DC Comics Girls Makeup Packs

Mark another product line into your "stealth release" logs. Wandering into Five Below always reveals a multitude of pop culture products...some I've seen before and am now ecstatic to find at deep discount...and some I've never seen before and wondered how the initial release slipped past me and allllll the geeks I know...because that's a pretty long list! You see, by the time an item reaches Five Below, we can assume it has enjoyed a wide release with as much or as little fanfare as the manufacturer will allow, then several month languishing on the pegs before the remainder is closed out to our discounty friends. After a bit of research, we discovered this DC Comics Girls line of nail polish, lip ka-balms, lip gloss and press on nails turned up in Walmart as far back as September (or at least that's where it was spotted by Nouveau Cheap Blogspot). Now, in their new home at Five Below, thrifty super women and young ladies can enjoy the line at three dollars a pop.

Super Best Friends Forever

If you get up early enough on Saturday Mornings, you are rewarded with DC NATION; WB's animation block for DC Comics featuring Green Lantern and Young Justice. Both shows are well made and written, but some days, it is the short cartoons in between that steal the spotlight. One such creation is a piece of animation starring Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Girl teaming up for adventure with a heaping side order of mischief in SUPER BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! The animation is crisp, the art style is fun and bursting with energy and the vocal work will make you fall in love in seconds...which is all you have, really, as these super shorts are...super..short. (Wokka) Check it out...







Mind blown?! It's like Powerpuff Girls with awesome DC Comics characters, right? If you loved this, do a quick google search for Plastic Man and Animal Man from DC Nation as well! Now..if we could get some of this genius to rub off on Marvel/ Disney who chose to overdub their classic cartoons in the most unfunny way possible as their interstitials...all would be right with the world!

DC Nation airs Saturday Mornings on Cartoon Network.

The New 52 : Week 2 Mini Reviews!

We've got 11 reviews posted to Heidi MacDonald's THE BEAT! The roundup includes..

Action Comics
Animal Man
Batgirl
Batwing
Detective Comics
Hawk and Dove
Justice League International
Men of War
O.M.A.C.
Stormwatch
Swamp Thing

As Heidi points out, I'm no hardcore comic reader and I'd all but deserted DC Comics when Nightwing became Batman and they made Green Arrow a killer, so you might list me as one of those lost readers DC wants to win back. 11 books later and I'm shocked to holy hell. The new 52 ranges in style from gritty and blood soaked to balls out ridiculous fun! They even found new ways to tell old stories we never thought could be reinvented. THIS is the experiment we've been waiting for and I seriously hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. At any rate CLICK THIS LINK and dive right in!

If you'd like to see more detailed reviews of the books like we did for Batgirl, Animal Man and Justice League International, give a shout and be loud!

DC's New 52 : The Glowy Pink Tart Conspiracy

Who is so named as she was first spotted by the eagle eyed folks at Bleeding Cool, which is a Brit site, so we use their lingo. ..Besides, I like calling her a Pink Tart. It's like she's a breakfast cereal. At any rate, you are now asking what the frik I'm going on about. Here's the skinny.

Bleeding Cool reported that, after reading Flashpoint #5 (released today), they were introduced to a pink, glowy woman in a cloak who speaks to Barry Allen about splintered timelines and how he can help make them whole once more. Could the result of their works be the new 52 universe??!! It certainly looks that way. BC went on to point out that in their copy of Justice League #1 (also released today), that same pink tart pops up in the stands of a football game. As I read their article, I remembered the glowing pink person in the background of a crowd shot in Justice League International #1 which had me wondering when this mysterious apparition would pop up again (in the book I mean..most likely as some herald of impending doom if past reading has taught me anything.) Now we had three books with the pink tart hiding out like some radioactive puffy sticker or the female super hero version of Where's Waldo. I rushed over to my pile to scan for other sightings.

Batgirl - Check
OMAC - Check
Animal Man - Check
Action Comics - Check

That's 6 for 6. DUN dun DUN duuuuuuuuuun. I smell a con-spiracy. Keep watching Bleeding Cool and Idle Hands as we join forces across the pond to unravel the greatest mystery of our time!!!

