2012 “Heroes + Villains: Martian the Manhunter” photography by Philip Bonneau

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Normally, if another blog covers some bit of material that crosses into Martian Manhunter territory, I prefer to run in the opposite direction. I'd rather sit on a post than be samey-samey. However, The Aquaman Shrine made mention of a fantastic photo essay that hasn't popped up anywhere else I've visited lately, and it's too good to pass up.

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Atlanta artist Philip Bonneau likes to dress people up as super-heroes using inexpensive household items, but he has a frou-frou explanation to keep up his indy cred while pimping the LGBT-friendly exhibition. As he told The Advocate, "This show allows for the models to embrace the chance to be those characters they were denied and is proof you can be anything you want to be, if you have the confidence to be yourself." Most awesomely, one respectably convincing guy decided who he wanted to be was J'Onn J'Onzz, the Manhunter from Mars. Well, I suppose alopecia may have played a role in the decision.

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For once, I really dig the use of obvious but effective gags in these pictures (and the replacement of Chocos for the brand quality if reduced fat real stuff.) I'm also really glad they managed to avoid any crotch shots, which I cannot say for the rest of Bonneau's Flickr photostream. Featured heroes get as obscure (though appropriate) as Black Condor, but you might want to wait until you're at a secure personal computer, depending on how sensitive your HR department is to thinly veiled frank n' beans and/or transvestites in Wonder Woman garb. "Issue #2 – DC Comics Universe" is only the halfway point in the project, so if you're interested in offering support for further work, scope out the Kickstarter page.

2012 Comicpalooza Commission Reference Sheets

As I've mentioned elsewhere, with the blog's fifth anniversary coming up, and several times more money to spend than in previous years, I planned to go boffo with this year's commissions. Ultimately, I revisited the 2010 reference sheets for four pieces, while 2011's were only useful in three. I wasn't happy with a lot of those images, so I added new reference in abundance for this year.

Attentive readers may have noticed that I've added a fair amount of new biographical entries this year for the Martian Manhunter's friends and foes. Behind the scenes, a lot of that work was coming together with art reference in mind. I had to rush a number of these out at the last minute though, so they're incomplete or cluttered, purely to make sure the artists had a reliable basis for designs and color schemes to work with.

Since none of the printers in the house have color these days, I took a flash drive down to FedEx Express (Detective Comics Comics?) to get copies. The glossy stock and vivid color were a huge improvement over my old material, although the paper seems thinner and less durable. What's really nice is that I didn't hesitate to fill the page with somebody else's ink, making for big bright reproduction. Perhaps best of all, for some reason I got most of my copies for about twenty-nine cents. I went back the next day to finish up some scraps, and with tax that price was doubled.

About half of these pages relate to commissions I picked up this year, but I didn't get all of my reference back with the pieces, so not everyone is represented across these three years worth of images. Also, a number were taken directly out of comics provided to the artists, of which I only lost one. Amateur sleuths should have all they need here to make educated guesses, and I will point out that many of the ponies are already out of the barn across individual blogs/tweets/galleries/etc. For now though, I plan to start posting about one piece a week through September, probably on Wednesday. Do come back for those, won't you?

The Villain's Journey: Despero vs. Malefic

Still worn out from the con, I've tried catching up on some blog reading today, This included Every Day Is Like Wednesday, where J. Caleb Mozzocco offered his own deleted scene from Justice League #9. Three commentators erroneously assumed Steve Trevor was being tortured by the Martian Manhunter, when it seems pretty obvious to me that the shadowy figure is in fact Graves, star of the upcoming story arc "The Villain's Journey." To confirm this, and without recalling the new character's name, I googled the title of the arc. As it happens, the internet seems to have actually offered up an antagonist's take on Joseph Campbell's monomyth, a consistent pattern of action followed by heroes in world mythology. An overview of this concept is laid out here, but you can cut to the chase and view Remus Shepherd's canonization of the villain's journey here. I thought it might be interesting to look at this blog's top voted Martian Manhunter villain of 2011, Malefic, and this year's champion Despero, and see whether they fit the mold provided.



Despero started out as the tyrant ruler of Kalanor in Justice League of America #1, making him its "Master." However, Jasonar and Saranna escaped him to develop an anti-weapon on Earth, constituting "Loss." Despero pursues them, and mind-controls the Justice League of America to keep them from interfering, a "Denial" of terrestrial mores. This was compounded by his offering the Flash a supposed game of chance similar to chess, only to cheat using his telepathy. The League's, and more singularly the Flash's defeat and seeming damnation, along with Jasonar's capture, made it appear that Despero had slain his "Dragon." However, Snapper Carr used the anti-weapon, which "Foiled" Despero's plot. The only stage not reached in the very first story was "Echo," which was covered in Despero's second appearance in Justice League of America #26, when his return to power was explained.



Pulling back over the course of his publishing history, Despero's overall arc continues to fit the mold. He again becomes the "Master" after his rebirth in the Flame of Py'tar, gaining mastery over matter. This in itself is an invocation of a variance, "Final Rituals of Power," in which the oft-defeated original incarnation is discarded like a serpent's skin in favor of the more effective innovation. However, because of his history of "Loss" to the Justice League, he feels compelled to return to Earth to prove his supremacy. In another optional variation, the "First Invasion of Evil" sees Gotham City twisting into a monstrosity of Despero's own design. This leads to the "Denial" of convention by having Despero immediately defeat Batman and Vixen, turning both into distressed figures in need of rescuing and upon whom torment is inflicted. With a manifested "Dragon," Despero appears to slay the JLA. However, his return to greatness is "Foiled" again by the least of the current League, Gypsy and Vibe. However, as he was dispatched by flames, an "Echo" of Py'tar signaled a probable return. This exact cycle was repeated in Despero's first battle with the JLI, as he "remastered" his mohawk form, murdered Steel and Gypsy's family, killed everyone, had his victory revealed as illusory, and leaving behind a fetal form that would mature into an engine of destruction again and again. L-Ron even rode along for a cycle, having initially mastered Despero's corporeal form, only to steadily devolve into an echo of his former glory by being reinstalled into his robot form.



Where Despero appears to be a slave to the villain's journey, Malefic rebukes it by pursuing a contaminated hero's journey. From his earliest days, Ma'alefa'ak heard the "Call" to rise up against his fellow Martians as an instrument of terror. His entire adolescence involves "Refusal of the Call," revisited often in adulthood when J'Onn J'Onzz fruitlessly pleads reason from his sadistic brother. He crosses this "Threshold" by lobotomizing his mother and mind-raping his sister-in-law. Ma'alefa'ak's "Dragon" is the people of Mars broadly, and his brother specifically, who alter his memories and strip him of his psychic abilities. This symbolic death is negated through "Atonement," the recognition that no matter how many chances he's given or liberties taken, he will never be able to ignore his essential nature and fated role. The optional "Magic Flight" came earlier with the discovery of the dark world Apokolips and his later escape with wisdom leading to Ma'alefa'ak's "Boon," the creation of "H'ronmeer's Curse," the plague that will wipe out most life on Mars. "Mastery" comes through genocide, and the assumed death of Ma'alefa'ak's brother in the confrontation that followed.



