Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week I celebrated the Irish by highlighting green comic book characters, this week I’m focusing on prints. Not only is Etsy fantastic for craft items, there’s a lot of really amazing art there as well. From time to time I’ll showcase one users artwork that really jumps out at me. For my first go-around, it’s artist Amber Lynn Seegmiller, known on Etsy as ambird.

Ambird has a series of Gotham Chic artwork that plays off Batman and his Rogues Gallery. The first that caught my eye was this one of “Batman.” She also has the other half of the Dynamic Duo, Robin. All prints are $10. (more…)

As teased earlier, here’s a minute’s worth of Captain America: The First Avenger footage from Entertainment Tonight — the most previewed from the film thus far. And hey, just imagine how this would be even cooler without the Mark Steines narration! (Apologies to the Mark Steines devotees reading this.)

Captain America: The First Avenger is in theaters on July 22, 2012.

Entertainment Tonight is promising a big feature on Captain America: The First Avenger for this evening’s program, and a teaser for this evening’s show debuted some never-seen footage, including Cap throwing his mighty shield, and lots of Tommy Lee Jones (perhaps because the 64-year-old Jones is a presumable favorite among ET‘s usual audience). Here’s the clip:

Stay tuned for more on Entertainment Tonight‘s Cap coverage. The movie stars Chris Evans in the title role, is directed by Joe Johnston, and is in theaters on July 22, 2012.

I’ve only published one, going-on-two comic books in my entire life, so I’m not exactly an expert in publishing decisions. I’m also not a comics retailer, so I know very little about the business of selling funnybooks to readers in comic shops. My lack of qualifications now clearly established, it still seems to me that releasing Captain America #615.1,  Captain America and Batroc #1, Captain America Comics #1, Captain America: Man Out of Time#5 and Marvel’s Greatest Comics: Captain America: Reborn #1 (not to mention an Essential volume), all on the very same day might be a few Captain America comics too many.

Arctic Marauder: One of the most interesting looking releases of the week, this is Fantagraphics’ representation of Adele Blanc-Sec creator Jacques Tardi’s 1972 Jules Verne-esque, Edwardian era “icepunk” adventure. You can learn more about it, and read a preview of it here. 

Batman Incorporated #4, Batman: The Dark Knight #2: The two best-selling Batman books, Grant Morrison’s franchise flagship and David Finch’s auter take, both show up on the same week, after unfortunate, difficult to understand delays (Morrison works with a different artist every three pages or so on his Batman work, and if Finch didn’t have two books in the can, why launch his book when they did?). In Batman Inc, Morrison and artist yanick Paquette send Batman back to Gotham to team-up with Batwoman; he’s probably going to break the news to her that her solo book is pretty much never going to happen (Check out the online solicitation for laughs, though—”And don’t miss the first issue of BATWOMAN’s new monthly series, on sale this month!”) In Finch’s book, Batman broods while looking at an unconscious lady’s breasts, while a giant Penguin looks on (Er, I’m just guessing by the cover).

Bookhunter: Jason Shiga’s critically acclaimed 2007 original graphic novel about a guy who hunts books is offered again. It’s a  $15, 145-page book, and shouldn’t require too much hunting to find. In fact, I imagine it will just be sitting there waiting for you at any of your finer local comic shops.
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Everyone, from fans to critics, are speculating what Zack Snyder’s take on Superman will be. Well now we have an inkling and also know what it won’t be.

In an interview with the L.A. Times’ Hero Complex, Snyder spoke candidly about how he feels this Superman film should be approached. “Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies,” he said.

With three roles now cast, Henry Cavill as Superman, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Kevin Costner as Jonathan, it’s obvious Snyder has a particular vision in mind but that vision will be unlike anything that came before it.  ”Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there’s been no other Superman movies,” he said. “If you look at  Batman Begins, there’s that structure: there’s the canon that we know about and respect, but on other hand there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there haven’t been any other movies.”

