Book Review: WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed ( Paperback )

There's a new Paperback Book out right now on the history of comic books titled "WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed". It is written by Brian Cronin & published by Plume. Bouncing around the Internet I have seen a mention of it here, a review there, so I was curious & decided to check it out. Basically the book is sort of a myth busters-type book where the author explores all the "urban legends" surrounding the long 70+ year history of comic book creators & characters. There have been all kinds of interesting myths & with this book he does extensive research to find out which ones are true & which are false. The book is broken down into 3 parts: DC Comics, Marvel, & Other Publishers. But all the chapters have a lot of extremely interesting stories so even if, for example, you don't like "Marvel Comics", it's still a great read. Now the only reason I felt this book would be possible as a review here at the Bat-Blog is that it does cover a few of the events involving BATMAN. Mainly all the controversy around who really created the character & how much did Bob Kane actually draw the comic book. There's some other interesting information about the Caped Crusader in there too like who created certain characters. For example, "Did Jerry Robinson really create the Joker or was it Bob Kane?" Also, the book covers a lot of other territory in it's 256 pages. Some of the other questions it answers is, "Was the trademark hairstyle of Elvis Presley really based on a comic book character &, if so, which one? Was Wolverine of the X-Men originally meant to be an actual wolverine/animal? Did the creator of the Lie-Detector Test also create Wonder Woman's "Lasso of Truth"? and on & on! It seems that Brian did TONS of research & covers a HUGE amount of material. Overall, I found the book to be pretty entertaining. Brian's writing style is very precise ( he gets right down to business ). It's written to be sort of "conversational" & easy to understand. But he does a good job with relaying a lot of facts like exact names, dates, etc...so that's cool. Now, about the overall design of the book ( which I think is important ). The cover is absolutely amazing! In fact, I'm linking this review to an interview with the Graphic Designer who created the cover, it's that nice. The material used for the cover feels really good in your hands, it's very durable & has a great texture. Plus, graphically it just looks very cool with sort of a retro-style. Now the inside of the book. The font size is wonderful to read, which is something a lot of people don't think about but reading many books lately I've noticed publishers use extremely small font sizes to make books with less pages. They're total hell to read, but not this book, that's nice. My only complaint about the whole thing...some of the inside photos & illustrations. Now, most of the photos are pretty decent ( & there's a lot of them ) but just a few are kinda murky & hard to see. It seems like the editor was a little weak about that ( Sorry Brian & Plume, I gotta be honest ). But really it doesn't distract that much from the book & I seriously enjoyed reading it. I mean, when I started, the experience was so good that I ended up reading about half the book before I put it down. If I had not been tired ( it was bedtime ) I would have read the whole thing all the way through! If you love comic books then I think you'll find it very entertaining & you just might find yourself laughing out loud a little bit every now & then, ha ha! Plus, you'll learn a lot of very interesting facts about the Comic Book business & it's properties. If you would like to know more about the graphic design of the book cover then please check out this LINK for more information. I've also included a link to Amazon, so if you buy stuff from there please use one of our links because it helps to support this page a little bit ( a VERY little bit, ha ha ).

SUPERMAN / BATMAN : PUBLIC ENEMIES - Wallpaper Backgrounds + Information About The 2-Disc Special Edition Movie & Blu-Ray DVD

This week, for "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday", I thought I would post these 2 Desktop Backgrounds I made of scenes from the new DC Universe animated movie "SUPERMAN / BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES". Just judging from the recent trailer it looks pretty AWESOME! I have also included some information from Warner Bros about the different DVD formats. So, here we go! Basically they're gonna sell it as a Single DVD, a 2-Disc DVD Special Edition, & a Blu-Ray Disc Version. The release date for this will be around September 29th, 2009. Here's how they break down:

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - 2 Disc Special Edition version will have more than three hours of incredible bonus features, including:



* Featurettes



o The Blackest Night: Inside the DC Comics Event: Behind-the-scenes of BLACKEST NIGHT, the epic DC Super Hero event in which the dead shall rise.



