Something Fun

Here's Kelly Clarkson's new song.  Darkside.  A fan had fun making a video for it.  A Star Wars video.

Artist of the Week

Yep, another totally Random Artist of the Week.  This time it's Amanda Visell.  Why?  Because she does really cool wooden Star Wars sculptures.  See!

How cool are those?  See more on her blog: Amanda Visell's Blog

If those aren't cool enough, she has all sorts of sculptures she does.

Like this awesome Robot painting:

Or this super Wonder Woman/Justice League Painting:

She even has a store where you can buy things.  Real art for sale.  Not that crap most people hang on their walls from Wal-mart or Target.

So go forth!  Support art & artist by actually buying their stuff!

Electric Tiki Tron

Electric Tiki has figured out a way to give you the TRON statue/figure you always wanted.  They teamed up with Sideshow Collectibles for distribution, so you can find most of their stuff there.  $189.99 is the asking price for this cool, 14 inch high statue that will burst with glowy awesomeness under any college room blacklight.  Or your basement blacklight.  

Even without the blacklight it's super cool looking.

Sideshow has the payments at $63.33 a month if you want to use their flex-pay.

Steampunk Tonner Dolls

Now this is a pretty cool doll.  The Steampunk Tonner Wonder Woman Doll.  She's 16 inches high & very limited to only 500 pieces ever.  Nice.  She has a faux-leather suit, Goggles, Black rooted saran hair (I have no idea what that means) and her golden lasso.  She is pre-sale priced at $174.99.

If you head over to Entertainment Earth, you can get in on their deal of buy one get one 50% on all dolls right now.  

Maybe you'll want to pick up the TRON: Legacy Gem as well.  She's also $174.99 and limited to 500 pieces.  

Or Maybe you just want to stay in thew Superhero Genre.  There's Black Canary.

Standing at 13 inches high & also limited to 500 pieces, she sells for $149.99.  With the sale she'll be half that if you pick her up with Wonder Woman!

Maybe you want to go a whole other direction though & pick up a Momiji Doll instead.  These non-opening nesting dolls are 3 inches tall & have a place to insert a secret message.  

I kind of, sort of, love these.  

They are only $16.99.  Buy one get one 50% at Entertainment Earth.

Firefly Posters for Your Retro Room

Quantum Mechanix has released some great Art Deco type posters of the characters from Firefly.  The posters are each 24 x 12 inches on 100 lb. paper.  There is a set of the Ladies & one of the Gentlemen.

Both sets are Around $30.00 each.

You can acquire them from Entertainment Earth or many other suppliers.  

Google it.

RIP Muppet Man

Jerry Nelson was a Muppeteer.  He was one of the originals.  He started way back in 1965 with Jim Henson as the right arm of Rowlf the dog.  You know him best as the Count from Sesame Street.  Count Von Count.  I loved him best as Sgt. Floyd Pepper.  That's Floyd there in the picture.  The Muppets have always been & continue to be a never ending source of love, imagination, dreams & possibilities.  Thank you Mr. Nelson, for all the laughs & joy.  

Wonder Woman + Superman

If you haven't heard yet, Geoff Johns over at DC has decided that Wonder Woman and Superman should have sex.  It will happen in Justice League #12.  

It's nice to see DC paying so much attention to Wonder Woman finally.  Trying to fill out her character.  Give her depth.  I'm not sure why they think boinking Superman is the way to do it, but okay.  Clark is a great guy.  I mean, he's basically Christ when you break it down.  Being an Amazon, if you're gonna go for some penis, Super Penis would be a solid choice. *snicker* 

I mean, she grew up surrounded by beautiful women.  She was a Princess. She could have any woman on the island.   I'm sure Steve Trevor was her first male conquest. I've always figured Diana would be at least Bisexual or Pansexual.  Growing up the way she did and having the desire to protect people I think she must look at souls more than gender.  Of course, we always have the tendency to project ourselves onto our heroes.

In my opinion, the whole reason there hasn't been a Wonder Woman movie is due to her sexuality.  How do you avoid addressing it?  In the real world, sexuality is something that just pops up.  People ask you if your married, dating, etc.  I can't tell you the number of times some dude has noticed I don't have a ring on my left hand, chatted me up all friendly (I'm thinking we're just chatting mind you), and then asked me if I have a boyfriend.  Of course, I always say no.  Then he asks me out. *sigh*   Then it gets really awkward.  I mean, do I want this stranger to know?  And then again, why is that weird in the first place?  But what if he gets violent?  Or gets really offended?  Or says something really hurtful?  What if he feels really stupid?  If I don't say something though, he will think that I just am not interested.  Which I'm not.  But not for the reasons he thinks.  Ugh.

(I adore this picture.  Couldn't find the name of the photographer.  Apologies.)

