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Saturday, August 8, 2009

Batman and...The Green Hornet!

When last we blogged, we commented on the fact that Batman, not Superman, would be the first DC character to interact with Doc Savage.
But, then, Batman was usually the first to meet up with other publishers' characters..
Almost a decade before Superman vs. Spider-Man, Batman met up with another company's character...The Green Hornet!
(Note: Most people disregard this as a legitimate cross-over since it was live-action and not a comic, but, AFAIC, characters are characters, and if it's not a pirate / illegal production, it's REAL and it counts!)

In the two-parter "A Piece of the Action" / "Batman's Satisfaction", The Hornet & Kato visit Gotham City while tracking counterfeit stamps.
Since The Hornet's M.O. is pretending to be a criminal, Batman naturally assumes the Vermilion Villain is there to cut himself in on...you guessed it, a piece of the action!
But, since The Hornet is, in fact, a hero, he has to find a way to a) put the counterfeiters out of business and b) avoid a confrontation with the Caped Crusader!
To add to the problem, it turns out that the characters' millionare alter-egos, Bruce Wayne and Britt Reid, have known each other since childhood, and have been competitors at almost everything from then to now!

It ain't a classic by any stretch, but it is fun, and the Big Finale Fight is more Bat-fistcuffs than Hornet-martial arts, but it does have it's moments.

It also provides the answer to the trivia question:
Who's the ONLY actor to play a villain opposite Batman, Captain Kirk, and The Green Hornet?*
(Most people say Frank Gorshin or Julie Newmar, who had memorable appearances on both Star Trek and Batman!)

If you haven't seen them, the episodes will pop up as both Batman and The Green Hornet are in syndication, and airing in a number of cities.
In one of the Great Crimes Against Art, neither show is available on DVD, but I suspect with the Seth Rogan Green Hornet film coming next year, at least Van Williams & Bruce Lee will finally be made available!

*Roger C. Carmel, who played Harcort Fenton "Harry" Mudd in three Star Trek (2 Classic, 1 Animated) eps and Colonel Gumm in the Batman / Green Hornet crossover on Batman!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Doc Savage meets...Batman?

Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to bring pulp characters into comic books.
Among the more successful (artistically, if not commercially) were the '70s Denny O'Neil-Mike Kaluta Shadow comic and Doug Moench Doc Savage b/w magazine, and the '90s Dark Horse Shadow and Doc Savage titles (including, surprisingly, The Shadow movie adaptation).
There have also been numerous crossovers, beginning with a Shadow-Avenger team-up, a pair of Shadow-Batman crossovers that explained Batman's anti-gun stance, and even a Doc Savage-Thing team-up!
Now, DC is trying, again, to do Doc Savage. beginning with a Doc-Batman team-up.

It make sense in that both characters are near-perfect examples of human physical and mental development with an inordinate love of gadgetry.
But, let's face it, many fanboys, myself included, want to see Clark, the Man of Bronze, meeting Clark, the Man of Steel (his direct literary descendant)!
Maybe later...

A curious aspect is that they want to integrate Doc into the DC Multiverse, mentioning that both DC-owned Blackhawk and Rima the Jungle Girl, as well as another licensed character (from another company), The Spirit, will appear, which makes it unlikely that the comics will ever be reprinted in book form (due to licensing complications).
Presumably, these characters will appear in a 1930s-1940s setting, possibly prior to America's entry into World War II.

You can check out all DC Comics Doc Savage news here.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Design of the Week: Bella Vita

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...
Roy Lichtenstein-style pop art illustration I did for Bella Vita Salon / Day Spa.
It's kicky retro graphic fun with Ben-Day dots galore!
Perfect for beachwear or hanging around the mall!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Fantastic Femmes--Natalie Morales

Not to be confused with the network news reporter, Natalie Morales is an enigma surrounded by mystery!
After only two previous appearances we can trace, (as well as an unaired pilot she produced as well as starrred in) she won the co-starring role in the genre tv series The MiddleMan!
Since it's unfortunate (and IMHO premature) demise, she's done several projects, none of which have aired or screened yet.
Natalie's beautiful, a talented performer who does drama, comedy and action well, and can even handle production duties!
Why aren't Hollywood decision makers beating a path to her door?
It's a mystery!
UpDate: She's now a regular on the USA Network genre series White Collar!
Genre appearances include...
White Collar (Lauren Cruz)
MiddleMan (Wendy Watson)
Pimp My Ride [VG] (Aiyana)
CSI Miami "DarkRoom" (Ana Boa Vista)
Check out...
Biography on the Official MiddleMan site
Another mystery...why aren't there sites dedicated to her???

Monday, August 3, 2009

Does Your Daughter Need a SuperHeroine?

That's what Peggy Orenstein asks in a recent Sunday NY Times article.
While searching for a fantasy role model for her 6-year old daughter, she bemoans the fact that today's super women are "more mammary than muscle", and that (except for Wonder Woman), most are just female variations of more-popular heroes (SuperGirl, BatGirl & BatWoman, Spider-Girl, She-Hulk, etc.)

Luckily for Ms. Ornstein, we have an alternative for her...cool clothing & collectibles featuring empowered heroines who aren't femme versions of established heroes, and aren't built like inflatable adult toys...

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Son of SuperPowers Sunday!

For the next few Sundays, we're going to present the nifty updated designs of the Project SuperPowers characters by Alex Ross along with links to a couple of Squidoo pages of background info and links about the series and characters...
Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers
(featuring characters who've been cover-featured)
Alex Ross' Project SuperPowers Strikes Again!
(featuring the other characters)
Erik Larsen's the Next Issue Project & Savage Dragon
(featuring several of the same characters as Project SuperPowers and others, but set in a different universe!)

In addition, you can find Atomic Kommie Comics™ kool kollectibles emblazoned with the ORIGINAL 1940s classic cover art featuring these classic characters...
Amazing-Man
The Arrow
The Black Terror & Tim
The Blue Bolt
Captain Battle & Capt Battle Jr
DareDevil
(aka Death-Defying 'Devil
& Dynamic DareDevil)
The Green Mask & Domino
PyroMan
Sub-Zero Man
U.S. Jones
at
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™!
Unfortunately, we've been unable to find solo cover appearances for either The Liberator or Vulcan.
If you know of any, e-mail us the issue numbers and we'll track 'em down and scan them!

And don't forget to buy the NEWEST Project SuperPowers comics including...
Black Terror
,
Death Defying 'Devil
,
Masquerade
,
and Project SuperPowers "Volume 2",
as well as Savage Dragon!
ON SALE NOW!