o A Test of Minds: Superman and Batman featurette with Jeph Loeb, giving viewers a fresh and revitalized look at the team-up of Superman and Batman working together despite their often competitive and challenging relationship.



o "Dinner with DC: With Special Guest Kevin Conroy": Reprising his role from Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy joins the crew for dinner to discuss their creative approach and what the Superman/Batman team-up means. The evening will be hosted by Voice Director Andrea Romano, Producer Bruce Timm and DC's Gregory Noveck



* Extended Sneak Peak at Next DCU Film



* Digital Copy Download



* Widescreen (1.78:1)



* Two Episodes of Justice League Unlimited hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-Ray versions will have more than three-and-a-half hours of bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition as well as two additional episodes of Justice League Unlimited and two episodes from Justice League, both personally selected by fan-favorite Bruce Timm.Warner Premiere is excited to continue this successful partnership with DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video to present feature-length PG-13 animated original films with the film-making and celebrity voice starpower of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.Based on the past success of Superman Doomsday and Batman Gotham Knight, we know the pairing of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight - pitted against both their DC Super Hero colleagues and the entire rogue's gallery of DC villains - will offer fans the level of entertainment normally reserved for the big, summer blockbuster films.This is the ultimate film for DC animation lovers featuring not only the cornerstone characters of comic book and Saturday morning heroes, but also returns the seminal voices of those characters - Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown - in a story that explores the Superman/Batman dynamic and allows Lex Luthor to shine in ultimate villainy.

Kenner's SUPER POWERS 25th Anniversary Special CONTINUES!!

Regular Bat-Blog Readers were recently assaulted here with our special wacky celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the 1984 Kenner SUPER POWERS Action Figures. Just scan down below for all the posts, it was crazy! Well, a new friend named Scott read them a few days ago & was inspired to send us this very cool photo! Scott said, "...a long time ago, when he was a little kid, his Dad begged their local Burger King to please please give his son this special store display sign that they had there" ( What a great Dad!! ). Of course we're talking about the SUPER POWERS CUP HOLDER COLLECTION Promotion they had back in the mid-1980's. I totally remember these, they were kinda cool! They made 4 Plastic Cups with Figural DC Comics Super Hero Characters: Superman, Wonder Woman, Darkseid, & the Dark Knight himself, Batman! Actually, Darkseid was a Villain, but you get the idea. Thank you Scott for sending this wonderful photo & sharing that great story, that's really neat. Also, this sign is pretty awesome if ya ask me!

1970's: THE SUPERHERO CATALOG OF GAMES, BOOKS, TOYS, & PUZZLES #1

I hope this post brings back a lot of fond memories for many readers. I grew-up in the 1970's & was totally into comic books at that time, a super-collector! I even liked toys & action figures too but was not really a big toy collector like I am now ( In hindsight I WISH I would have bought a bunch of stuff then, ha ha ). I remember one day, in the mid-1970's, I saw an ad in the back of one of my favorite comic books. You could get a catalog for, I think, 50 cents + postage that promised to be filled with all kinds of superhero goodies. Because I was a big fan of this kinda thing I mailed away for one. WOW! Was I ever happy I did! This is the 1st Issue of The SUPERHERO CATALOG OF GAMES, BOOKS, TOYS, & PUZZLES!! This catalog was pretty unique for 3 main reasons. One, It was published in a comic book format. Two, instead of photos for all the products they were hand-drawn like comic book art, and Three, it was jam-packed with tons of very cool superhero items that, at the time, you would NEVER SEE at all the department stores or even the best-stocked comic book shops. Now, I'm mainly sharing the pages that are "Batman-related" but this baby was filled with Comic Books, Specialty Books about Comics, Star Wars Toys, Super Hero T-Shirts, Action Figures, Micronauts, Novelty Clocks, Mego Dolls, Clothing, and many many other pieces of merchandise with all the DC & Marvel Comics Characters you could ever dream about!! And, oh man, I used to totally drool over every single issue. It was just filled with magic & I would fantasize about buying everything in it. I remember that I did buy a few pieces from it. I used to (still do ) totally love those HUGE Treasury Comics that DC made. I collected them & the ones that were harder to find I would get here. I bought a few weird Star Wars items. I fondly remember getting a Star Wars Stormtrooper Costume Helmet. I also remember buying a few Mego Dolls ( in the original boxes! ). One neat thing about the art was that the whole catalog was done by art students from the Joe Kubert School of Comic Art ( still in business today ). Kubert even drew a lot of it & the stuff he didn't was still sort of drawn in his style. I was a big fan of his artwork at the time ( really loved his Sgt. Rock books ) so this was just a bonus! So, does anybody else remember these? If so then please leave a comment & share your stories. I know there's gotta be a lot of people who loved these as much as I did. Also, I guess, if you have never seen one of these RARE catalogs before then there are some really great collectible toys to drool over, ha ha!