So really, in the real world it's impossible to ignore. I mean, we know who Batman has the hots for.  Clark has been with Lois forever.  Aquaman has had a couple different Mermaids.  Wonder Woman though?  We just don't talk about it.

I hope this is DC's attempt to start delving into Wonder Woman and opening her up.  Making her a more rounded character.  Again, not sure why penis is involved.  Maybe we will get some great dialogue about Wonder Woman's fluid sexuality & sexuality as a whole.  Maybe they are just trying to main stream her more in order to wash away any question that she might hook up with chicks so they can present her to a larger audience in a theater.  I hope not.  Wonder Woman has the potential to be an amazing step forward as an icon.  She already has been, but she could be so much more.

Personally, once she's done with Supes, I hope she runs into Kate.  Man, the drama & intensity in that relationship might cause the Sun to Supernova.

Oh, one more thing.  Go check out NPR's take on this.  It's Hilarious!!!!

NPR Link.

Thundercat Tygra

Pop Culture Shock has released a new Thundercat statue of Tygra. 

It is a mixed media statue, which means it's probably mostly polystone resin, a little bit of cloth on the costume &  metal used for the Bolo whip.  

It is listed as Limited Edition with the edition size still to be determined.  Sideshow Collectibles is selling it at $339.99.  Their super limited Sideshow Exclusive edition has a second head that can be switched out for the price of $369.99.  

It has a release date of March 2013, but you can pre-order right now & make payments to sideshow of around $75.00 a month.

Leia vs. Xena

A student wandered into my office today asking for information on how to get advised for Graduation.  It's a student that has wandered in before.  He has a full shaggy mane of blonde curls, blue eyes & a fabulous mustache.  Think Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday but more full & blond.

He's always pretty hyper, but I can't lie, I adore him.  He always brings good conversation with him.

Today it was "Who would win in a fight if it was Xena vs. Leia?"

Wow.

 

Now, I almost instantly said Xena, but then I stopped.  I remembered that article I read about Leia a couple days ago.  I realized just because Xena has a sword & a Chakram & happens to have killed thousands of people doesn't make her a clear winner.  Leia has the Force.  Xena has the possible demi-god thing.  Both are smart.  Leia also has some awesome friends.  Xena doesn't really have friends other than Gabrielle & the bumbling idiot Joxer.  Occasionally the jerk Hercules shows up, but this fight ain't between them & their friends.  It's just between these two ladies.  Xena does have superior charisma.  She can turn on the sex charm & get anyone, male & female, to pretty much do anything.  Leia has more of the cute charm. One that doesn't work so well on her own sex. Both are great at strategy.     

Leia has more to lose.  Xena feels like she has a debt to pay.  Leia is awesome with a blaster.  Xena is more than human in her skill with the Chakram.  Xena has accepted herself for who she is.  Leia is always iffy about being a real Jedi.  (I haven't read ALL the novels in the SWU yet)  Sheesh, this is tough.  I'm not sure I can answer this question.  

What do you fanboys & fangirls think?

Joe Kubert 1926-2012 RIP

It is with a very heavy heart that I type out this blog post.  My mentor, Joe Kubert, has become one with the Force.

He might not have known he was my mentor, but Joe Kubert was probably the most influential artist of my entire life.  I had hopes of meeting him one day and telling him exactly that.  To thank him for doing those little art lessons in Dynamite magazine in the 80's so that a sheltered kid like me could find them & learn so much from them.  I took the advice he gave for drawing people & things seriously.  I have kept them with me even as I have discarded the rest of the magazines.  I still have them & more importantly, I still use them.

Many of you probably have no idea who Joe Kubert is, who Sgt. Rock is, but you might know silver-aged Hawkman.  You might not recognize the name Kubert if you aren't into comics, but I'm going to bet you'd recognize his work.  Those of you who know my work are going to definitely be able to see the influence.

Joe Kubert's parents escaped from Poland with their 2 month old & made it to New York where they settled.  Joe, as a mere boy of 12,  hung around the comic studios just as the industry was starting.  He began to draw and his parents nurtured that.  Before he graduated high school he was already working in the industry.  At 14, he was already assisting on Will Eisner's "The Spirit".  His big break would be drawing solo for the All American Comic title "Hawkman" in 1944.

Joe kept drawing his whole life.  He was always great to the fans & lucky for us spawned a couple of great comic drawing sons.  Andy and Adam.

I can't really describe how important those little lessons in Dynamite were to me.  I can't really explain how much it meant to me to get my hands on silver age "Hawkman" comics and to study each line, trying to understand what made the images so intense.  So alive.  I spent hours every day trying to draw like Joe.  I wanted to keep the looseness he had and combine it with my colors, which were usually very vibrant.  Most of my non-social childhood was spent with lessons in magazines or comics by Joe Kubert.

I'll never get the chance to tell him thank you in person, so Joe, wherever you are...Thanks man.

