Adventureblog Gallery: Wolves of Odin and Batroc ze Leapair

Wolves of Odin



By Grant Gould and Mark McHaley. Like the preview book, this will also be available in San Diego in limited quantities.

Batroc



By Dan Boyd.

Adventureblog Theater: Indiana Jones trailers

Raiders of the Lost Ark



Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom



Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade



Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Awesome List: Oddly Normal, Wolves of August, Phil Jimenez, pacifist Hulk, Marvel Slurpees, and the Baby Orchestra

Oddly Normal

Caught up on some TiVo last night and got to see the episode of Middleman where Otis Frampton's Oddly Normal makes a guest appearance.



This was especially cool for me because my friend Jess Hickman is illustrating the next volume in the series, Fignation Times.



It doesn't look like Volume 3 is available on Amazon yet, but if you're going to be at San Diego Comic-Con, Otis will have a Limited Edition debut available for sale there. Make me jealous and check it out if you're there.



The Wolves of Odin



And speaking of friends with projects, Grant Gould's Wolves of Odin Vikings vs. Werewolves comic has a publisher and will debut in November. Grant will also be in San Diego and he'll have a Limited Edition Preview Book for Wolves with him. You will be hearing much, much more about this from me.

If you're not going to San Diego and still want a taste of the book though, Grant's running a Meet the Cast feature on the publisher's blog. So far he's introduced these two.

Phil Jimenez is way cool

I loved Phil Jimenez's work on Wonder Woman and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Wonder Woman Encylopedia he's editing.

I just discovered this Pop Syndicate interview where he talks about that project and what he's learned from it.

It’s been fascinating to see how historically the same sorts of stories have been told over and over again. I am not even sure creators between generations actually know this. They just think, “Oh my god I’ve got the perfect wonder woman story!” Like, “someone else is going to be wonder woman.” Only to find out and realize that in comic book history there have been 10 Wonder Women. Three of whom, mind you, are the golden age, earth 1 and post crisis versions. So there are three Dianas. But Wonder Woman has been replaced numerous times. Some cranky Amazon has said ‘I can do your job better than you can’ and has tried to orchestrate another contest. They get the outfit, they find out they are not suited for it, Diana gets the outfit back, - Artemis, Orana, another one from the 60s, Donna Troy, Circe. It’s interesting to me how the costume goes around. The point being that one of the things that has been fascinating me is sort of marking these story trends. And once the encyclopedia is done, I can honestly say that we never need to see another Amazon challenge Wonder Woman to the title, because it’s been done. Not because it’s not such a good story but because it’s been done over and over again.

He also talks about how he'd love a shot at drawing John Byrne's version of Alpha Flight. I'm so wishing I was in charge at Marvel right now.

The Hulk does not fight?

I've always thought this smiley, kiddie version of the Hulk was weird, but now I actually hate him. Again... so wishing I was in charge at Marvel right now.

Master of Slurp Fu



Totally by coincidence, I found two different galleries of two different sets of Awesome Slurpee Cups.

I just thought this was funny




There's more like it here.

Adventureblog Gallery: The tiger heart that pants beneath

The title of this one is from Moby Dick: "When beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it..."

I'll explain why later, but I'm really into sea adventure lately.

Giant Squid 1955



From Tom Simpson's collection of vintage Disneyland photos.

Capt. Hailborne at St. Johns, Newfoundland



By Ludwig Gottfried.

A Mermaid



By John Waterhouse.

Goth mermaid



By Michelle Steele.

Malaga Cove Plaza fountain



I know it's wrong, but I can't help but love it.

Adventureblog Theater: Man from Atlantis

Apologies to SF Signal who had the idea first.

Awesome List: Pirates, marine superheroes, sea monsters, a floating city, and... Fish War.

