THE BEST BATMAN BEYOND COSPLAY COSTUME, PLUS NOSTALGIC EPISODE CLIP [AND COMIC ART BY JIM LEE]

Back to the Future - Revisiting an Archaic Classic that had Futuristic Themes

Back in 1999, Under the direction of Bruce Timm as a series producer / concept artist, WB Animation released a futuristic take on the Dark Knight, titled Batman Beyond. It ran for 3 seasons [from 1999 - 2001] and had a total of 52 Episodes, along with one spin-off cartoon movie. The original costume of the main protagonist of the series was actually very... bland and flat, void of textures and lacking a host of muscular bulges. Then again, the hero Terry was a teenager with an edgy attitude [who somehow had the genetics of Bruce Wayne in him, although he wasn't Bruce's direct son] and he was void of a muscular frame. Producer Bruce Timm's art-style was the dominant trademark for the series, thus his sharp lines and often angular presentations of the human anatomy resulted in peculiar body frames for the male and female characters. And somehow, it worked very well for the show.

Above on the left is a conceptual sketch made by an artist named Saiful Haque, who resides in Glendale CA, where he is studying in the Art Center College of Design. His cool blog is over HERE. The next image on the left was by an unspecified artist, done in Bruce Timm's style for the classic cartoon. And the third CGI design image with three views of the new Batman Beyond costume was done by Mark Vick [aka Ritorian], over at www.CGhub.com.

 

Those familiar with the new Batman: Arkam City video game will recall that back in August of this year, some retailers seeking game pre-orders offered a host of variant skins / costumes for Batman that can be used by the game players. And the image below shows the line up [which includes a buffed version of Batman Beyond].

Currently, Batman Beyond [aka the teenager Terry McGinnis] was exclude from the New 52 DC Comics relaunch, which occurred a few months ago. Many classic characters received slight costume adjustments for that relaunch.

Speaking of Classic Batman, check out this other article with posters of Batman vs Superman: HERE

Personally, I do not think that the relaunch across the board for every single DC Comics title was necessary. And like dwindling flames, more than half of those 52 released comic books [which were all forcefully reverted back to issue #1s] are not selling in large quantities, as fans are unimpressed with the numerous superficial origin stories. And some origin stories are so old and set in stone that rewriting them is probably a waste of time.

While holding to the pre-established long-running issue numbers, a brand new arc guided by a new writer teamed with a flashy artist would be better for books like Batman, Superman, Flash, Supergirl [her new costume is shown Here], Power Girl & Wonder Woman. And by the way, Power Girl was excluded from the New 52 lineup as well, although I think she's been recently recruited into a new comic book featuring a host of B-Class superheroes. Jim Lee did revamp the Justice League... and the guys at Newsarama.com gave his comic issue #1 a rating of about "9 out of 10 stars", while issue #3 got "3 out of 10 stars".

Holy Crap... If the Legendary Godfather of Modern American Comic-book Art & Wildstorm Comics Jim Lee is getting 3 out of 10 STARS, then my fellow artists, GOD HELP US ALL.

Jim is in a league all by himself. I just can't image the entire industry being what it is today without him, since he's worked with Marvel & DC Comics numerous times over the years. You can right-click on this link & check out the Justice League poster by Jim Lee in this aritcle over HERE.

Additionally, here are more samples of the artwork by Jim Lee tied to the comic series that got 3 OUT OF 10 STARS:

    
 

   

The last three images are more classic works by Jim, tied to his famous BATMAN HUSH Comic run and other stints on Action Comics Series. And the very last wallpaper a features a sneak-peak at Trinity War, a DC Comics event coming in 2012 / 2013. There's a black Green Lantern in the poster, who just might be John Stewart from the Justice League WB animated series.

    

Jim Lee's works commenced at Wildstorm / Image Comics made him a millionaire in the late 1990s and early 2000s, per the licensing of his original characters for the creation of toys and cartoon series. And by the way, Jim's artwork in the New 52 Justice League Comic wasn't the problematic issue that received the intense criticism from the Newsarama.com crew & fans alike. It was the story's painfully sluggish pace and aggravating shallowness that offended the readers.

Perhaps throwing away the legacy of some series that ran for up to 600 [and even up to 900] non-stop sequential issues [records created by comic books like Superman / Action Comics] wasn't such a good idea for DC after all.... 

Enough about my thoughts on the New 52, here is a classic episode of Batman Beyond for you to watch. In this Episode 13 from Season 3, Terry [the futuristic Batman] reveals his true identity to a young boy, and that act leads to catastrophic results... Try this link: http://fliiby.com/file/192725/844t9qp7xw.html
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More Cool Stuff:

Sci Fi Cover art for DSNG Chronicles ebooks available for download to PC / MAC and Amazon's Kindle!

