Last weekend at Emerald City Comic Con, it was announced that current Batgirl scribe  Gail Simone would be taking over Red Sonja, with her run having an all-female line up as cover artists. Rockstar artist Fiona Staples recently showed off her cover and by Crom is it cool looking. Staples has recently shot to superstar status with her and writer Brian K. Vaughan’s hit Saga and while that takes up most of her time, it’s good to see some work like this from her.

“Nick Barrucci from Dynamite got in touch with me, telling me that Gail had had the idea to have all-female cover artists on the book.” Staples told Blog@, who was excited about the project, especially since she has little experience with the character. “I’m not an expert on the Red Sonja mythos or anything, but I’ve loved the character for a long time based on the old comics and a couple of Roy Thomas paperbacks that I read.” She continued with saying “I just love classic, meaty, violent sword-and-sorcery stories, and a gorgeous woman who does all the stuff Conan does appeals to my sensibilities.”

The other cover artists include fan favorites like Nicola Scott and Stephanie Buscema with Dynamite Entertainment CEO Nick Barrucci promising more female cover artists will be announced in the coming months. When asked about her approach to cover, Staples said it’s all about the character. “I had an outline of Gail’s story to go by, so I tried to hint at some of the plot elements without really giving anything away- just a slight taste of doom and gloom. I also wanted to depict Sonja as a serious-looking warrior. I know the old chainmail bikini has become almost an emblem of sexism in comics, but I don’t think it’s problematic in and of itself.”

She went on to say “I think if you can show that the character has other attributes- strength, craziness, determination, humor- and don’t write and draw them solely as a sex object, then what they’re wearing becomes completely incidental.”

Staples has given us fantastic imagery and strong female characters in Saga and is a rightful fit with Red Sonja. Her cover here demonstrates that the famed bikini look seems secondary to her scowling and determined visage.

In addition to the cover for the issue, coming out in July, Staples also released a new art book which can be purchased here.

If there is one thing out of the many that can be said about Jack Kirby, it could be that he was ahead of his time.

Earlier today, Buzzfeed showed off the lost Kirby art that was going to be “used” for the fake movie “Argo”, and is it intense and obviously Kirby. The heavy inks and broad lines that are distinctive to the Kirby style, but the intricacies of just everything is astounding. You can tell some of his comic work snuck in with the Celestials and Galactus lookalikes.

With this found art, it just shows  that even thirty-something years later, Kirby is still upping the game for artists and creators today.

Cleopatra in Spaaaace creator/artist, Mike Maihack always manages to do a pin-up here and there during his time between other commissions and his highly-acclaimed webcomic. Today on his site and DeviantArt, he featured main protagonists Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games, in a mild celebration for the movie being released tomorrow.

“Just finished reading the books and wasn’t going to be able to sleep at night until I got some fan art out of my system,” he told Blog@. “Seeing the film this weekend and can’t wait! There’s no way it’ll compare to the book, especially the brutality of it (both physically and emotionally), but everything I’ve seen so far looks like they are making the best effort possible. Super psyched.”

Maihack a huge fan of the series, went to say that this wasn’t the first idea that came to mind. “Originally, I was going to draw something more directly out of Mockingjay [the third book of the series]–the book it seems I’m in the minority of really enjoying. But opted for something a bit more general from the first book instead. Plus it’s fun to place Katniss and Peeta’s differing personalities together. Which is just a long way of me saying I wanted to draw Peeta.”

I’ve been of Maihack’s works for years, especially his contributions over at Project: Rooftop. His style really pops and has a great sophisticated  simplicity to it that makes you want to see more from him. I love the details on this and Katniss just looks so damn fierce.

Check out more of Mike Maihack over at cowshell.com.

For the design fans amongst you, Brian Wood explains the creation of the cover for his new series with Kristian Donaldson, The Massive, over at io9:

Sketch #1 took the day, and it was my favorite as well. So we passed it along to Kristian for him to make his own and take it to final. It presented a few problems that I could see: it was really crucial to separate the two halves of the cover, so that earth presented as the earth, and not some other planet looming in the sky. Or the foreground coming off like the moon. Or the earth not reading as a planet but some kind of giant rubber ball hanging in the sky.

I also didn’t want a realistically colored earth, with crayola-blue and green. I always favor limited palettes and non-representational color. Were it up to me, I would have kept it black and white.

It’s a really nice insight into Wood (and Donaldson)’s design process, as well as a chance to see some lovely work-in-progress sketches; I’m really looking forward to The Massive – which debuts today in Dark Horse Presents #8 – and this post works as a great tease for the kind of visuals to expect, if not for the story itself.

Writing about the lack of visual continuity in the new DC Comics logo the other day made me think about the current Justice League logo, and the way that it, too, has broken with tradition. Y’see, for the most part – of the nine logos the book has had since the title launched way back in 1960, all but three haven’t featured a shield motif in one way or another (and those have all been the most generic and forgettable of the logos, interestingly enough). (more…)

The new DC Comics logo is real, and officially launched at Fast Company. Here are some of the variant versions we’ll see in months to come:

The story includes DC’s EVP of Sales John Rood and Amit Desai, senior vice president of franchise management, talking about the change, with Desai explaining that “The peel element can tie back to the storytelling content or character we’re showcasing, and leverage those colors. The ‘C’ can be a vessel to showcase stories and character. It’s unexpected, requires a little thinking and some storytelling behind that mark.”

Seeing these finished, colored and variant versions has taken me from kind of liking the logo to really liking it – It may not be Milton Glaser’s classic DC bullet, but it’s more attractive to me than the current DC spin. Apparently, the look will begin appearing on comics in March.

If rumors are true, DC Comics is just days away from announcing a new corporate logo (which has so far received more than its fair share of abuse online; personally, I quite like it). What’s surprising about this – beyond the fact that the reveal wasn’t timed with last September’s linewide relaunch of the entire DCU line – is the logo itself, which is the first in the company’s 77 year history to break with the brand’s visual signature of the circle. After all, here are DC’s logos to date:

Even with the tilted spin of the most recent logo, there’s a sense of evolution and continuity from redesign to redesign that the rumored new logo just… doesn’t have. Clearly, it’s the end of an era…

Now this is something I can get behind. Joe Eisma, one half of the tag team that created critically-acclaimed Morning Glories, put this up over at his DeviantArt. It’s a nice little mash up of the Morning Glories gang with the Peanuts crew. ” Had this idea for awhile, but never got around to it until now,” Eisma stated on the post. “Would love to do more of these fun things with the Morning Glory Babies as time permits!”

Morning Glories is one of the most talked-about books on the market now. So if you’re looking for getting something for a person interested in getting into comics, but fear they might not be that into capes, I recommend this one.

Time to add another couple of bookmarks, art lovers. Not only has Dave Johnson set up a blog where he discusses what works and what doesn’t work about today’s comic book covers – Be warned, gentle readers, he has opinions (but be reassured, aesthetes, they’re pretty spot-on) – he’s also part of another new blog, What Not, which seems to be a group blog where various creators post recent artwork. The members of said group? That would be Johnson, Amanda Conner, Andrew Robinson, Becky Cloonan, Cliff Chiang, Dan Panosian, Duncan Fergredo, Eric Canete, Francesco Francavilla, Jock, Mark Chiarello, Mike Oeming, Phil Noto, Sean Phillips and Bill Sienkiewicz. I think we can just go ahead and agree that this will be one absolutely stunning-looking blog, right…?

Who wouldn’t want their portfolio reviewed by the legendary Neal Adams? Well, this year, in order to have more time at the New York Comic Con for signing books or chatting with fans, Adams is hosting a special event just for those wishing to have the artist look at their work.

The Adams’ family sent Newsarama the following press release:

Neal Adams Portfolio Review Comic Con Breakfast

Comics Legend and artist on Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Deadman, Dark Horse Presents: Blood, and New Avengers 16.1 is giving a unique opportunity to aspiring comic artists looking for guidance from one of the industry’s greatest. On Saturday, October 15th at 7:00AM, three hours before doors open at the con, Adams is inviting artists to come to the historic Continuity Studios for a pre-convention breakfast and one-on-one professional portfolio review and lecture.

Adams, who won’t be doing portfolio reviews during the New York Comic Con, is offering limited spots for the price $300 per spot in an effort to gather a more focused group of aspiring artists from all levels while also creating a good atmosphere and unique experience in his own famed Continuity Studios.
For years Continuity had been the starting place that many of the comic industry’s most renowned talents. Now hopeful comic creators looking to make their break in the comic industry get to follow the path that many of the greats did before them.

While aspiring artists can get reviews from most any artist at a comic convention, Adams is well known for his portfolio reviews and such reviews have themselves been the launching pad for the careers of many artists and offer insight and techniques that are unparalleled in the comic book industry. Spots for the event are limited but if the demand is high enough a second day will be scheduled for Sunday.

To reserve your spot please contact Erica at Continuity (212) 869-4170 or email Kris at Kris@nealadams.com. Spaces are limited so reserve now.