Galveston



Boom! Studios sent me a press release about their upcoming pirate/cowboy mini-series. It's based on actual events from Jean Lafitte's days in Galveston, Texas where he knew and worked with future Alamo-hero Jim Bowie. Boom! calls it "an over the top thriller of blood, guts, and revenge." I wonder if they're going to mention that Lafitte and Bowie knew each other because the frontiersman helped the pirate smuggle in slaves and launder the profits.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

I gotta start reading more Young Adult books. That's where all the action is. Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, for example, is the story of a prim and proper nineteenth-century schoolgirl who crosses the Atlantic to rejoin her family after studying in England. But on the trip she gets involved in mutiny and murder and is transformed into a swashbuckling heroine.

I thoroughly enjoyed Avi's medieval tale Crispin, so I'm going to have to read this too. But maybe I'll wait until after the movie (starring Morgan Freeman and Pierce Brosnan).

Marrina Mini-Bust



Bowen Designs has a new mini-bust featuring one of my favorite Alpha Flight characters. I hate what happened to her in the comics, but the tragic aspect of her story is probably what I like most about her. That and just that she's really, really well-designed.

Man, I miss John Byrne's Alpha Flight.

Did you know Aquaman has a theme song?

Neither did I.

Sea monster wallet



Designed by Mike DiPetrillo.

Tetrapod Zoology's Sea Monster Week

Featuring the Amazing Hook Island Sea Monster, Professor Sharpe's Mysterious Sea Serpent, the Tecolutla monster, sea monster corpses, and two posts on Moore's Beach Monster.

Soon we will all live on giant, floating, lilypad cities.



At least, I certainly hope so.

Fish War



If only it weren't from the people who brought us Dragon Wars. Still, the concept is awesome enough that one has hope.

Awesome List: Indy stuff, Next Men, super hero cartoons, and more.

"And you're a crazy, flying fool!"

I wish I was a member of the Aviator's Club that Link Thorne belongs to. Their cigarette girls are Awesome.



Custom-made Indiana Jones DVD case



I wish there was a picture of it open, but even so... holy mackerel that's cool.

Indy Voodoo doll


As long as I'm wishing, I wish this was a replica and not the actual prop from the movie. Then I might be able to afford it.

John Byrne's Compleat Next Men

IDW is collecting the entire series of John Byrne's Next Men, including the 2110 prequel one-shot and a bunch of extras. I hope it does well and attracts a lot of new readers because Byrne is not-quite-promising that he'll continue the story if the collections do well.

Joanna asks if that kind of promise is a sort of blackmail and sums it up as, "Buy my old unfinished series — and if enough of you do, maybe I’ll finish it." I don't think it's quite as nefarious as that. Next Men works beautifully well just like it is. It doesn't need to be finished to get a complete story.

But, as someone who really loved the series - it's the best thought-out time travel story I've ever read, and it features the first appearance of Hellboy (pre-dating even "Seed of Destruction") - I'd love to see more of it. I interpret Byrne's statement as wishing-out-loud, not blackmail. Buy it because it's good; not because Byrne may or may not make a sequel if you do.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

...is live.

Haven't seen The Dark Knight yet

Would've fought the midnight crowds if the movie was going to be more like this...



Actually, I'm getting more and more excited about it. Or maybe "curious" is a better adjective. Looking forward to Thursday when I'll finally be able to see it.

Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard

Now this I'm looking forward to. My son is going to freak.

Cartoon Network Saturday nights

Cartoon Network announced its Saturday evening programming block that will include the Clone Wars cartoon, Ben 10, and "a new animated incarnation of Batman." Presumably the Brave and the Bold series that'll team him up with different superheroes each week.

Hallmark's Nerdaments



Hallmark has unveiled its line-up of nerd-themed ornaments for the year. Topless Robot - as always - has the right perspective on it in their post title.

Song of the Week: The Flaming Lips - "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song"

I love the energy of this song. And the werewolf in the video.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

I liked it, but it wasn't Hellboy. (Minor spoilers may follow.)

It's not a Hellboy plot, for one thing. It's a standard Action Movie Doomsday Device plot. Bad guys want to take over/destroy the world and lack just one thing to make it happen. Heroes have to prevent the bad guys from getting what they want. Substitute fantasy characters for the mad scientists and superspies and you've got yourself a Hellboy sequel.