Unlike the Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns, which paid close attention to emulating the Richard Donner films, Snyder is making sure to separate his movie from the flock. “Superman is the one constant in the universe. You know that if you do Superman right — or at least if you do him with respect — you know you end up with something great,” he said. “[But] in some ways [beyond] that is virgin territory. No one knows what that is. In some ways Superman is the most recognizable superhero on the planet but also the most unknown. Just what he can be? People have preconceived ideas about him but probably all of them are wrong.”

As far as what the iconic superhero’s costume will look like, well, of course Snyder can’t say but just like Adrianne Palicki’s Wonder Woman duds, it will be revealed purposefully. “I’d love to talk about it.” said Snyder, “We’re going to have to show it before we shoot, probably a while before that because [otherwise] someone will be on the set and get a picture of it.”

Snyder’s Superman is set for a December 2012 release while his next film, Sucker Punch, hits theaters Friday.

Awesome sense, tingling!

So I saw the Spider-Man Musical on Broadway a few weeks back for my birthday. To say I was disappointed is probably an understatement. (I’m pretty sure the phrase “I’m not on enough drugs to appreciate this” was used shortly after the second act began.) Disappointed, I said to myself: Where else will I get that Parker charm on stage?

The Spidey Project has got you covered — and the show is now up in four parts on YouTube. I’m about 10 minutes into this, and I’m already totally smitten: Seeing Peter Parker’s life as, well, a bit of a comedy is a great way to keep the energy moving as well as play up the sheer absurdity that is The Parker Luck. Nerdy Betty Brant is probably the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long, long time, and Flash Thompson’s “Captain Hammer”-esque jockery is just awesome.

Stemming from some extremely dedicated (and clearly musically adept) fans who created the script and score in 10 days flat, this is the sort of respect and love of the source material that, well, the Broadway version of the show just completely lacked. Even as it lacks the (alleged) polish of a $65 million budget, the cast of this show should be proud of this funny, funny accomplishment. Check out Parts Two, Three and Four. Seriously, Spider-Fans, you just hit the jackpot.

Hold on a sec. Following Saturday’s Variety report that “insiders” say Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be playing Alberto Falcone in The Dark Knight Rises, Entertainment Weekly is countering that “a source close to the situation” says that’s not correct. They don’t know who JGL will be playing, though.

So, to evoke a certain 2008 Marvel crossover series, who do you trust? Variety or EW? Insiders or source close to situations? There’s certainly no doubt that Gordon-Levitt seemed to be a physical match for Alberto Falcone, but looks like we may have to wait for an official announcement from Warner Bros. on this one.

Colleen Coover’s “Cat Ladies”: The Gingerbread Girl artist shares a commission of Catwoman and The Black Cat hanging out together. Odd, I always assumed those two characters would hate one another, but I guess they’re not as catty as I thought they’d be. ..

Kyle Baker Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Click already, click!

“The Problem with the New Teen Titans”: Ben Morse discusses DC’s difficulties in making the stars of Wolfman/Perez Titans work once Wolfman and Perez stopped doing them, comparing them to “the townies that graduate high school and then rather than go to college or move on, just hang around their old haunts trying to relive their glory days but often just coming off desperate.” He also suggests what DC should do with them. Simply not continually throwing them together every few years just to see that it doesn’t work and breaking them up for a few more years before trying again seems like the ideal place to start to me. I also agree with Morse that Wally West should totally be in the Justice League right now; in fact, it seems downright insane to me that he’s not.

Flog programming note: The Fantragraphics blog has a new addition to their “Weekend Webcomics” feature, Michael Kupperman’s Up All Night strip from Washington City Paper. The first installment is awesome.

If you’re gonna swipe, swipe from the best: Buzz Dixon notes an old pulp cover’s similarity to a 19th century painting, as well as a possible if rarely cited inspiration for Batman. (Via Comics Reporter)

So I had five years and I still haven’t figured it out?: Michael Cavna notes some cartoons noting Twitter’s fifth birthday.

The one aspect of Wonder Woman that always garners attention?: Costume redesigns. Here’s Cavna, E!, New York Magazine‘s Vulture blog, Project: Rooftop and you can find a sizable round-up at the bottom of this When Fangirls Attack link collection.

