Get thee to the comic book store tomorrow!

It’s that time of year again.  It’s time for the annual pilgrimage to your local comic book store for Free Comic Book Day, this Saturday, May 7, 2016.  Dozens of new books are available this year, for kids of all ages.  Like these:

Alan Tudyk has a new comic book out called Spectrum.  He talks about it here:

And despite what you hear below from that familiar guy from Reading Rainbow, most comic book stores will let you select more than a few issues, not just one:

Then there’s that other guy, who you may not be surprised to see promoting FCBD:

Excelsior!

If you’re in the Kansas City area, we suggest you check out Elite Comics.  Everywhere else, look up you nearest store at the FCBD comic shop locator here.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The first ever DC Comics animated movie to be rated “R” is coming to a theater near you next month in advance of its home edition release.  Batman: The Killing Joke will be screened Monday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time at select theaters across the country.  Fathom Events has teamed up with Warner Bros., and DC Entertainment for this rare opportunity to see the adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.

Batman: The Killing Joke reunites Batman: The Animated Series executive producer Bruce Timm and voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker.  It co-stars Tara Strong (Teen Titans, Batman: Arkham games) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, RoboCop) as Commissioner Gordon.

Experience a special introduction from Mark Hamill plus a never-before-seen documentary about how Hamill was cast in this project and what the role means to him as an actor and a fan. The event will conclude with a special behind-the-scenes look at how the Joker’s memorable, yet disturbing song and dance number was recreated for the film.  Based on the acclaimed DC graphic novel of the same name, Batman: The Killing Joke takes a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime – from his humble beginnings as a struggling comedian to his fateful encounter with Batman that changes both of their lives forever.  Years later, and now escaped from Arkham Asylum, The Joker devises a plan to prove that one bad day can make anyone as insane as he is – setting his sights on Commissioner Gordon.  It’s up to the Dark Knight to put a stop to The Joker’s latest scheme and save one of Gotham City’s finest. Following a gripping prologue introducing Barbara Gordon’s heroic adventures alongside Batman as Batgirl, Batman: The Killing Joke stays true to the authentic tale that has held fans’ imaginations for nearly three decades – spotlighting the birth of a Super-Villain, the fortitude of a Super Hero and the punchline that will leave you speechless.

Batman: The Killing Joke will have its world premiere July 22, 2016, at San Diego Comic-Con.  Tickets for the Fathom Events screening of Batman: The Killing Joke will go on sale June 17 through FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.  Visit Fathom Events for a list of screening locations.  Batman: The Killing Joke will be available for Digital HD download on July 26, and arrives on Blu-ray/DVD on August 2.  Pre-order it here now from Amazon.com.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

The last vestiges of The New 52 seem to be fleeting in light of DC Comics’ Rebirth superhero universe reset.  Back in 2011 we at borg.com were reading and reviewing every monthly from the New 52 we could get our hands on.  One of the most compelling and creative of those series was Justice League Dark, a further spin-off from the likes of Justice League of America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League and JLA.

Justice League Dark was, as the title suggests, a darker band of superpowered characters from the DCU.  Spanish artist Mikel Janin was tasked with re-imagining the look of these characters, and he pulled it off brilliantly.  We interviewed Mikel about the new look here at borg.com back in March 2012.  The JLD included Zatanna, Constantine, Deadman, Shade, Madame Xanadu, Swamp Thing, and the Enchantress, and more as they would emerge throughout the series’ short 40 issue run.

Guillermo del Toro had been involved for a few years with a live action version of the JLD that never seemed to spring away from the development stage.  Now because of a feature listing on the Blu-ray from Batman: The Killing Joke, an animated version is likely further along than had been previously disclosed by DC.

That information is a listing of a seven minute segment included on the Blu-ray titled “A Sneak Peek at Justice League Dark.”  We won’t know for a few months yet what this series will look like, but if seven minutes of previews are available, we can’t imagine this is very far from release.

Will the animated version adapt the look and feel of Mikel Janin’s unique style?  We hope so.  Batman: The Killing Joke arrives on Blu-ray/DVD on August 2.  Pre-order it here now from Amazon.com to be among the first to see a preview of Justice League Dark.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

How much marketing do you need to advertise a movie anyway?  For DC Entertainment, when your The Dirty Dozen-style ensemble cast movie features twelve distinct lead characters, that apparently means you role out 24 new posters.  That’s what happened this week–DC released two sets of character studies, one rancid candy cereal poster, and one comic booky explosive cast poster, giving fans of the team and movie poster collectors a new collect ’em all project.

Or you can view them all in high quality digital format below.

For cosplayers, it’s the first really good view of costume details.  Anyone else have the urge to Photoshop some extra characters (or friends) into the big cast poster?

Here’s the roster: Adam Beach (Everwood, Hawaii Five-0), as Slipknot, Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, Terminator: Genisys) as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie (Pan Am, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Will Smith (Men in Black, I, Robot) as Deadshot, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost, Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, and Jay Hernandez as El Diablo.  Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller, head of the agency A.R.G.U.S., and Jared Leto will play The Joker.

Check out all 24 of the new Suicide Squad posters after the break:

For those seeing some math not adding up, note that Amanda Waller gets a comic book poster where Harley Quinn doesn’t, and Harley a unique background version and no corresponding version for Waller.

It’s still several weeks away.  Suicide Squad hits theaters August 5, 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Although it still has that same look and feel of the recent Man of Steel franchise, at long last DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. revealed the first trailer for Justice League at San Diego Comic-Con this afternoon.  And of course, for better or worse, it’s down one superhero.  Not Superman… no Green Arrow.  And no Black Canary.  Just sayin’.