Link to DSNG Book 4 --> HERE   And the Link to DSNG Book 5 --> HERE
Link to DSNG Book 6 --> HERE     And the Link to DSNG TALES  [its 99 Cents!] --> HERE

TROY VS THE IMMORTALS - TWO EPIC MOVIES, ONE EXPLOSIVE SHOWDOWN

Back in 2004, Brad Pitt stared in a movie that was destined to become a legendary blockbuster production. The name of that flick was Troy and it grossed approximately 500 million dollars world-wide. The movie was based upon the foundation of writings titled as The Iliad, produced by the ancient Greek philosopher named Homer. And Achilles, the focal character in the story, was a soldier of Greece who fought in the Trojan War - an epic conflict caused by one young man's rabid lust after another man's woman.

 

[First image is Achilles, second image shows Helen-of-Troy & Paris. And the third image is Theseus]

The Troy movie actually captures the essence of the scripted legend, although the director & writer deviated from the original tale in various segments, just so that the movie would flow more smoothly. You can read up on the legend of Achilles over HERE, in the Wikipedia archive.

My main desire in this article is to compare themes and presentations between the Troy 2004 movie and The Immortals 2011 movie. Both of these action films were Rated R for sexuality and violence. And they have their peculiar similarities.

In Troy, the ideology of valor and personal pride are intertwined. Achilles felt that he was disrespected by the Achaean King Agamemnon. Thus he refused to lead the army of the King into battle against the formidable Trojan soldiers guarded by the walls of the Trojan City. And in The Immortals, the main hero, Theseus, initially refuses to join the Greeks to go into battle against the evil hordes of King Hyperion. Theseus is played by Henry Cavill [the guy who will play Superman in the forthcoming Man of Steel 2013 movie] and he did an excellent job on his part.

Like Achilles, Theseus later undergoes what can best be called an epiphany or a change of heart. And he opts to become a soldier for justice, encouraging his people to fight for their freedom an their immortality. And out of sheer coincidence, in the Troy movie, there is a scene in which Achilles points at the shores of the Trojan landscape from his ship and he encourages his warriors [the legendary Myrmidons] to charge forward, as he tells them that their immortality lies beyond the walls of the city and they must charge forward and "take it; its yours".

It can be debated that the action scenes in The Immortals were far more intense than the battle scenes in Troy. After all, the gods of Olympus in the aforementioned film had super-speed and super-strength, thus they appeared to move more than 10-times quicker than their mortal foes. Without having any of those advanced abilities, the warriors in Troy appeared to battle with all their might, amidst well choreographed clashes that can currently be viewed as sword-fight classics. I will try and upload the outstanding clash between Achilles and Hector [played by Brad Pitt and Eric Bana respectively] in this blog. If it doesn't work, then just search for that clip on YouTube.com and I'm sure you'll find it.

Bear in mind that a strong well-paced plot with properly developed lead characters will always be the driving force that pushes a mighty movie ship to the harbor of abundant success, just as favorable winds in ancient times assisted in accelerating the movements of classic seafaring vessels with giant sails and erect masts. I did see both of the films in this discussion. And although they are both entertaining and they both have good actors, one of them is still better than the other in terms of overall quality.

So far The Immortals has grossed about 134 million dollars world-wide; and that amount will probably increase throughout the holiday season. But I honestly don't think it will surpass Troy's benchmark....
 
The Blog Article with the review on The Immortals 2011 Movie, including tons of production pics, was posted HERE

SEXY SUPERGIRL COSPLAY AND FAN ART POSTERS

Some Super-blondes do have all the fun...

I can't really remember where I got this pic from; its been sitting in a folder on my desktop for a while. Anyway, this young lady presents a tempting image for lascivious minds, as she displays her blue and red spandex Supergirl costume. Some time ago, I posted an article that features the new Supergirl costume for the DC Comics New 52 lineup. This one shown above is the classic costume, and it still stands out. There is a different costume that Supergirl often adorns when she is featured in the Justice League Cartoon Series. And in that design, she wears a white cropped t-shirt [it exposes her navel] and a tight blue miniskirt, along with some boots and the classic short cape. I don't really like that version of Kara, since it makes her look like a teenager. Beolw is a picture I did almost 2 years ago, showing a more mature version of Supergirl [those who follow this DSNG Blog via facebook should be familiar with it].

And the third image on the right showcases a beautiful digital painting by Tariq12 from DA.... it almost looks like a sexy cosplay of Supergirl, the sort of costume that would turn heads at the San Diego Comic Con:
 

      

All right, I can see the twinkle in your eyes, buddy. Let me just clarify a few things. Remember that this is Cheesecake art. Big boobs do NOT make a woman, and neither do they say anything about her innate character.

This art style is designed to tease and entertain; and frankly, it sells merchandise quite well. Always bear in mind that ample breasts are nothing more than well-distributed reserves of body fat. And such features can also be bought for a price in our modern society. On the other hand, good character is a priceless gem; and it takes time to develop that trait.

Article with Supergirl's "New 52" costume: HERE

Article with more Classic Supergirl!: HERE

Superman & Supergirl poster: HERE

SKETCHES FROM THE DRAWING BOARD - LAURA DORE, SPIDER-MAN & A MIGHTY DINATOUR...