Having scaled the mountain as a hero in his own mind, Ma'alefa'ak then descends down the villain's path. The converse journey begins when Ma'alefa'ak's assumed mastery over Mars was called into question by a chance sighting of the Martian Manhunter, who constitutes a "Loss" of one in his quest to kill 'em all. The rechristened "Malefic" chooses "Denial" of many cultures in his torture of the Saturnian prince Jemm and numerous murders. Malefic chooses to first frame the "dragon," calling into question Martian Manhunter's history of heroism while simultaneously qualifying some "Final Rituals of Power" necessary before seemingly killing his brother bodily. However, J'Onn J'Onzz yet lived, redeemed himself in his friends' eyes, and ended the threat of Malefic without taking 100% of the responsibility for his execution. However, a psychic "echo" of Malefic remained, triggering a storyline in JLA Classified whose resolution Freddy Krueger would have approved of in anticipation of another sequel.

Whether jumping directly on the villain's path or chronicling a hero's journey leading into degradation, it's no wonder Despero and Malefic are among the most resonant and popular of the Vile Menagerie. The majority are freaks born impotent or freed from the strictures of formula but failing to benefit from that liberty. It may all be fruit of a poisonous tree however, since J'Onn J'Onzz has his own issues with the hero's journey...

2012 Phoenix Comicon Miss Martian Cosplay

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I spent Memorial Day weekend at Comicpalooza, where the closest I came to Martian Manhunter related cosplay was fellow members of the JLA. Houston's always been a Marvel town. Phoenix, Arizona's concurrent convention was older, larger, and more DC representative. I have yet to see any Martian Manhunter picture, but M'gann M'orzz had not one, not two, but three different cosplayers that I've seen so far, courtesy of Bleeding Cool...

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2011 Comicpalooza Commission Reference Sheets

Out of the twelve characters (and one idol) I had reference for in 2010, only six made it to commissions that year. I decided to build on that reference base for 2011, adding eight additional characters. Unfortunately, Diane Meade, Gypsy, the Prophet, the Osprey, TOR and J'en would all end up sidelined by four of the debut year characters finally getting their due. Mr. V is pictured here because I missed this page of reference last time, and because he got a piece in 2011, alongside Scorch and Malefic. Thankfully, I caught up on a few more of these guys by 2012, though it hardly seems fair that the two 2011 rookies are already doubling up while others still have none...

The Vile Menagerie: THE SWARM

Alter Ego: None
Occupation: Parasites
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: Unknown
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: Martian Manhunter #1,000,000 (November, 1998)
Height: Approx. 12" on average
Eyes: None visible
Hair: None
Skin: Metallic brown

History:
At some point after the 30th century, a still living Martian Manhunter was forced to combat the Clanetary System to preserve the integrity of the solar system. Following their defeat, he learned that their motivation for converting entire worlds into military fortresses was to combat an even greater menace, the Swarm. These alien parasites stripped planets down to a husk in service to their insatiable appetite. They could not be communicated with, there was no reasoning to be had, and their numbers were overwhelming. The Manhunter from Mars traveled 10,000 light years to meet the Swarm head-on, and began a 20,000 year war as the force pushed closer and closer toward the Sol system. Finally, the Swarm reached Earth, and J'Onn J'Onzz led an evolved metahuman army against the Swarm. The creatures' progress was finally halted, and unable to progress but unwilling to retreat, they were exterminated.

Powers & Weapons:
Little has been revealed about the Swarm's power, though it is assumed to be awesome in magnitude. The creatures have been shown to survive in the vacuum of space, can fly at extraordinary speeds unaided, are extremely resilient, and likely quite strong. They can also fire a laser from a cannon in their mouth.

Created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by José Luis García-López

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To say José Luis García-López turned in a great looking piece is sort of like saying sugar is sweet. It's a given. It's kind of too bad we only get to see the top of J'Onn's head, but he's the nearest and most detailed face, so it (at least) evens out. I also appreciate that he allowed Atom to go swimming in attention grabbing negative space. Even Aquaman's exclusion makes sense, because this is a flying gig, and gender equality demands some Supergirl. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

2010 Comicpalooza Commission Reference Sheets

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Despite having to significantly scale back my plans for this year's commissions, I still want to make sure that I have the right reference for the right artist if the right price can be agreed upon. You have to have good reference available for the artist. These guys don't have a detailed mental Rolodex of every character in their heads, and some are young enough to not even have a mental image of what a Rolodex is. Also, you might be picturing an Adam Hughes Despero, and they may be thinking Mike Sekowsky, a confusion that may leave you dismayed. Gathering quality reference in service to full figure commissions of obscure characters is time consuming, so in lieu of a post as I work on that, here's my reference sheets from the first round of Comicpalooza commissions.

I'm not sure that this is a complete set, as I likely cycled out some poor reference if I sprung for improved ones. B'rett almost got done by Andy Kuhn, but ended up waiting another year for a different artist. Blanx and Zook got head shots, while Professor Hugo was done twice over. Marco Xavier got a "gag" sketch,  while Kuhn went for Dr. Trap. J.H. Williams passed on doing Mr. V, but Phil Hester didn't a year later, so it's a  good thing I held on to that Vulture symbol. Mongul and Bloodwynd also got theirs in 2011. Bel Juz and the Marshal were going to be done up together, but that deal fell apart. Two years later, and the Marshal is the only one left from this first group not to have received a commission (and 2012 isn't looking to be his year either.) Most of the art was pulled as is right off this blog, in case you want to do some of your own...

2010 “Smash: Life on Mars?” by Daniel “Mercury-Magic”

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I was looking for some art reference, and what should pop out of nowhere but this... this... this...

An addition to my Super Smash Bros/Justice League of America Mix-Up Series.
Featuring

Kirby as the Martian Manhunter
Mewtwo as the White Martians
Knuckle Joe as Malefic
Isaac as Kanto

© "Kirby" and "Knuckle Joe" are characters owned by Nintendo, developed by HAL Laboratory from the "Kirby" series
© "Mewtwo" is a character owned by Nintendo, developed by Game Freak from the "Pokémon" series
© "Isaac" is a character owned by Nintendo, developed by Camelot Software Planning from the "Golden Sun" series

© "Martian Manhunter" is a character owned by DC Comics,
created by Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa during the "Detective Comics" series.
© "Malefic" is a character owned by DC Comics, created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake during the second volume of the "Martian Manhunter" series.
© "White Martians" are characters owned by DC Comics, created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter during the first volume of the "JLA" series.
© "Kanto" is a character owned by DC Comics, created by Jack Kirby during the first volume of the "Mister Miracle" series. Title by David Bowie.