Video - FIRST LOOK - Superman / Batman: Public Enemies Animated Movie

This Warner Bros Promo Video is an interesting first look at the new "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" animated film. Now, I have not seen this movie yet but I've really been looking forward to seeing it since viewing the 1st trailer. Check It Out!!

Zack Snyder Clears The Air On The Destruction of Metropolis in ‘Man Of Steel’

One of the louder criticisms from this summers Man of Steel was the destruction of a large section downtown Metropolis in the third act (spoiler.) The damage that Superman and his nemesis, Zod, wreaked upon the fictional east coast city was massive, there is no arguing that. Back in June Buzzfeed enlisted some experts to tally up cost of the Kryptonian slap fight and they came up with a staggering $2 trillion Dollars including more than half a million Metropolites dead or presumed dead. Some have rationalized that most of the buildings appeared empty meaning the city was mostly evacuated. Zod did give a 24 hour heads up -surely many people made it out alive, right? Hundreds of thousands dead or missing was probably more like 10 s of thousands... right?

Wrong. Apparently the death toll was staggering, and Director Zack Snyder says that was part of the message in the movie. Talking with the Japan Times, Synder dropped this bomb:

"I wanted the movie to have a mythological feeling. In ancient mythology, mass deaths are used to symbolize disasters. In other countries like Greece and Japan, myths were recounted through the generations, partly to answer unanswerable questions about death and violence. In America, we don't have that legacy of ancient mythology. Superman (who first appeared in 'Action Comics' in 1938) is probably the closest we get. It's a way of recounting the myth."

To play devils advocated here, I think I can see where Snyder is going with this. There is no arguing that the final battle was epic in scope and while Superman seemed oblivious to the civilians below, we definitely see them on screen and since they are CGI we know they are there purpose. If his intention was to have this massive disaster be apart of his rebooting of the Superman myth, maybe that means we'll see the last son of Krypton dealing with the aftermath in the forthcoming sequel.

As a small addendum, I still feel that he could have had his massive explosion cake and ate it too with one simple scene. Superman fans wanted to see Superman be Superman, even in this newer, modernized, 'realistic,' iteration. All Snyder needed to do was have a scene where the big blue boy scout smacks Zod away (through a building even, since Zack seems to love that kinda stuff) to buy time to save a little girl from being crushed by a bus. My guess is that would have even turned Mark Waid back from hating this new Synderman version of the man of tomorrow.

Source: Japan Times (via Comic Book)

New KUBRICK SET - DC COMICS 75TH ANNIVERSARY Super Deluxe By MEDICOM TOY

Under special arrangement with Japanese toymaker MEDICOM TOY, DC DIRECT is pleased to wrap up DC Comics' 75th Anniversary year with an extra-special, super deluxe set of DC Comics' best-known heroes and villains, in an array of versions ... KUBRICK style! *EXCLUSIVE NEW DECOS! Featured in this 10-figure, super deluxe set are:

• Batman ( comics-style )
• Superman ( Superman Returns movie )
• Batgirl ( animated-style )
• The Joker ( The Dark Knight movie )
• Batman ( animated-style )
• Batman ( The Dark Knight movie )
• Batman ( Batman movie 1989 )
• Robin ( animated-style )
• Catwoman ( Batman Returns movie )
• Harley Quinn ( animated-style )

Average size of each figure is 2.7" high. Packaged in a super deluxe 4-color window box measuring approximately 8" high x 7" wide x 2" deep. Limited Edition Set will retail for around $100.00. Look for it on sale towards the end of the year around December 15th, 2010.