“I’m mindful of the fact that original comic art is a dying animal in a way, as many artists are producing their work exclusively by digital means”: Don MacPherson on collecting original comic art.

You know who should draw Wonder Woman?: Richard Sala. One of my favorite pretty girl artists shares a rather old Wondy commission he did, featuring Dr. Poison and The Cheetah in the background. As great as Sala is at drawing pretty girls, he’s even better at drawing the sorts of colorful, creepy folks that composed Wondy’s original, criminally underused rogue’s gallery.

Variety’s Jeff Sneider is reporting that “insiders” say Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role in The Dark Knight Rises is officially Alberto Falcone, a primary antagonist from the Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale Batman stories The Long Halloween and Dark Victory.

Tom Wilkinson played Carmine Falcone, Alberto’s father, in Batman Begins. Alberto Falcone was the top rumored character for Gordon-Levitt to portray following last month’s news that he was close to a role in the film, though speculation ranged from Riddler to Deadshot. Gordon-Levitt was officially confirmed for the film on Friday.

Some heroes are part of a legacy. It began with Dinah Drake, a girl with a talent for physical combat who had trained for years to be a fighter and a detective. It was her father’s hope that she would become a police detective like himself. But the Gotham City police force of the 1940s didn’t accept Dinah into its ranks and so, following the death of her father, she decided to pursue crime-fighting in a different way. By day, she ran a simple flower shop, but at night she donned a blond wig and black outfit to operate as the vigilante called Black Canary. After several of adventures, she wound up joining the Justice Society of America, history’s first superhero team.

Years later, Dinah Drake married her long-time boyfriend, Detective Larry Lance. Eventually, they had a daughter, young Dinah Laurel Lance. Growing up with two crime-fighting parents, surrounded by superhero “uncles”, young Dinah wanted nothing more than to be the new Black Canary. Her mother was against it, but young Dinah persisted, especially after she discovered she had been born with the ability to emit sonic blasts (a side effect of her mother’s repeated exposure to supernatural forces). After years of intensive physical training, Dinah Laurel Lance got her own wig and outfit and became the new Black Canary. Soon after she started her heroic career, she even became a founding member of the Justice League of America.

Dinah Laurel Lance has been through a lot, over the years. She discovered that her mother had an affair with one of her “uncles.” She suffered through the deaths of both her parents. She has had an rocky on-again, off-again relationship with Oliver Queen, the hero called Green Arrow. A case that involved her being tortured robbed her of her powers and damaged her health. Later on, she began working as a “Bird of Prey,” one of several agents organized by Barbara Gordon AKA Oracle to act as international trouble shooters. Having now regained her powers and reaffirmed her direction in life, Black Canary (who now simply dyes her hair) continues to take down criminals, war lords and super-villains and always looks good doing it.

So let’s examine her fashion choices over the years. As usual, we’ll be sticking with what is/was considered mainstream continuity or else this becomes a novel.

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Freeway
Written & Illustrated by Mark Kalensniko
Published by Fantagraphics

Mark Kalesniko’s Mail Order Bride was among the best comics of 2003, so his latest – Freeway – came with considerable expectations. Freeway is a return to Kalesniko’s alter-ego, Alex Kalienka; while trapped in a southern California traffic jam, Alex recalls starting out in the animation field, his childhood dream, while contrasting the reality of office politics, back-stabbing favoritism and compromise against his dreams of creative freedom and loving comraderie.

In the end, Freeway’s concept is stronger than its reality. Which isn’t to say it’s a bad book – Freeway’s a perfectly okay book, but just an okay one. The characters are well crafted, and Kalesniko does a fine job contrasting the reality of his circumstances against his dream scenario – particularly in the case of his own insecurity compared to his dream-vision’s easy-going confidence. The office politics are well played and all too real, and the pages are laid out well, the illustrations suitably charming.