Next year’s Justice League is another Zack Snyder creation, hitting theaters next year along with Wonder Woman, previewed here at borg.com earlier today.  Although Jared Leto is rumored to be on of the villains in the film, we haven’t seen any villains yet confirmed.

Old timers should know this Justice League (sans the “America”) is consistent with the more recent incarnations of the superfriends squad.  So we have Ben Affleck returning as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as the new Barry Allen/The Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.  Looks like we have a new borg variant to be inducted into the borg Hall of Fame this year.

Straight from Comic-Con, check out this trailer for Justice League:

Justice League is scheduled for its theatrical release November 17, 2017.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

It looks like the great preview that accompanied the premiere of Star Trek Beyond this week.  Suicide Squad finally has a great trailer that should entice everyone to climb aboard, courtesy of DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday.  With brief but good looks at each of the key characters it is now established that this is definitely a take on the classic war movie The Dirty Dozen–the original and ultimate film about a band of prisoner misfits setting out to save the world.

This time we get a good look at each of the Worst Heroes Ever and for a motley group of villains, they’re looking pretty good.  And Warner Bros. is having a big day with its movie preview releases at Comic-Con.

Adam Beach (Everwood, Hawaii Five-0), is Slipknot, Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, Terminator: Genisys) is Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne is Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara is Katana, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) is Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie (Pan Am, The Wolf of Wall Street) is Harley Quinn, Will Smith (Men in Black, I, Robot) is Deadshot, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost, Thor: The Dark World) is Killer Croc,  and they star along with Jared Leto as The Joker in the comic book take on The Dirty Dozen, as a group of super villains are released from prison to complete a hero’s mission.  And look for Jay Hernandez as Chato Santana aka El Diablo, a character created by our pals Jai Nitz, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks in 2008’s excellent six-issue series El Diablo: The Haunted Horseman (be sure to check it out at Amazon.com here if you haven’t read it yet).

So this is it–the final trailer for Suicide Squad:

It’s almost here–Suicide Squad hits theaters August 5, 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

CW’s The Flash proved to be the best comic book adaptation to any size of screen in 2015, and it looks like it could be heading that way in 2016, too.  Where Arrow soared into the lead spot in prior years, The Flash and its less dark story unfolded in its second season as the cast began to gel.  This year the all-out fun circumstances marked it as a favorite among fans of the source material–comic books.

As The Flash–which ended with a great appearance of 1980s Flash actor John Wesley Shipp donning The Flash suit once again–returns for Season 3, Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen is entering the realm of a loose tie-in to DC’s “Flashpoint” series story.  As previewed at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, that means Barry Allen finally does what we all would probably do–go back in time and prevent the death that changed his life.  But what will this action, this manipulation of the timeline, mean for the future, and his relationships with all those around him?

For one we get to see Wally West as The Flash.  But what else?  Check out this preview for The Flash Season 3:

The Flash returns October 4, 2016, at 7 pm Central on the CW.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

A new line of Suicide Squad action figures from the Funko ReAction line is coming soon from the toy line that has provided fans of the 1970s Kenner action figures everything from Jaws to Gremlins and Alien, from Big Trouble in Little China to Back to the Future and Terminator, and from The Nightmare Before Christmas to CW’s Arrow.  Check here at borg.com for a look back to many of Funko’s variety of licenses.

Unlike Funko’s more popular bobblehead Pop! line of toys, these 3 3/4-inch figures, which have added articulation at elbows and knees to the classic format, can be played with in conjunction with countless other toy lines from the past 40 years.  But mainly this means the many ships and environment toys from the classic Star Wars toys from Kenner.  Want to see Harley Quinn rescue the Joker on the bridge of the Death Star?  Want to see Batman take out Greedo in the Cantina at Mos Eisley?  This new collection of figures can help you make it happen.

Entertainment Earth has scooped Funko’s own corporate online catalog, posting for sale seven of what may be an even wider collection of characters from the movie.  These are available now for pre-order.  The first release will feature Harley Quinn, The Joker, Katana, Enchantress, Dead Shot, and Killer Croc–plus a Batman figure.  We don’t know yet whether we’ll see Funko release figures for El Diablo, Amanda Waller, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag, or Slipknot.

Click on any of the individual images above and below to see more detail on these figures and get your pre-order in at Entertainment Earth.

The cardbacks are like no other ReAction line action figure packaging, featuring a bomb motif.  And unlike most of ReAction’s series, each card has a custom color.

And although prior ReAction figures have kept to Kenner’s simple designs, where you could often barely recognize facial features and costumes, the latest from ReAction reflects some better quality sculpts.  Just take a close look at Deadshot’s rifle compared to accessories from other series.

Because this includes a Batman figure featuring Ben Affleck’s take on Batman as seen in this year’s Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, expect that figure to be pretty popular.  It is so far the only way to get a retro Kenner-style figure for the Batman from the new Zack Snyder movies.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Are you a fan of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe and ThunderCats from the 1980s?  Were they a part of your afternoon cartoon line-up?  Did you pit your action figures of He-Man and Lion-O, in an epic battle against Skeletor and Mumm-Ra on your parents’ living room floor?  If so, a new series from DC Comics and Mattel may be your next favorite comic book.

An outgrowth of the Big Jim action figures and toy line, Masters of the Universe toys first appeared in 1981.  Four years later we met the ThunderCats in a Marvel Comics series and animated television series.  Flash forward thirty years and Mattel’s Rob David and Lloyd Goldfine have written a limited series bringing together the two worlds with interior artwork and covers supplied by Freddie E. Williams II.  The artist had a big year with another big crossover, his Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, a huge hit for fans of both franchises and for DC Comics.

