Just what you've always wanted, folks, Wonder Woman is getting her own makeup line! What's that? You couldn't care less? Well, I'm hardly the makeup-wearing type myself, but I think the announcement speaks volumes for where the Amazonian stands in contemporary culture.
Wonder Woman certainly has a degree of social prominence; Most Americans can identify her, even if they're pulling from memories of the Lynda Carter TV series, and she's definitely a member of DC's Trinity- where, like Superman and Batman, she was important enough to get dragged into Blackest Night's tie-ins and then left to her own devices once the event concluded. But her comics aren't respected quite as much as her compatriots'- she has no spinoff titles, she's not part of DC's "Earth One" graphic novel incentive, and worst of all, she has no movie.
Though by 2011, she'll be right there on the Macy's racks alongside Britney Spears perfumes and Cyndi Lauper-sponsored watches. I fear that Wonder Woman is especially vulnerable to comics' ever-growing integration into the mainstream. Not that this is a bad thing, the girl could certainly do with more exposure, but if all this publicity works as planned and Diana is catapulted into the spotlight as a symbol of righteous womanhood, where will the new fans go who want to explore her in original form? Perhaps she'll expand into multimedia more as a pop element, a feat that even Superman couldn't accomplish. Batman has arguably been able to escape comic-tropes and expectations only recently though his Nolan movie incarnations- I think Wonder Woman and her mythology might be DC's prime candidate for attracting attention now that comics are only just the springboard for a character's fame.
Am I the only one who thought that when I saw the futuristic T-shaped mask he's wearing here, as he sells some kind of high quality audio laptop? The rest of the outfit works pretty well too!
Really, pretty self explanatory. This shot was released along with a USA TODAY article about Kenneth Branagh and Chris Hemsworth, and how the production team wanted to make sure they were ready for Comic-Con.
Large version of the picture below. Chris has definitely put on a LOT of muscle for the role.
DC Universe Online, the long in-development MMO, was given a release date yesterday of November this year. The game, developed by Sony Online's brand-new Austin studio, will be available for the PC and PS3 and allows fans the ability to fight alongside (or against!) a wide cast of DC heroes. It's an exhaustive list, but screencaps and videos have shown the likes of Superman, Batman, Nightwing, Robin, Flash, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Green Lanterns Hal and Jon, to name a few. The villains cast stretches on just as long with Solomon Grundy, Lex Luthor, Sinestro, Bizarro, Riddler, The Joker, and Doomsday.
Character creation will require you to align yourself to a side and take on missions through communication with Oracle to gain XP, which can be traded in for powers and armor. Your equipment seems to play an important role in leveling up, as tech demos have shown players gaining a power boost after defeating mission boss Harley Quinn and plundering her hat. While most demonstrations show custom characters with funky, spiked armor, the powers gained through your spoils can be absorbed, allowing you to ditch the jester cap and fight crime in nothing but your undies, if that's your thing.
Early reports show disappointment in the game's overall polish despite the creative efforts plugged in directly from DC. Jim Lee contributed to character design, and Geoff Johns acted as scriptwriter, which sounds like a proper deal for me, given that most missions are centered around fast and loose villain-beat-em-ups. Fortunately, we'll be able to try it out for ourselves before the holiday season, and more details will surely emerge at the upcoming E3 and Comic-Con screenings.
deviantART is a treasure trove of fanservice gems, some more special than others. I'll leave you to decide where The Batman Dress Up Doll resides on that spectrum, but it's a fun distraction at least. It's got a few mix-and-match options for the playful (Bruce Wayne in a Steve Jobs turtleneck? Yes please!) but most of all, it should tide over your need to see Gotham's son in his skivvies until The Return of Bruce Wayne, or that Batporn parody that Bleeding Cool likes to tout around, if that's your kind of thing.
I'm honestly in mourning about Greg Rucka leaving DC. I feel silly admitting it but his announced departure - plus some minor office zaniness - has me off my game this week in a big way. I had no idea I had gotten so attached to the character of Batwoman, even though I knew the arc would end sooner or later. I keep trying to write a review of the latest issue of Detective Comics but I'm having trouble navigating my way beyond the selfish but noooooooooooooooo reaction I have every time I look at the cover. I'll review it tomorrow, but only if I can lift my lower lip off the ground by then.
In the meantime, I love a little retail therapy as much as anyone else and in my online window-shopping I've happened across a link to this Flash-themed hoodie which has to be just about the coolest one ever made. I'm not much of a hoodie guy myself but this kind of craftsmanship makes me want to reconsider. At $45, and in a wide range of sizes, it's more or less in line with most online hoodie prices and it's of apparently gorgeous manufacture. The little side-wings on the hood are almost too good to be true. We'll see if I manage to talk myself out of it by payday.
That said, man, what Rubber Justice said: aw yeah about more (and more timely) Stumptown. I hope Greg Rucka makes a million dollars doing what he loves; I just damned well better get to read it.
