Happy New Year!

Here's hoping 2010 brings you health, happiness, and prosperity -- or as the Vulcans are fond of saying, Live Long and Prosper!

Thanks to everyone who stops by this part of the interweb every now and again to see what I've been up to! I seem to be scratching the 'Graphic Designer' itch by creating wallpapers, rather than writing... And writing was the reason I started this blog! But hey, that's how life goes sometimes!

Whether you're here for a column or a wallpaper, I hope to keep you coming back for more!

Sincerely, thank you!

Aqua-Merch!

Added to the collection of Aquaman-related merchandise... Ocean Master (as depicted by George Perez!) It's the first action figure of this version of the character as well!
The only thing I don't like is that Orm's staff in the package is a whole lot less pointy than the one shown in the prototype picture above.

And also, this very cool lead figure from Eaglemoss! It's handpainted and quite nice looking, even though it's small. Very nicely done figure for the low, low price of seventeen dollars!
You know, for a character that isn't even appearing anywhere, Aquaman sure seems to be getting his share of love from the other Warner divisions! On TV in Brave and the Bold (not to mention his pilot show), from DC Direct in all the Aquaman related stuff they keep making... Heck, even the DC Universe Classics line has already released three versions of Aquaman.

Clearly somebody out there besides me has a love of the character...

Geoff Johns Interview!

Johns had this to say about Mera in a Newsarama interview about The Blackest Night:

Johns: The other journeys, next to Hal and Barry, are the Atom and Mera. They both go through specific journeys. The Atom's culminates in The Atom and Hawkman issue I'm doing, and it continues through Blackest Night. And Mera's goes through Blackest Night, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman and beyond. She’ll be someone I’ll be working with in 2010, 2011 and beyond. The same thing goes for the Atom. His perspective is obviously different from anybody else's. And he's been at the center of the storm of a lot of things that have gone on in the DC Universe. But it’s time for Ray to step up and move on into new emotional territory.

Mera just developed organically, because I've always found that character intriguing. A lot of people recognized that character, but nothing's been done with her in years. I wanted to put her on the stage. You know, Aquaman's not here. It's like the whole beat that Barry says to them: "We're the Justice League now. You're Superman, and you're Wonder Woman. So let's go do this."

I knew I would be introducing all these new characters, and I thought at the same time I'd like to take a couple old characters like Mera and Black Hand alongside Larfleeze and Saint Walker.

Nrama: You said you always found Mera's character "intriguing." Why?

Johns: I just always found her to be powerful and strong and unexplored. She stood apart; she wasn't Aquawoman, which I liked. She was her own character, separate from Aquaman. She had her own history. I always found her appealing and thought she could be an important character, and I believe she's going to be one of the strongest females in the coming years.

I'm intrigued that Johns will be working with Mera in 2010 and 2011... Sounds like a mini-series or a special is in the works for her... Does it also bode well for Aquaman or Tempest also?

I'm almost afraid to hope.

Poll Results!

I asked who your favorite DC Heroine was and here are the results! Coming in first place with 27 percent of the vote is Supergirl! Superman's cousin is one of the things I've always liked about Superman. Apparently others feel the same way.It surprised me as I thought the number two choice, Wonder Woman, would have come away with first place. Instead she had 22 percent of the vote. She's the first lady of super-heroines in my book!
Black Canary came in third with 18 percent. Black Canary isn't a copy of a male hero, but she is married to Green Arrow.
Next is a three-way tie between Power Girl, Hawkgirl, and Batgirl, with each getting nine percent of the vote. Power Girl is the Earth 2 version of Supergirl. Batgirl and Hawkgirl have the same powers and abilities their male counterparts do.
Mera came in seventh place with four percent. Mera isn't a gender-bending duplicate of Aquaman. She has her own distinct powers - the ability to create and manipulate hard water forms. That makes her unique and also seems to be a rare quality in heroines.
Zatanna received no votes at all! Zatanna was the daughter of Zatara, hero of the Golden Age!
Thanks for voting!

New Car!

My Kia Sephia needs work and at this point in the car's lifetime, I think it'll cost more to fix than it will ever be worth, so I considered purchasing a new vehicle. I looked online and really couldn't find a lot in my price range, but there was a Suzuki model that looked pretty good... It was a matter of seeing how I fit in it. I'm happy to say I fit just fine! It's a Suzuki SX4 Sedan Sport model. It actually has way more head room than the Kia and the trunk is huge! It's completely loaded with heated seats and mirrors, smartpass entry system, 9 speaker stereo system, 17" alloy wheels, and bunches of other cool things! And at a price I can reasonably afford! I pick the new car up Tuesday after work!