Don's BATMAN Christmas Tree Ornament Collection

Shown here are some wonderful photos of a very nice collection of Batman-related Christmas Tree Ornaments. They were sent in by our friend Don & to give you an idea of the size of his tree we also get to meet Ayden & Jake. They usually get to help decorate the tree & they really enjoy it, it's a lot of fun! Plus, if you check out the photos they did a wonderful job! I wanna thank Don for thinking about the Bat-Blog & sending us these cool pics. Plus, I want to wish Ayden, Jake, & all our other readers the very best holiday season ever!

SUPERMAN on BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - Wallpaper Backgrounds

YES! BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD IS BACK! The 1st new episode, "The Battle of the Superheroes!", airs TONIGHT, Friday, March 25th, at 6:30 PM on the Cartoon Network. here are a few scenes from the show which I have made into Desktop Wallpaper backgrounds. In this new episode the main guest is SUPERMAN and his friends, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen! The Villain Lex Luthor makes an appearance too, ha! Be sure to check out the video clip previews here at the Bat-Blog ( Look for the post below this one ).

Funny BATMAN AND ROBIN Humor Photos and Comic Strips

Here's a post of random BATMAN AND ROBIN Humor Photos and Comic Strips that are pretty funny. The 1st one is the Republican Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann. ( No, we are NOT endorsing her, it's just a funny Batman-related parody photo ). The next pic with the 2 girls in costume is a photo I found awhile back on the internet and it didn't explain what it is. It might have been a photo used in an advertisement or from a High School Yearbook, who knows? But it's kinda funny. Actually, I think it's more cute than funny, ha! The last 2 graphics are obviously "Comic Strips". The 1st one was from a foreign website & I have NO idea what they're saying but if you study the image you can kind of figure it out, ha! The last one is from the 1960's & appeared in a Vintage Paperback Book from around the time the '66 BATMAN TV Show was on. I forget the name of the book, I think it was "BAT-LAFFS", or something like that. I love the retro-style artwork and the Batmobile looks cool too, ha!


Have you recently seen a funny Batman Photo or Parody? If so, then please share it to us. Our email button is always at the top right-hand side of this page, thanks!

Superman Hairstyle Training Starts Early

(via The Clearly Dope)

Nerd Art Dump: Monster Fighting Robots, Mother of Dragons, Zombie Cats, & MOAR!

Each and every week we scour the Internet for nothing but the best in nerdy art. We leave no digital stone unturned, we poke and prod every nook and cranny of the Interwebz. Why? Because we love you, and we love to bring you weekly feed of nerd art.

On with the dump!

Above: Berkay Daglar didn't have to do much to get us excited about this Pacific Rim poster, we were taken the moment we saw the giant robot. It just helps they made a sweet poster that I personally wouldn't mind having hung in my living room right about now. [Berkay Daglar]

Hit the jump for Disney girls, ninja turtles and more.

We've been waiting for a proper reboot of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Otto Schmidt may have just kickstarted everything. Removing all the slapstick and the steroids of the 80s' series and giving everyone a more modernized tone, Otto has made a He-man series worth watching. And honestly, I missed Orko the first time I saw this, see how fast you can find him. [Geek Tyrant]

Yes, Wonder Woman is lovely to stare at, but watch out for that rope of her's or "mercy" won't be the only thing you're saying between her punches. This quick sketch, that's right sketch, by JimboBox is perfect. [Deviant Art]

We featured the touching work of Andry Rajoelina and his comic book families before with DC, but now he's at it again with the heroes of Marvel. And no, we're not crying, we're just upset there's no more tickets to Comic-Con. Why must you make us feel, Andry? [Herochan]