Greg Rucka broke my heart at this weekend's WonderCon when he announced that he's submitted his last script to DC for the foreseeable future, opting to focus on original material now that his work with Kate Kane is through. It should be obvious from our gushingopinion piecesthat we here at the GayGamer castle have really grown to love Batwoman in her newest incarnation. This announcement dashes the hopes of fans worldwide who were anticipating another 5-part team-up with JH Williams III that was supposed to expand on the Alice character.
Rucka is on his way to doing what Mark Millar and other prominent comics writers are raving about, that chance to work freely on creator-based material. While CBR laments the restrictions that working on franchised supers necessarily implements, I'm glad too see this phenomenal, empowering writer getting a chance to work on original material. His reorientation should buy him time to get Stumptown back a on proper release schedule. Still, his unfinished portrait of Batwoman should continue to inspire when it's bundled in a hardcover collection on sale at the end of June. The artist of the "Elegy" arc had this to say on his character's longevity:
I believe DC will want the character to continue somehow. In what form? I'm not sure, but she'll be back, I'm sure of it. This character has too much potential to just go by the wayside.
If I had written this article for a comic book centric website, then I would have said "Top Ten Gay Moments in SUPER HERO Comic Book History" But for a larger audience, "Comic Book" still means "Super Hero."
...
This wasn't a list based on quality, otherwise the awful Rawhide Kid series or Alpha Flight's coming out issue wouldn't even be here. Those stories got headlines in the mainstream press. Stan Lee went on CNN to talk about their "gay cowboy" book. Rictor and Shatterstar were all over sites like Perez Hilton and similar ones.
Which is where he loses me. You could argue that the overtones between Batman and Robin caused a media frenzy when they were more prominent, but to argue that they're significant, or even mildly relevant to LGBT(QI) acceptance in comics simply can't be a honest statement. Doonesbury is a syndicated strip with an expansive readership, and exposed thousands of readers to heartfelt commentary in Andy's battle with AIDS, which, while we're discussing semantics, is much more of a "moment" than the haphazard pairings and character names that appear on the list. No one can blame Diaz for trying to expose his readers to these admittedly prominent, gay characters, but the article would've hugely benefited from additional, comprehensive research and more selective diction. What comics do you think would better fit the "Important Gay Moments" mantle?
I have to say, I found this one pretty amusing. Comic artist Cliff Chiang apparently has a bit of a hobby when not drawing comics. He has been recreating the album covers of classic 80's soundtracks with superheroes. Check out some examples below!
A friend sent this to me today. His email consisted of only these words: "Dude, so this is about the most awesome thing I've ever seen". Honestly, I think he might be right, as rarely have I encountered anything as cool as the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. Their site features a catalogue of unlikely delights, from the basics like capes (for heroes and sidekicks alike) to more advanced vigilante paraphernalia such as secret identities, maps and manuals to help one begin, adjust to or survive the superhero lifestyle. They even say that the many powders and potions one can buy do contain something safe and fun though they won't say exactly what. I'm still holding out hope that it means their gallon can of muscle comes with a beefy delivery guy.
Of course, the Internet is chock full of clever tchotchke shops. What makes this one unique is that it is run by and benefits 826NYC, a non-profit organization focused on developing writing skills and creativity in children between ages 6 and 18 in the New York City schools. The group does workshops, one-on-one tutorials, field trips and classroom support for teachers. I really can't think of many better gift-giving ways to show one's love for all things spandex and, as of this writing, there are four days left to order should one want to receive purchases before the holidays.
You guys may recall I was a bit cranky about Northstar and his lack of lovin' about a year and a half ago. In fact, at the time, I issued a challenge to Marvel to get him a kiss by June 2009 or I would declare him not really gay.
I have not forgotten about this.
However, when the X-men moved to San Francisco this year, we were teased with the existence of what looked to be Northstar's boyfriend (and manager), so I delayed judgment until we could see more.
Since then, Northstar hasn't had a lot of major appearances, as there have been about a thousand major crossover events in the Marvel universe in the last six months, and each one tends to disrupt the normal storyline for most books, including the many X-books. So I waited.
Our patience seems to have been rewarded! Artist Tim Fish revealed on his blog that his upcoming story in Nation X #2 (which comes out in Jan.) is a story about Northstar, and will feature Kyle, his boyfriend in an 8-page story. I'm not sure if an actual kiss is in it, but it's implied that there is some lovin' going on. Check out some sketches of Northstar, Kyle, and Aurora below, and we'll keep you up to date when we get closer to Jan.
Review: Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1
I literally clapped my hands together and said OhMyGodYesssss when the friendly staff member at my regular shop held this book out to hand it to me. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung finally - finally - return to this title with a nine issue limited series. I will spare you paragraphs of pontification and cut to the chase: it's not just good, it's the best thing Marvel has going, period. Read on for the pontification and petty quibbles!...