UPDATE: I can now confirm that the "pink tart" is in Detective Comics, Hawk and Dove, Stormwatch, Men of War, Batwing and Swamp Thing. Some of her appearances put her very close to the heroes in the book, suggesting she can't be seen, somewhat like the Spectre? She certainly has the hood for it. Over at the Bleeding Cool forums, comic die hards have suggested she is a character called the Time Trapper, who absolutely has the pink robes and the power to appear in all of these places. It should also be noted that the nature of this entity's power dictates he/she can not alter events in the present time, which goes along with her "Watcher" shtick. It also might be worth mentioning that his/her appearance in Stormwatch was very near Martian Manhunter, who did not sense anything. The plot thickens!! I think it's safe to say you'll see the "pink tart" in all the 52 books. Happy Hunting!

DC's New 52 : Batgirl Comic Preview

DC Comics is on a mission to save comic books. The powers that be, tired of underselling titles and the glaring fact that kids don't take to comics the way we did when we were young, gathered their top writers, artists and other creative types and set out to reboot their entire universe. Of course, change doesn't make everyone happy, and the legions of fans already reading DC Comics made their displeasure heard loud and clear. Current story lines now seemed pointless. "Are you reading Flash Point" I would ask friends. "Why bother? It will all be irrelevant in a month" came the bitter answer. The sentiment made sense, but I could also see the reason to shake things up. I personally hadn't bought a DC title since Nightwing ended and Green Arrow got a taste for killing, and while I love American Vampire, Vertigo isn't the same as the DC Universe (or at least it wasn't until John Constantine and Swamp Thing were brought into the central universe. Small note..DC, PLEASE DON'T CANCEL VERTIGO!!) Now, at a time when the 30 Deadpool titles are wearing thin and in general, Marvel takes forever to release a trade as they look for that extra 5 dollars they can get if you buy the hardcover premiere edition, DC has my undivided attention. BRING ME SOMETHING NEW!! This week, we'll give you a mini-taste of what's to come in the new 52. Let's get things started with...

BATGIRL : The Outline - Written by GAIL SIMONE, Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES & Cover by ADAM HUGHES - Yes, it's really happening! Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl – and she's going to have to face the city's most horrifying new villains as well as the dark secrets from her past. You won't want to miss this stunning debut issue from fan-favorite BIRDS OF PREY writer Gail Simone!

The Review - Batgirl #1 sees Barbara Gordon getting back on her feet...literally. The book acknowledges the events of a certain, now cult classic moment in comics' history when Barbara answered her door and found The Joker on the other side. With the flash of a gun, Barbara's life was seemingly changed forever as she resigned herself to life in a wheelchair. It has been a hard road to recovery but Babs is ready to kick some ass again. We follow her into the night where people do unspeakable things in the shadows. As Batgirl, Barbara has all the skills needed to take down thugs, slashers and even the occasional powered up baddie, but can her mind handle the battle once more? The appearance of a vigilante named The Mirror will put that to the test.

Batgirl is ACTION PACKED with no shortage of people in peril and the woman in black coming to the rescue with a boot to the cranium. You get to hear what is going on in Batgirl's head while she exudes nothing but strength and a bit of a mischievous evil streak. She definitely enjoys her work! If this were on TV, you'd be cheering for nearly the whole show. We also spend plenty of time with Barbara out of the cowl as she is all but starting her life over again. It is an interesting counterpoint, but while it is obvious she still has some demons to chase away, we never get the sense that Barbara is a fragile girl, or even damaged beyond repair. She's not out to prove herself, nor is she extra bloody in her fighting style as she doles out damage on foes she wishes were The Joker. It's refreshing to see that none of those old trappings weigh down this story. In the end, Batgirl comes face to face with The Mirror...and in one week, you'll get to see what happens next! Suffice to say, the battle doesn't go according to anyone's plan and blood is spilled. This comic is quick and dirty and I love it.

















What Comes Next - Batgirl #2 - The nightmare-inducing brute known as Mirror is destroying the lives of Gotham City citizens seemingly at random, and an explosive confrontation between Batgirl and Mirror leads Babs to question wearing the cape and cowl at all!

Batgirl #3 - It’s the story you’ve been waiting for! As Barbara Gordon struggles to find her place in the world, Batgirl and Nightwing collide with the unstoppable force of a train wreck! Will it be sparks flying, or fists for this star-crossed duo? Also, the terrifying Mirror ups the ante in his bizarre war on the citizens of Gotham City!

Batgirl #1 hits comic shops and DC Digital Download September 7th, 2011

Batgirl #1 preview images courtesy of the New York Post

Hit up DREAD CENTRAL for a preview of ANIMAL MAN!

The Catman Cometh

OH! What's that? Paul is NOT a dirty rotten liar and there IS a Catman figure coming from Mattel? Wow. Amazing. So there's..what...50 guys lined up outside my apartment to say sorry for calling me a photoshopping bastich right now, yes? No? OK then...I'll take your silence as a heartfelt apology.

