nailed Nightcrawler! Perfect. A few solo stories and a possible love interest with of all characters, The Scarlet Witch?! I loved the episodes with Kurt. EVEN the episode with Mojo… who is my least favorite villain, IN ANY UNIVERSE. Also the having Charles in the Future with Bishop and older versions of Xmen easter eggs was genius! I liked how they handled the Mr. Sinister shadowy figure and I can't say enough about how they end the series. Truly ending it on a home run, making you long for more episodes.

This cartoon was well worth the buy for Xmen fans. I enjoyed each episode. But honestly, Marvel… this isn't as good as other hero cartoons out there. JLA and Teen Titans blow this away. I think Xmen Evolution was incredibly stronger than this incarnation. What happened to the momentum of the Hulk VS cartoons and not to mention the Next Avengers?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Routh to be considered as Synder's Superman

Zack revealed that Brandon WILL be considered for the role after he saw an online fan campaign to have the 31-year-old star reinstated. And you can count me as leaning in that dirction too. No matter my feeling overall about the previous Superman movie, I still stand by my feelings that I think Routh fit perfectly into what I want my Superman to Act/look like.

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=8709

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fan Made Superman Movie Trailer, Doomsday!

I stumbled on this fan edit of Superman Returns and some video games, and some surprises. This short has a really cool ending. Check'er out!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Help get Ring Capacity on the Green Lantern Soundtrack!


Due to my podcast adventures, I've found out how much I like the band "Kirby Krackle".

You can check the band out here: http://kirbykracklemusic.com/

But more importantly, The Summer Blockbuster of 2011, Green Lantern is missing the perfect credit rolling song on their soundtrack. Help get their song, "Ring Capacity" on the Green Lantern Soundtrack.