Illustration roundup

Because dragon's are overdone, a fire-breathing swan. Merlin's Ring is available at Amazon and eBay. Via.




Orangutan with magnetic powers used magnetism in a suspect manner via this list of goofy Fantastic Four moments. The existence of this comic is an indication of how much education has improved, right?




Tattooed Black Manta by Dave Mott.




Longshot and She-Hulk by Jesse Hamm (I think).




Barbara Gordon/Oracle by Adam Hughes.

*Buy Batgirl toys at eBay.

Catwoman's outfit from Night of the Batmen

I mentioned how much I liked Plastic Man's look as Batman in Night of the Batmen. Catwoman looked pretty striking, too. A reader's comment sent me looking for the source. Turns out the costume was featured in Batman #210, in which Catwoman recruits eight new Catwomen:






That costume was also produced as a Mego costume:




You can find both the comic and the Mego figure at eBay.

Night of the Batmen (Plastic Man as Batman)

In last night's episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, "Night of the Batmen," Batman suffers a serious injury, and his fellow Justice Leaguers take his place patrolling Gotham. Green Arrow, Shazam, and Aquaman settle on their looks quickly, but Plastic Man tries out a few classic styles before settling on a pantsless look:











He has a fight with Catwoman:









And argues with the others as to who's the best Batman:





The end of the episode shows several more Batman volunteers:



*Buy Plastic Man toys at eBay.

DC created a super hero costume tailor shop in the real world

As the video explains, Mr. Lee's Tailor shop was opened in Madrid to create costumes for super heroes and villains. It was a promotion dreamed up by Leo Burnett to advertise DC Universe Online.

*Buy DC Direct action figures at eBay.

Green Lantern and bride and groom Dunnys

I usually just post custom toys at Toycutter, but thought these deserved to be posted here, too:








Green Lantern custom Dunny with removable ring and scratchbuilt lantern by Ian Ziobrowsk. The groom Dunny is by Ian, and the bride is by ZAM. You can see more custom toys by ZAM at Toycutter.

*Buy Dunnys at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Kate Middleton cereal by Brian Romero - "closer to royalty with every bite."




Infernal Train by Sun GuoLiang - - soon to be on sale in the Alice: Madness Returns merchandise store.




With Great Power by Ruben Ireland.




Threadless wants you to create a new mascot for them.




Black Canary and Wonder Woman by Kate Leth.

*Buy American McGee's Alice toys at eBay.

Best Covers: DC Comics Solicitations for July 2011

My favorites of the DC Comics solicitations for July 2011:


HOUSE OF MYSTERY #39
Written by MATTHEW STURGES
Art by LUCA ROSSI, PETER SNEJBJERG and JOSE MARZAN, JR.
Cover by ESAO ANDREWS
What’s Fig been doing all this time? And how did Lotus Blossom pull off her reality-bending stunt? Fig’s world and Lotus Blossom’s world begin to collide as the Magical Physicians try to force a reconciliation. All these mysteries begin to be answered in part four of “Desolation,” illustrated by Peter Snejbjerg (STARMAN)!




DC COMICS PRESENTS: BATMAN – GOTHAM NOIR #1
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Art by SEAN PHILLIPS and SCOTT MCDANIEL
Cover by SEAN PHILLIPS
Don’t miss this Elseworlds set in a stylish Gotham City straight out of classic mystery films, starring a down-on-his luck cop called Jim Gordon and the mysterious Bat! Plus, from BATMAN #604, The Dark Knight returns to Crime Alley for an encounter with Catwoman!




POWER GIRL #26
Written by MATTHEW STURGES
Art and cover by SAMI BASRI
Power Girl is in the big leagues now – and the First Annual “Power Girl Convention” has asked her to attend! But is she ready to meet her #1 fan? How about when that fan decides to keep P.G. around as her best friend and personal bodyguard – forever?




SECRET SIX #35
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by J. CALAFIORE
Cover by DANIEL LUVISI
This issue marks a major turning point in the life of the Secret Six’s most tortured member, the dangerously brilliant and ambitious Bane. Will even his few remaining friends on the team become casualties in his renewed war on Gotham City?




BATMAN INCORPORATED #9
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by CAMERON STEWART
1:25 Variant cover by CAMERON STEWART
Is an exclusive girls’ finishing school a secret training ground for teenaged assassins? Find out the truth as Batgirl undertakes her most dangerous
mission yet at the request of Batman.




FLASHPOINT: PROJECT SUPERMAN #2
Plot by SCOTT SNYDER
Script by LOWELL FRANCIS
Art and cover by GENE HA
FLASH QUESTION: Who is behind Project Superman?




FLASHPOINT: LEGION OF DOOM #2
Written by ADAM GLASS
Art by RODNEY BUCHEMI and JOSE MARZAN, JR.
Cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
FLASH QUESTION: The villains have mounted a prison break! Now, one lone hero stands in the way. Will Animal Man be able to stop them, or will they have their revenge against Cyborg?




FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS #2
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by ALEJANDRO GIRALDO
Cover by CLIFF CHIANG
FLASH QUESTION: Trapped behind enemy lines, will the Grayson family be able to help the Resistance, or is this their final performance?



FLASHPOINT: SECRET SEVEN #2
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by GEORGE PEREZ and SCOTT KOBLISH
Cover by GEORGE PEREZ
FLASH QUESTION: Who killed the first Seven? And can Amethyst stop them from killing the new Secret Seven?




THE SANDMAN VOL. 6: FABLES AND REFLECTIONS TP NEW EDITION
Written by NEIL GAIMAN
Art by P. CRAIG RUSSELL, JILL THOMPSON and others
Cover by DAVE McKEAN
A new edition of this title collecting issues #29-31 and SANDMAN SPECIAL #1, in which Morpheus delves into the dreams of Augustus Caesar, Cain and Abel, Marco Polo, Orpheus and more.




ZATANNA #15
Written by PAUL DINI
Art by JAMAL IGLE and JON SIBAL
Cover by ADAM HUGHES
The long-simmering rivalry between Zatanna and The Spectre ignites in this issue! In an infernal courtroom beneath Alcatraz Prison, the Maid of Magic is on trial for her life, with the vengeful Spectre determined to find her just as guilty as the mystic criminals she fights. Will even Zatanna’s powers be enough to save her from God’s wrath?

I took the liberty of turning Zatanna into a widescreen wallpaper:




*Buy Zatanna toys at eBay.