I like finding unique things for the blog, and this qualifies. I find it very cute, and one of the rare video game mash-ups to appeal to my sensibilities. Do note the MM-symbol border. Also, there's an adowable wittle Ma'alefa'ak!

Stormwatch #7 (May, 2012)

At the Eye of the Storm, the headquarters of Stormwatch, Jack tried to tell Martian Manhunter a joke. "And this is humor, Jack Hawksmoor? ...Congratulations." That was "Not the reaction I was looking for--" but J'Onn was busy teaching Jenny Quantum the mathematics of higher-dimensional space. The adolescent was herself more preoccupied with hounding the Engineer for a puppy. In the monitor room, Midnight recalled his first Stormwatch mission in the Himalayas. Engineer whined about her ex, Harry Tanner, and interfaced with "Charlie," the hostile Daemonite A.I. that ran the ship.

In Pripyat, Ukraine; an abandoned city on the outskirts of the old Chernobyl reactor; a couple of guardsmen were torn apart by an unknown force. Midnighter detected "very exotic subatomic particles" in the area, so Apollo volunteered to take a door to investigate. Things went awry, and Engineer was soon chewing Midnighter out for acting without her knowledge or consent. On further study, J'Onn recognized "They're back... Jenny! Can you do the formulae?" She couldn't, although she also felt Manhunter "got the formula all wrong," anyway. J'Onzz planned to take Jenny on-site, but his new boss said "Not a chance in hell. I want to know what is going on. Because I promise you, J'Onn, you seriously do not want to challenge my authority."

"Engineer, I have no time to explain. The longer we wait, the greater the danger. I beg of you to trust me. I need to take the girl down. Just the two of us. Right now. I have to be sure. Please. Trust me." Umm... I'm really uncomfortable with this whole thing going on here with the words. English isn't J'Onn's first language, you know. He just wants her to do quantum mathematics without the universe exploding from distractions. For serious. Jenny managed to keep screwing with physics long enough for the Alien Atlas to get to Apollo, while Jenny followed orders to capture a "strand" of the attacking entities in a bubble, and everybody escaped through a door.

Jack talked to the radiation-scarred personifications of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ladies were caring for Pripyat, an old man on life support, who had accidentally "lit a candle" for the malevolent forces. While Hawksmoor was "away," the entity nearly escaped, and did manage to drag Apollo back to hell before being destroyed by Charlie. Midnighter was freaked out by Jenny's power, while Engineer was irate with J'Onn, demanding answers. "They are an ancient enemy, known to my people. Also, to the Daemonites. They have been to this universe once before, and almost destroyed it... They exist in a parallel dimension, unaware of our existence. In their plane, gravity is a commodity. They came here once before to mine for it. And in so doing, they destroyed countless galaxies. I believe the reaction at the Chernobyl reactor created a subatomic particle we call a Pradish graviton, which the miners saw as a beacon. They are going to come back. And they are going to tear apart our universe. And there is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening."

Silence. Thought. Perhaps mourning.

"Now can I have a puppy?

"Supercritical: Part One" was by Paul Jenkins and Ignacio Calero with Sean Parsons & Julio Ferreira. My first reaction to flipping through this book was a pushback against new artist Ignacio Calerro. Despite issues ranging from plagiarism to toes that looked like the back of Charlie Brown's head, I liked looking at Miguel Sepulveda's modern, digital-happy work. Calerro is very much a throwback to Wildstorm in its Image days. I spent a lot of brain power trying to spot esoteric influences from that period, like Liam Sharpe, Ryan Benjamin, Dale Keown, and even the late, little seen Nick Manabat. I kind of hated it at first, but it grew on me as I read the story. There blessedly wasn't a lot of Martian Manhunter x-treme in the actual '90s, but I get a nostalgic kick out of him finally getting a good quality grade riff on that fashion here. That hi-top fade of flesh and bone needs to get sanded down, though.

Paul Jenkins seems to take his cues from the early Ellis material-- it's all Soviet radiation cosmic technobabble body horror type stuff. It's about gravity mining, which is downright metatextual, because this story has the density of a dwarf star in comparison to anything else in the New 52. I really felt like I read something when I closed the book. The plot is boilerplate and the characters are thin, but they bounce off one another in a fun way, instead of the constant bitchiness/creepiness of Cornell's issues. I especially liked Martian Manhunter's interaction with Jenny Quantum, which played very comic book mentor-pupil, and made it feel like he was bringing something to the team beyond being the green guy in the background of the Apollo & Midnighter show. Plus, if Jenkins is going to script him as Mr. Spock, he needs a foil like Jenny to take the piss out of him. Anyway, this issue was funny, weird, and satisfying in a way new to the book. Shame this team only has another issue together...

New 52's Day

• Aquaman #7 (April, 2012) @ Justice League Detroit
• The Huntress #6 (May, 2012) @ Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman
• Steel in Action Comics #7 (May, 2012) @ DC Bloodlines
• DC Comics - The New 52 FCBD Special Edition #1 (June, 2012) @ Power of the Atom

2009 Miss Martian Heroes Convention Sketch by Jason Sobol

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She's a bit busty, but at least she's got the material to keep it in line. Nice subtle redesign here, and an appealing image overall.

Prelude to Comicpalooza 2012

By my recollection, the first convention I ever went to was around late '93/ early '94, in some rinky-dink hotel ballroom (a Radisson?) It was kind of neat having so many dealers in one space, like a tiny flea market of nothing but geek wares. I was still pretty shy back then, and had to be urged to approach my first pro, Bill Willingham. I wasn't especially familiar with his work, so we talked about his involvement in the recent "Emerald Twilight" story. He was diplomatic, but I don't think he was too keen on Hal Jordan as a mass murderer. I brought up Elementals and Ironwood as springboards, since I wasn't knowledgeable enough about either to hold an actual discussion. He'd drawn a good looking Huntress story in an issue of Showcase that I bought for change at the con, so he signed the first interior page, since the cover was by Paul Gulacy. Martian Manhunter also had a story inside. It was a nice experience, but I soon realized autographs did nothing for me. I started working at a comic shop, which helped me come out of my shell, and even ran booths at a bunch of local cons.