Advance publicity for the series gives us a look at what’s to come: In his eternal desire to destroy the mighty ThunderCats, the evil Mumm-Ra quests for a weapon that can rival the legendary Sword of Omens: He-Man’s Sword of Power!  But his dimension-spanning scheme launches a cataclysmic crisis that will, for the first time ever, unite Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, WilyKit and WilyKat with He-Man, Battlecat, Teela, Man-At-Arms and the rest of the Masters of the Universe.

This week the six-issue series begins.  We have a preview of the series below for borg.com readers.

Williams was an early fan of both series, as he explains in publicity materials for the release:  “The Power of Grayskull and the Great Eye of Thundera have aligned to make me the luckiest guy on all the earths!  He-Man and ThunderCats were my life when I was in grade school—family and friends knew I loved both cartoons so much.  I used to pause episodes and draw from them, since they were so awesome.  The He-Man/ThunderCats crossover is the fulfillment of a lifelong goal and my fanboy dream come true!  I’m having a blast!”

Here’s a preview of Issue #1:

Look for Issue #1 of He-Man/ThunderCats at comic book stores everywhere this Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Where DC Entertainment has been limping along in its efforts to bring superheroes to the big screen in recent years, it has ruled the airwaves on network television thanks to the CW Network and the creative team of Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg.  What Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan have failed to capture–the same interesting, exciting, rich stories, character development, action, and fun of comic books–these guys have delivered, tapping into what fanboys and fangirls want most.

Are their shows perfect?  Definitely not.  The budget for television series doesn’t allow the freedom of big budget movies.  The stories adapted to the small screen have also changed many things from the comics and when the characters themselves have fans of multiple versions of each character… well, you can’t be all things to all people.  Yet, DC on TV has fared better than on film.  We’d all rather see the relationships build between superheroes, even if they are the B-team superheroes, than costly explosion-filled disaster movies posing as superhero stories.  Yes, we’re talking about you, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and The Dark Knight Rises.

The CW Network has cornered the market on the best of DC on TV.  And this Fall with the addition of Supergirl from ABC, we now will have a superhero series every night from DC and Warner Bros.  If DC really had its act together it would see that Fox’s Gotham switched from Monday nights to Fridays, for a full weekday schedule, but that doesn’t look like it will happen.

This past week, to preview the new season and what characters we can look forward to, including–at last–Martian Manhunter (the last remaining key Justice League character to make it to the modern live-action DC Universe) the CW released a follow-up to last year’s Superhero Fight Club video.  Check it out:

And if you love superhero team-ups, you’ll want to watch this preview of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, including Jonah Hex and the Justice Society of America:

One of the Big Three returns to television with Superman as a guest star on Supergirl.  Check out the preview here:

Another parallel timeline challenges Barry Allen on The Flash:

Oliver Queen hasn’t changed much on Arrow:

And here’s a quick look at the whole week:

Look for Season 2 of Supergirl now on Mondays beginning tomorrow, October 10, 2016 (opposite Gotham on Fox).  Tuesdays watch Season 3 of The Flash.  Season 5 of Arrow airs Wednesdays.  And on Thursdays the line-up wraps with Season 2 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.  All shows air at 7 p.m. Central on the CW.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

It’s arrival brought us a new age in superhero television series–arguably the best comic book TV adaptation since the original 1980s series The Flash that starred John Wesley Shipp.  It’s Arrow, the CW Network’s groundbreaking story of Oliver Queen starring Stephen Amell.  Unlike the successful Marvel Comics movie series, Arrow looked outside the comic book’s core stories and expanded the source material to allow the inclusion of B, C, and D level villains plus many superheroes, ultimately including most of the second tier Justice League members.  Surpassing the DC’s movie efforts and Marvel’s attempts at small-screen serials, Arrow has continued to make comic books come alive for four years since we first reviewed the world premiere viewing of the pilot at San Diego Comic-Con here at borg.com back in July 2012.

The stories have been different but loyal to its origins.  Instead of Star City or Seattle the stories were based in Starling City.  Sidekicks nicknamed Speedy became split into his sister Thea and Roy Harper.  Two Black Canary characters were formed from two sisters instead of the mother and daughter split in the classic stories.  And Green Lantern is not in the picture at all.  Along the way the series split off Barry Allen’s Flash into his own fun series, a dozen other heroes and villains joined DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and this year CW’s DC on TV ties in Supergirl.  So many untapped stories can now be told as the DC universe is apparently unshackeled barring only interconnected stories with Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, who will be featured on the big screen next year instead.

Tomorrow night the fifth episode of Season 5 airs.  For those fans who want to delve into an “in-universe” look at Oliver Queen and his efforts to save his city, Titan Books has released Arrow: Oliver Queen’s Dossier, a detailed, 160-page scrapbook of notes, newspaper articles, documents, and records collected by Starling City’s emerald archer as he investigated crimes in the first three seasons of the TV series.

The Dossier is a mock-up of a leather-bound set of notes.  The first images include a letter from Queen noting the importance of the contents and his trust in you the reader to handle it with care.  From there on each page is a full-color copy of sorts of the enormous extent of world building created by the Arrow writers room.  Recall the hit list Oliver’s father created?  All the pages can be found here.  Odds and ends on key characters, like Laurel Lance’s law degree, copies of trial transcripts and court orders in Oliver’s mother’s trial, Lila’s ARGUS resignation letter, personal items like Thea’s goodbye note, excerpts from Felicity Smoak’s personnel file at Queen Industries, and Roy’s note to Thea.  You’ll also find notes on your favorite villains and plenty of photographs from the series.