The subplot's not Hellboy either. I was okay with some Hellboy/Liz romantic tension in the first one, but it becomes a major development now and moves even further away from who Hellboy is in the comics. Comics Hellboy is a lot more comfortable with himself than Movie Hellboy. I'm sure that Comics Hellboy has his moments of loneliness and self-pity, but they don't dominate him the way they do Movie Hellboy.

Which is probably why I didn't like that Hellboy II spends so much time yet again on the Us vs. Them; Freaks vs. Normal People theme. The villain in Hellboy II keeps trying to convince Hellboy that he's on the wrong side. And the story keeps trying to make us wonder if the villain doesn't have a point. Hellboy and Company save a large number of New Yorkers from a giant monster only to have the humans turn on them because they look different. The first Hellboy movie already covered this territory and covered it a lot more effectively. Yeah, Hellboy isn't one of us, but he fights for us anyway. We get it. You've beaten the point dead. Let's move on.

I think I would've been much more okay with the Hellboy/Liz romance if the whole point of it wasn't Hellboy and Liz Against the World (or Us Freaks Have to Stick Together). And just to make pulp out of the theme's corpse, Abe has to be drawn into it too with a romance of his own. But where Hellboy and Liz had the whole first movie to get us to buy in to them as a couple, Abe's feelings for the Elven Princess Nuala develop way too quickly. It's a crush (and an only partially requited one from all the encouragement Nuala gives poor Abe), but we're told that it's passionate love every bit as deep as what Hellboy and Liz feel for each other.

There are some other problems I have with the movie too. In one important fight, the heroes start off doing very well, but as soon as their opponents show even a hint of being able to fight back, the Heroes immediately give up. Worse than that, they stand still and wait while the bad guys recover. And the only reason for it is to keep the heroes from claiming victory too soon and ruining the way the writers want the fight to end.

There's also a lack of awe or wonder from any of the main characters. It's a gorgeous movie with all sorts of imaginative creatures and settings, but the characters all act like it's nothing special. In the comics, even though Hellboy and his friends have seen and fought countless weirdos and monsters before, there's still a sense of fear or amazement whenever they encounter something new. And as a viewer, I need that, because I've certainly seen my own fair share of amazing, scary, awesome, wonderful creatures and monsters at the movies. If the film treats these things as if they're old and routine, I'm going to feel like they're old and routine too, regardless of how cool the designs are.

And the designs are really cool. And I like all the characters. And it's a funny, action-packed movie. In fact, even though it's a really bad movie on paper, it's so funny and action-packed and likable and beautiful and cool that those positive things pretty evenly balance out the negatives. I may have hated that Hellboy and Abe needed to whine about their love lives in the movie, but I love that they did it by getting smashed and belting out a Barry Manilow tune. I may have hated that the villain is a two-dimensional cliché, but I love that he looks and fights so cool and that his only friend is a huge troll named Mr. Winky. The film is really, really good at creating those moments of cognitive dissonance in me.

Three out of five Bootie-Kickin Dark Elves.

Awesome List: Monkey fighters and Space Girls

Bad Monkeys


That's the British cover to Matt Ruff's novel Bad Monkeys. It's about a secret organization of evil-fighters and the female agent who decides to give them up. You can read a sample chapter at the website, but I'm warning you that you'll be hooked.

Dorothy Lamour: Jungle Girl



Golden Age Comic Books has the complete story of another monkey-fighter starting here and finishing here.

Sally Volt: Space Jungle Girl



If I haven't said it before (I so have): Gene Gonzales is a genius. Space Jungle Girl... amazing.

Futura


Segueing into space girls now, Sleestak introduces us to one I'd never heard of before: Futura. He even has her entire first adventure here.

Awesome List: Stykman, Indiana Jones, and other adventurers

My Wizard World Chicago reports



I haven't linked yet to the reports of Wizard World Chicago I wrote for Newsarama, so here they are. There are ones for the Marvel/DC panel, the Wonder Woman panel, the Kids and Comics panel, and the Women in Comics panel.

