tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26660035306423886422024-03-07T01:44:46.871-08:00Fizzit"Relapse Records...the Justice League of Extreme Metal."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-12796473528820353852016-06-18T23:50:00.000-07:002016-06-18T23:52:56.354-07:00Firestorm Replica Leather JacketEver since Firestorm appeared on Legends Of Tomorrow in an actual costume (as opposed to the look he had on The Flash), I've been waiting for someone to produce a replica costume. They've now started appearing for sale online, so I took the plunge and bought one. There are a few different places selling them, which I'll cover later, but for now, I present to you the Firestorm jacket!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27xiL2ntvQ1vEcrZTn3Odrt6RHRlxyR8xEiX2LYaL4tV7SIVdja25vpaGKZAPhDEWUhL3hoUVpsuuwAm7-YpjcG4LB2pqGMKEQKz13NHKphOj3no1VriTZQtmBLP_yRlyYFuHZAI-Jw6M/s1600/3way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27xiL2ntvQ1vEcrZTn3Odrt6RHRlxyR8xEiX2LYaL4tV7SIVdja25vpaGKZAPhDEWUhL3hoUVpsuuwAm7-YpjcG4LB2pqGMKEQKz13NHKphOj3no1VriTZQtmBLP_yRlyYFuHZAI-Jw6M/s400/3way.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm going to take a detailed look here, but a few initial thoughts:<br />
<ul>
<li>The chest plate is removable. This to me was a major selling point, as it can be used as a regular jacket the other 51 weeks of the year when the local Comic Convention isn't in town.</li>
<li>The obvious flaw right off the bat is that the positioning of chest logo is not quite right.</li>
<li>The colour is a fair bit brighter than the show, I'm contemplating getting it dyed a darker red. It's passable as-is though.</li>
<li>Overall I'm quite happy with it. It appears to be well made, the leather is soft, and despite the problems I'm going to highlight below it's appearance is effective. It's not like I was ever going to whip out my sewing machine and make a leather jacket.</li>
</ul>
Here's an initial comparison vs a promo shot from the show:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUQ4PVQ-l8lHa6uuUtKw-Z8YjitgoSoaJpjNFzggzLg0YB4O7nZb1HZ7ltgUFEp0MtCaPFykwlqMAXJU7RrsEKo6FAKAPsmrl50tzl8Yda-OtU5RwOtOSFfwZsASbPqvxfEHyRd5BeiS8/s1600/sidebyside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUQ4PVQ-l8lHa6uuUtKw-Z8YjitgoSoaJpjNFzggzLg0YB4O7nZb1HZ7ltgUFEp0MtCaPFykwlqMAXJU7RrsEKo6FAKAPsmrl50tzl8Yda-OtU5RwOtOSFfwZsASbPqvxfEHyRd5BeiS8/s400/sidebyside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a comparison vs the eBay listing I bought it off:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTx363EQBSerHyagzT9U1UjcZNL2gNH1CCap3H2dfePdhjdWdx4V8m8JhyphenhyphenpS17GbmbO-ZJWbMGL6nueoG8WeQlLnhd5Fa1sYUXs5a6Y2oWkCpQl9wULq8gBispyKQdQRlYQT-ypwJKwsrd/s1600/sidebyside2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTx363EQBSerHyagzT9U1UjcZNL2gNH1CCap3H2dfePdhjdWdx4V8m8JhyphenhyphenpS17GbmbO-ZJWbMGL6nueoG8WeQlLnhd5Fa1sYUXs5a6Y2oWkCpQl9wULq8gBispyKQdQRlYQT-ypwJKwsrd/s400/sidebyside2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Three things that jump out from this comparison:<br />
<ul>
<li>The chest icon is wrong on the finished jacket</li>
<li>The ribbing over the abdomen is too close together</li>
<li>The stripes down the arms are angled incorrectly</li>
</ul>
The picture from the listing looks a lot closer to the show version than the finished product. This was something I was wary of when buying it given that there were no modeled photos to go off. Like I said earlier, it's passable and most people aren't going to know the difference, but I want to take a bit of a "screen accurate" view here.<br />
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A closer look at the chest:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyMzJ6wtY5bvL8oymfGz97AJL0YugSKN6zgC3LCqPVbTnvrJxsrjn0jMrawNcgIYFEH4cA2FAfGFFmSTfnWIRn88tDMbbSS82d2JDdwUDOVW-n3djdFZKdHEtYtaCH9hNPi4yRH1Qb1NT/s1600/chest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyMzJ6wtY5bvL8oymfGz97AJL0YugSKN6zgC3LCqPVbTnvrJxsrjn0jMrawNcgIYFEH4cA2FAfGFFmSTfnWIRn88tDMbbSS82d2JDdwUDOVW-n3djdFZKdHEtYtaCH9hNPi4yRH1Qb1NT/s400/chest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Icon aside, the other problem here is the big black line at the bottom. The show version is more molded in the chest which is too much to expect for a replica, but they overdid the shading quite badly.<br />
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The full chest piece:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66HbFr82zF5tP7coy4uzsWJ_cA4T-ruMqIUGRhNaWEHDOBXUgolsJbBBuma6bRtNsRxzClm5K4pDoHIySwbaxbhQsI4CBvvEiokwESxj6CDKOhxpPstEIikVNs0klY0XciKdh__h5byHJ/s1600/Chestplate.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66HbFr82zF5tP7coy4uzsWJ_cA4T-ruMqIUGRhNaWEHDOBXUgolsJbBBuma6bRtNsRxzClm5K4pDoHIySwbaxbhQsI4CBvvEiokwESxj6CDKOhxpPstEIikVNs0klY0XciKdh__h5byHJ/s320/Chestplate.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I'm contemplating unstitching the reverse of the chest and putting it on the front since it's cut the same. It would fix the black line and let me put a better icon on it. I was planning on making a more "show accurate" icon (complete with lights) when I ordered it, but this version needs fixing first.<br />
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A closer shot of the piping on the torso:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC-gyuiLnEd7CktCwKP2B-ya-YvByXTKLE42BYXkzNFnuJkRUVePXBsCNACarNLcoU4jPz7pFMTx33pX-Fz3dY8QUlpHSxHpReOzglIy3MbvP6vv0W3CmxbgOzmpuin7kvpYR-ZA2ilVM/s1600/piping.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCC-gyuiLnEd7CktCwKP2B-ya-YvByXTKLE42BYXkzNFnuJkRUVePXBsCNACarNLcoU4jPz7pFMTx33pX-Fz3dY8QUlpHSxHpReOzglIy3MbvP6vv0W3CmxbgOzmpuin7kvpYR-ZA2ilVM/s320/piping.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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A comparison of how the straps attach the chest piece:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueEPsE-BW2aPaeC7wjmoHGWUNu48bCIa02hiR8F51kYHXq9MhTkO1woPlnczf8qfXZ_dhFV2G2CJv3F7F9WgmjUFIfAfyhn_ZMYtYbcju0Xaz8-SrFRr0FDyLeplKDJpacfxObzeIN6-p/s1600/straps3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueEPsE-BW2aPaeC7wjmoHGWUNu48bCIa02hiR8F51kYHXq9MhTkO1woPlnczf8qfXZ_dhFV2G2CJv3F7F9WgmjUFIfAfyhn_ZMYtYbcju0Xaz8-SrFRr0FDyLeplKDJpacfxObzeIN6-p/s320/straps3.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The show version has the loops sewn directly in the chest piece, with rivets either side. The replica has an extra loop.<br />
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The straps themselves are loops secured by velcro:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZIf-UHreEvPitOmrII9CcF70daN17kx0nW_YPU57p5rOTiJsGVE1wS9uTR1GJqmqMDAbsikOBHw4ORj9lN6hzOWKOrMAEbtcOyO6B3C0EpCzMGJfaoNo7UC6u91cB9GHu8ss0viD7i7R/s1600/straps2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZIf-UHreEvPitOmrII9CcF70daN17kx0nW_YPU57p5rOTiJsGVE1wS9uTR1GJqmqMDAbsikOBHw4ORj9lN6hzOWKOrMAEbtcOyO6B3C0EpCzMGJfaoNo7UC6u91cB9GHu8ss0viD7i7R/s320/straps2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Now here's an example of the show shifting the goalposts over the course of the season:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXmUF9k2vPJWQGQiNzqqbrwvzzRbZsgNy9Y1zkXbCu7iT94zhvD7IdftmX4Co82xc3qtlrD9YVqlz99rssp1iXqXLziLxZXviiE0kB-6ryKohNpsDSvh7jwfv0Ek96KtbQOCS0A3yD5sf/s1600/straps.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXmUF9k2vPJWQGQiNzqqbrwvzzRbZsgNy9Y1zkXbCu7iT94zhvD7IdftmX4Co82xc3qtlrD9YVqlz99rssp1iXqXLziLxZXviiE0kB-6ryKohNpsDSvh7jwfv0Ek96KtbQOCS0A3yD5sf/s320/straps.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The replica has the right idea initially- ribbed straps. However by the time the final episode rolled around, they were using flat black straps on the suit.<br />