The book was compiled by Supernatural tie-in chronology creator Nick Aires, who also wrote the Arrow: Heroes and Villains book reviewed here at borg.com last year.  The look, sturdy trade edition format, and cover to cover page layouts or the Dossier are smartly crafted.  If you buy into the idea of in-universe works and Arrow is on your favorites list, this book is for you.  It’s also great for writers interested in examining the scale and scope required to develop elaborate stories.

Arrow: Oliver Queen’s Dossier is available now here at Amazon.com.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Seven months out and the marketing for the 2017 superhero film Wonder Woman is in full force.  DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have released the next trailer for the 2017 release Wonder Woman, along with three new character posters.

Taking a cue from the Marvel Universe’s first golden age adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger, DC’s first effort at a Wonder Woman ties its first story back not to World War II but World War I.  With Monster director Patty Jenkins helming the first big screen film featuring Wonder Woman–and no Christopher Nolan or Zack Snyder, we may have hope for this film, yet the cinematography, camera angles, and action sequences in the previews unequivocally owe plenty to Zack Snyder’s 300. 

Gal Gadot returns from this year’s Batman v Superman as Wonder Woman with Star Trek’s Chris Pine back on a motorcycle, this time as Steve Trevor.

Both Gadot and Pine look promising as these classic comic book characters.

Check out the latest trailer for Wonder Woman:

… and here is an earlier trailer in case you missed it:

Wonder Woman hits theaters June 2, 2017.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Mark Hamill.  Jedi, Joker, and Trickster.  He’s my favorite genre celebrity, and in his first episode of his new pop culture collectibles series, Pop Culture Quest, Hamill hosts popular DC Comics artist and exec Jim Lee.  Pop Culture Quest is a new series on the pay network Comic-Con HQ, but you can watch the entire first episode below.

Pop Culture Quest is a load of fun, and is similar to past pop culture collecting shows reviewed here at borg.com like Travel Channel’s Toy Hunter, and Syfy Channel’s Hollywood Treasure.  This new series may top those series simply because of the access to Mark Hamill.  Hamill–who we all know as Luke Skywalker, the voice of the animated Batman series’ Joker, and both the classic and current The Flash TV series’ villain The Trickster–hosts the show with a sidekick Muppet fellow named Pop.  Hamill has a good sense of humor and proves to be not only every nerd’s idol, but a card-carrying nerd himself.  Hamill knows his pop culture, as highlighted by his detailed knowledge of the history of DC Comics as he browses the West Coast DC headquarters.  He’s also a solid interviewer, and reminded me of the poise in interviewing guests that William Shatner exhibited on his short-lived interview series Shatner’s Raw Nerve.

Photo of your humble borg.com Editor.  What does it mean when you start to look like your idol?

Episode 1 follows Hamill as he tours the DC offices and talks shop with Jim Lee.  Lee and Hamill agree to swap Hamill a sketch of The Joker in exchange for a voice message by Hamill that we get to watch performed during the coda for the episode.  It’s good stuff all around.

Check out this first episode of Pop Culture Quest:

As they wander through original artwork archives and issues of million dollar comic books, one highlight is a look at the alternate page rendered for the call-in vote to kill off Jason Todd aka Robin in the 1980s “Death of the Family” story arc.  The DC headquarters also have a great display of screen-used costumes–definitely a destination to include on your bucket list along with Skywalker Ranch.

Yep, I’m a fan of Mark Hamill.

And Jim Lee. Deja vu. I met them both on the same day!

Check out Comic-Con HQ here for more information on subscribing to the network for access to new series like Pop Culture Quest.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Is a Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation on its way at last?  Never before have all the pieces been laid out so well to adapt such a major comic book storyline.  We have key player Barry Allen from The Flash, which spun-out of the Arrow series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow have enough timey-wimey time travel to be able to see, view, and undo anything, and then the CW pulled over Supergirl from ABC this year and brought Superman with her.  So the building blocks are ready.  Is CW and DC Entertainment willing and able?  Next week we’re going to see a step in the right direction with a mega-superhero week.

Monday, the CW begins a four-night crossover event with its four DC Comics-inspired series–and nothing screams comic books louder than a good crossover and major league team-up.  The villains are a bit obscure–the Dominators–aliens Supergirl will encounter Monday night.  The Dominators first appeared in the 1960s in Adventure Comics with a brief reprise in a mini-series called Invasion in 1989, and that’s the take-off point for the villains in next week’s event.

So it’s “Heroes vs. Aliens,” comic books coming to life in perhaps the biggest character showdown ever, actors donning Academy Award-winning costumer Colleen Atwood’s pantheon of more than 17 hero supersuits (Green Arrow, The Flash, Diggle/Green Arrow 2, Supergirl, Superman, Black Canary, Vixen, The Atom, White Canary, Steel, Wally West, two Firestorms, Speedy, Death Stroke, Martian Manhunter, Heat Wave, and more).  We haven’t seen this many superheroes on TV since the animated Super Friends.

In the middle of the week, Arrow will see its landmark 100th episode Wednesday night.  Who would have thought any superhero series would survive this long?  Take a look at these previews for crossover week:

Here is the line-up (all shows air at 7 p.m. Central):

Monday, November 28 — Supergirl

Tuesday, November 29 — The Flash

Wednesday, November 30 — Arrow

Thursday, December 1 — DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Don’t “fail your city”–set your DVR now!