Yet the narrative pulls in too many directions, as Alex dreams of not just his past and his ideal, but images of his childhood encamped on a stool in front of a television recur; a dark, sputtering car lurks behind him on the L.A. freeway; and a young Alex frets fearfully over his job interview and ever feeling at home in bustling Los Angeles. And then there are the morbid daydreams of his own demise – each tangent works on its own, but taken together, they pull the story in too many directions.

While the layouts are effective, Kalesniko’s transition panels between dream visions – a three-panel exchange with both past and dream overlaid in the middle panel – becomes heavy-handed and distracted after the first few usages. Some sequences are drawn out too long, although others, such as the multi-panel images of gridlock and Alex’s stream of curses, enforce the insistent inescapability of the freeway’s congestion.

Freeway is a good book, but it’s not quite a great book. A clearer focus would keep Kalesniko’s intent at the book’s fore, that dreams are wonderful, but the world isn’t what you dream. Kalesniko provides no answers for his protagonist – the animation business doesn’t suddenly become everything he hoped. The world is full of compromises, but with a little more care, Freeway could’ve been free of them.

It’s official. Kevin Costner is playing Superman’s dad in the Zack Snyder directed film.

It had been rumored for some time that the Man of Steel crew were hoping to secure Costner for the role but they’ve finally done it. The Hollywood Reporter says the actor closed the deal with Warner Bros. and Legendary pictures to play Superman’s adoptive father Jonathan Kent.

Costner joins Henry Cavill playing Clark Kent/Superman and Diane Lane, who was recently announced as playing his on-screen wife, Martha. “Whether Costner will have an on-screen death is being kept very tightly under the cape by Warner Bros. and producers Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder,” says THR.

What’s your opinion on the casting? I think Costner and Lane will make a great married couple. My hope is the don’t follow tradition and kill Pa off so soon.

While there have been plenty of negative trends to emerge in mainstream serial super-comics over the last few years, one of the trends I’ve been quite happy to see the Big Two try out and stick with is weekly (and weekly-ish) comics series. You know, 52, Countdown, Trinity, Wednesday Comics, Amazing Spider-Man, Brightest Day, Justice League: Generation Lost, DC Universe Online Legends and so on.

They haven’t all been great comics, of course, and some of them have been downright lousy, but for someone with an every-Wednesday, weekly comics hobby/habit, there’s something quite refreshing about the dependability and regularity of the schedule—especially given that so many “monthly” comics have become “whenever-the-creators-get-‘em-done-ly.”

Outside of the thrice-monthly turned twice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel’s weekly-ish comics have been trying out five-issue miniseries in five-week months, like last year’s weird, confused but still kind of fun Heralds series and, this month, 5 Ronin.

I like weekly-ish comics so much that the schedule was actually what sold me on trying it out this series…well that and the attachment of writer Peter Milligan, whose best comics are great and his worst comics are better than those of most writers.

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Undeniably disappointing news ahead: Darren Aronofsky, recently nominated for an Academy Award for Black Swan, will not be directing the next Wolverine movie after all, according to sources including The Hollywood Reporter, citing a joint statement from 20th Century Fox and the director.

Though it’s hard to get too upset given Aronofsky’s stated reasons — the plan is to shoot extensively overseas (including, at one point, Japan), and Aronofsky didn’t want to be away from his family for the nearly year-long period production would have required. Fox is hoping this doesn’t slow down their plans too much; the studio said in the statement that they will “regroup and move forward aggressively” in regards to finding a new director, with Hugh Jackman still on board as the title character.

Reports of Aronofsky directing The Wolverine, as it’s currently titled, first surfaced in the early fall of last year, and was later confirmed by Fox this past November. The movie would have been a reunion for Jackman and Aronofsky, who worked together on The Fountain.

Several outlets reported this morning on the passing of Michael Gough. Gough, perhaps best known as Alfred in four Batman films, acted for decades, most recently lending his voice talents to Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “All-Star Superman.”

Born in 1917, Gough cemented attention with genre fans as early as 1958. That year, he played Arthur in the Hammer Studios revival of Dracula (released in the U.S. as “Horror of Dracula”). He worked steadily for years, appearing in many films and TV series. He also won a Tony in 1979 for “Bedroom Farce”.