Once again, from across the water comes news of American plastics! HKFighreClub.com's board poster Samttary got the scoop on the new additions to the Batman Legacy line with Catman, Retro Batman WITH Batmite and Batgirl. We noticed she is also posed next to the older version of Batgirl, which may have been done for comparison, but it's not like Mattel wouldn't re-issue the figure as a variant. It's very likely...it's the same figure after all. I wouldn't get too excited about the motorcycle in the shots though. I highly doubt that comes with the figure. Batgirl is marked for Fall 2011.
















Hit up HKFigureClub for lots more pics!

Gotham High AKA The Cartoon Bullet We Thankfully Dodged

You can say a lot of things about how Warner Brothers handles their DC heroes when they are adapted for kid's cartoons, but today, we got a look at a project that would never be and sigh in great relief. That project is called Gotham High.

"We all go through incredible changes as teenagers: growth spurts, bad skin, a sudden insatiable need to uphold justice and avenge your murdered parents…. Well, that is if you’re Bruce Wayne.
As if being a freshman at Gotham High wasn’t tough enough, Bruce’s insomnia and technological fascinations are taking their toll. Instead of spending his time studying, he has begun to obsess over an emerging personality trait: Batman. But under the watchful eye of his guardian and steward, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce is forced to put his intelligence to good use: graduating high school. But given his classmates, can Bruce survive Gotham High?"

Ug. Just...awful. Teen Batman dealing with the ups and downs of being a mixed up kid with raging hormones while questioning his yearning to be THE BATMAN and ...doing what with his evil classmates? Fighting them when they steal test answers? Doing battle on the dodge ball court?? Outwitting The Riddler as he attempts to rig the home coming king voting???!!! Blek. Have a laugh at the cool but still horrible images for this prospective show.

Kotobukiya's DC Comics Bishoujo Statues

If you are an avid reader of this odd little page, you've already done your drooling over the latest Marvel Comics Bishoujo Statues. To date, that line includes Rogue, Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, White Phoenix, Black Widow (Yellow and Red Hair), Psylocke and Scarlet Witch with Emma Frost (January), Black Cat (March) and Ms. Marvel (June) on the way. Now Kotobukiya is gearing up to further rape your shallow pockets with a new line of Bishoujo Statues featuring the animeification of the gorgeous ladies of the DC Comics Universe. Here's what's on tap...

Batgirl - December
Catwoman - January 2011
Wonder Woman - January 2011

Funko Unleashes DC Comics Pop Heroes

It seems I'm not the only one who went crazy for Funko's super cute plush doll stylings! It appears the little vacant eyes and almost "chibi" anime-ish body of the DC Plushies line was so popular, it warranted a whole new line of 3 and 3 quarter inch vinyl figures. Get ready to gush with gleeee!

The Pop! Heroes line drops this September with a lineup including The Riddler, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, The Penguin and The Joker. Each only wields one point of articulation in the neck for head turning kung fu stare downs. Each little guy will set you back 7.99, which is in line with other figures at a similar height, but being a vinyl piece, you'd expect to pay a bit less. I'd love to see this line continue but I'm not sure who is going to bite at that price.

DC 75th Anniversary Kubrick Set

Medicom Toy's little block figure series has explored everything from Disney to Chuckie..from The Beatles to Daftunk...and along the way, they've been no strangers to comic book properties. Now they'll celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC comics with a super mega awesome Kubrick power set!! Sure, it's 99% Batman, but what else does DC Comics have to offer? (ducks out of the room) Dig the wordage from BigBadToystore...

Under special arrangement with Japanese toymaker MEDICOM TOY, DC DIRECT is pleased to wrap up DC Comics' 75th Anniversary year with an extra-special, super deluxe set of DC Comics' best-known heroes and villains, in an array of versions... KUBRICK style!

*EXCLUSIVE NEW DECOS!

Featured in this 10-figure, super deluxe set are:
Batman (comics-style): NEW DECO!
Superman (Superman Returns movie)
Batgirl (animated-style): NEW DECO!
The Joker (The Dark Knight movie): NEW DECO! NEW ACCESSORY!
Batman (animated-style): NEW DECO!
Batman (The Dark Knight movie)
Batman (Batman movie 1989): NEW DECO!
Robin (animated-style): NEW DECO!
Catwoman (Batman Returns movie)
Harley Quinn (animated-style): NEW DECO!

Average size of each figure is 2.7" high.