More Action Figures!

Well, just one figure, really. This was another recent eBay win... It features the Sword of Atlantis Aquaman (Arthur Joseph Curry)! I was never a fan of this character but I love Shane Davis' artwork (upon which this series is based) and I read somwhere that he's a big Aquaman fan so I'll buy it because Aqua-fans need to support our hero... even the less appealing versions.Still, it's a great looking action figure!

More Aquaman Merchandise!

I'm now the proud owner of these wonderful busts! Aquaman was designed by Carlos Pacheco, and Mera was designed by Terry Dodson!

First up is our hero himself, Aquaman! Comes complete with trident! Features the helping tentacles of Topo, his octopus companion. I don't even mind that Aquaman's belt and symbol are completely wrong... it still looks great! I really like the way his shirt catches the light... very nice! And number 56 out of 3000 isn't bad either!


And here's Mera (and Topo again)! Mera has never gotten this kind of attention from DC before... She hasn't even been made into an action figure yet! So, you can see I had no choice but to support her by purchasing it and letting DC know there's an audience waiting for more Aqua-merchandise! Number 118 out of 3000, so still pretty good!
They look great together!

January Solicits Are Out!

Of course, there isn't much Aqua-related news, but check out the cover to Blackest Night Wonder Woman #2! Wonder Woman versus Mera! And best of all, the artist who drew this remembered Mera has flippers, rather than feet! They're hard to see, but they're there!

I don't think Mera's been drawn that way since Aquaman's first mini-series (featuring the blue camoflage suit). And then, she was only in the first issue. Of course, I'm happy to see Mera appear anywhere, whether she has feet or flippers, because Aquaman usually isn't far behind, although I'm not sure if that will be the case here. I'm just glad Mera's still alive at this point in the series! Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawk, Tempest, and Firestorm are all part of the Black Lantern Corps.

I guessed early on that the end of the Blackest Night will somehow leave us with the original Aquaman back in the land of the living, but with the body count getting up there, there's a lot of people who'll need to come back by the time it's all over. Aquaman and Tempest better be among them!

Superman Bataman Public Enemies

First off, this is a great DVD! Go out and buy it now! Even though it's a skimpy 66 minutes, it's some of the best animation Warner Premiere has released to date! And even though Aquaman does not appear at all, many DC Heroes and Villains do, including Black Manta (arch-nemsis of the original Aquaman) and King Shark (friend to Arthur Joseph Curry-Aquaman Sword of Atlantis). Here are some cool stills...
Black Manta front and center!
Villains attack!

Batman versus King Shark! Superman blasted by Manta!
Shark versus Bat!

Action Figures

The Pop Culture Fair was on today and I wandered down to see what they might have to offer. I found Aquaman's arch-nemesis, Black Manta, for 25 dollars...
and a super-cool-holy-crap-this-looks-so-awesome! Hawkman for 10! I probably would have paid at least 20 dollars Canadian for each figure (including shipping) if I bought them off eBay, so all in all, good deals!Considering I wasn't even planning to purchase these figures, I've gotten the two harder ones out of the way. There's just a regular Aquaman and a variant (long hair Aquaman) that were released in the same wave as Black Manta. All I need is the regular version and I'll have all the Aquaman related DC Universe Classics figures! Sweet!
I'm not a huge Hawkman fan, but this figure looked so cool that I had to buy it! His colors are so vivid and his wings are posable too... I'm actually tempted to take him out of the plastic and display him in very cool ways!

Newest Aqua-Addition!

I recently won this awesome action figure of Aquaman from an auction on eBay. It arrived today and I'm very pleased! They've based this line of action figures on the artwork of George Perez, the artist who drew the original series. I must say, I like being able to buy figures based on the artwork of some of the greatest talents at DC Comics... George Perez, Ed McGuiness, Alex Ross, and Shane Davis, to name a few.

Aquaman's number two enemy, Ocean Master, will be released in the next wave of the series. It'll also be the first time an Ocean Master action figure has been made. I think it's due out by the end of the year...

Must Have January!

The DC Universe: The Source just made my day! Here's artist extraordinaire, George Perez, homaging himself! And on nothing less than the (1 in 25) variant cover for Blackest Night Titans #3! Featuring Aquagirl and Tempest (the former Aqualad!!) Blackest Night versions, to be sure, but it still counts for this Aqua-fan! This is going to be my birthday present to myself and I can't wait! SWEEEEEEEEETTTTTT!!

Poll Results!