Today I'll just showcase some artwork, tied to past and forthcoming articles. The first sketch was done almost 2 years ago, and it features a versatile Hip Hop model named Laura Dore. The reference pic on the left is from an article about her in Smooth Magazine. And beside the mag, the image of Laura on the right that I drew was later colored and posted in the popular blog article about the Cheesecake art style, over HERE.

Next to Laura, we have a pic of one of the alien species from the DSNG sci fi series. This thundering brute is a fierce Dinatour; and he is charging like an unstoppable behemoth. The Blog article about Dinatours is over HERE.
He looks like a hybrid between a bull and man. And my character design was based upon the classic creature from Greek Mythologies called the Minotaur. Those who watched the new Immortals 2011 Movie saw another interpretation of this creature, presented as a huge human warrior wearing the helmet of a bull. The lengthy article tied to that movie review is over HERE.

So far, the only Dinatour I've drawn and colored is Ellystra, the strong personal assistant of Empress Havita. I'll be posting more on the Dinatour alien race, later this week.

And lastly, we have a pencil drawing of Spider-man, done by my art mentor, Pro-artist Terry Dodson.

This is from the excellent Graphic Novel [a collection of 12 comic books] titled Marvel Knights Spider-Man. In that storyline written by Mark Millar, Spidey's dear aunt May gets kidnapped. Thus the web-slinger goes on a vigilante-styled desperate crusade, in order to find her. Through out the plot, he is literally kicking ass & taking names. And the sexy Black Cat joins him on the explosive adventures, which force him to clash with the Avengers, Electro, the Vulture, Dr. Octopus, Venom, the Green Goblin, and other classic villains. The story was so good that legendary comic icon Stan Lee [who wrote the forward to it] called it a movie, as opposed to just a comic book.

You can probably find it at Amazon.com or in a comic store. The images below are a size comparison, showing the sketch that I recently did, beside the large-sized graphic novel by Terry.



Those who enjoy pencil art can check out the pic of the Black Cat that I did some time ago, over HERE

There is another blog article that showcases over 20 stunning images of the Black Cat done by various pro-artists, including covers by Terry. That lengthy post is over HERE

And more excellent art by Terry Dodson, featuring Emma Frost from the X-men: HERE

THE ALFA ROMEO PANDION - FUTURISTIC CONCEPT CAR

   
I've been thinking of doing this article for a while, tied to an impressive concept car designed by a foreign company. There's an auto firm called Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. and it is based out of Italy [the same nation that produces the Ferrari sports cars]. And Alfa Romeo was founded back in 1910 in Milan and the company name was originally ALFA. Currently they are a division of Fiat Auto Group and they mostly sell vehicles within Europe.

Alfa Romeo have a reputation for building expensive sports cars. And their Pandion Concept Car that debuted back in 2010 left spectators in Geneva gawking at the fluent design and styling. If you recall the 2002 Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report - which was set in the future - then I'm sure you'll agree that the Pandion would have fit perfectly into the streets of that ultra-modern cityscape per its visual appeal. I'm still not sure what to call the doors on this one; looks like they're some sort of reversed flip-styled butterfly doors. And the rear of the Pandion has styling like no other car in the industry today...
[You may need to Click on the "Read More" link to view the rest of this blog article!]

SCI FI FANTASY WALLPAPERS PLUS STREET FIGHTER TRIBUTE POSTERS

EDIT: HERE ARE THE NEW SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV / MARVEL VS. CAPCOM POSTERS!

 

       

   

   

   

 
Images above courtesy of several artist from DA including: Dave Wilkins, EastMonkey, Omar Dogan, the UdonCrew, Alvin Lee and Senjiness. And the rest are promotional posters released by Capcom.

Next, I found these four images while browsing across the Web. The first one was done by an artist at DA called chrisnfy85 [his gallery page is here] and I belief it was for an online fantasy role-playing game. And the second image, showing a sexy female warrior elf, was by someone else - not sure who did it. Anyway, these are two fantasy wallpapers that I found rather appealing.

And the last two pics are Street Fighter wallpapers.
Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Cammy, Sagat, Sakura and a host of other Super Street Fighter game characters are shown in the wallpaper / poster on the left [also by digital artist chrisnfy85]. While the SF poster on the right showcases the sexy wrestler Rainbow Mika and Sakura, Ryu's protegee [it was cover art done for a comic published years ago by Udon & Capcom].

 

Here is a Sexy Wallpaper / Poster of Cammy from the Super Street Fighter video game. I believe it was the artist Markova who drew the image on the left. And the second image is by the Udon Crew. Cammy has always had a voluptuous hourglass figure, per the design of the Capcom. But in these pictures, it is clear that "baby got back".

There was a lengthy blog article posted about a month ago that showcased Steampunk costumes and other Sci Fi costumes for stealth operative and hi-tech soldiers, along with a variety of exo-suits for the Starcarft 2 video game [amongst others]. Check out that aritcle over HERE.

Explore the DSNG Sci Fi Series: HERE

Blog Home Page: HERE