The Miscellaneous Adventures of Stykman

I love Stykman. It's been a long time between issues, but in the most recent newsletter from aka Comics, creator/publisher Jonnie Allan explains that he had to drop Diamond as his distributor.

Truth be told, we allowed a certain distributor ... to in a sense dictate how we would continue to publish our books. In their "wisdom," they decided to no longer carry The Miscellaneous Adventures of STYKMAN™ in individual issue form, but rather distribute it solely in Trade Paper Back (TPB). In other words, if you wanted issues 4 and 5 you would have to purchase the TPB - Basically forcing fans and retailers alike who have already purchased issues 1-3 to buy them again. Although we begrudgingly played along for a little while, in the end we decided that was not the way we wanted to do things. All orders for our first TPB were cancelled by us and a departure from said distributor was made.

So what now? One thing is for sure, STYKMAN™ has not been thrown into the wood chipper, cast onto the firewood pile or gone the way of the dinosaur. In fact, the first licensed collectible is on its way from China and is now available for order. As for the comic series, our plans are to continue publishing STYKMAN™ in individual issue format collecting it in TPB once all issues have been produced and offered to our adoring fans like yourself. Our plans are to offer our title directly to you through our website and conventions, as well as alternative distribution methods.

More details are promised.

I'm mentioning this partly - like I said - because I love Stykman and I'm anxious for more comics about him. But I'm also mentioning it because - although I've always liked Jonnie Allan - I'm especially proud of him for making a bold move away from Diamond. Diamond's the only distributor in the country for a lot of comics stores, so Jonnie's automatically cutting out an enormous potential audience by making this decision. That he's doing it because he believes it's the right thing to do by his current readership is nothing short of stunning. I hope you'll check out the website and order the first three issues. You won't be sorry.

Why Cate Blanchett kind of sucked in Crystal Skull



As disappointed as I was in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the Castle Vardulon blog hated it more. Enough to run a 20 day "I Hate Indiana Jones" series. While I don't agree with all the posts there, I think he makes a really good point about why Cate Blanchett's character is pretty weak.

...Cate Blanchett's utter inability to have useful psychic abilities hurts the film more than a little. By this, I mean that if she'd actually been psychic, the film could have gotten rid of the useless 'Mac' character. Instead of a close friend betraying Indy to the Russians, the information they needed could have been plucked from Indy's head. Instead of using a radar setup to follow Indy to the Valley of the Crystal Skull, Cate could have just followed their psychic traces.

Bonekickers

This BBC show about a group of Indy-like archaeologists is too new to start wondering when it's coming to the States, but it sure looks interesting.

Coolest Spider-Man toy EVER.



Topless Robot has others too, but they're dead right about Number One.

Iron Man 2 will be Awesome.

Favreau's back.

And speaking of that...

It was only a matter of time before Warner Bros. and DC realized that they really need to get their act together. (Although - as Kevin points out in the link - it's not like they haven't had any success with their movies so far.)

Who said they don't make cool playsets anymore?



I'm tempted to start buying action figures again.

The Adventures of Gabriel Hunt



I've been waiting a long, long time for something like this. As Bookgasm describes it:

Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai has announced a new pulp series titled THE ADVENTURES OF GABRIEL HUNT. Debuting next May, the novels will be issued once a month in true serial fashion, ghostwritten by several Hard Case authors under the nom de plume of Hunt himself, the globetrotting adventurer, with painted covers by Glen Orbik. “These books are for anyone who grew up reading H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs or watching Harrison Ford wield his bullwhip at the movies,” said Ardai. “We’re talking classic adventure fiction, complete with horses, snakes, shovels, pickaxes, torches, traps, bottomless pits, barroom brawls, jungles, jewels, and just about everything else that’s ever made your heart beat faster.”

Nim's Island made me sad that there isn't a real series of Alex Rover books to read. This is so made for me.