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

With DC Comics’ summer Rebirth reboot, many monthly series turned bi-weekly, and we’ve now already seen the first eleven issues published of many series.  Like the many reboots before it, DC Comics introduced the Rebirth continuity to re-ignite its fan base after the success of the prior reboot–the New 52–dissipated.  So many shake-ups and change-ups occurred in the New 52 that you’d pretty much need to read the entire DC Comics line to keep up with what has happened to even the key Justice League superheroes.  With two issues per month that’s difficult for any reader to keep up with.

One of the better sellers in this year’s Rebirth line is the Green Arrow title.  Under the New 52 Oliver Queen encountered as many changes to his character as anyone.  In fact fans of Green Arrow were probably better served subscribing to the Arrow tie-in comic book to the television series to get a dose of the classic crusader.  As likely as not the success of the CW Network series coupled perhaps with fans’ hopes for big changes from the New 52, and a restoration of the essential Oliver Queen, could account for the sales success of Green Arrow in DC’s Rebirth universe.

Otto Schmidt served as artist and colorist on the series in the introductory chapters.  Bringing Oliver’s older look back to the character, complete with the goatee, was a move in the right direction.  Schmidt used the supersuit of the modern update yet his style conjures up both Neal Adams and Mike Grell’s key design elements that defined Green Arrow’s look for decades.  Writer Benjamin Percy, who was the writer on the series before the Rebirth kicked in, re-introduced the second key element that defines Oliver: his partnership with Black Canary.  The lack of the Arrow-Canary partnership contributed to the wane of Oliver’s story in the New 52–as a solo character Queen was just too much like everyone else.  Percy’s other shift is reminding everyone that Queen is first and foremost a fighter for social justice.  In contrast to the billion dollar company he sometimes owns and sometimes loses, Queen is the ultimate anti-corporate superhero.  So these three elements: his look, his partnership with Black Canary, and his brand of justice, form the framework for what could be a solid Green Arrow series going forward.

Plenty is left to be done.  Queen’s social justice efforts have only scratched the surface with eleven issues already in the can.  Instead, Percy has opted for some frivolous, but fun, nostalgia: several scenes are spent restarting a romance between Oliver and Dinah, and he’s brought back classic secondary characters like Shado and Eddie Fyers, both from Mike Grell’s definitive Green Arrow series The Longbow Hunters.  With the story now firmly set in Seattle, also as Grell had done with the setting–and not Star City–we can see some good attempts are being made to rediscover what made the 1980s and 1990s Green Arrow worth reading about.

Some oddities are here that are not tied to the Green Arrow series.  Why is Dinah Lance aka Black Canary a rock star?  The DC editors clearly are having problems finding a place for Dinah.  In the CW TV series the writers divided her into two characters, one a lawyer, the other a mystic fighter.  Historically she began as a martial artist, but her career originally in the 1940s was as florist, and Grell brought this back in the 1980s.  She briefly trained as a cop in the 1990s, something picked up by the TV series with the inclusion of her father as a detective.  So why a rock star?  At least she again has her superpower sonic scream and her affinity for motorcycles.

Oliver also has a new sister, and his relationship with Shado is far different from in the classic books.  His sister seems to take the place of both Thea in the TV series and protégé Mia in the Phil Hester/Ande Parks run of Green Arrow.

The other interesting addition is John Diggle from the CW TV series.  At brief points it seemed like this year’s story was aiming toward the early 1970s Hard-Traveling Heroes team-up of Oliver, Dinah, and Diggle substituting for Green Lantern Hal Jordan.  Fans have speculated that, since corporate deals have made it impossible to bring Green Lantern back into the current CW TV stories and Justice League movies, Diggle is intended to be a sort of Green Lantern himself, in part to re-form the classic trio.  Although nothing suggests Diggle is a Lantern, his role in the trio is a fine idea, and certainly a route Percy could use for story ideas in future issues.

Possibly because of the new bi-monthly scheduling and the art team’s individual schedules, the series has three alternating artists, which is fine for standalone story issues but a bit clunky to see a change mid-story.  Otto Schmidt draws Issues 1, 2, and 8; Juan Ferreyra draws Issues 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11; and Stephen Byrne draws Issues 6, 7 and 9.  From a continuity of storytelling standpoint, Schmidt and Ferreyra’s issues are more cohesive, and emulate a Mike Grell look.  Byrne’s look is more cartoonish, but evokes a bit of the look of Phil Hester’s run on the series.  So there is something for everyone in the series, depending on your style preferences.  One thing to look for is a great run of covers by Ferreyra.  His covers, including a first issue that nicely borrows from Matt Wagner’s great Green Arrow cover run, surpass the variants provided by other artists including Neal Adams’ contributions, and solidify a common look for the series.  One notable exception is a classic variant by Mike Grell for Issue #8.

Is this the definite Green Arrow series?  Definitely not.  But it’s progress, and after slighting Green Arrow as a character for years in the comic books while the character has taken off in popularity on television, that’s pretty good news for fans of the classic character.

Look for a new story arc called “Emerald Outlaw” to begin tomorrow in Green Arrow, Issue #12, available at comic book stores everywhere.  The first trade collection of the first five issues of the series can be found at Amazon.com here, and the second volume can be pre-ordered here.

Our borg.com Best of 2016 list continues today with the Best in Print and a bonus wrap-up of other year’s bests.  If you missed it, check out our review of the Top Picks and Best Movies of 2016 here, the Kick-Ass Heroines of 2016 here, and the Best in Television here.