Something for the Geeky List Makers

I share my life with a geek.  A geek that makes lists.  All the time.  She also loves little notebooks to make these important lists in.  My best bud was also a list maker.  The guy always had a moleskin on him.  Well, I have the perfect combination for the geeky list maker.  The Battlestar Galactica Lined Notebook.  7.25" x 5.25" with 224 pages.  You know you want one.  $24.99 each.  (Ouch, wtf? and why?)  Thinkgeek has them & so does Entertainment Earth.

Redneck D&D

So T woke up Monday morning & as happens many mornings she was sleepy happy.  It's this state where she says silly things and is so adorable you want to squeeze her until she pops.  Many times during sleepy happy she has amazing ideas, hysterical ideas, or epiphanies.  This past Monday she started rambling on in a most adorable way about Dungeons & Dragons & The Dukes of Hazzard and how these things were related.  She had, while falling asleep last night, realized a similarity.  When she awoke she realized that the characters from the show were nothing more than the same characters you would choose when playing Dungeons & Dragons or most RPG's.  She explained all the details to me.  I was convinced.  So, once I got to work & got some free time, I made her a Meme.  Here it is.  

You're welcome.

Btw, it was ridiculously hard to find a photo of Daisy Duke with the bow & arrow.  The woman shot flaming arrows at stuff all the time.  Are there pics of this?  No.  But there are millions of her ass.  C'mon internet, Daisy Duke was a bad ass.  A hot bad ass, but c'mon, give her some credit.  She could hit a target going a hundred in the General Lee while jumping a pond.  

Raise Your Fist!!!!

New Doro Album! 

The release date is a bit confusing for those of us here in the USA.

Amazon has the single listed for pre-order with a release date of Aug. 14th.  It's also listed as an import. The single has the songs "Raise your Fist", "Victory", "Engel", and "Lève Ton Poing Vers Le Ciel". The single is available on Nuclear Blasts European site on LP's.  Several different ones.  Available now.

Nuclear Blast did have a release date for the album as October 19, 2012 at one point, but I can't find hide nor hair of it now.  On their USA page there isn't even a mention.  I hope they haven't run into some sort of issue. I've posted questions to Nuclear Blast USA's FB page, but they just delete them.  Pretty crappy.

Getting Doro albums always proves a challenge here in the USA.  I mean, we get them eventually via internet stores, but I never feel like I'm buying FROM the artists.

So, there is a new album.  When & where you can get it is still up in the air.  I'll let you know when I find out.    If you do like Doro, I suggest you follow her on Facebook if you do that social networking stuff.  Johnny Dee, the drummer, updates the site regularly with info.  

Until then, here's a fantastic video of Doro guest singing "Mary Queen of Scots" with Grave Digger at last years Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany.  

Flash Gordon Approaches

Who knew there were so many Flash Gordon T-shirts out there?  Have I mentioned I am a T-shirt-a-holic?  Well, I am.  I swear, I can't stop buying t-shirts.  I even stopped compulsively buying Star Wars 3 3/4" figures, but T-shirts?  *Sigh*  Nope.  So of course, when I saw all the Flash Gordon shirts I was like, "OMG!  I don't have ANY of these!".  I came across most of them on Entertainment Earth.

There were some over on Amazon & Ebay as well.  Crazy!

Pretty cool, right?

I thought so.

The Lit Turn-Table Stand

Oh yeah, that's right.  Someone finally made & is selling the action figure stand we have all wished for.  It rotates & it is lit.  It's made for those awesome 1/6 scale figures that look so sweet.  12"-ers.  Can you imagine how awesome your Luke & Han in Stormtrooper gear are going to look on this!?



I don't even know what to say.  Here's another look:



Wow.  Holy wow.

There's no Dana...ONLY ZUUL!

Brian's Toys has that exclusive Ghostbusters figure from San Diego Comic Con 2012 that you're looking for!

6" of pure hot possessed Dana.  Chris, buddy, I might just have to get this in honor of you.  However, $49.99 probably means I won't.  Ima keep my eye out for a cheaper one though.  

Gentle Giant Premier Guild

The company Gentle Giant has an exclusive Premier Guild that you can join.  For $70.00 a year, you can join other Gentle Giant enthusiasts in purchasing limited edition merchandise from all of your favorite properties.  Properties like, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Suckerpunch, The Hobbit, and Mars Attacks.  You get one free item upon joining that is exclusive only to guild members.  They have five different items to choose from.  You also get first dibs on the San Diego Comic Con Exclusives.  Here are a few of the offerings from Gentle Giant:

$145.00 Luke Skywalker Statue

12" Lando

$449.00 24" Samurai from Suckerpunch

Pretty cool stuff, ey?

Crucified Barbara hits stores Yesterday!

I say hits stores...LMAO...um, more like, hits the internet.  Good luck finding any real music in a store.  Justin Bieber will be there waiting for you, but the real music is harder to find.  Here's a sample of Crucified Barbara: