The Mystery of the Men with the Staring Eyes

Can Starman solve The Mystery of the Men with the Staring Eyes?

*Buy Starman collections at Amazon.

Solo by Mike Allred

Bear with me, even if you think you don't like comics. As I mentioned Tuesday, I couldn't possibly be less impressed by Jim Lee's new super hero designs for DC.

Coincidentally, last night, Mike Allred's issue of DC Comic's Solo (from 2005) was on the top of my reading pile. What an absolute delight.

The first story features Hourman, a character I always thought was ridiculous. If you're not familiar, he has a supply of pills and when he swallows one, gets superstrength . . . for one hour. He wears a sandtimer around his neck to keep track. Silly right? But Allred's story is a beautifully-illustrated, funny tale of what Hourman does when he swallows a pillow, but finds he has no crime to fight. Even if you're not a comic book fan, you should read the whole thing here (site is probably NSFW).



You can also read another story from the issue here (also NSFW). Allred makes the classic designs shine:



It's a terrible shame that the Solo issues were never collected (I think?), although you can find some issues at eBay. If anyone has some they'd like to swap for some Threadless credit, please get in touch. I have the Darwynn Cooke and Teddy Kristiansen issues.

Catwoman stars in the new Batman: Arkham City trailer

Catwoman (and her assets) stars in the new Batman: Arkham City trailer. Also, I cropped a widescreen wallpaper showing off Arkham Batman:



I'm guessing the trailer's by Blur Studio. Courtesy of, here's a wallpaper-sized still from the first Arkham City trailer:



And since I'm talking about Batman, check out this outstanding Joker illustration by Jock (apparently to be a Detective Comics cover):



Via.

*Buy Arkham Asylum toys at eBay.

Golden Age Sandman action figure (and more)

MTV Geek has a look at DC Universe series 19, including Sandman, Stargirl, and Magog.

*Buy DC Direct action figures at eBay.

Green Lantern Lego Cubedude (and more)

A few Lego Cubedudes by Chris Doyle:


Green Lantern Hal Jordan.



Red Lantern Atrocitus.



Sinestro.



White Lantern Deadman.

Relatedly, I saw this Lantern Lego Cubedude on sale at eBay:

The time when Wonder Woman had to babysit a dinosaur for charity

Full scan of Wonder Woman #90, when Wonder Woman had to babysit a whale, elephant, and dinosaur for charity.

*Buy invisible jets at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Supergirl reimagined by David Bednarski for this week's Whitechapel theme.





More Bioshock Infinite art. Via.






Peacock-themed wedding invitation by Jared Boggess.




Bed bugs by Michael Byers, who has art on sale here.

*Buy Bioshock posters at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Green Lantern #57 cover. Via.




One of several ads for DirecTV HD.




Otis Frampton was commissioned to create an original Indiana Jones storyline and has started posting some rough illustrations.




Seven samurai poster by David O'Daniel on sale here.




He-Man wallpaper by Ewen Stenhouse.

Best Covers: DC Comics Solicitations for August 2011

My favorite covers from the DC Comics solicitations for August 2011:


FABLES #108
Written by BILL WILLINGHAM
Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and STEVE LEIALOHA
Cover by JOAO RUAS
They say the wages of sin are death. If that’s so, the community of refugee Fables hiding out in the Kingdom of Haven have to pay dearly for their past sins. First Prince Charming died to win their war. Then Boy Blue died to pay for the imagined peace that followed. And now... well, let’s just say the bodies have really been piling high. The tights and capes have been stored away forever, but it remains to be seen if Haven and its refugee inhabitants have survived the onslaught of. Where do the Fables go from here? Bigby and Snow White’s cubs try to move forward after learning a hard lesson about life and death. And the loveable, fan-favorite hero Bufkin the Flying Monkey gets into more trouble when he finally reaches his homeland of Oz.




BATMAN AND ROBIN #26
Written by DAVID HINE
Art by GREG TOCCHINI
Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
1:10 Variant cover by J.G. JONES
Le Jardin Noir – France’s very own Arkham Asylum – falls under siege! Someone has freed the lunatics, and unless they can be stopped, they’ll turn Paris into a surreal Hell on Earth! Batman and Robin join Nightrunner in a mind-bending battle with the strangest lineup of villains this side of Bizarro World.




DC RETROACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – THE ‘90S #1
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DEMATTEIS
Art and cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
It’s time to “Bwah Ha Ha” all over again as this classic JLA team tells a lost tale from one of the JLA’s most popular eras. The Injustice Gang is back! Not the truly menacing, more recent incarnation, but their not-so competent predecessors. Still, when they stumble upon a device they should never be allowed to have, the results might prove more disastrous than if they actually knew what they were doing! A previously released story from the era rounds out the issue.
(An homage to one of my alltime favorite single issues.)

*See more of my favorite comic book covers here.

Batman Black & White Statue: Batman By Sergio Aragones (yes, really)

Batman Black & White Statue: Batman By Sergio Aragones:

DESIGNED BY SERGIO ARAGONES
SCULPTED BY JIM SHOOP

BATMAN GOES MAD!

This latest statue in the popular Batman Black & White statue series is designed by Sergio Aragonés with a classic MAD look!

This cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 6.5” high x 7.5” wide x 4” deep, is painted in monochromatic tones, features a Bat-logo-shaped base and is packaged in a black and white box.

Limited Edition.

On sale January 18, 2012 * Statue * $90 US

Via.

I don't know if they're related, but here's a Batman story by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones.

DC Action League Series 3

Fwoosh has lots of photos of DC Action League Series 3, including adorable Kilowog and Deathstroke.

*Buy DC Action League at Amazon.

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.