The biggest show I ever attended was San Diego Comic-Con International 2001, which was arranged as an extremely generous gift from a customer-friend. That was one of the most fantastic experiences of my life, and returning home from it led to weeks of depression after coming down from the high. I was fairly disenchanted with being a comic shop proprietor, and the disparity between the life I wanted and what I was living eventually saw my partner and I dissolving the business. How well we handled it in comparison to the shops we'd outlived remains a source of personal pride.



Anyway, I had good and not so good times experiences with many pros at the con. One relevant to this discussion was standing in line for a sketch from Phil Jimenez. I had no idea how that sort of thing worked, but I imitated other people in grabbing a blank backer board. I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted in line. Eric Luke had played up a romantic entanglement between Wonder Woman and a married Superman at that point, which other writers ran with. I hated the development, so I hoped for a waist-up of Diana with her back to Kal-El. Ahead of me, a fellow cut in line to pick up a gorgeously realized Tempest commission, and I started salivating. Finally, it was my turn, and Phil swiftly dispelled my illusions of anything so grandiose on a line for free sketches. Instead, I got a very basic Wonder Woman head shot, and assurances from incoming co-writer Joe Kelly that he would soon firmly kibosh the tainted love triangle. I was plainly naive in my expectations, but at the same time, I just did not feel anything for my sketch. I put it up at my shop for show, but eventually I was worn down to sell it cheap by a customer. It wasn't meant for me.



I don't recall hearing about any conventions after I closed my shop. I started getting my comics through mail order, so I wasn't anywhere near a grapevine for that sort of thing. However, in 2010 I was working around a decent LCS, so I would bop by about once a week for giggles. They had fliers for a shows at the George R. Brown Convention Center, one of the top ten largest con facilities in the nation, which piqued my interest. They had more and bigger names than I'd ever seen locally, so I decided I would hit my first show in nearly a decade. You can read more about that here:

• Marco Xavier by David Malki!
• Zook by Ethan Van Sciver
• Professor Arnold Hugo by Humberto Ramos
• Professor Arnold Hugo by David Malki!
• Commander Blanx by Marat Mychaels
• Doctor Trap by Andy Kuhn
• Bel Juz by Brian Denham

The short version of 2010 was that I spent about $400-450 on the door (x2), parking, seven commissions, and assorted comics. I was learning what I was doing as I went, running around indecisive and flustered, but ultimately happy. My big regrets of the con were not getting anything from Rob Liefeld, and getting too many headshots that I wish had bodies attached. Seriously, how awesome would a totally extreme Liefeld Martian Manhunter have been, instead of bouncing around the floor like a pinball at an arcade, too short of tokens?



Comicpalooza 2011 moved from early spring to Memorial Day weekend, which caused some problems, but upped the spectacle (recalling its namesake Lollapalooza.) I missed Terry Moore's single day, so no Captain Harding commission. Don Kramer left a day early, so my B'rett would come from someone else. I couldn't bring myself to pony up an entirely reasonable $100 for a Bob Layton piece, so I certainly wouldn't do 60% more for Alé Garza. Still, I got a solid mix of "names" and new talent for about $400 TT&L without the distressing uncertainty of 2010. I knew better how to talk to artists, what to expect from them, and what I wanted. Finer details in the links...

• Martian Manhunter by Nick Pitarra
• B'rett by Nick Pitarra
• B'rett colored by Nick Pitarra
• Mongul by Isaac Mardis
• Mister V by Phil Hester
• Scorch by Roderick Thornton
• Ma'alefa'ak by Andy Kuhn
• Bloodwynd by Adrian Nelson

My Comicpalooza experiences have been satisfying, but always tinged with regret over the pieces missed due to expense and timing. I started out this year a graduate with the best paying job I ever had knowing that responsibilities would be coming by 2013. If ever I was going to in heavy ballin', 2012 was the year, but it would require forethought and savings. God knows how many hours I spent pouring over deviantART, CAF, and personal galleries for each and every attending artist. I wanted things to go perfectly, as evidenced here...

• 2012 Comicpalooza Con Wish List WIP
• More Wish List Work In Progress Notes
• Comicpalooza 2012: Artist Alley Attack

Mentsch tracht und Gott lacht. None of my "legacy" artists I was looking forward to getting repeat commissions from decided to spend another Memorial Day in Houston. Truth to tell, I've noticed that only a few guys have returned from year to year. Most of the "names" this year are from a school of style that I never gravitated toward, dampening my enthusiasm. Those I'm more into are charging close to what I spent in total at previous cons for individual pieces. Part of my deal with my girlfriend while in school was that I'd be paying for everything when I got out, and everything is not a cheap proposition. I had to finagle a weekend off, which did not come easy or without price. I never did manage to score that overtime I'd hoped for. Then, in this last week, I got hit with some serious financial concerns that sent my dreams of dropping Gs straight into the toilet. Joe Eisma cancelled, after I managed to get enthused about him, but that will save me $160 for the 11x17" color full figure Cay'an I was planing on working out with him. I doubt Joe Kubert will be doing any sketches, regardless of whether I have the hundreds of dollars that would cost me. My meticulously constructed list of character "assignments" will have to be reworked, since I doubt I can afford the people I was going to have do popular favorites like Despero and Malefic. I refuse to waste all the effort I put into researching Artist Alley though, and would much prefer a dozen economical pieces that putting all my eggs into one or two baskets. Ah well, it just wouldn't be a Comicpalooza Commission Collection without all the scurrying and fretting. As I said, I know what I want and from whom, so all that's left is sweet talk and scrapping up the bread. At least this year I have three days to play with, so maybe I'll take advantage and make an effort to enjoy my time more without fixating on an agenda...

B'enn B'urnzz @ Comic Vine

Like many (most?) of you, my introduction to the lion's share of the Martian Manhunter's Silver Age rogues gallery came from his first Showcase Presents volume. I owned most of his House of Mystery run, but those later issues were dominated by Diabolu Idol-Head monsters of the month, Vulture shenanigans, and the occasional (awesome) Professor Arnold Hugo extravaganza. I only knew B'rett from second hand recollections, and the Human Flame became a "thing" around that time thanks to Final Crisis. Scipio had a field day with the zany characters like Mister Moth and Humans Falcon and Squirrel, but B'enn B'urnzz fell through all those cracks. I familiarized myself enough with the character to add him to the Vile Menagerie barely into the blog's second year, but he didn't strike a chord with me, and I tended to neglect him.