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that in the newly-relaunched Catwoman #1, Ms. Kyle and Batman have a “shared moment”.  It has readers and creators alike creating quite the buzz online. Here at Newsarama, we’ve had our share of debate on the situation, even including Judd Winick’s defense.

But I haven’t seen anybody’s commentary like this. Over at Eric Canete’s blog, he has drawn a page depicting his take on the Morning After, which is shown above, in addition to some insightful thoughts.

It could be argued that if I don’t like it, then I don’t necessarily need to read it. That’s very valid.

Ah. Fanfic porn. I love you.

Of course there’s a level of tongue and cheek here, but I think he gets this point across.

With the release of this week’s New 52 titles from DC, we’ve seen an explosion of contempt from readers in response to two titles – Judd Winick and Guillem March’s Catwoman #1 and Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #1. If for some reason you’ve managed to avoid the controversy thus far, Blog@’s Graeme McMillan covered it here, Comic Alliance’s Laura Hudson very eloquently here and we also posted a response from Judd Winick here. That being said, while these two titles caused a great deal of anger, there were others that proved you can still make superheroines sexy without sexually degrading them.

This image shows our introduction to two members of the new Birds of Prey, Starling and Black Canary. Starling has cleavage showing but her breasts are an appropriate size and her top fits her correctly. Saiz gave both characters very feminine curves and form-fitting costumes yet neither are depicted as overt sex objects. On the other hand…

…this is the first impression we get of Catwoman and Starfire, the ones getting the most negative attention. And with good reason. Catwoman’s breasts are the center of attention in her introduction while Starfire’s entire body is on display. Neither woman is really getting the support they’d need for breasts that size either. Regardless, their bodies are the point of focus, not the characters themselves.

While some may still question why Wonder Woman needs to sleep naked, Cliff Chiang’s art in her first issue gives us a titilating image but not one that puts the character in an overt sexual situation. This panel is actually the second frame of Wonder Woman, the first is showing her back in bed, but neither has the sheets forming to her body in such a way that you can see her body parts. Wonder Woman may be needlessly sexualized here but in my opinion, this image is not being used to degrade the character.

Another image that stands out positively to me in Birds of Prey is this one of Black Canary fighting a villain. Another artist could have easily changed her position to be straddling the bad guy (something we’ve seen quite often) but instead, Saiz merely shows her apprehending him.

I’m far from a prude and I love the Batman/Catwoman relationship a great deal but this final image of the characters from Catwoman #1 is, as many have suggested, closer to fan fiction than mainstream comics.

Is art subjective? Absolutely. Some are arguing Batman and Catwoman are literally having sex in this last image but I’d argue they aren’t because both of their costume bottoms are still on (and I have yet to see a crotch zipper in any art [dear god help us they may not be far off]). But is it graphic and implied? Yes, without a doubt. I don’t have a problem with these characters having sex, in fact, I don’t have as big a problem with the last page of Catwoman as I have with the first or the entirety of Red Hood, but knowing that the same point can be made in a less overt way just makes the exploitive art scream exploitive.

Men already buy your books, DC. You don’t have to put giant breasts in their face to get them to pick them up but you will get more women to buy your comics if you don’t. So what is it you’re actually trying to tell us?

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last time I had a little something for everyone by showcasing an item for each member of the new Justice League but I’m going in a different direction this week. Princess Peach used to be relegated to the end of each Super Mario Bros. level but she’s come a long way since then, even starring in her own titles. Here’s a few fun items I found on the craft website.

Princess Peach is known for her trademark pink dress, bouncy hair and of course, her crown. Here’s an 8-Bit Princess Gold Mirror Laser Cut Necklace from user neighborhoodstory. It’s almost big enough to wear on your head and sells for $12.

The famous Princess has had a starring role in video games but none quite like this. It’s a piece of art titled “Princess Peach escapes the Castle” by user ArtbyMcKenzie. The piece was created for a Nintendo-themed art show and is being sold for $315.

Need to light some torches to see your way in that grubby castle? Why not use this Princess Peach Perler Bead Lighter Case/Sleeve on your favorite lighter and scare all the ghosts away? From user J3S13, $5.

Princesses Peach and Daisy are looking absolutely fabu in this print from user the Gorgonist, except here, they are Princes! Also check out the Mario Monster Girls, both $7 each.