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On to the arms, because that's the other major thing that the replica gets wrong:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C9T6i8Xof79MthYOyThCOp7tbOTdoUKy1ppViBQr7xXf2NTkgCCg6sNHEHOE7wA0L80yiWHc7o-KkHd_-Wi_upAI6hJTAgENGNsHM5MYHvW711k-Id0qeLzRuHHquOUK88qquRt4ECGO/s1600/sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8C9T6i8Xof79MthYOyThCOp7tbOTdoUKy1ppViBQr7xXf2NTkgCCg6sNHEHOE7wA0L80yiWHc7o-KkHd_-Wi_upAI6hJTAgENGNsHM5MYHvW711k-Id0qeLzRuHHquOUK88qquRt4ECGO/s400/sleeve.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As you can see the stripe is supposed to be two distinct sections, which the replica doesn't do.<br />
If you're a stickler for detail, the paneling on the shoulder is also wrong:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZgtDGIhSCq6xBLG2otu0BY3Gg_IVLWckGE1RRq_EVGxEX9UkpPASzlvKGSCUtp5jm4XVuaT43KBMB0PuXgQr9SEwi1SG5CBq1BfrvtYr1G-7PV3twrpMVKqDylGdbXU7SJ2jBU9y0a1Q/s1600/shoulder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZgtDGIhSCq6xBLG2otu0BY3Gg_IVLWckGE1RRq_EVGxEX9UkpPASzlvKGSCUtp5jm4XVuaT43KBMB0PuXgQr9SEwi1SG5CBq1BfrvtYr1G-7PV3twrpMVKqDylGdbXU7SJ2jBU9y0a1Q/s400/shoulder.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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A close-up of the zipped cuffs (nothing wrong here, just figured it was worth showing every detail I could)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lO4jpLcMHg_b6cjruJtmifAKabb2NWdpbtuPO6aQxEkjcBcdRYwU3QNiwdxzTqHNMYHf-K5pFhRLIrTe4riCtcpCId3xAxQDz41DhYvMnZopAcT41pAGPQW6fgmNrfMGgWRKuzfbZhX8/s1600/wrist.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lO4jpLcMHg_b6cjruJtmifAKabb2NWdpbtuPO6aQxEkjcBcdRYwU3QNiwdxzTqHNMYHf-K5pFhRLIrTe4riCtcpCId3xAxQDz41DhYvMnZopAcT41pAGPQW6fgmNrfMGgWRKuzfbZhX8/s400/wrist.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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Now, the jacket itself:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies2_VJn4_lcxZ0XwtD7xwi8unbbbzgyd9pv5X5d6gfLXn3Hff8ulrO_Qe1UlotyE7jvDkk_dLHbKs41LIzp2GsGZzLFZjkVXBuwGBdtjHyY5PV5l5n4mjAQ71sK2Vay_poCemG8HIu4Pi/s1600/flatfront.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies2_VJn4_lcxZ0XwtD7xwi8unbbbzgyd9pv5X5d6gfLXn3Hff8ulrO_Qe1UlotyE7jvDkk_dLHbKs41LIzp2GsGZzLFZjkVXBuwGBdtjHyY5PV5l5n4mjAQ71sK2Vay_poCemG8HIu4Pi/s400/flatfront.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
It has two pockets which, weren't mentioned in the listing (this is a big plus). If, like me, you're thinking that the ability to wear it as a regular jacket is a plus, there are a couple of things to point out. The first is the shading:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF91yWRYyw_Qmkp1TEGjgy9YBHCtRcP1vFxEGG2SEDtkkBZxurQ-5OCH1FwxMzeONzB1UbrnfSR3vgZfdlXuUOx842KB5KkHJ74_hG8Kt1tQ35uBN_OvxUC9HF1WkF8ILiINe8Q3M7Wbdc/s1600/shading.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF91yWRYyw_Qmkp1TEGjgy9YBHCtRcP1vFxEGG2SEDtkkBZxurQ-5OCH1FwxMzeONzB1UbrnfSR3vgZfdlXuUOx842KB5KkHJ74_hG8Kt1tQ35uBN_OvxUC9HF1WkF8ILiINe8Q3M7Wbdc/s400/shading.JPG" width="286" /></a></div>
The manufacturer obviously shaded it while the chest piece was attached, as the jacket under it is completely clean and there's a bit of a "v" outline at the top of the chest. The other thing to consider is the six metal loops that connect to the straps:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4JEfF53cKkyN-ftXXslBkFausIHrfM_PLfX9mL-QIttvewNpAPjz5-AR0flFn1fhrN_gLtXz06cI7rSbk8tBhOKA2t8PrRapS0FPkmEH4XgWpDXZFtZvgBWRu9VoQ-f7693x7JgfiV-O/s1600/metal.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4JEfF53cKkyN-ftXXslBkFausIHrfM_PLfX9mL-QIttvewNpAPjz5-AR0flFn1fhrN_gLtXz06cI7rSbk8tBhOKA2t8PrRapS0FPkmEH4XgWpDXZFtZvgBWRu9VoQ-f7693x7JgfiV-O/s400/metal.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Not really a big deal, but worth pointing out.<br />
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So that's basically it for the comparisons. There are a couple of extra things that are missing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijPxfauXfqxpGP3ceGbdBZEgz7aewkksW7JALztLPvjhVL-MSHL0-bQ7FN2bOpzlKEb3pmaR25eBpf9E6HDNnYXuADHBBbdVNvTsrZlkysthNTuccPw8TB9DtTAJFyLK43F1Da1ISeQKk/s1600/extras.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijPxfauXfqxpGP3ceGbdBZEgz7aewkksW7JALztLPvjhVL-MSHL0-bQ7FN2bOpzlKEb3pmaR25eBpf9E6HDNnYXuADHBBbdVNvTsrZlkysthNTuccPw8TB9DtTAJFyLK43F1Da1ISeQKk/s320/extras.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>There should be elbow pads</li>
<li>The back of the suit is supposed to be yellow, not red. To be honest, I'm willing to give them a pass on both of these as there really wasn't an extended clear shot of Firestorm's back until the final episode of Legends Of Tomorrow.</li>
</ul>
<br />
A note on sizing: I got a Medium, and it's pretty snug, especially with the chest piece on. I typically wear Large tshirts etc, but last time I bought a leather jacket at a proper store the assistant recommended a Medium, and I have to say she knew what she was talking about. So that's the approach I went with here. The replica is tighter than my other jacket, but then that's had the benefit of the past year to stretch a bit so I can't really give you a definitive answer. It <i>kinda </i>feels like an extra inch in the shoulders might be a good thing, but not to the extent where I'm regretting it or hesitant to wear it. I realise I've basically said a whole lot of nothing in this paragraph; Just think about it before you buy (oh yeah, the neck is a pretty close fit also)<br />
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There you have it. A final note about where I bought it, and a possible alternative: I got mine on eBay <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/shawmugha-0/m.html?item=152110738465&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562" target="_blank">from this seller</a>. The listing said the jacket was made in the USA, but it shipped from Pakistan, so I kinda doubt that ;) It took 5 weeks to get to me, which frustratingly was two weeks after my local convention (although I was buying it just to have it, the con was a coincidence). It cost $150US.<br />
Now, a quick google search will show a few outlets selling replica jackets. They pretty much all have the same stock photos and are around the same price, so I assume from that that they are selling the same jacket that I received.<br />
There is one site selling the jacket, which actually has multiple shots of it being worn:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPn2qkH2SWozn-J6rMMbIFO1eE0-jQ56F9eovf-SiYopUrIscg0SbL96LfdroEc3vu5K0dBqgQh7CWMMHUXfZDCJcugfIA3k_matsdpDeSdveQfPDDFYAU83YNdB0cMkzFX_ezYw9FliuR/s1600/Firestorm+jacket+01-600x900.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPn2qkH2SWozn-J6rMMbIFO1eE0-jQ56F9eovf-SiYopUrIscg0SbL96LfdroEc3vu5K0dBqgQh7CWMMHUXfZDCJcugfIA3k_matsdpDeSdveQfPDDFYAU83YNdB0cMkzFX_ezYw9FliuR/s320/Firestorm+jacket+01-600x900.JPG" width="230" /></a><br />