The first family of Marvel and the Fantastic Four get their own retro poster thanks to Colby H Bryant. It makes you just want to get into the Fantastic car and get to punching Doctor Doom in his silly metal face. [Herochan]

The Lich in Adventure Time is mean, scary and a downright evil dude, but thankfully he's just a cartoon character. That was until artist Sam Denmark put his digital pen to work and created a version of the villain that would give Freddy Krueger nightmares. Remember, he can't hurt you if you have a sweater imbued with the power of "liking someone a lot" - we hope. [Obvious Winner]

This season of Game of Thrones may be over, but the stellar artwork continues to go on. Daenerys and her currently calm fire-breathing dragon are at a moment of peace thanks to artist zimmay and their crafty hand. Season 4, here we come. [Deviant Art]

Poison Ivy, Catwoman and Harley Quinn, alone they're pretty dang clever, but put them together and these sirens are bringing Gotham to its knees. W. Scott Forbes

People love Man of Steel, it revived the Superman franchise and made Henry Cavill a household name. So why not let Lerms take a crack at giving him a portrait worthy of the great hall in the Fortress of Solitude. Lois will love it and you should too. [Geek-Art]

Every once in a while we just have to post a drawing that makes us say, "what kind of gold is this?" Today this gold comes in the form of Minna Sundberg's cat-filled zombie apocalypse scenario, with the cats trying to survive their undead former friends. Nice to see that one cat has their eye on the ball in all of this. [Geek Tyrant]

Happy Valentines Day with the Batman!

Every holiday we always try to spot some new Batman merchandise that is being offered. Usually this stuff is sold at many different locations and it's sometimes hard to find or sells out pretty quick. Here are a few examples for Valentine's Day 2013.

The 1st pic is a fun item I spotted at Wal-Mart the other night. This is a new concept I have not seen before. Some company created a special "Batman Mailbox" you can put on your desk to receive small Valentine Cards. This set also comes with 16 valentines to give away. Also this year, in their "Holiday Area" of the store, they still have the regular boxes of Valentine Greeting Cards for school kids ( not pictured here ) and they have both the "Comic Book" version of BATMAN and "The Dark Knight Rises" movie version too. The DKR ones also come with 16 pencils that have cool graphics.

Next up is this heart-shaped box of DC Comics' Valentine Bubble Gum. They made 2 different ones, Batman and Superman. Now, this is a random photo I found on the web and have not confirmed their exact location yet, but I do know that they sell for only 99 cents so that's cool. Some people have told me they have seen these at Target and others said Wal-Mart.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY!!

PBS Video - Pioneers of Television: Superheroes

On the PBS program, Pioneers of Television, this week they featured an episode called "Superheroes". It covers the early history of the appearance of comic book characters on television and also crosses many eras: "Superman" in the 1950s, "Batman" in the 1960s, "Wonder Woman" and "The Incredible Hulk" in the '70s and "The Greatest American Hero" in the '80s.

They all fought villains, rescued the innocent and became role models. The episode features in-depth interviews with Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Lynda Carter, Lou Ferrigno, William Katt and others.

Well, here's the entire episode, enjoy!

Watch Superheroes on PBS. See more from Pioneers of Television.

Will [Spoiler] Be the Big Bad for ‘Justice League’ Movie?

So, the Justice League movie. They don’t have a director, they don’t have a script, they don’t have any stars, but they have a release date, and now they have a villain too.

And could it be any more obvious…

Darkseid. It’s Darkseid!

So it’s the obvious choice, why? Because Darkseid is the biggest bad in the DC Universe. The god-like despot of the planet Apokolips, is always up to something that the Justice League, either individually or as a group, have to thwart. The character has appeared in several animated series over the years including Super Friends (voiced by Frank Welker), Superman and Justice League (voiced by Michael Ironside) and the recent direct-to-DVD animated flick Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (voiced by Andre Braugher).