B'urnzz showed his staying power around here during March Madness 2012, where he tore through competition with a ferocity I never would have imagined from his early defeat in 2011. I decided to reward him (and his fans) with a commission next week, and needed better reference than what I'd cobbled together in 2008. I figured while I was at it, I'd write him a new biography for Comic Vine. He already had a wiki entry there, which listed basics like his first appearance and powers. However, there was no art, and his entire synopsis was a single line like "Martian criminal hiding out on Earth," or near to that. I hope folks like the new image, and the punchy "all meat, no filler" history. He's no Mr. V, but I'm coming around to this guy...

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Ryan Cody

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Somebody clearly loves the Flash (and the back cover says Black Canary really loved Green Arrow.) Still, you don't throw Supergirl (GRRL,) Batman, Green Lantern John Stewart and the Manhunter from Mars into the background if you don't care about them exceptionally.

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

One Year Later...

With a second Zero Month coming in September to celebrate the first year of the New 52 and shake up the status quo once again, I thought now would be a good time to see what this time has meant to the Martian Manhunter, and where he might be going from here.

J'Onn J'Onzz made his DCnÜ debut in Stormwatch #1 (November, 2011), but his earliest retroactive appearance to date was in Justice League #8 (June, 2012). He is from a Martian race that appears to have been well versed in the history of the current universe. For instance, J'Onzz can recite a millenia old legend of how the Daemonites, a shapeshifting species at perpetual war with their former masters the Kherubim, had their homeworlds destroyed by the gravity mining otherdimensional menace Chrszy-Rr. J'Onzz's own race is believed to be extinct, although it remains to be seen if it was by either of the 2½ means depicted in older DC continuities.¹ It has been strongly insinuated that J'Onzz is concealing the existence of other living Martians, but whom and how many are unknown. I would not be at all surprised if the integrity of the Manhunter's origin is to be compromised to set up a Big Bad as the author of his people's seeming destruction, who would then of course challenge the greater DC Newniverse (Despero? Darkseid?)



At an unknown point, J'Onzz took up residence on or around Earth. He became affiliated with a clandestine group called Stormwatch, which appears to have existed in some fashion since the 12th century or so. Associated members have defended the planet from evils mundane, magical, and extra-terrestrial ever since. Presently, the team exists at the pleasure of a secret cabal called the Shadow Lords, who may not be altruistic, and reside on a plane that living beings cannot reach. The current Stormwatch team resides in a commandeered Daemonite spaceship called the Eye of the Storm, where Helspont had been imprisoned by his own people. Helspont was freed during a destructive battle aboard the ship involving the Martian Manhunter, and has gone on to trouble Superman. There are an awful lot of ties between Martians and Daemonites, which hardly seems coincidental.



Within the past five years, J'Onn J'Onzz became involved to some degree with the Justice League, the preeminent collective of the recently surfaced "super-heroes." The Martian Manhunter became a publicly known figure through this association, and he appears to have been the only hero to be considered for membership since its founding so far, although Manhunter has stated that he did not formally join them.² This is in large part due to his unexplained "betrayal" of the team, which involved his coming to blows with the lot before disappearing entirely. It has been hinted that J'Onzz was already a member of Stormwatch, and was spying on the League. Although some duplicity on Manhunter's part was discovered, the League do not appear to be aware of Stormwatch's existence, and are definitely unaware of Martian Manhunter's whereabouts. Further, the public was not informed of his falling out with the group.



The Martian Manhunter appears to be very concerned with building and testing super-teams in preparation for some coming threat of epic proportions. He was part of a Stormwatch away team that forcibly drafted Apollo, a rare super-human comparable to Superman, onto the team. J'Onzz helped some Green Lanterns recover a captured squad in an unannounced guest appearance. Similarly, the Alien Atlas clashed with and then assisted the captive Legion Lost, although he ominously predicted that they would all die in the present before ever returning to their home in the 30th century. The Martian continues to monitor the Justice League without their knowledge.



It does not appear likely that J'Onn J'Onzz has a civilian identity, given his status amongst Stormwatch. His only human form assumed to date has resembled his old continuity identity of Caucasian detective John Jones, but he went unnamed. No friendships outside of Stormwatch have been revealed, and even there he has only expressed closeness to Harry Tanner (who betrayed the team,) the Projectionist (a newer member lost to kidnapping) and his respected leader Adam One (whose destabilized mind rendered him incompetent on his last mission.) Adam was quasi-killed by the Shadow Lords at the end of the first story arc, which may have created a rift between J'Onzz and his seeming masters. Of the remaining team, J'Onzz has seemed to take up Adam's abandoned role as mentor to Jenny Quantum (a type of duty he was prone to in the old continuity,) but does not seem to be particularly friendly toward anyone.



From the looks of things, the newly introduced Vitruvian Man casts serious aspersions on the Shadow Lords, and after a crossover with the Red Lanterns, Stormwatch will confront the renegade Harry Tanner. There's a good chance Stormwatch will then confront the Shadow Lords or, perhaps, their rivals. Finally, the Martian Manhunter will battle all of Stormwatch as he did the Justice League, then quit the team "forever." What is the motivation for all of this?



Let's look at the facts. We know the Martian Manhunter possesses his old powers of shapeshifting, super-strength, flight, telepathy, and intangibility. Per the Shadow Lords, he now has some vague power of "energy manipulation," and he may have enhanced metasenses beyond the good old Martian Vision (which encompassed laser vision, x-ray vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, etc.) I don't recall if we've seen invisibility yet, but that's probably there. The Daemonites, the sinister alien invaders who've plagued all of the DC/Wildstorm relaunch books and then some, have most of those same powers in the new continuity. What if J'Onn's secret is that there are no such thing as Martians, or that the ones that do exist are related to the Daemonites (not to mention the type of Durlan J'Onn saved from a virus in Legion Lost? The Daemonites now have a backstory similar to Saturnians, yet unseen in the DCnÜ but retroactively made descendants of Martian clones in the prior continuity. J'Onn being the only DC hero on the only active Wildstorm team makes a lot more sense if Wildstorm continuity were being grafted onto his DNA.



Another question is, why oust Martian Manhunter from Stormwatch? There have been indications that a confrontation with the Justice League is eventual, and the WS team is a lot more formidable with the Alien Atlas on it. However, we know there's a Trinity War coming in 2013 involving the League in conflict with other super-heroes, as opposed to Stormwatch. It ties into the appearances of the mysterious woman revealed to be Pandora, who turned up in all of the New 52 #1s in some fashion. You know who else has been covertly "seeded" into titles? J'Onn J'Onzz, who established his lack of a prior relationship with Guy Gardner in a recent unsolicited cameo. This is the same Guy Gardner who is soon to lose most if not all of his fellow Justice League International cohorts to cancellation, despite solid sales. Given that this turn occurs in an annual co-written by Geoff Johns, surely something major is afoot. You know who else J'Onzz helped in that comic? Green Lantern John Stewart, currently on trial for insubordination against his Corps, and seemingly soon to collide with the Justice League in Trinity War. Suppose Martian Manhunter involved himself in that matter with designs? Other rogue heroes involved in the Trinity War include the Atom, Hawkman, Element Woman, Black Adam, and most tellingly, a youth bearing a strong resemblance to Vibe. Each of these characters had ties to the Martian Manhunter in the old continuity, and its just the sort of ramshackle collective only J'Onn J'Onzz would entertain.