The site is <a href="http://newleatherjacket.com/Firestorm-Legends-of-Tomorrow-Leather-Jacket" target="_blank">NewLeatherJacket.com</a> (which as I post this is currently not working, but it was yesterday). As you can see from the picture above, it gets right all the major things that my jacket gets wrong. From memory (since the site is currently down) it's a fair bit more expensive, and made of synthetic leather. But the fact that they have modeled photos leads me to conclude that they are legit and the jacket you see is what you'll get. If you care about being as close to the real thing as possible, I would consider trying them (disclaimer: I'm totally guessing here).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-64738253737976605822014-10-28T01:15:00.000-07:002014-10-28T01:15:15.761-07:00I Think I Broke My Brain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I was watching the recap section on the latest episode of The Walking Dead, and when one of the zombies appeared it totally reminded me of Felicity Smoak from Arrow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EXqUqfUteLUNEvo9U9VwSB_Sfm4FHZ8G4Nv02tpOemsfh8PMSzfM9OVAPEI8zeMU0ue0KEJu0uCeuzFbTbDyvqgHV7y4ShRMx2YZ2X6Oty8o6YEt3Yp6WtwYM26HaWokk0DUUQTMLrV2/s1600/Walkingdeadfelicity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EXqUqfUteLUNEvo9U9VwSB_Sfm4FHZ8G4Nv02tpOemsfh8PMSzfM9OVAPEI8zeMU0ue0KEJu0uCeuzFbTbDyvqgHV7y4ShRMx2YZ2X6Oty8o6YEt3Yp6WtwYM26HaWokk0DUUQTMLrV2/s1600/Walkingdeadfelicity.jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
Yeah, I dunno what's up with that either.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-68109719261451495852014-10-12T21:14:00.001-07:002014-10-12T21:14:14.519-07:00Janice Race, Defender Of Dignity Everywhere... or at the very least, this one time as editor of a Firestorm comic.<br />
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As a collector of original comic art, one of the things I really like is getting hold of a page from the pre-digital age. I really like having the dialog written on the page. I also really like that the editor would request changes to the art by writing directly on the finished art itself. It means people like me can come along years later, and see a little bit of the creative process behind the production, which I think is awesome.<br />
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A few days ago, I received <a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1168569" target="_blank">Page 7 from The Fury Of Firestorm #42 (1985)</a>. Pencils by Rafael Kayanan, inks by Akin and Garvey (I have no idea who did what pages).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHWyRts_BTqBnqOUapVQFqDSVEOGoQIl9D-9TcTGlrUvk00Kg7qeo5Vbvr07qWJixMSeO4GpklMhw_yU_wmtXvHj36LIKQU4DC-P9_StgXvM3_3Rp4nrnIHKmGzk7tQfk1YhwqvRLfU3Y/s1600/Firestorm_v1_42p7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHWyRts_BTqBnqOUapVQFqDSVEOGoQIl9D-9TcTGlrUvk00Kg7qeo5Vbvr07qWJixMSeO4GpklMhw_yU_wmtXvHj36LIKQU4DC-P9_StgXvM3_3Rp4nrnIHKmGzk7tQfk1YhwqvRLfU3Y/s1600/Firestorm_v1_42p7.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
The issue revolves around an interesting team-up between Firehawk and Wonder Girl, with Firestorm himself <a href="http://i.giphy.com/P7Unv5Uc9j7J6.gif" target="_blank">not making an appearance</a>.<br />
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In the page margin next to the first panel, editor Janice Race requests a change to "raise neckline a bit".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAuIjuSS59k72iIxMUU216wwa0qeu01HSmMj5H5MFOY-PmTxmSGvvuWQRA3c7WvYLiGO2m_m6yJutUbTNGlywYAxW9ZyL0w3ItDNIcO3Mk4YjmOqlpO6Hr-SdomiacZBh5IqjK2XAQz2A/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAuIjuSS59k72iIxMUU216wwa0qeu01HSmMj5H5MFOY-PmTxmSGvvuWQRA3c7WvYLiGO2m_m6yJutUbTNGlywYAxW9ZyL0w3ItDNIcO3Mk4YjmOqlpO6Hr-SdomiacZBh5IqjK2XAQz2A/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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Obviously the above picture is after the correction, but thanks to the white-out used we can kinda see what it was going to look like before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx64HBXfRJ625JNfNmWwtrfvtTF39LnN4WrBuToFlHu7oWtN8Qdzcv_NyugNtINldEy_pGdbOxVfH0UcWeI5jfWRcV9lDOPSD24_CbQhbwAe-QfblY8Lnv7gqkYZeKedTItrKoxGYNJo-j/s1600/IMG_7480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx64HBXfRJ625JNfNmWwtrfvtTF39LnN4WrBuToFlHu7oWtN8Qdzcv_NyugNtINldEy_pGdbOxVfH0UcWeI5jfWRcV9lDOPSD24_CbQhbwAe-QfblY8Lnv7gqkYZeKedTItrKoxGYNJo-j/s1600/IMG_7480.JPG" height="301" width="320" /></a></div>
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That was a pretty low cut. Good thing Donna Troy had Janice Race looking out for her modesty.</div>
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Man, we could've used a few Janice Race's in the 90's, right?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-6688021389472156272014-10-11T20:23:00.001-07:002014-10-11T20:29:48.558-07:00Martin Stein Joining The Flash - A Review Of The Graphics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Even if you're not a Firestorm fan, you've probably heard the recent news that <a href="http://firestormfan.com/2014/10/09/victor-garber01/" target="_blank">Victor Garber is joining the cast of The Flash</a> tv show as Professor Martin Stein, one half of the Firestorm character. News like this always has websites throwing together graphics of the actor next to their comic book counterpart as part of their coverage of the story. I thought we'd have a bit of a look at what people came up with.<br />
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The most widely used artwork came from this panel out of Brightest Day #1<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdZ2VbTh0mKToFI2dkd2r4Kl3zb-2ky0LSWz3sj4KGvAdTYvhIMSCUtJ64Bwdg-0IGmyNIsE6uXwPWZkYvg2ISTmodMeZ4zr45ergiWk5TqF0U3XqBBfqMq_HeeV8VckrTz552UA6G08/s1600/brightestday_01_professor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdZ2VbTh0mKToFI2dkd2r4Kl3zb-2ky0LSWz3sj4KGvAdTYvhIMSCUtJ64Bwdg-0IGmyNIsE6uXwPWZkYvg2ISTmodMeZ4zr45ergiWk5TqF0U3XqBBfqMq_HeeV8VckrTz552UA6G08/s1600/brightestday_01_professor.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
Veezo.com went with a generous shot of the comic panel, with Victor Garber a bit squeezed out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL1gfvXsB5XaxwDPF1jhgJmkbk_heA9kwru1t5NmxV6yBJwlAfOjmqQXOgXGrcNipKric2hyphenhyphenzkRd_IpHAQPIy4_ApvywlRANHaxJi3eqDlbTWNzQI6o8VKtcGb-sEAJMDVZuk5EHSKMTa/s1600/veezo.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL1gfvXsB5XaxwDPF1jhgJmkbk_heA9kwru1t5NmxV6yBJwlAfOjmqQXOgXGrcNipKric2hyphenhyphenzkRd_IpHAQPIy4_ApvywlRANHaxJi3eqDlbTWNzQI6o8VKtcGb-sEAJMDVZuk5EHSKMTa/s1600/veezo.com.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
Variety.com had the same idea, but went for a closer view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxV54yjIXNP-2qG-U1n0aTjsdX2T7N1BcQlnnl5cDwoPwej6yCWd4G7oAZ-3yxkbBHnjnWkBJalJz6oxEzOdJxQnHRGuAtMbgDsh_R65hppxLI1bq0m8UWLiQI8WTsHAbxR2Mxa3X6CwG/s1600/variety.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxV54yjIXNP-2qG-U1n0aTjsdX2T7N1BcQlnnl5cDwoPwej6yCWd4G7oAZ-3yxkbBHnjnWkBJalJz6oxEzOdJxQnHRGuAtMbgDsh_R65hppxLI1bq0m8UWLiQI8WTsHAbxR2Mxa3X6CwG/s1600/variety.com.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Not to be out-done, comicbook.com cranked the close-up even higher. I've gotta give them bonus points for finding a picture of Victor Garber with a similar pose, rather than just sticking on the first photo they found.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PagUgqCKPwXVjA4JLW9NjnDp43ENiN30jYsiRyprXbJHUcQaIud2DPSsyi2KR5OePfIyrzMI1CQBjTn2OEbQPqAp5jDz772Y7NtWMoIqa8eQkO_rK3Xq-mCTU0XJznePln_I5NX7ddkW/s1600/comicbook.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PagUgqCKPwXVjA4JLW9NjnDp43ENiN30jYsiRyprXbJHUcQaIud2DPSsyi2KR5OePfIyrzMI1CQBjTn2OEbQPqAp5jDz772Y7NtWMoIqa8eQkO_rK3Xq-mCTU0XJznePln_I5NX7ddkW/s1600/comicbook.com.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