So is this a case of counter-programming? Rumor has it that the mad titan Thanos will be the bad guy in The Avengers 2, which, oddly enough, comes out the same summer that Justice League is scheduled to come out during. And that means that once again Thanos and Darkseid will be facing off against one and other like they did in JLA/Avengers, the comic book crossover that brought the two super-teams together. And yes, only one will leave the arena (or box office) alive.

Presuming, of course, that Justice League finds a director, script and actors in time for a 2015 release date.

What do you Bastards have to say about this development? And while we’re at it, who could play a live-action Darkseid?

Source: Latino Review

Snyder Talks Superman’s Costume, Doesn’t Rule Out ‘Justice League’ Connection

Many have wondered if Man of Steel, the new Superman film directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, might the beginning of studio Warner Bros. building a similar cinematic universe for DC Comics characters that Marvel has for their films, all leading to a potential Justice League movie.

Snyder and Co. have been pretty mum on the implications, but in a new interview with the The New York Post (via Comic Book Movie) Snyder says that there’s nothing to suppose that Man of Steel couldn’t kick off a shared movie universe leading to Justice League.

“I don't know how 'Justice League' is going to be handled. Honestly, I don't. But 'The Man of Steel' exists, and Superman is in it. I don't know how you'd move forward without acknowledging that.”

On the flip side, Snyder says that the approach he and Nolan took was to focus on this film, and not worry about the implications of sequels and spin-offs.

"We approach the film as a single endeavor. There are a lot of gears that have to turn in the world of commerce and the world of the mythology we create to facilitate more adventures for this character. We'll see what happens."

And because no superhero movie interview is complete without addressing some bit of minutia that only nerds seem to invest an exorbitant amount of time and energy in, Snyder talked about Superman’s new threads (via Geek Tyrant):

“The costume was a big deal for me, and we played around for a long time. I tried like crazy to keep the red briefs on him. Everyone else said, 'You can’t have the briefs on him.’ I looked at probably 1,500 versions of the costumes with the briefs on. If you look at the costume, it’s very modern, but the relationship to the original costume is strong. You come onto a project like this, and you hear about modernization and you hear about bringing things forward to today, and all you can do is hope that it’s going to look cool and different from anything you’ve seen before.”

Man of Steel comes out in theaters everywhere next summer.

Noel Cruz Paints Celebrity Dolls To Make Them Uncanny Valley Fabulous

If you’ve ever seen actors playing with themselves — er, action figure versions of themselves, we mean — you already know that many of the action figures and dolls for our favorite movie characters look very little like we remember them. Thankfully, artist Noel Cruz has rectified this with painstaking re-paints of the dolls based upon some of his favorite characters, including actors from Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight, Pirates of the Caribbean, comic book adaptations, and classic movies. His whole oeuvre is impressive, but we wanted to focus on the ultra-realistic repainted dolls from the movies most relevant to what we enjoy (or mock) on a regular basis.

Cruz uses acrylic paint and ultra-fine brushes to make factory-standard dolls look more true to life, sometimes yielding uncanny results. Many of them have sold on Ebay for over $500.

“As with all my creations, I completely strip the original factory paint on each of the dolls and completely repaint the facial features in, paying attention to accuracy of likeness and lifelike expressions. [...] Repaint is a new form of pop art, wherein the doll’s face is treated like a three dimensional canvas, with the added challenge of painting within a very small area . Since dolls are basically miniature pieces, brush strokes and shading have to be very controlled and precise.” — Noel Cruz

All pictures via Noel Cruz, and you can view (or buy) more at his site. Hat tip to ONTD (via Jezebel).

Cate Blanchett as Galadriel (Lord of the Rings)

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn (Lord of the Rings)

Liv Tyler as Arwen (Lord of the Rings)

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan (Twilight: New Moon)

Pirates of the Caribbean dolls

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

Partial rework of Hot Toys’ Christopher Reeve Superman

The post Noel Cruz Paints Celebrity Dolls To Make Them Uncanny Valley Fabulous appeared first on UPROXX.