Without further ado, this year’s Best in Print:

Best Comic Book Series – Old Man Logan (Marvel).  With just enough backstory from prior series focused on the future world version of Logan/Wolverine, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino took us through the struggle of the superhero that survived all his contemporaries, only to be plunged into a parallel world where everything is familiar but nothing is the same.

Best Graphic Novel – Wonder Woman: The True Amazon, Jill Thompson (DC Comics).  Writer/artist Jill Thompson is probably the best creator in comics today.  Her origin story of Wonder Woman is vibrant, and she presents a flawed, complex, and ultimately strong and fearless heroine.  The best Wonder Woman book we’ve ever read.

Best Comic Book Limited Series/Best Crossover Comic Book Series – Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (DC Comics/IDW).  James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II pulled together an impossible team-up of characters that ended up working great together.  An action-packed, nostalgic fun trip.

Best Comic Book Writing – Matt Kindt, Dept.H (Dark Horse).  Kindt pulls together an incredibly nostalgic assemblage of the best action concepts: classic science fiction of the H.G. Wells variety, G.I. Joe Adventure Team-inspired characters, and a fun character study and whodunit that will have you searching out your old game of Sub Search.  We just hope he makes a prequel at some point so we get to see a similar quest with an old fashioned copper-helmeted deep sea diver.  A fun read month after month and the best writing comics have to offer.

After the cut we continue with the best in comics, books, and more from 2016:

Best Comic Book Humor Writing – Nick Spencer, The Astonishing Ant-Man.  Comics shouldn’t be all about drama and action.  You’ve got to have your dose of humor, too, and the best laughs this year could be found in Nick Spencer’s dialogue with Ant-Man and his sidekicks.

Best Comic Book Interior Art – Adam Hughes, Betty & Veronica (Archie).  Putting Adam Hughes, known for his unique style of drawing beautiful women, on a title featuring the classic young women of Riverdale was an inspired idea.  Hughes’ story is fun but his artwork stands out as both loyal to the well-known characters while also fresh and exciting, giving us an enjoyable new look at Archie’s friends.

Best Comic Book Cover Artist – Frank Cho, Wonder Woman, Totally Awesome Hulk, Skybourne, Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys, Reborn, Trinity, Ant-Man, Mae, Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises, Black Panther, Street Fighter: Legends (Various).  Frank Cho prompted us to buy comics that weren’t in our pull lists simply because his cover art was so incredible.  His classically inspired work continues to be his best.

Best Comic Book Cover Art (Monthly Series) – Greg Smallwood, Moon Knight (Marvel).  In only a few years Smallwood has created his own distinctive style, and this year his cover run on Moon Knight was like nothing any other cover artist was doing.  Dynamic drawing like the work of the greats of comics’ past and unique ideas that jumped off the comic store shelf and sucked us in.  The result was some incredible visuals.

Best Comic Book Cover Art (Limited Series) – Mike Mayhew, Star Wars prequel hardcover editions (Marvel Comics).  Mayhew’s series of poster-worthy Star Wars prequel covers may very well be the best thing ever about the Star Wars prequels.  Mayhew’s designs and attention to character details made us all want to think again about revisiting those notorious prequels.

Best Comic Book Single Issue – Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In (Dark Horse), Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson.  Dorkin and Thompson’s continuing Beasts of Burden series only gets better, and we only wish we could have more issues to read.  This year it was the single summer issue story What the Cat Dragged In–another classic supernatural tale featuring our favorite talking animals.

Best Comic Book Limited Series – Mycroft Holmes and The Apocalypse Handbook, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Titan Comics).  Abdul-Jabbar’s comic book adaptation of his novel was a great move, and the dialogue and mystery was well-suited for a translation into the comic book medium.  Yet another great modern interpretation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, with great artwork by Joshua Cassara.  And proof that Abdul-Jabbar is an expert in a myriad of areas.

Best Comic Book Cover – Micronauts #5 variant cover, J.K. Woodward (IDW).  Taking Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” and transforming it into a sci-fi masterpiece is more than we can hope for.  J.K. Woodward created this masterpiece for a rare variant cover in this year’s Micronauts series.  The result is something epic.  Now if we could only get our hands on an actual copy.  Runner-up: The Astonishing Ant-Man #7, Mark Brooks.

Best Comic Book Event – Betty & Veronica Issue #1 variant covers (Archie Comics).  Skip over the DC Comics Rebirth and the latest Marvel Comics Civil War.  Publishers land so many events these days that they get exhausting.  But it makes us look around to see what other unusual events are taking form.  Pairing Adam Hughes with one of the oldest character duos in comics was inspired.  Then reaching out to a few dozen comic book artists to create their impressions of the world’s oldest–and longest published–frenemies provided a brilliant and beautiful result, reprinted in a collected volume.

Best Comic Book Homage – Star Trek: Manifest Destiny, variant covers, Tony Shasteen (IDW).  This year artist Tony Shasteen did what no artist had done before, taking Bob Peak’s original movie poster art for the classic “Prime” universe of Star Trek and making his own new take on the posters with the new “Kelvin timeline” J.J. Abrams universe cast members.  The result was four images posterworthy in their own right.

Best Book About Comics – James Bond Spectre: The Complete Comic Strip Collection (Titan).  A smart 300-page collection plucked from years of James Bond in newspaper strips.  Readers really get the understanding that Daniel Craig’s Bond films more faithfully follow Ian Fleming’s original vision for the character.  This Bond is very different from what many are used to, and it makes for fresh reading.

Best Retro Read – Cut Me In, Ed McBain (Titan Hard Case Crime).  The Hard Case Crime imprint continues its devotion to the best of pulp crime novels with this first reprint in 60 years of crime writer McBain’s 1950s novel featuring a J.J. Gittes-mannered, everyman protagonist grinding his way through his work as a literary agent who gets sucked into a murder.  Great dialogue and gritty noir that was quite simply a blast to read.