Ideally, I would best hope for Martian Manhunter #0 to come out in Septemberby a swell creative team to build up J'Onn J'Onzz as a solo character, with or without all these elements I've theorized about. I'd vastly prefer the Alien Atlas stand on his own over being just another strongman in a team book. However, the signs as I see them point to Justice League International being canned to make room for a new team book involving heroes gathered by the Martian Manhunter. I've long felt that the DC Universe needed a powerhouse team between the Justice League and Justice Society for all of the "name" heroes who fall between them and deserve better than mingling with pikers like the Outsiders. Actually, that name is as good as any, so long as it leaves the word "Justice" out of the mix. Perhaps J'Onzz remains loyal to the Shadow Lords, and will be a third party challenging Stormwatch for artifacts of power to use against the coming evil. Maybe he's been another Daemonite sleeper agent all along. Could be J'Onzz is playing all sides to his own ends, but the Martian Manhunter is immersed in manipulations that I suspect will bring the character to the forefront of DC Comics in the coming months. That, or just more wishful thinking on my part. My track record for predicting developments on this blog have not been the best...




¹: Mars was a living world throughout the Silver Age, until it was rendered uninhabitable by the evil Commander Blanx in a real estate deal gone genocidal. J'Onzz went on to lead a band of survivors on another world. In the late '80s, all of the old Mars stories were rendered fantasies implanted in J'Onn's mind, and he was instead the sole survivor of a plague. In the late '90s, the plague was made into a virus engineered by J'Onzz's evil twin brother Ma'alefa'ak, with significant alterations made in the retelling.

²: This matter is more than a bit galling for longtime fans. The Martian Manhunter was one of five heroes to found the Justice League of America in 1960's The Brave and the Bold #28, which excluded Superman and Batman from the cover and from full membership until after the group got their own series. He's been replaced by Cyborg, a relatively minor character who didn't even exist until decades later.

2010 Martian Manhunter Sketch Card by Chris Foreman

Click To Enlarge


I was going to do a bigger text post today, but had too many distractions to focus. Instead, here's some art by one of the Comicpalooza guests I'm hoping to get a commission from. It's not going to be a Martian, or even a man, but perhaps a bit of a hunter. My wish list is almost done, mostly narrowed down to one character per artist (where applicable,) with some seriously obscure selections that even I didn't see coming. I just tried to let the artists' strengths guide me toward the proper subjects.

If you want some meatier reading, why not check out Anj's Review of Starfire #1, moonlighting on our sister blog DC Bloodlines from his own Supergirl Comic Box Commentary. I promise that no Tamaranians were employed for the endeavor, although both heroines have a likely future of lower back problems...

Martian Sightings for August, 2012

STORMWATCH #12
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by IGNACIO CALERO and SEAN PARSONS
Cover by SCOTT CLARK and DAVID BEATY
On sale AUGUST 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• MARTIAN MANHUNTER battles STORMWATCH!
• A major turning point for the DC Universe as MARTIAN MANHUNTER quits STORMWATCH forever!
• Don’t miss STORMWATCH this month in I, VAMPIRE!

Well, this was unexpected. Who wants to bet all that negative space on the last cover ends up filled with green skin? I had such high hopes for this merger of the DC and Wildstorm Universes, but the book has been a complete mess, and it looks to be resegregating. My reaction is bittersweet, since I won't miss wasting my money on a title with consistently poor writing, but this also means all the potential that got me interested will be squandered. Given that this is the Alien Atlas' second one-manhunter brawl against an entire team in recent months, and that I don't believe he's making a heel turn, I strongly suspect new plans are afoot for the character in another title. A solo series would be nice, but there are other options...

I, VAMPIRE #12
Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO
Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
On sale AUGUST 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• ANDREW BENNETT’S hold over the vampires is about to collapse as STORMWATCH attacks.

Given the cover featured characters and events above, I'm not sure if Martian Manhunter will be in this one. I'll probably order it just in case.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and DAN DIDIO
Art and cover by JASON FABOK
On sale AUGUST 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

• Will this issue be the final adventure ever for JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL?
• The true nature of O.M.A.C. revealed!
• Ties in to the shocking events of JUSTICE LEAGUE #12!
• Guest-starring BLUE BEETLE!

The most recent issue with actual sales numbers (#8) sold over 30K and was ranked at #67 in the top 100. It's more than reasonable to expect that it's being revised into a stronger replacement that clears out dead weight like Godiva, Rocket Red, O.M.A.C., Batwing and August General. Especially once you factor in the guest writing team, it's safe to assume the #0 issue will hue closer to the JLI of old, or will at least offer a more bankable line-up. Could that include Martian Manhunter? It's worth noting that Keith Giffen is M.I.A. of late, as well.

LEGION LOST VOL. 1: RUN FROM TOMORROW TP
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA and TOM DeFALCO
Art by PETE WOODS and MATT CAMP
Cover by PETE WOODS
On sale SEPTEMBER 19 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US

• Collecting the present-day LEGION LOST series!
• Stranded in the 21st century, can this cadre of LEGIONNAIRES adjust to a different world?
• Collects LEGION LOST #1-7!

Probably J'Onn J'Onzz's biggest guest appearance to date, since he played a major part in the resolution of the first arc, and had more screen time in one issue than his two appearances in Green Lantern Corps.

BRIGHTEST DAY VOL. 3 TP
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and PETER J. TOMASI
Art by PATRICK GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK and others
Cover by IVAN REIS
On sale SEPTEMBER 12 • 224 pg, FC, $16.99 US

• In this final BRIGHTEST DAY volume, the mystery of the heroes’ and villains’ return is resolved and the secret of the white forest is revealed.
• Collecting issues #17-24!

Brand new; you're retro.


Miss Martian

YOUNG JUSTICE #19
Written by GREG WEISMAN
Art and cover by CHRISTOPHER JONES
On sale AUGUST 29 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E
• THE BRAIN, MONSIEUR MALLAH and THE ULTRA-HUMANITE have captured the team.
• What does GORILLA GRODD want with MISS MARTIAN?

I didn't think about this last month, but tying Grodd to Miss Martian strengthens his role as a Vile Menagerie candidate. I love Grodd, but I've long had reservations about his being given full consideration among that lot. If he has dual animosity with franchise players though, that would make the Super-Gorilla exceptional amidst their number. That's a pretty glorious army he's got there, too.