For my money though, the winner when it comes to the use of this panel is comicbookresources.com, who actually spent a bit of time making things look all fancy rather than just pasting two pictures next to each other. Even if it looks like Victor's shoulder is trying to talk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6gN7puf4kTqbvn9o-_iDhoF2nxWq37xEmJ9FvtYwLn41o6dnNEJ5ILwDy7SIkTSMUnqw6iobzHoCiwk9Di-Yta_lWkMIZPVGrtKyH1jRDe2wdB-0oGH5s5wd_rV1p5BLRhLQjIyRsSXM/s1600/comicbookresources.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6gN7puf4kTqbvn9o-_iDhoF2nxWq37xEmJ9FvtYwLn41o6dnNEJ5ILwDy7SIkTSMUnqw6iobzHoCiwk9Di-Yta_lWkMIZPVGrtKyH1jRDe2wdB-0oGH5s5wd_rV1p5BLRhLQjIyRsSXM/s1600/comicbookresources.com.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next up on the popularity stakes, and the most obvious choice when you want a basic visual explanation of the characters involved, is the cover to the third Firestorm annual.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqZq-FZAOYJ7KLYMrgwoD_E7a4ewdl0KHZ14aHL8D7lq32cFD65u-AvJwv8b-4fTKbLqwQPw3U_5OW9lYSU3r-runvu_qUcOv-faKRnQ0xqhx9SzCyhVy8UztjcMepq5IXj6rndC0HuYT/s1600/firestormv2_annual3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqZq-FZAOYJ7KLYMrgwoD_E7a4ewdl0KHZ14aHL8D7lq32cFD65u-AvJwv8b-4fTKbLqwQPw3U_5OW9lYSU3r-runvu_qUcOv-faKRnQ0xqhx9SzCyhVy8UztjcMepq5IXj6rndC0HuYT/s1600/firestormv2_annual3.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
Wegotthiscovered.com and firestormfan.com both had the same idea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvPszSF9CtMHztsrqcaEyYaVM31QuEEZtvKvEBdWDFHwhBJzmVptnBC4eqA43mt5K9AE0hVd7sbpJkrYJ8kc31b-MQ4kwZQdDkCdNNihAEgZ4SxWe61eFyKCMz0fq6wnUjezf0sWnv5_2/s1600/wegotthiscovered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvPszSF9CtMHztsrqcaEyYaVM31QuEEZtvKvEBdWDFHwhBJzmVptnBC4eqA43mt5K9AE0hVd7sbpJkrYJ8kc31b-MQ4kwZQdDkCdNNihAEgZ4SxWe61eFyKCMz0fq6wnUjezf0sWnv5_2/s1600/wegotthiscovered.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1irvFtCL21nOS2t63UsMTZ-GvFoxUFLYdV92jly2ErPWWhulYdClk5wtTd1ABuZimLwxHv4K-UI-ttyPy8ibfpaWg98GmfGV27NHrdt0T452CjrMPbOsro3mxFtWTKCtJwvYK1qec194/s1600/firestormfan.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1irvFtCL21nOS2t63UsMTZ-GvFoxUFLYdV92jly2ErPWWhulYdClk5wtTd1ABuZimLwxHv4K-UI-ttyPy8ibfpaWg98GmfGV27NHrdt0T452CjrMPbOsro3mxFtWTKCtJwvYK1qec194/s1600/firestormfan.com.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
Starburstmagazine.com took the "Ronnie Raymond who?" route and cropped him out of the picture entirely. OK sure, this is all about the Professor, but that's a bit harsh right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v8U88yPMlowZ4DQgnHi44clWJu9kciX_tHhz6tLWGiMeQo4T5viOs5Cvy4qQVMqAkVh-QsPE5-NBojYGLfvEWpWIldaCitttraCvXs5c85BFLw1DPJM0NbdQJcmobE76rI5Lcs94i7pE/s1600/starburstmagazine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3v8U88yPMlowZ4DQgnHi44clWJu9kciX_tHhz6tLWGiMeQo4T5viOs5Cvy4qQVMqAkVh-QsPE5-NBojYGLfvEWpWIldaCitttraCvXs5c85BFLw1DPJM0NbdQJcmobE76rI5Lcs94i7pE/s1600/starburstmagazine.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
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The "if you only knew how close you were" award goes to tvline.com for this little gem. They got both Firestorm actors in there (nice job!), but gave us "the floating head of Ronnie Raymond" instead of it being the other way around. So close to being (accidental) genius!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiN6XNi0iMrHTkhaQuuWo3CSns8vzw-DjI3UEh3rCgMRvDgpoVbqkxTWBse5G6urFBSf3sFYh2zD19lNMRakshi1rjmdh9smyEDdHPCm-w7Q_3IhO2P8IeA5aPgcDqUdg0h8gY_Uc4eLQ/s1600/tvline.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiN6XNi0iMrHTkhaQuuWo3CSns8vzw-DjI3UEh3rCgMRvDgpoVbqkxTWBse5G6urFBSf3sFYh2zD19lNMRakshi1rjmdh9smyEDdHPCm-w7Q_3IhO2P8IeA5aPgcDqUdg0h8gY_Uc4eLQ/s1600/tvline.com.jpg" /></a></div>
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Scifi4me.com put in a valiant effort but this looks kinda goofy to be honest. Good idea, good execution, but the wrong Firestorm picture to use for the situation in my humble opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU9dTqodhRunZtJ0Bfr1vCz5UVCVWNk5beSRWe33-ORPRKdRjYS99Y9ZyGKFUyRlxe0Qi92CRW8i104cUFMGQ6Mmksg7HrjO7EIoXsZtm3kJTX6gH7HG73WOI7hrVOqfubnwRHYfTdLzd/s1600/scifi4me.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU9dTqodhRunZtJ0Bfr1vCz5UVCVWNk5beSRWe33-ORPRKdRjYS99Y9ZyGKFUyRlxe0Qi92CRW8i104cUFMGQ6Mmksg7HrjO7EIoXsZtm3kJTX6gH7HG73WOI7hrVOqfubnwRHYfTdLzd/s1600/scifi4me.com.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
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The cover for Firestorm v4 #0 was used quite frequently when Robbie Amell was announced as Ronnie Raymond. Sharetv.com dust it off again for Martin Stein.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebvk0_uVaKYmtZJVCuOx3f_Nu7-wwNHThgmV7cUk-il65sXun38cHuRGTrUnkg28eqqtXQcMFZgLgBJhHBz6R97pN9ReAe9NtAdPAdFG0L-wkPxpY-tklhA1OKRPpgwr97R5zKHNq6Qxs/s1600/sharetv.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebvk0_uVaKYmtZJVCuOx3f_Nu7-wwNHThgmV7cUk-il65sXun38cHuRGTrUnkg28eqqtXQcMFZgLgBJhHBz6R97pN9ReAe9NtAdPAdFG0L-wkPxpY-tklhA1OKRPpgwr97R5zKHNq6Qxs/s1600/sharetv.com.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Similarly, the variant cover for Brightest Day #2 was used a lot for the Robbie Amell announcement. Here it is from geekynews.com...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxJuXCXKJ2A-9d-bdleJ3np2Jf_wBLAjQBDYHEcGJUAjnMXsCzzmKmFbFrfst4Hr9CuPtXzftB6m2JzOCBsV6yicJb3xr72wsDLcAJupnXl-VLxOqvHBm1EYNzB9AGYfDexcGtGkdSIcZ/s1600/geekynews.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxJuXCXKJ2A-9d-bdleJ3np2Jf_wBLAjQBDYHEcGJUAjnMXsCzzmKmFbFrfst4Hr9CuPtXzftB6m2JzOCBsV6yicJb3xr72wsDLcAJupnXl-VLxOqvHBm1EYNzB9AGYfDexcGtGkdSIcZ/s1600/geekynews.com.jpg" height="121" width="320" /></a></div>
... and also from deadline.com.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzZdIo7CvfShKc1PREvw3S2Bct7vZIq383gHGIKjhL4F5gAznaI4XT8OGUVkGvVXCyq5LcnTWcOQKZY5pGTbS6xoYPS8qJ_Vf-dbp7MWp0JqTqYOEtghVbfQ2ZRpy6WZ89IAVqZxWbTaH/s1600/deadline.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzZdIo7CvfShKc1PREvw3S2Bct7vZIq383gHGIKjhL4F5gAznaI4XT8OGUVkGvVXCyq5LcnTWcOQKZY5pGTbS6xoYPS8qJ_Vf-dbp7MWp0JqTqYOEtghVbfQ2ZRpy6WZ89IAVqZxWbTaH/s1600/deadline.com.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
It seems there's a version of this cover with The Atom removed from between Firestorm's hands and replaced by some fancy fire effect. I noticed this when the picture was used for Robbie Amell, but I wasn't sure if it was just a random photoshop one of the news sites had come up with or what. It must be a thing if multiple sites are using it? Here's the original for anyone that's wondering:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVJhpgy9xLjyJNWLA8Tl09lfAUhBR5Bgx9MwmHiJR6BPd1PGPxK-n2KiJ2xKsPGvdvy3v4rCEJmwoiE_nXGIu79IriNCEnRe-0926dpGu3Ws2AP88LpfgVnHvIWi013tffIRlrzBUWF8H/s1600/500px-The_Brightest_Day-2_Cover-2_Teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVJhpgy9xLjyJNWLA8Tl09lfAUhBR5Bgx9MwmHiJR6BPd1PGPxK-n2KiJ2xKsPGvdvy3v4rCEJmwoiE_nXGIu79IriNCEnRe-0926dpGu3Ws2AP88LpfgVnHvIWi013tffIRlrzBUWF8H/s1600/500px-The_Brightest_Day-2_Cover-2_Teaser.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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TV.com went for the obscure selection with this splash out of Firestorm v3 (the issue number escapes me right now. I know, I know...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxR2W3k00FtzTu6Zq8a4YyyW3Cz24_M7kyxjy8v4132v_mEIl7WBTlrUVXORe1uRMFtFrDBNjsGzfg6M8M6cQUF5TxvNtLG4qhC5siUONwedMQLRJkWh3iw72dcHjVZl1yjnYPA9mWznvL/s1600/tv.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxR2W3k00FtzTu6Zq8a4YyyW3Cz24_M7kyxjy8v4132v_mEIl7WBTlrUVXORe1uRMFtFrDBNjsGzfg6M8M6cQUF5TxvNtLG4qhC5siUONwedMQLRJkWh3iw72dcHjVZl1yjnYPA9mWznvL/s1600/tv.com.png" height="178" width="320" /></a></div>