The question last time was which Chief Engineer was your favorite?
And the winner, hands-down with 44 percent of the vote, is none other than Montgomery (Scotty) Scott! He set the standard for all other engineers and was my vote as well!
Second place was claimed by Charles (Trip) Tucker III with 20 percent of the vote. Trip was one of the few characters on Enterprise that I really liked... And not only because of his propensity to run around the ship in his tight blue Starfleet underwear!!
And there was a three way tie for third place! Receiving 12 percent of the vote are Geordi LaForge, Miles O'Brien, and B'Elanna Torres from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager! Geordi wasn't the first Chief Engineer The Next Generation had... In fact, there was no regular Chief Engineer for the entire first season! Season 2 saw Geordi move to Chief Engineer... it was a good transition for Geordi, as he was not getting a lot to do on the Bridge, sitting at Ops.
Miles O'Brien came from The Next Generation. He appeared in the pilot episode, 'Encounter at Farpoint' as a tactical officer on the battle bridge, and then five episodes later as a security officer. He worked his way up to Transporter Chief on The Next Generation before he left for Deep Space Nine.
B'Elanna Torres was a little hot-tempered, but she was an interesting character! And quite a change in dynamic from all the other Star Trek series... The first Star Trek series with a woman Captain also gets a female Chief Engineer! About bloody time, I say...Thanks for voting and look for a new poll appearing soon!

Things I Don't Understand...

Halloween is on the way! Thankfully, I already have my costume planned out. But while I was online, I ran into something that I just don't quite understand. Here are the pictures...


Now, I can understand owners wanting their pets in the Halloween spirit and dressing them up, but dressing your dog up in a dogsuit?! I don't think they need that. If anything, specialized Scooby-Doo and Astro collars for the pet to wear would make more sense. I don't get the whole dog-in-a-dogsuit thing... Perhaps it's because without the whole suit, humans are too stupid to figure out who the dog is supposed to be? I just don't know. If I wanted to dress my dog up as Krypto (Superman's dog), I'd get a cape to put on, rather than a whole suit with a fake head. But that's just me. What do you think?

Brave and the Bold Black Manta

Here's the latest addition to the Aquaman collection! I haven't seen an Aquaman figure yet, but I'm hopeful that one day I'll run into one!

Poll Results!

The last poll asked which DC Comics Event you liked the most! And the winner is Crisis on Infinite Earths! 70 percent of voters said it was the best! And it most certainly is! It was the first cross-over event ever from DC! It featured the artwork of George Perez, who set the standard for all summer event artists to follow! In the series, Supergirl, Aquagirl, and the Flash, along with a host of other heroes, died. In a tie for second place, with each receiving eleven percent of the vote, are Infinite Crisis and Zero Hour. Infinite Crisis was a direct follow-up to the story from Crisis on Infinite Earths It featured a story by Geoff Johns and artwork by Phil Jimenez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway. Superboy (Conner Kent) gave his life in this series.Zero Hour was another event and the neat thing about this one was that every DC title at the time had a cross-over issue, numbered 0, which featured the origin of the character. It was a fun event and the origin issues were very entertaining. I found myself enjoying this series at the time.Final Crisis was next with five percent of the vote. I admit, I didnèt like this series at all. It would place last on my list. It featured artwork by a severely over-rated artist by the name of J.G. Jones, who by the way, couldn't finish the last four issues of the seven issue series. And the two series not receiving any votes were Millennium, DC's first weekly event comic, and The Final Night. Both were entertaining series, but they didn't have the gravitas that Crisis on Infinite Earths or Infinite Crisis had.Thanks for voting and look for a Star Trek related poll in the sidebar!

SDCC Blackest Night Update

According to Geoff Johns at the DC Universe Blackest Night panel at the San Diego Comic Con:

Johns says that Mera is one of the most important characters in Blackest Night.

Yes!! I love the fact that Johns is using the whole Aquaman family! It gives me hope that Aquaman will somehow return from the dead at the end of this series!

Upcoming Aquaman Appearance!

Dan DiDio, Executive Editor of DC Comics, recently mentioned that Aquaman will make an appearance in Wednesday Comics! He will appear in the Supergirl feature by Amanda Conner!

Dan says "Amanada just knocked Aquaman out of the park and it's probably one of the more unique takes on Aquaman in a while."

That's so awesome because the Supergirl strip is one I have really been enjoying! Now I can't wait until Aquaman makes his appearance!

And next month's Blackest Night 2 will feature a variant cover spotlighting the Black Lantern Aquaman! Geoff Johns, the incredibly talented writer of Blackest Night, says there's a whole lot of Aquaman in issue 2!

Awesome!

Must Have...