In 1989, Gough appeared as Alfred in Tim Burton’s “Batman”, bringing the wise (and occasionally wise-cracking) butler to life for a new generation of fans. He would appear in “Batman Returns”, “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin”, one of only two actors to feature in all four (the other being Pat “Commissioner Gordon” Hingle).

Gough had three children, one of whom, his adopted daughter Polly, died in a car accident in 1982. His son Simon is an actor, as are his grandchildren Samuel and Daisy.

It is always good when those who can, do.

Recently, famed Gothamite artist Dustin Nguyen, posted on ebay a seriously super piece. It’s an 11 x 17 watercolor and acrylic painting which was the variant cover for Superboy #3. Nguyen talked to Blog@ about the piece and the fact that all proceeds are going to the Japan relief and the Red Cross. “One of the very few times I’ve strayed away from Gotham. I was aiming for something a bit iconic and striking in palette,” Nguyen said. “I just want to raise as much as I can for the cause.”

Another known artist is the ever-popular Adam Hughes, who will be taking donations, with a minimum of $5 for a head sketch on Saturday and Sunday for the first hour of C2E2 this weekend. All proceeds going to aid Japan. He will also be there at WonderCon the following week, with the same stipulation.

I love when the comic community can come together like this and aid those who could really benefit. I won’t make it out to C2E2, but I will definitely be at WonderCon for Hughes’ line.

Update:

Artist Kenneth Rocafort (Velocity, Madame Mirage, Action Comics) has posted in his blog that he is running an auction for a rare sketch with all the proceeds going to benefit those who have suffered from the Japan tragedy. All the details are on the mentioned link and the winner gets the sketch as well as a receipt from the Red Cross. The auction will run until the 23rd of March and will be dealt similarly to how the Haiti relief auction was handled. The Dr. Strange above is a sample of the work the winner would receive.

Did Marvel’s announcement today of a tennis-themed miniseries titled 15 Love by writer Andi Watson and artist Tommy Ohtsuka sound faintly familiar to you? Well, that means you’ve been paying attention for a while: 15 Love was originally announced back in 2003. In fact, let’s go back to the Newsarama archives for a recap of the Marvel Universe panel at Wizard World Chicago on August 11, 2003:

In speaking of upcoming titles worth a look, C.B. Cebulski said that the new Andi Watson-written series, 15-Love will surprise people and attract a solid readership. The series will be illustrated by Tommy Ohtsuka, and will revovle around tennis.

Four years later, Watson guest-blogged right here on Blog@Newsarama, and fielded a reader question on 15 Love’s status, clearly not seeing today’s news coming at that point: “it either went straight on the BBQ the moment Bill Jemas left the offices or it’s a plastic diamond in Marvel’s intellectual property crown,” Watson wrote.

As you may guess, 15 Love was a product of the Bill Jemas era of Marvel, when the then-president of the company experimented with a number of unconventional ideas, such as, well, publishing a comic book about female tennis players. But it wasn’t entirely removed from Marvel’s previous history: as Watson wrote on his Live Journal account in 2007, the series actually stars long-time Marvel humor character, Millie the Model. It looks like the current incarnation of 15 Love drops the second syllable from her first name: “Mill Collins is about to learn that life is anything but a piece of cake when the length of your high school career depends on the strength of your serve,” Marvel editor Jordan White is quoted in the official press release.

Earlier this week, we reported The Sandman television show based on Neil Gaiman’s famous work that had been announced in September of last year, was stalled. Well, DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns says, not true, The Sandman is moving forward.

The earlier news from the Hollywood Reporter had Supernatural creator, Eric Kripke, who was attached to the adaptation saying, “Unfortunately, for a lot of varying reasons, Sandman is not in the works, at least for this season.” He didn’t say it would never happen but he also didn’t sound too optimistic about the whole thing either.