Thecomicbookcast.com found a nice heroic shot of Firestorm...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKtSqwQyrIbeSVLeEd0GB38I8qRERDGEYts2JtnPZMhL7fl9FqfpZhdfjLeBLXZPPAHMxoP1ZdUuWObPU749t0KaphEo5z7Scrn9T8uma3AYA0fd0OBNkCqg5UsYI0BmIPGiGDLEmDx-L/s1600/thecomicbookcast.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKtSqwQyrIbeSVLeEd0GB38I8qRERDGEYts2JtnPZMhL7fl9FqfpZhdfjLeBLXZPPAHMxoP1ZdUuWObPU749t0KaphEo5z7Scrn9T8uma3AYA0fd0OBNkCqg5UsYI0BmIPGiGDLEmDx-L/s1600/thecomicbookcast.com.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
... while serpentorslair.com went for spooky Firestorm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMFecMOqwxusX7cobLP0WUAl8QlxXtZjXDhOayQ_secYQ8HaYBYTIh40IDNfeKAtsTh-_KOu69FOhz7x1ScAuuC1U0ufVj_b2tB6CtTigoLODKcA7P5ZE5m0HzMfr8_w3UrrWh2WL9xVd/s1600/serpentorslair.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMFecMOqwxusX7cobLP0WUAl8QlxXtZjXDhOayQ_secYQ8HaYBYTIh40IDNfeKAtsTh-_KOu69FOhz7x1ScAuuC1U0ufVj_b2tB6CtTigoLODKcA7P5ZE5m0HzMfr8_w3UrrWh2WL9xVd/s1600/serpentorslair.com.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></div>
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To round things out, here's veooz.com with a picture saying "Firestorm who? Isn't this thing called The Flash?". Damn straight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFSHKaH4yjpIr3wGdx_srpyFlXecPeJXDeV74AQzitgfMsahdlT7NJ6EpRm7VMot3me6ed1EdPKv7JbqWMX1w9j8MTtt9tv0Ao_I1QFG01ABmjr2FCoriBrLHs2h2qxS_Ou3kL6DmAIeA/s1600/veooz.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFSHKaH4yjpIr3wGdx_srpyFlXecPeJXDeV74AQzitgfMsahdlT7NJ6EpRm7VMot3me6ed1EdPKv7JbqWMX1w9j8MTtt9tv0Ao_I1QFG01ABmjr2FCoriBrLHs2h2qxS_Ou3kL6DmAIeA/s1600/veooz.com.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-32545485901192947102014-09-24T02:05:00.001-07:002014-09-24T02:05:58.046-07:00I hope Firestorm Has A Good Lawyer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovbvMaXPKvPXv-baS3j3gSqoFtdvEa__71CoUe7TcKxGjdz1ZEdf5MFwXwL2U67Vqs7xNFQiys-nsQOGO-fmluaIPFeYbVWyz0Gj_PFtECwgrrBaTwx3iUUkMzG4jUjuqB3mOnAQrIWX-/s1600/fzam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovbvMaXPKvPXv-baS3j3gSqoFtdvEa__71CoUe7TcKxGjdz1ZEdf5MFwXwL2U67Vqs7xNFQiys-nsQOGO-fmluaIPFeYbVWyz0Gj_PFtECwgrrBaTwx3iUUkMzG4jUjuqB3mOnAQrIWX-/s1600/fzam.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
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...because Dr Fate totally just stole his sound effect.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Panel from Future's End: Constantine special)</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-54855549069145518822014-08-11T22:55:00.000-07:002014-08-11T22:55:07.265-07:00Song Of The Week: Harley Quinn *Last year saw the release of the debut solo album by <a href="http://annamurphy.ch/" target="_blank">Swiss musician Anna Murphy</a>. On it is this catchy little number called "Harley Quinn", a song sung from the perspective of everyone's favourite evil/adorable sidekick.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qaivonOB81w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Anna is already well established in the music world, playing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb8WGig0MLU" target="_blank">Hurdy Gurdy</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb0Ot2wd-10" target="_blank">contributing vocals</a> for one of the wold's leading Folk Metal groups, Swiss band <a href="http://eluveitie.ch/" target="_blank">Eluveitie</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*this in no way implies I will be updating this blog weekly ;)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-83469474510697128112014-08-10T23:40:00.000-07:002014-08-10T23:40:47.779-07:00Possibly Not A Great Interrogation Technique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsvljvyvyzCIBlLeIqpQGwq4S4TMff67PQADfWNmPRmyCepAqbh4t-VSQxMEHS0Aqo65bTAPHOqqJmOZ2y9XBeA-xtA0UTfCN9Erk6xsxZQ8Rb_1pbqwYnsgvPJpatpUeyxF2t-YbswNJ/s1600/DejahGreenMenVol02_Page_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsvljvyvyzCIBlLeIqpQGwq4S4TMff67PQADfWNmPRmyCepAqbh4t-VSQxMEHS0Aqo65bTAPHOqqJmOZ2y9XBeA-xtA0UTfCN9Erk6xsxZQ8Rb_1pbqwYnsgvPJpatpUeyxF2t-YbswNJ/s1600/DejahGreenMenVol02_Page_011.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></div>
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"Princess, please! I do not know anything!"</div>
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"You will gaze upon the royal bosom until you tell us the truth!"</div>
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"..."</div>
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*sound of crickets chirping*</div>
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Can't say I'm familiar with the character of Dejah Thoris (beyond the multitude of sketches of her <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/Original-Comic-Art-/3984/i.html?_nkw=Dejah+Thoris" target="_blank">available on eBay</a>), and this doesn't really inspire me to give the book a shot. But hey, maybe I'm wrong and this character is awesome. Judge for yourself with a <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/08/10/dynamite-late-story-2/dejahgreenmenvol02_cover-2/" target="_blank">free preview over on Bleeding Cool</a> of what I'm assuming is the latest trade.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-12774729845325903072013-01-10T00:46:00.000-08:002013-01-10T00:50:50.185-08:00Song Of The Week: Into The Timewastes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVvTvHMosgpHitt3h5ADbaald2ya-NGzAk-eDxQW4_t8am1v0yMvUiHYhIp1gxo1Lj_zUWGOUZCUQM6FcA8xkfUhbX3JRKNSiONurzmjEhvMehn7h-QvN-o99ROvAqqOr-fizwVJr9kw6/s1600/warriors3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVvTvHMosgpHitt3h5ADbaald2ya-NGzAk-eDxQW4_t8am1v0yMvUiHYhIp1gxo1Lj_zUWGOUZCUQM6FcA8xkfUhbX3JRKNSiONurzmjEhvMehn7h-QvN-o99ROvAqqOr-fizwVJr9kw6/s400/warriors3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Comic related metal songs are relatively few and far between. <a href="http://www.mclub.com.ua/s_txt.phtml?sn=2204769&sid=3523" target="_blank">The lyric for "Into The Timewastes"</a> by Dutch Death/Doom metal band <a href="http://www.facebook.com/officialasphyx" target="_blank">Asphyx</a> worked it's way into my subconcious after listening to their most recent album (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathhammer" target="_blank">"Deathhammer", 2012</a>) a few times and it eventually hit me - this is totally the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Warriors" target="_blank">A.B.C Warriors</a>, atleast in the start of the song.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"dive into the timewastes<br />
at the speed of light<br />
robot mercenaries<br />
elite for hire<br />
galactic warriors<br />
ancient as space<br />
serving and protecting<br />
a weak organic race<br />
universal empires<br />
face the ultimate threat<br />
disturbance in order<br />
time meets death<br />
sensors activating<br />
defensive shields<br />
encountering chaos<br />
desorientating fields"</blockquote>
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That appears to have ties to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-B-C-Warriors-Black-Hole-Comics/dp/1401205860" target="_blank">the Black Hole saga</a> from the late 80's. The ABC Warriors, a band of old war robots, are dispatched into an area known as the Time Wastes to repair a problem that threatens to destroy Earth. Curious, I tracked down <a href="http://www.metalblast.net/2012/02/interview-with-martin-van-drunen-asphyx-hail-of-bullets/" target="_blank">an interview with the vocalist</a> to see if it was intentional:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Metal Blast:</b> You guys have always had very interesting song titles; ‘Into The Timewastes,’ ‘Of Days When Blades Turned Blunt,’ ‘We Doom You To Death.’<br />