Best Genre Fiction – Warlock Holmes, A Study in Brimstone, G.S. Denning (Titan).  A title and concept so brilliant and so obvious you almost can’t believe it hasn’t been done before–but glad it was Denning who did it.  A wildly funny, mixed-up mashup, Warlock Holmes gives us everything we love about the Baker Street team… with a twist.

Best Genre Non-fiction – Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space, Marc Cushman (Jacobs Brown Media Group).  Cushman offers up the finest in-depth review of the groundbreaking 1960s science fiction series in this 700+ page treatise, with comprehensive notes and citations.  The interconnectedness of Hollywood insiders intertwines with the series’ eccentric creator and comes together to provide a thought-provoking take on the industry inasmuch as the book is about a single show.

Best Star Trek Non-fiction – The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda (Harper Design).  The Okudas have once again taken on a Herculean assignment and delivered.  The updated encyclopedia is a two-book volume that will be seen as a staple in every Star Trek fan’s collection for years to come.

Best Star Wars Non-fiction – The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Josh Kushins (Abrams Books).  Stunning images of concept art for Rogue One, revealing the ideas that brought together the look and feel of the original trilogy with a new story and characters.  Paintings, storyboards and designs for costumes and props make this the must-have companion book for Star Wars fans for 2016.

The Best of the Rest:

Biggest Genre Event of 2016 – Star Trek turns 50.  We saw more collectibles and tchotchkes of every size and price range this year leading up to the anniversary of the first episode of the original series.  Cable channels offered up dueling documentaries, Seattle’s pop culture museum featured an exhibit of costumes and props, Creation held their annual Las Vegas Star Trek convention, and even the Smithsonian spruced up the original series filming model for display.  A new movie hit the theaters with Star Trek Beyond, new comic book series hit the stands, and a volley of tie-in fiction and non-fiction books hit the shelves, along with an update to the classic Star Trek encyclopedia and the Roddenberry family released new Blu-rays of lost 1960s studio footage.  And a new TV series was announced for 2017.  Quite a year for the franchise!

Best Real Science – The frontier of borg technology is happening at the University of Washington–3D printing is resulting in even better cybernetic hands than ever before crafted.  An Australian neurologist backed by DARPA may have found that bridging the gap between thought and bionics may be a matter of using “stentrodes.”  Another researcher is studying the use of neuroprosthetics to mimic the natural nervous system.  In space science NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered Jupiter’s orbit after a nearly five-year journey.  In physics, the Hubbell Space Telescope may have offered up its biggest finding with an update to our knowledge about the Hubbell Constant: scientists learned that the universe may be expanding faster than expected.  Finally, in health science we may be looking at a world with an effective Ebola vaccine in the near future.

Best Nerd/FanboyTech – Take your pick of the makes and models, but virtual reality is back again, now easily accessible with your smart phone, plus drones are now affordable so anyone can own them–the modern update to remote control airplanes.  You can even buy versions combining both VR and drone tech, like you’re in the cockpit–the modern update to flight simulators.

Best Action Figure Design (budget) – The Dark Crystal action figures (Funko ReAction).  Check out our discussion of this great Funko line here.

Best Action Figure Design (high-end) – Star Wars 1:6 Scale statues (Sideshow). Check out our discussion of the Sideshow line here.

So that’s it!  How did we compare to your view of the best of 2016?

Come back tomorrow as we add some new members for our annual update to the borg.com Borg Hall of Fame.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

Anyone who has ever played with action figures has had the thought.  What would it be like to be as small as the figures and roam around with them in their vehicles, or what if they were as large as life and roamed around with us?  Daniel Picard enjoyed collecting the high-end, Sideshow Collectibles 12-inch “statue” figures.  He was also a photographer.  So Picard blended them together and posted them online.  He then sent some of his photos to Sideshow Collectibles’ management and the result is Figure Fantasy: The Pop Culture Photography of Daniel Picard, a hardcover collection of his creations, published by Insight Editions.

What makes Picard’s photographs work is the “magic” of lining up light and shadow so that his photographs of real world situations blend seamlessly with spliced-in images of 12-inch figures.  The Sideshow Collectibles figures are exclusively used in this collection–these are the figures that sell for hundreds of dollars because of their highly detailed production quality.  (Sideshow made the borg.com Best of 2016 list here last year, and we discussed the Star Wars line last year here).  So this line of figures was ideal for Picard’s project.

The situations Picard selects, the clever humor, the juxtaposition of the fantastical and the mundane, all combine to make Picard’s work stand out from the standard attempts at similar combinations you might find on the Internet.

Images include Snowtroopers from The Empire Strikes Back shoveling snow, scraping snow from a car, and, of course, making a snow angel.  A neighborhood of The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer walk their little dogs, the Emperor and Darth Vader go canoeing, Boba Fett and Jango Fett have a bonding moment fishing, and Superman takes on beach patrol duty.

Picard primarily uses Star Wars, DC Comics, and GI Joe characters in this selection.  Figure Fantasy will have readers wanting to try this for themselves.  You don’t have to be fans of all the genres Picard selects from to enjoy his imagery.  What other great action figures should be edited into real-life photos to great effect?