Then, Johns jumped on Twitter to make sure we all knew the TV series was still on. “Correction to world: The Sandman is AWAKE! : ) Psyched to be working with @neilhimself on developing one of the greatest series ever!” he Tweeted. @neilhimself being Gaiman’s Twitter handle.

The original report from last year stated Gaiman was not involved with the show but that that could change. Kripke himself mentioned he had at least spoken with the writer but Johns followed his first  Sandman tweet with another, “Sandman in any form – comics to live action – doesn’t work without @neilhimself.”

As CCO, Johns has his fingers on the pulse of just about every film and television project coming from DC these days so it’s a safe bet The Sandman will be coming to TV eventually and WITH Neil Gaiman involved.

But how does he go to the bathroom?: “Amazing Yoshi Puppet Costume Stomps All Other Marios at Wizard World”

I love this headline: Particularly because “Hey, why not have Wolverine fight everybody?” doesn’t really seem like a capital I idea. That doesn’t mean the comic won’t be cool, of course; after all, it’s all in the execution.

Four panel Jason crossover comic: I’m not surprised he took out the others so quick, but after decades of combat training, I woulda thought Beetle Bailey would be harder to beat. (Via Flog)

Jeez, how old is Mr. Wilson then?: “Dennis The Menace Turns 60″

Keith Knight draws Godzilla: The occasion, sadly, isn’t a happy one. Knight’s text-heavy strips like this always bear some consideration though, I think, both as a testament to how potent his images are that he can get away with using so few and one hardly notices and because they “read” just like comics, despite the fact that the word-to-image ratio is so out of whack.

Whoever it is who owns the Sheena license should talk to Ross Campbell: These are awesome, especially so given the reservations he expressed concerning jungle girl concepts. Given his ability to draw sexy women and to draw realistic women, Campbell is actually a great artist for this genre, as icky as it can be conceptually.

Prince Valiant v. 3: 1941-1942
Written & Illustrated by Hal Foster
Published by Fantagraphics

Common consensus is that Hal Foster’s famed adventure strip Prince Valiant reaches the early days of its (long) golden era during the years collected in this book. Considering how much I enjoyed the first four years, when Foster was still finding the strip’s voice, I wasn’t sure how much better Valiant could get. Turns out, Prince Valiant achieves sheer radiance.

Now, for my money, Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates remains the class of the newspaper adventure strip – frankly, it remains the class of all adventure comics, strip, book or otherwise. Hal Foster, however, is pushing hard for the second slot on this list.

In 1941 and 1942, Valiant spends over a year voyaging through Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa, seeking the return of his fabled “Singing Sword” and pursuing the visionary beauty of Queen Aleta. Along the way, there are many fights won by Val’s determination, many romances enabled by Val’s kindness, and many tables turned by Val’s cunning. He travels with pirates in search of gold, battles against slave traders, and inevitably enriches the lives of good people everywhere, while demolishing those less worthy.

In short, Prince Valiant is noble romantic adventure fiction at its finest. The plots are classical, yet surprising, with chivalry and fair play constantly at the forefront. Poetic and strikingly descriptive, the narrations could nearly stand alone, but fortunately are accompanied by some of the finest comics’ art ever produced. Foster’s nuanced artwork captures the most subtle intentions of his immense cast, while the details and carefully crafted color work fill out Val’s world with rich textures from clothing to stonework, from animals to forests. Even the climates Val visits, sweltering Africa, frigid Britain – pounding rains and dehydrating days at sea – ground the reader in a palpable world.

Working from full-color syndicate printer’s proofs, Fantagraphics’ current Valiant reprints are the most pristine incarnations of Foster’s strip … well, ever. Surely the original newspaper versions didn’t showcase the full depth of his artwork, and the care put into the binding and the book design displays the publisher’s commitment to presenting Foster’s work in the best light possible. Prince Valiant v. 3: 1941-1942 finds a legendary strip reaching yet greater heights of creative accomplishment, presenting the strips with the full majesty of size, color and detail that its author always hoped for. After Foster, comics were never the same; this series is, simply, a must-have for any serious comics library.