<b>Martin van Drunen:</b> [Laughs] Yeah, it was just the fun of it. The thing is that we were trying to be original in the song titles, but also so you know what it deals with. ‘Into The Timewastes’ is non-existing, it’s like science fiction more-or-less. That’s what the song says, too. It’s about a bunch of robot mercenaries that travel throughout the galaxy and are constantly at war with all kinds of creatures, and they dive into this thing called the ‘Timewaste’ where time meets death and that is the end of the universe if they don’t fix that problem. That’s the idea behind it; I read too many comics sometimes, I guess.</blockquote>
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No confirmation there of the inspiration, but there's a nod to comics at the end so it seems possible.</div>
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On to the song itself. It starts off relatively pedestrian - this is your basic straight-ahead Death Metal, and there's nothing subtle about it. Where the song becomes brilliant is at the 1:08 mark, when the breakdown is introduced. Sure it's a couple of simple riffs, but the groove to it is colossal. I defy any metal fan to not nod their head to it.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5BST6j9l7uY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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One of my favourite songs to come out of 2012.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-62472007315323295052013-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:002013-01-07T20:21:49.561-08:00Art In Close-Up: Artist HijinksDuring one of my regular searches for artwork (Firestorm related, of course), I found the cover to Firestorm #2 (vol.2).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsVUeikELg65sLCHjTiiZJx87JRBjF6qqnzdB8J3a0IfdCtPoWTebQEOV5P_rh18w7ASv5ZcyTSBsKMibqvnJsbLKb17Kc6R0KX04CXpZxRwHL6m0FR0Nn4s_4aQAMnYFekBu_fiwQ2cn/s1600/RAD3577F2011220_2443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsVUeikELg65sLCHjTiiZJx87JRBjF6qqnzdB8J3a0IfdCtPoWTebQEOV5P_rh18w7ASv5ZcyTSBsKMibqvnJsbLKb17Kc6R0KX04CXpZxRwHL6m0FR0Nn4s_4aQAMnYFekBu_fiwQ2cn/s400/RAD3577F2011220_2443.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
Awesome stuff. Upon closer inspection, I noticed this in the margin at the bottom left of the page:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQh3pNIZVphOGHRpxQNLvKN1huGC4jlnIA5JYUdpO30jF8KIhR1v7q4-fjW1mmVR6zKuVTLnD5Qff3VUWWv9ZcXr1j0xEz5Mn0c-_FmpVjY-zoBtT56ZLGhbAABcVbgr_OPC5ZgE4-Bhs/s1600/lala2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQh3pNIZVphOGHRpxQNLvKN1huGC4jlnIA5JYUdpO30jF8KIhR1v7q4-fjW1mmVR6zKuVTLnD5Qff3VUWWv9ZcXr1j0xEz5Mn0c-_FmpVjY-zoBtT56ZLGhbAABcVbgr_OPC5ZgE4-Bhs/s320/lala2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Pat Broderick must've been pretty chuffed with his finished pencils and wanted to see them preserved. Of course these days the penciled art need never leave the artist's side. Back in 1982, I'd imagine it was a much less common (and quite impractical) request.<br />
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Raising this from "interesting" to "funny" is a second note to editor Len Wein written in the margin. In the bottom right margin is this response:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmlOjWCqtjRn4iFha5FTxsWfniga8Umei0vvZtw2-OFavTf9KxGIvIf9WhLaucLVAsrh7KcoyYiVYDC4-LgL5kycifB4Xs84EVfPTmUCNmf33Y7vC8Sv6ruAuhCt5kPTPq29QEVZ_hK04/s1600/lala1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmlOjWCqtjRn4iFha5FTxsWfniga8Umei0vvZtw2-OFavTf9KxGIvIf9WhLaucLVAsrh7KcoyYiVYDC4-LgL5kycifB4Xs84EVfPTmUCNmf33Y7vC8Sv6ruAuhCt5kPTPq29QEVZ_hK04/s320/lala1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I assume this was written by Dick Giordano who was inking the series covers. I like to imagine him seeing the cover and deciding it would actually be quite fun to ink it, and adding this comment in jest.<br />
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As it turned out, there <i>was</i> an inked version of the cover done, but what saw print turned out to be markedly different from the original pencils:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTKEJdbbL4iQua0oPUNpMt7yWkm7mn6m7G6FPRMDHb7evRI99IP1uPvyvDUaXylqz_MemZTAcQb4loC9IJRQGP4XVcIhZfGZALjflz5BVbZFGtpdzL_LvdnucqMg0y1ga53BEjSqg3kCH/s1600/FuFr_2_GS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTKEJdbbL4iQua0oPUNpMt7yWkm7mn6m7G6FPRMDHb7evRI99IP1uPvyvDUaXylqz_MemZTAcQb4loC9IJRQGP4XVcIhZfGZALjflz5BVbZFGtpdzL_LvdnucqMg0y1ga53BEjSqg3kCH/s320/FuFr_2_GS.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
I have no idea of the details behind this. As I see it either Pat Broderick drew it again, or Dick Giordano did a recreation of it. I have an inkling that I've seen the inked artwork online once before, but I can't for the life of me find it nor did I appear to save it (which I generally do with all Firestorm artwork I stumble across) so I guess not.<br />
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For anyone interested in the cover and with a spare $1,950 to burn, it is currently <a href="http://www.comiclink.com/itemdetail.asp?id=879794" target="_blank">available here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-60949814162674735332013-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:002013-01-04T19:55:11.331-08:00Panel Of The WeekThis week in Firestorm I noticed something....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubk-uuIjN5LryoSVA_3Pqmhv1y6Wa2QiVM3cK8ImW8rgzDYn4PKQyvMuRMJiPNvx97AQJBp5nuyo8nHdYpxBURcmKLu5L7eybelF9PAiP4f6NfiPiUoFS107dBRD9tbOF9GsF1JDV7QjY/s1600/fury-of-firestorm-015-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubk-uuIjN5LryoSVA_3Pqmhv1y6Wa2QiVM3cK8ImW8rgzDYn4PKQyvMuRMJiPNvx97AQJBp5nuyo8nHdYpxBURcmKLu5L7eybelF9PAiP4f6NfiPiUoFS107dBRD9tbOF9GsF1JDV7QjY/s400/fury-of-firestorm-015-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
...the circle on the back of the costume has finally returned!<br />
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It used to be there on the classic costume:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gw6MYMA40fPdPS3l78IM0r1TJAylFzeBx_pYcYOV_6qCIw6LHTrHbEJKZtEXZ2DJ01kvQutrCVmcrW9Z-Xx9lQHGE_lGkHcmZ7eyiYvM1yhjD4EhR71CU7hoyWQFlca5gq3aG0S5NLNl/s1600/IMG_2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gw6MYMA40fPdPS3l78IM0r1TJAylFzeBx_pYcYOV_6qCIw6LHTrHbEJKZtEXZ2DJ01kvQutrCVmcrW9Z-Xx9lQHGE_lGkHcmZ7eyiYvM1yhjD4EhR71CU7hoyWQFlca5gq3aG0S5NLNl/s200/IMG_2837.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
Then it left when Jamal Igle redesigned the outfit in Volume 3:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoZv-uiPmGZhDauRQwDd77MUVlKpl0X6adeVh8K1HnW6mAUfg0ukDXgiaTOy_J7RT_I6ptpKFCs9Pveyc0jKBDyFX1BEYRKvNUx-LzFYXdg2E0URBd30waBXKSDP5xOMi3sGEPL2kCiWE/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoZv-uiPmGZhDauRQwDd77MUVlKpl0X6adeVh8K1HnW6mAUfg0ukDXgiaTOy_J7RT_I6ptpKFCs9Pveyc0jKBDyFX1BEYRKvNUx-LzFYXdg2E0URBd30waBXKSDP5xOMi3sGEPL2kCiWE/s200/IMG_2836.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
Brightest Day may've seen the return of Ronnie to the Firestorm costume, but the back circle stayed dead:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP2JLfwEywFY9no6uSr0F9SABb5Ie02W6oml6vu4KjpAB4dKK2u494EKBtQwncXmvR7B7h7WObCsWY0yzI6yFprdl6HODXneiOqTCCbNOn-4DzCOr3qQOwkq3EWOT_IEk77SgCUQb41AU/s1600/IMG_2835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP2JLfwEywFY9no6uSr0F9SABb5Ie02W6oml6vu4KjpAB4dKK2u494EKBtQwncXmvR7B7h7WObCsWY0yzI6yFprdl6HODXneiOqTCCbNOn-4DzCOr3qQOwkq3EWOT_IEk77SgCUQb41AU/s200/IMG_2835.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