DC solicitations were out today and they revealed something I will be spending a lot of money on next March...

DESIGNED AND SCULPTED BY TIM BRUCKNER
DC Direct’s exquisite new statue gallery series, featuring dynamic interpretations of classic superheroes, continues! Award-winning sculptor Tim Bruckner has transformed his original designs of the most recognizable DC characters into some of the most outstanding, upscale statues DC Direct has ever produced. Each statue features a base that captures the character’s interaction with the surrounding environment. The second in a series of six statues scheduled to be released in 2010, Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas, rises from the depths on the crest of a brilliant blue tidal wave, trident in hand.
This limited-edition, hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 10.5” high x 6.5” wide x 6.5” deep and is packaged in a 4-color box with a 4-color Certificate of Authenticity.
Limited Edition. Manufactured to order.

Wow! It's simply gorgeous! A definite must-have for my ever-expanding Aquaman collection!

Blackest Night Superman

The Original (or Golden Age) Superman will also appear in The Blackest Night!


Enjoy!

Almost Forgot!

While I was vacationing in Palm Springs, we decided to drive down to San Diego for the day. After a day at Sea World and then a great dinner down by the harbour, we spent a few hours in the gaslight district. We walked back to the Hilton Bayfront, where we stayed. While down at the harbour, I wandered into one of the many 'touristy' little shops and that's when I found this!I grabbed it immediately! Not only does this shirt feature a multitude of DC characters drawn by the great Jose Luis-Garcia Lopez, but Aquaman is at the very front and center! Clearly whoever designed this shirt was an Aquaman fan... not that I'm complaining!!

The votes are in!

And Star Trek is a winner! 100 percent of all voters thought it rated either Very Good or Excellent! And that's such an outstanding response to what many call the first Star Trek movie since Star Trek IV The Voyage Home to appeal to general audiences!

It was a good movie and though I had problems with some aspects of it, I can't wait for a sequel!

Thanks for voting!

Star Trek First Thoughts

I saw the movie at midnight last night and what a ride it was!! There was a lot to like about it, and I won't spoil it by talking at length about it, but it's safe to say the Star Trek franchise is in safe hands.

I just hope it won't be another seven years before we get another movie!

Ocean Warrior Aquaman

While on vacation, I wandered into a Wal-Mart toy section and there it was! the DC Universe Classics Action Figure of Ocean Warrior Aquaman! This was released in February of this year, but none of the Wal-Mart or Toys 'R' Us locations I go to seem to have any of these figures at all. I had been looking for it on eBay, but the figure usually went for 20 or 25 dollars plus shipping costs. All in all, it would have cost close to fifty bucks with eBay.
I don't think anyone could have predicted my reaction when I stumbled on this figure at the very back of a peg. I was seeing multiples of Captain Cold and Kid Flash, when I happened on this! I know I squealed like a girl and maybe even peed myself a little! I was really that excited! And best of all, this figure was mine for only 11.88!Great deal!

Poll Results!

The last poll asked which Aquaman costume was your favorite! Thanks for participating and here are the results!

1. Coming in first place is the classic orange and green with 40 percent of the vote! Easily, Aquaman is the one hero you think of when you mention the color scheme orange and green. With or without black shorts, this is his most identifiable look.

2/3 (Tie). In second place with 20 percent of the vote is the costume I've dubbed the 'Retro-classic'. It debuted in the 15th issue of the latest series. I really liked this costume because the 'A' on his belt was also the 'A' in his logo at the time. The logo fit the costume perfectly and I consider both of them retro-classic.

2/3 (Tie). Also in second was my favorite costume, the blue camouflage, which debuted in Aquaman's first mini-series! This graceful outfit was beautifully illustrated by Craig Hamilton. This mini-series debuted in 1986 and Craig Hamilton still gets requests for commissions featuring it. I loved this costume and the mini-series equally. It's too bad the planned follow-up mini-series never got off the ground.

4. Second from the bottom with only eight percent of the vote is Aquaman's gladiator look. It debuted in the longest running Aquaman series yet with 75 issues (his first series lasted 63 issues). It was by writer Peter David, who decided to do some very drastic things to the character. Although I didn't like his new costume, harpoon hand, long hair or beard, I loved how he was being written and enjoyed the series until editorial interference drove Peter David off the book.

5. Last place with only four percent of the vote goes to newcomer, Arthur Joseph Curry, who was the lead in the Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis series. I liked the short sleeves on this costume, but not the bracelets, belt, shoulder pads, or sword. Swords underwater sounds stupid to me.

Thanks again for voting and look for the new Star Trek poll in the sidebar!