Loot Crate released an exclusive edition of Figure Fantasy:  The Pop Culture Photography of Daniel Picard in December, the original version is available here at Amazon.com, and a collector’s edition that includes three Picard prints and other extras is also available.  All versions include a foreword by Simon Pegg and an afterword by Kevin Smith.  Final Fantasy:  The Pop Culture Photography of Daniel Picard is fun for pop culture fans of all ages.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

One of the most popular characters and series to emerge from DC Comics’ New 52 reboot in 2011 was J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman’s Batwoman.  Not only was the series popular, it received critical acclaim for Williams’ gritty storytelling and the stylish and spectacular, ethereal, and surreal artwork by Blackman.  The classic B-level superheroine of the 1950s had been reintroduced as Kate Kane with a new Alex Ross-designed costume in 2006.  In the DC Comics weekly series 52 the character became the most memorable legacy of the series–ex-military, a lesbian, of Jewish descent, with her ex, Renee Montoya, a Gotham police detective—rare constructs for any character in comicdom.  In the best of ironies, the character created to combat accusations of Batman’s sexuality in the 1950s became a symbol of the very thing she was made to deflect.

Beyond the symbolism of the modern character and success as a new iconic character, Williams and Blackman wrote a great Bat-book.  But after several successful months as a New 52 series, editorial decisions and creator ideas crossed streams and the series fizzled out.  Happily for fans of the character, DC is bringing Batwoman onto center stage once again.  Beginning this month in Detective Comics Issue #948 and continuing in February with Issue #949, the two-part “Batwoman Begins” arc forms the prologue for the monthly Rebirth continuity one-shot Batwoman: Rebirth in February and the series Batwoman, beginning in March.

Writers Marguerite Bennett and James T. Tynion IV are co-writing the initial story with Bennett to take over the series later in the year.  Artwork will be provided by Steve Epting and Ben Oliver.  Jae Lee will be creating a variant cover for the series’ first issue.

In the pages of Detective Comics we catch up with Batwoman as she flashes back to her father, now in jail, who was once her crime-fighting confidante, providing in-ear assistance as Oracle had provided to the Birds of Prey over the years.  Batwoman was in training by tracking Batman, figuring if she could do that she was ready to be on her own.  In the present she is working with Batman as he is brought in to review a new threat–remnants of a creature defeated in a prior battle is creating a viral threat and its own new enemies for Gotham.

As DC Comics has described in its promotional material, the prologue will be a segue to Batwoman getting outside of Gotham on her own international adventures, sounding similar to path taken with the New 52’s Huntress series.

Batwoman fans will want to add Detective Comics and Batwoman to their comic book shop pull lists.  Detective Comics Issue #948 is on store shelves now.  Issue #949 will be released on January 25.  Batwoman: Rebirth, a one-shot book, goes on sale February 15, and the ongoing monthly begins with Batwoman, Issue #1, coming March 15.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

We’ve been raving about the three and three-quarters inch scale Kenner-style action figures from Funko’s ReAction line here at borg.com for a few years now.  If style and nostalgia are your jam but not necessarily screen-accurate sculpts, it’s hard to beat the myriad of licenses that Funko has secured.  What you may not have seen is that Figures Toy Company has been producing a similar series of figures reflecting the larger, eight-inch Mego action figure line also popular in the 1970s.

Like Funko, Figures Toy Company has secured licenses of brands, movies and TV shows you’d never think would surface again, like Evel Knievel, Dukes of Hazzard, DC Comics, KISS, Shazam, Batman TV series heroes and villains, Super Friends, Scooby Doo, Tarzan, Dallas, The Monkees, The Three Stooges, Gilligan’s Island, and most recently Jonny Quest.  Also like Funko, don’t expect Sideshow Toys’ level of detail.  The appeal of these lines is pure nostalgia, and packaging is half of the value.  The company also didn’t forget accessories and playsets, like a great set of Batman weapons, the Batbus and Batlab, classic style carrying cases, Gotham GCPD bus, professional wrestling accessories, the Teen Titans bus, and the classic Batcave.

Your editor with the original Mego Robin figure, and at right the new Figures Toy Company version.

The toy company has also stepped ahead into more recent licenses, creating a line of Mego-style Harry Potter action figures.  Some of Figures Toy Company’s action figure lines are also offered in a 12-inch and 18-inch version.  Many lines were released in limited editions and exclusives, and some can only be found on Amazon and eBay, and many are still available with new figures released frequently.  Not only do many have the Mego-style retro packaging, others have the Kresge Stores-style packages your parents could pick up in the 1970s as point-of-sale purchases at checkout in local dime stores across the country.

Check out the Figures Toy Company website for more information.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

About three months out and the marketing for the 2017 superhero film Wonder Woman continues as DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. released a third trailer this weekend.  What will likely fair quite well at the box office will also probably be one of the biggest moneymakers for a movie set during World War I.  Taking a cue from the Marvel Universe’s first golden age adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger, DC’s first Wonder Woman solo effort ties back not to World War II but “the Great War.”  With Monster director Patty Jenkins leading the first big-screen film featuring the most popular superheroine of all–and no Christopher Nolan or Zack Snyder–we have much hope for this film, even if the glimpses at its cinematography, camera angles, and action sequences borrow plenty from Snyder’s 300.

Gal Gadot returns from last year’s Batman v Superman as Wonder Woman with Star Trek’s Chris Pine as the first man the Amazon warrior meets, Colonel Steve Trevor.  Gadot tweeted a new poster for the movie Saturday:

The new trailer shows some scenes from the film’s version of Wonder Woman’s origin story.  More humor is infused this time around, too.  Both Gadot and Pine look promising as these classic comic book characters.

Check out the latest trailer, trailer #3, for Wonder Woman:

Wonder Woman hits theaters June 2, 2017.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com