Comrades of Mars: “Mother” J'onzz

Alter Ego: "Mother" or "Mom" J'onzz
Occupation: Probable Homemaker
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: T'omm (son,) J'onn (son,) unnamed spouse and mother
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Mars
First Appearance: Detective Comics #236 (October, 1956)

History:
"Mother" and "Dad" J'onzz enjoyed a final meal with their sons before the elder J'onn had to excuse himself for work. J'onn was then accidentally teleported to the planet Earth, leaving his mother to worry for years over his mysterious fate. J'onn was trapped on an alien world, but used his scientific prowess to investigate means to reach his home planet. Thanks to solar explosions, J'onn J'ozz was briefly able to carry a teleconferencing signal to Mars, comforting his parents with the truth about his disappearance and life on Earth.

Some time later, younger son T'omm was also briefly transported to Earth, but returned home for fear of hurting his parents further with the absence of both their sons. More time passed, until famed scientist Dr. Alvin Reeves managed to repair the robot brain that had captured J'onn J'onzz, and used it to send himself to Mars. J'onn discovered the restored device and made the same trip, reuniting with his mother, father, and brother. However, J'onn was forced to collect Dr. Reeves and return to Earth, leading to a tearful farewell. J'onn promised to visit his mother whenever he could, now that he was enabled to span the worlds.

It is not known if J'onn kept his promise, and in the absence of further appearances, it is likely his mother did not survive the destruction of Mars by Commander Blanx.

"Mother" J'onzz was not depicted as having a consistent appearance. In her debut, she was shown as being bald, with a large headpiece, earrings, and a concealing red cloak. However, in a flashback, she was shown to have long amethyst colored hair, and dressed like a latter-day pilgrim. In her final story, she had white hair in a bun, and was wearing a decidedly less austere orange dress, with a short cape and headpiece.

Quote: "J'onn-- our lost son! Where are you signalling from?"

Created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa

2011 "JLA Avengers mash up" by Richard Yanizeski

Click To Enlarge


Jack Kirby's 1964 cover to The Avengers #4 reworked with the Justice League of America. This was the issue that brought back Captain America, and given that Green Arrow was published continuously into the Silver Age, I'd have preferred Wonder Woman as his proxy. I guess the costumes are more similar though, and Ollie did join the team in their fourth issue. Also, only Diana could have pulled off Wasp's pose. J'onn J'onzz subs for Thor, Flash walks in Giant Man's shoes, Green Lantern stands in for Iron Man and obviously Aquaman is in Sub-Mariner's corner box. I'm just glad the World's Finest didn't squeeze in. Try to play "Where's Ray Palmer..."

2012 Cracked.com "Wonder Woman's Sex Tape: A Lost Episode of Super Friends" video

Decidedly Not Safe For Work language and subject matter, but our boy gets a cameo...

Wonder Woman's Sex Tape: A Lost Episode of Super Friends -- powered by Cracked.com

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Rob Osborne

Click To Expand & Enlarge


It's the Fetal League of Utero: J'Onn J'Onzz, Hal Jordan, Diana Prince, Barry Allen and Arthur Curry!

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Salvation Run #2 (February, 2008)

A third wave of deportation brought Metallo, Tar Pit, Meanstreak (of the New Extremists,) Iron Cross (from the Aryan Brigade,) Hellhound, Skorpio, Rag Doll, Manticore (of Jihad,) and the Body Doubles to Salvation, and they worked as a team to scavenge some of the advanced technology to be found on the alien world. The second Hellhound (who'd bought the deceased first's gear) was eviscerated by aliens, and his fellows kept him alive just long enough to feed other creatures on the world in a distraction play.

Back at camp, Kid Karnevil swore to skin the Joker alive if possible, to pay tribute to the Clown Prince of Crime by surpassing his lunacy. Successive waves had brought Hugo Strange, Giganta, Jewelee, Mad Hatter, Silver Monkey, Warp, Man-Bat, Shadow-Thief, Two-Face, Sterling Silversmith, and more into the fold. Psimon tried to win support for staying on Salvation and making babies around the clock with super-villainesses, which went over about as well as could be expected. The only surprise was that it was Joker who bashed his head in with a rock, instead of a female. Well, that and Psimon didn't even attempt to defend himself despite having vast powers, and that a wimp like the Joker would kill in such a savage fashion, and that this would instill fear in a throng of villains who could have easily killed the creep for his unpredictable homicidal rampage. This book is not well written.



To further that argument, a final Boom Tube party was put together by the Suicide Squad. Present were Rick Flag, Deadshot, Lex Luthor, Bane, Blockbuster, Catwoman, Chemo, Bronze Tiger, Plastique and Captain Boomerang. Deadshot was betrayed and sent to Salvation, supposedly with two other Squaders. Only five characters total were depicted as being sent, and none were Squaders besides Deadshot. Finally, it's only Deadshot, and he's been cooperative for years, so why bundle him up for the Boom Tube? Because is why.

Upon arrival, Lex Luthor got himself elected leader under a "Truth, Justice and the American Way" platform that probably sounded subversive in the scripter's mind, but just made the collected villains seem like lemmings. It was a long, weak three pages of jibber-jabber (including a second reference to Boom Tube'n folk into the vacuum of space.) So yeah, it's the Joker & Luthor show, with special guest Gratuitous Violence. I run a blog whose mission statement includes promoting awareness of Martian Manhunter villains. I'm so glad it was just getting started while this mini-series was being produced, or the entire Vile Menagerie could have ended up in this meat grinder. Well, unless the disguised Alien Atlas arriving this issue helped save his old support staff...

"Take This Job World and Shove It!" was by Bill Willingham, Sean Chen and Walden Wong.

Brave New World

• Justice League: Cry for Justice #2 (October, 2009) @ Power of the Atom
• Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #54 (September, 2007) @ Justice League Detroit
• Doom Patrol #8 (May, 2010) @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman #10 (August, 2007) @ Diana Prince

2011 Justice League of America #193 pin-up recreation with the Avengers by Mitch Ballard

Click To Enlarge


After a late start on a 2½ hour movie plus a long drive home and writing a lengthy review, I had no juice left for any other comic blogging. So, to celebrate the awesomeness of Marvel's The Avengers and observe the incompetence of Warner Brothers' forty years of mishandling DC projects (like the aborted 2007 JLA film,) here's a reworking of a 1981 George Pérez Pin-Up replacing the Justice Society of America with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Let me add that I'm a big supporter of the current casting rumor for the Vision, given the events of the movie...