And just because I can’t resist a puppster in a costume, here is a PRINCESS PEACH NINTENDO Dress Dog Costume. User YoungUrbanPuppy has will make it custom to fit your pup for $24.50. And yes, Mario, Luigi, Daisy and Bowzer costumes are also available should you wish to inflict them on your best friend.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

The Avengers, Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises are three of the most highly anticipated movies of next year and with the advent of their filming, lots of pictures have surfaced online. Some feature the famous cast members in action, while others show them having fun in their downtime on set. Well, artist Noelle Stevenson has been following the leaks closely, specifically The Avengers, and finally shows us what it’s doing to her.

Stevenson, also known to her fans as Ginger Haze on Tumblr, has a penchant for highlighting the way fans (herself in particular, but I can totally relate) perceive our favorite film or literary characters. Here we have delightfully ridiculous depictions of Loki and Thor, Tony Stark and Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow and of course, the artist herself.

Stevenson also showed us what she saw in her mind after viewing video and shots of Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth filming this scene together recently.

Seriously though, the footage was almost exactly like that.

I love all of Stevenson’s work but I must also direct you to her recent series having fun with X-Men: First Class and, if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan you should also check out her Broship of the Rings. Keep them coming Noelle, you aren’t alone in your superhero world views.

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. As a special treat for the start of a brand-new era at DC Comics and the release of Justice League #1, I’ve found one item for each new member of the team. Or at least the members on the cover.

First up, Superman! You’d definitely stand out toting around this Superman Comic Bag. User RebelDowntown created this with comic fabric as the exterior and lined it with red silk on the interior. $35.

l’m kinda in love with this Flash Handmade Felt Bird. “Member of the Justice Flock,” writers user TweetandTweed, “the Flash Bird (a.k.a. The Scarlet Speedster) has superspeed, which allows him to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and seemingly violate laws of physics.” Also $35.

The last place you expect to find a Green Lantern is in the kitchen but if they were taking a break from intergalactic law enforcement to cook, I’d like to think they’d be wearing this Green Lantern Apron from user Jordandene. $50.

Who needs a utility belt when you can wear a regular belt? This brown leather and hemp Batman logo belt buckle is $30 from user GettingWeddy.

Ahh Aquaman. There wasn’t too much on Etsy for him but I thought this Recycled Comic ID holder was pretty cute. Just $4 from user Japip, with a different image on the opposite side.

On the other hand, there’s an abundance of Wonder Woman stuff on the crafting website. This Wonder Woman tissue box caught my eye as something different. From user buckaroosmercantile for $14.95.

Pickings were rather slim when it came to the newest member of the new Justice League, Cyborg. I found this Cyborg Mini Plushie from user snowtigra for $5 and this Smallville-era Cyborg t-shirt from JamesLinckeCreations for $17. Hopefully we’ll see a lot more items once the new series gets going.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

You either love Angry Birds or you hate it. I’m pretty sure there’s no in between considering the addictive nature of the cell phone game. Like many other pop-culture phenomena, Angry Birds has been tinkered with to make it even more fun. I give you, the Angry Superheroes. And boy, are they angry…

A plethora of DC and Marvel characters (plus Judge Dredd!) have been transformed into their own unique Angry Bird forms thanks to Ryan, aka Senor Picante. On his blog, the artist has posted the above individually as well as one pig resembling Magneto. Although that one he wanted to rework so I decided not to post it here.

Ryan is not the first to add superhero flair to the Angry Birds, Ript Apparel sold a fantastic Batman and Robin spin on the famous game a few months back. That one was designed by SpiR and Seth. And let’s not forget the epic Angry Birds of Prey by the Gutters crew.

What do you think? Would you like to see a comic book themed Angry Birds? They already teamed up with the creators of the animated film Rio for an altered version of the game. I could easily see them making a deal with DC or Marvel. Are you listening Rovio?

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week it was all about Vampire Hunting but this week we return to an old friend – The Doctor. A few months ago, at the start of Doctor Who Season 6, I did a special extended edition of Etsy Made Me Do It to celebrate one of my favorite shows. Well, the season being split in two (besides giving me an appropriate title) and starting this weekend gave me a fantastic excuse to show off more Doctor Who items! Enjoy!

I’m a big fan of the minimalist-poster-of-pop-culture-items movement so I was delighted to find this collection of Minimalist Doctor Who Canvas Posters. User geekasms has the set available for $100 or you can buy your favorite Doctor individually for $10 a piece.

The episode “Vincent and the Doctor” from season 5 was surely a memorable one, enough to inspire user horcruxesunlimited to create this Doctor Who Van Gogh Ornament. The hand-painted glass item depicts an image we see later in that same season of the TARDIS exploding, Van Gogh style. $10.