Even in a reimagined universe there seemed to be no place for it:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VkWAJF2aAhk-DExzHF7_QV3Is4fuOJ1zWRRI5AcXsPhlmeS4-wa73Ez2nFTRTofjH-Nr1MgzlwxB_Rr8WiiP5YfGwDt3q8GQvHRapU4sMpUmhN-zT0Nga27JC_2Cc-djAkudjy-hDwbM/s1600/fire_06_021+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VkWAJF2aAhk-DExzHF7_QV3Is4fuOJ1zWRRI5AcXsPhlmeS4-wa73Ez2nFTRTofjH-Nr1MgzlwxB_Rr8WiiP5YfGwDt3q8GQvHRapU4sMpUmhN-zT0Nga27JC_2Cc-djAkudjy-hDwbM/s320/fire_06_021+copy.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
Cool.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-1637513591357684522013-01-01T16:35:00.000-08:002013-01-01T16:35:23.303-08:00Enter: Brutallica<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Courtesy of randomly digging through a cupboard and stumbling across something I hadn't seen in years, today I bring you: Brutallica!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7zkhjFiHZnqM1Unv1Bivwgryx0uvka1ycb6hleedp8leI0_YzD94UrhD8pB9ttO7fe3mM8p9Wk13U-cUogYrF-BqeOCRyyf06-ercuk1-nW45IzdyFNYia7nVu2Uz7CgBZJqjtytQj6p/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7zkhjFiHZnqM1Unv1Bivwgryx0uvka1ycb6hleedp8leI0_YzD94UrhD8pB9ttO7fe3mM8p9Wk13U-cUogYrF-BqeOCRyyf06-ercuk1-nW45IzdyFNYia7nVu2Uz7CgBZJqjtytQj6p/s400/IMG_0001.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Brutallica, unleashed on the world in 1992, was the creation of one Colin MacKenzie. I have no idea who Colin was or what has happened to him since, although one of his books has managed to get itself a <a href="http://books.google.co.nz/books/about/Brutallica.html?id=4JTlMgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">listing in Google Books</a>, albeit a blank entry. Of course, when I say "unleashed on the world" what I really mean by "world" is "New Zealand", and probably even more specifically "Auckland". As you can no doubt guess from the cover, this is your basic home produced comic book; Printed on a photocopier and most likely sold at the local comic shop. It's A4 size and clocks in at 7 pages. Here's the intro:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sZiKArDd8hkJg89qbvySxvzwcEv3VYkjveXzt-TZInYpSGAt-_nD_vB2PsQlki6zTYgL_VhiohvrXTWJzNvjKCOQIhlIKp1uaPGjM4pWa3AUUxlqpOlRdtJ431sqnapOhmwG6DjHbQpu/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sZiKArDd8hkJg89qbvySxvzwcEv3VYkjveXzt-TZInYpSGAt-_nD_vB2PsQlki6zTYgL_VhiohvrXTWJzNvjKCOQIhlIKp1uaPGjM4pWa3AUUxlqpOlRdtJ431sqnapOhmwG6DjHbQpu/s400/IMG_0002.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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As near as I can tell this thing ran for 8 issues, plus one reprint collecting the first 3 issues (well it's probably more accurate to say "I have 9 issues and I'm guessing that's it". There's not really anyone I can ask about it.) According to the intro in #3, the first 2 issues sold 15 copies (I'm assuming that's total, not each). Brutallica cared not for social causes- he was all about killing stuff, mostly "just because". His first adventure:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4lzeHXuWgph_m_GphiMsuesDPBP6V7GL47V0BeVz4_6OexkBgaxP35jCL7hHDVl8Ffw84J8646viSMl_qHdbZz7SbJZy_LviUOV36jeUlrPoy8VAKnCrIeSNiFXzZ_7OM4Zk55DXny3C/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4lzeHXuWgph_m_GphiMsuesDPBP6V7GL47V0BeVz4_6OexkBgaxP35jCL7hHDVl8Ffw84J8646viSMl_qHdbZz7SbJZy_LviUOV36jeUlrPoy8VAKnCrIeSNiFXzZ_7OM4Zk55DXny3C/s400/IMG_0003.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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Yeah. Ummm... take <b>that </b>McDonalds....</div>
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The pages that follow include Brutallica unleashing his fury on a government department, a heavy metal band, and a flock of birds:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1mJldbZApZQD4yFtvE8R8tpWfymghVbnQ6PlsyHR7RVE7pCjJTBwKtHhEeG7d5TZJp9KHdIo99ieotHJ46lPyjVJr1FRNdcdOWa9iR63ep2TjVDo-6nwJp4XZllD-bPQR0ngQpV4XnLn/s1600/IMG_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1mJldbZApZQD4yFtvE8R8tpWfymghVbnQ6PlsyHR7RVE7pCjJTBwKtHhEeG7d5TZJp9KHdIo99ieotHJ46lPyjVJr1FRNdcdOWa9iR63ep2TjVDo-6nwJp4XZllD-bPQR0ngQpV4XnLn/s400/IMG_0004.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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I inherited these from a friend who left the country 10+ years ago. Still holding on to them, they've gotta be worth something one day surely... </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-58423028928195983722012-12-31T14:51:00.000-08:002012-12-31T14:51:00.132-08:00Happy New YearHave fun out there, but if you're likely to talk to the press try not to overdo it ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWL4k44e1bPx6YEoMkueDORasFxmi8ZlPJVbcd96khEzzHzRsnI7YcWszqT8E96akXtQ-B7zW4cptXX5rMQ-5z10RniE_MtzfSZbxY5DLdhIoj3o4U5Tdm5gLd0t7dxH_FMn5xJ1sLtFDB/s1600/IMG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWL4k44e1bPx6YEoMkueDORasFxmi8ZlPJVbcd96khEzzHzRsnI7YcWszqT8E96akXtQ-B7zW4cptXX5rMQ-5z10RniE_MtzfSZbxY5DLdhIoj3o4U5Tdm5gLd0t7dxH_FMn5xJ1sLtFDB/s400/IMG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-4886014438547932112012-12-30T14:33:00.000-08:002012-12-30T14:33:00.390-08:00How Not To Treat Girls, Featuring Firestorm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Professor Martin Stein has been called in to consult on a project. Sounds pretty safe, the Firestorm curse of being terrible with women couldn't possibly raise it's ugly head here right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBMD9qXHRB0PS3EwjbLph9egZA_3voxZQLn7-8mDyv6nPLjF_vjd3_kalA5tRNwgnl_6LA-t1NET_bsDfRiPtTizf1VYg7GJtTrOv2R3p5xP5SauHjIvD8oXeG1bzCZd_TTSNXXwd0Hfg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBMD9qXHRB0PS3EwjbLph9egZA_3voxZQLn7-8mDyv6nPLjF_vjd3_kalA5tRNwgnl_6LA-t1NET_bsDfRiPtTizf1VYg7GJtTrOv2R3p5xP5SauHjIvD8oXeG1bzCZd_TTSNXXwd0Hfg/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Unless the person that called you in for the consult is madly in love with you. Still, that could be ok. If you're a busy scientist, it stands to reason that you'd socialize with your peers. Relationships are going to happen. She looks like a nice emotionally balanced lady. I wonder how they met?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflWg2Mn4Ok92rF3kJr8VvlgNHPznnKwWhyphenhyphen0S82OcNGPuAGvG0Oef_x4AtFP4HjSTx1fRpiDIYtrO37v5v8yvKTawDpJ0uLtAZTPHf6H00dwkBho6MklGdDvHsm7RQOCSNYEVgPVHAFAsp/s1600/2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflWg2Mn4Ok92rF3kJr8VvlgNHPznnKwWhyphenhyphen0S82OcNGPuAGvG0Oef_x4AtFP4HjSTx1fRpiDIYtrO37v5v8yvKTawDpJ0uLtAZTPHf6H00dwkBho6MklGdDvHsm7RQOCSNYEVgPVHAFAsp/s400/2a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Ah. Well, the student/teacher thing is seldom a good idea at the best of times. We'll just leave it to Martin to let her down gently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN73lX0DZv0nB-iBXn1h2tmMjLFv1x7E4MNJXjrSrGp8eMJUARRj7I-2WRf4p22cRn8nSWFFcPkxRJfOEk58P4lVdWAnOiPvdVY9wLSCdf9nhVBbWm5DTvs14iilWn36ee96w2sn1YIvo/s1600/2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYN73lX0DZv0nB-iBXn1h2tmMjLFv1x7E4MNJXjrSrGp8eMJUARRj7I-2WRf4p22cRn8nSWFFcPkxRJfOEk58P4lVdWAnOiPvdVY9wLSCdf9nhVBbWm5DTvs14iilWn36ee96w2sn1YIvo/s400/2b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Or not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hkH5HO9URQTXLlQF4dBYdA5OCo92w2cxpTg6JgBlurGzox0EbHGqNT9CeurEKoMuJaZqV1xy7WIfSCPVzIsh6R6zVs-KcJ0Sg40gscy_ptlUBaR7Q_jNuA4RQVsbBmEzEcuhUIlbZbvG/s1600/2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hkH5HO9URQTXLlQF4dBYdA5OCo92w2cxpTg6JgBlurGzox0EbHGqNT9CeurEKoMuJaZqV1xy7WIfSCPVzIsh6R6zVs-KcJ0Sg40gscy_ptlUBaR7Q_jNuA4RQVsbBmEzEcuhUIlbZbvG/s400/2c.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