Comicpalooza 2012: Artist Alley Attack

I've talked a lot about the upcoming Comicpalooza convention in recent months, which has slipped into mere weeks left before the big event. I'm sorry if you guys have had enough, but I'm just so excited to have the opportunity to go with a few bills in my hand to spread around. For two years, I've gone with little money, mentally counting down to zero as I fretted over which characters I could afford from which artist in which format. This year, I feel more like a pool hustler, calling shots in anticipation of sinking them. "Colored full figure Cay'an by Joe Eisma. Bam!" Further, by next year I'll have to buckle down, pay off my remaining debts, and begin planning my further education/business expenses. I may still be able to get a few choice selections, but then again, I may not. 2012 is my one year to go whole hog, so I'm relishing it.



I'm still bummed that a bunch of artists I was hopeful to see aren't returning this year. Not to be nasty, but others are coming back that I could do without, which is why they won't be mentioned by name. One guest I'd never heard of before his recent announcement is Brent Peeples, despite his attending in 2011. He's apparently done a fair amount of material for Zenescope in recent years, but an Image book with Joshua Hale Fialkov called The Last of the Greats seems to be upping his recognition factor. He's got kind of a Barry Kitson vibe that I like. 9×12 inked head is $30, bust $60. 11×17 inked full figures are $75 + $25 for color, + $20 for additional figures and/or backgrounds. He seems to be best at clean, tight, heroic figures. Re's Eda, N'or Cott, Futureman, Gypsy, Commander Blanx, the Conjurer, Triumph, the Prophet, and the Mercurian come to mind, but I wonder how much the whole
Hyperclan would run?

A place where I'm hoping to run buck wild is Artist's Alley. I try to sample new, unfamiliar artists each year, but this area tends to get short shrift. I've been so busy figuring what I'm able to do with the "names," I often approach just a few of these folks late in the game. A lot of these guys might appreciate the exposure even a little bitty pissant blog like mine can provide, and you can get some fantastic work by inspiring the right newcomer at the right time. It doesn't hurt that the spending dollar goes farther as well, but you do have to keep an open mind over the less predictable results. You might get a masterpiece for $25, or a piece of something else for three times that.



Johnny J. Segura III is one of my favorites of the "unknown" artists. He's got a fun manga-fied style that's incapable of being "dark," no matter how much blood and gore he tries to toss into some of his pieces. I'm leaning toward a really over the top character, like Scorch, Professor Hugo, the Saturnian, or the Human Flame. Austin Rogers reminds me a bit of Paul Msyberry, and might get pegged for similar subjects. Chris Foreman might have been around in previous years. He does these quick sketch cards. A couple of his more NSFW polished pieces bring Kishana Lewis to mind. Otherwise, he'll be a "grab bag" artist.

I think I remember Damon Bowie, but airbrushed looking stuff tends to scare me off. I don't fully understand the process, so of course I hate and fear it. He's got a fair amount of line art though, which calms my anxiety. You know who I'm thinking about? J'emm or Glenn Gammeron. I wish he had a price list up. Ash Gonzales's site is a slow loading pain, and there's no way I can swing an oil painting, but his pencil art is rather nice. I'd like to see a price menu before getting excited, though. Ditto Jon Hughes, whose comic art I'm not that into, and whose digital work is probably out of my range.



Rob Reilly likes square-jawed types with big eyebrows. Captain Harding? B’enn B’urnzz? The Prophet? Patrolman Mike Hanson? He's done monkeys in his day, so Gorilla Grodd? Jerry Rascoe has a nice, clear commission structure, from $30 for a full figure sketch to $100 inked and colored to $175 for two figures and a background. This is another guy who's good at heroic types, so Triumph comes to mind. Perhaps select members of the Hyperclan? A pairing of N’orr Cott and R’es Eda? Sam Lotfi has a Don Bluth thing going on. Diane Meade, B’enn B’urnzz, Hunter Commander J'en, the Conjurer, the Human Flame, Professor Hugo, Alex Dunster, the Human Squirrel, TOR, Gypsy, Mr. Moth, B'rett or Monty Moran might be nice.

Jamie Kinosian has a soft, sweet style that indicates Comrades of Mars like Sally Winters, Diane Meade, the J'onzz family, or Gypsy. Lane Montoya might work for a sci-fi character like Princess Cha'rissa. Kaleigh “Kalo” Hvizdos might pull off a nice Zook. I kind of have this issue with loathing furry fandom though, so I'll have to work through my bias first. More manga and photo-realism with Amelie “Ami-Chan” Belcher. She's good, but I'm not sure how time-consuming/expensive/reference dependent she is. Martian females? Triumph? Kiriska is another one who tends to go cute and furry, but with a bit more moodiness. The Human Falcon? Chris Beaver also started out with anthropomorphic characters, but thankfully branched out, to the point where I'm not sure what I'd get. He used to do a lot of Aliens/Predator stuff, but then he moved into chiaroscuro, and more recently has got a Mitch Byrd thing going on. Scorch, Kishana Lewis or Strega might be good. Tybalt Bak'sar? The Human Squirrel?



Mark Nasso specializes in dark and weird. How about Asmodel, Cabal, Inflict, Despero, Fernus, Malefic, the Bloodworms of Mars, the Lizard Men, the Pyre, the Scary Monsters or the Swarm? I distinctly recall trying to track down Vo Nguyen at a previous con and failing. His work has an ominous air, like the bastard child of Ming Doyle and Tim Vigil, with some Billy Tucci in there. Cameron Chase, Professor Ivo, Inflict, Princess Cha'rissa, Mr. Bones, Fernus, Jemm, Malefic, Libra or Bette Noir? I like C.E. Zacherl because his work looks absolutely nothing like anyone else I've looked at so far. On the other hand, it's kind of stiff and reference heavy, plus I can't find a price quote. Definitely better suited for darker characters. Bette Noir, B'rett, Doctor Samedi, Professor Ivo, Rott, Vandal Savage, Cabal, Mr. Bones, Fernus, Malefic and the Pyre are possibilities.



Matt Frank likes the monsters, so it's kind of a shame I'm not that into the creatures spawned from out of the Diabolu Idol-Head. There's still some critters to choose from though, like Gorilla Grodd, The Human Falcon, Tybalt Bak'sar, Iwangis and Mr. Moth. I don't get the impression Cody Schibi is the kind of guy you walk up to and say "dude, draw me a [blank.]" I think I have to pick something inherently weird, probably in a Lovecraftian vein, so that I'm at least in the ballpark. Some options might be Professor Ivo, D'Kay, Mr. Moth, Asmodel, Cabal, the Bloodworms of Mars, the Lizard Men, the Pyre, the Scary Monsters or the Swarm.