“The Fires of Pompeii” gave us our first look at Amy Pond, or should I say, actress Karen Gillan. It was her original appearance on the sci-fi series. Now you can recreate the look of her and her fellow sisters with these Doctor Who Sybilline Sisterhood eyes knit fingerless gloves. From user tinybully for $20.

One of the scariest villains to ever appear (or not appear) on Doctor Who were the Silence. With the Doctor Who Silence Amigurumi you can always keep your eye on one. This one’s from user SherbertLemonCrochet for $20 but there’s also slightly different version available from user AmyLDice for $25.

And finally, a piece of art I think is particularly beautiful, a Stained Glass Mini TARDIS. User GeekyGlass created this one and it can be yours for $25.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. I showcased some fancy Catwoman art last week in honor of the reveal of Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises. This week the remake of Fright Night hits theaters and instead of using this as an excuse to search for David Tennant related items on Etsy, I chose to stick with the film’s theme of hunting vampires.

You won’t see the Boys and Girl Scouts of America handing out this merit badge. And that’s exactly why you need it. User StoriedThreads will help you inform everyone of your accomplishment with this Vampire Hunter Patch. Measures three inches and runs $7.  (more…)

Dear DC, I know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now what with the relaunch next month and all but if you could spare a few of your staff to help make Katie Cook’s Batman a reality, you’d make a lot of people happy. Myself included.

Last night, Cook was having some fun on Twitter (as comic creators have a tendency to do when they aren’t arguing with each other) and came up with a delightful scenario for our favorite Dark Knight (out of continuity of course) including a few quick doodles. If you don’t know Katie Cook, you should. Her webcomic, Gronk, is outstanding and everything else she does is just as wonderful. (Check out her website for more.) Here is the mostly unedited stream of thoughts that started here.

I have an idea for a batman story in which batman actually thinks he’s a bat. Alfred follows him around saying “yes, master bat”.

@MarkBrooksArt the best part is that he thinks when people say he’s “batty” it’s a compliment.

In my batman, joker is a normal clown and, in bats delusional mind, he’s a villain. Joker is terrified of him.

In my batman, the scarecrow is an ACTUAL scarecrow…. Out in a field…. On a stick.

The penguin is a fat penguin at the Gotham zoo… Bats is just convinced it’s out to get him.

In my batman, the riddler is a tattered old “choose your own adventure” book that bats is afraid to finish.

Poison ivy is a potted plant in his kitchen…

The only REAL villain is Alfred… Who embezzles BILLIONS from his delusional ward.

YES RT @dreamingtree: @katiecandraw Catwoman is his cat?

It’s a hat rack covered in hats @Hat_Girl: @katiecandraw What about the Mad Hatter?

@RaphaelWent clayface is a playdoh Fun -set.

a luchador on tv RT @vilify_xx: @katiecandraw What about Bane?

Its the name of an ethnic restaurant that bats gets take out from all the time RT @thatjarrodwelsh: @katiecandraw And what of Ra’s al Ghul?

If you like my batman idea, you’ll love my deadpool story… But I’ll save that for another day.

Make. It. Happen.

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week it was geeky jewelry by starbrightsilver, this week, it’s the cat’s meow. I’m talking of course about Catwoman. She’s been buzzing the last week thanks to the reveal of Anne Hathaway’s costume in The Dark Knight Rises so I thought I’d take a look around Etsy and see what Selina was up to. Catwoman has inspired a lot of people through the years and Etsy sellers were no different. I decided to focus squarely on art inspired by the character this time around.

The current Catwoman costume gets some love from user TimmyK. Titled “The CatWoman,” you can get this print for $12. He’s got some other great Gotham characters in his store too.

Lots of people have played Catwoman through the years but this lady is a favorite of a lot of fans. The Julie Newmar as Catwoman print is by user LauraGuzzo and sells for just $5. This artist also contributed a fantastic piece for Wonder Woman Day last year which she’s also selling as a print.

You probably know that Adam Hughes took a lot of inspiration from actress Audrey Hepburn while illustrating Catwoman through the years, well he’s not the only one. User Nude Squid (who admits inspiration from Hughes) created this Audrey Hepburn styled Catwoman print selling for $40.

User SilviaHKitty15 titles this one simply, “Catwoman,” but it’s of course a rendition of the animated Selina Kyle. This one is the actual original painting and is going for $75.

And finally, my favorite of the bunch, “Toxic Love.” By user ToxicAppleStudios, the print comes on gator board, ready to hang. $41.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!