Ah well, it's over now. Sure it's awkward, but they're both adults. At least she's not a psycho killer bent on revenge or something crazy like that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsPNkVE9b2w8GNeWv34i0N0aJX1o670m5DvDBqvfDjBlBP_KqdcgX50VV6W7-ghbINibycXINBSigKWs26WFdBIjI4JZnPdp0SmV1LwOkFpSl8OlBHMBkOMlJWxea98-G04z5koRFPjix/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsPNkVE9b2w8GNeWv34i0N0aJX1o670m5DvDBqvfDjBlBP_KqdcgX50VV6W7-ghbINibycXINBSigKWs26WFdBIjI4JZnPdp0SmV1LwOkFpSl8OlBHMBkOMlJWxea98-G04z5koRFPjix/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Oh. Nice one Martin. Firestorm matrix strikes again!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-19595480942599410352012-12-29T16:05:00.000-08:002012-12-29T16:05:00.253-08:002012 Year In Review: MusicThis year I bought 43 new releases, and added around about 100 CDs to <a href="http://connect.collectorz.com/users/firestorm/music/view" target="_blank">my collection</a>. Here's what I thought about some of them:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Album of the Year</b></div>
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<b>Kreator - Phantom Antichrist</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCFz2vhc3mU" target="_blank"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QCFz2vhc3mU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a></div>
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This surprised the hell out of me. I'm not really a Thrash Metal fan at all, and as such I'd never bothered to check out the legendary Kreator. Bought on a whim, this has been at the top of my playlist ever since. If you're a guitarist, you <i>need</i> to hear this album. The riffs on it are amazing - very technical, but what elevates it to a level of greatness is the melody that's injected into each song. This is not a band just trying to blast out fast music, everything is given an epic feeling. Also, the lead guitarist has killer technique and writes awesome solos. It's one of those rare albums that just inspires me to pick up a guitar and jam with it.</div>
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<b>Album of the Year (Runner Up)</b></div>
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<b>Ahab - The Giant</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HwMoEzcw2kk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So before I got the Kreator album, I was thinking this was an absolute certainty for best of the year. I love the band's two previous albums, but this was a little bit surprising. It's a lot more mellow than their previous outings. The crushingly heavy riffs and guttural vocals are still there, and all still moving at glacially slow speed. They have added a much more serene element to the mix, bringing to mind the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaked_by_Ages,_Crowned_in_Earth" target="_blank">final album by Morgion</a>. To be honest, I didn't completely like it at first- it took many listens for it to work it's way into my brain, for the haunting melodies to take root and reveal their beauty. But I'm glad I stuck with it.</div>
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<b>Notable Mentions</b></div>
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<b>Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent</b></div>
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A return to form after a slightly lackluster previous album. Symphonic Metal at it's best, just be sure to get it on Vinyl if you're a hardcore fan as the track "Serenade of Self Destruction" has a bunch of vocal tracks that are missing on the CD version (and it's a better song with them!)</div>
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<b>Eluveitie - Helvetios</b></div>
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I'll freely admit to being a fanboy of this Folk Metal band so their inclusion isn't much of a surprise. Not really anything new, just the continuation of a class act.</div>
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<b>Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol</b></div>
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Over the course of their last 3 albums they've been steadily regressing their sound back to their mid-90's glory days. This continues the trend. Everything I need from a good Doom Metal album.</div>
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<b>Winterfylleth - The Threnody of Triumph</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The 3rd album from this Black Folk Metal group. Loved their previous album, but this one blows it away. In a year that also saw a solid release from Drudkh, these guys managed to beat the Ukrainian masters at their own game. Raw and aggressive yet somehow captivating and beautiful at the same time.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Top 3 Songs of the Year</b></div>
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<b>Asphyx - Into The Timewastes</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5BST6j9l7uY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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It's nothing new or clever, it's just one hell of a great groove from 1:08 onward.</div>
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<b>Ahab - Antarctica The Polymorphess</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WETwWI2CySU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This song encapsulates everything great about the new album, and the band in general. Haunting, and like all good doom should, has a killer guitar melody at the end.</div>
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<b>My Dying Bride - A Map Of All Our Failures</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ePUIGWJXxwU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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The title track from MDB's best album in 10 years. The riff from 4:10 is brilliantly bleak.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Worst Album of the Year</b></div>
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<b>Fear Factory - The Industrialist</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MbxytgyWjtk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Two words that one should never read when it come to FF: drum machine. Everything that was ever cool about Fear Factory revolved around the tight interplay between the guitar and drums. Raymond Herrera's double-kick drum work was just fun to listen to (and later, Gene Hoglan). Now in place of an actual human we get a drum machine, sucking the soul from the music and rendering it unlistenable. Sure, it doesn't *sound* any different, but knowing it's a computer just kills it for me.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Worst Song of the Year</b></div>
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<b>Delain - We Are The Others</b></div>
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I discovered Delain this year, and really loved them. Their new album is fantastic. HOWEVER... they decided to rerecord <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbXE6OtyCoI" target="_blank">this song</a> from the album and release it as a single. I like the original version. The new one has "sellout" written all over it. Delain's music in general has a commercial direction to it, and that's perfectly ok. Watering down one of your songs to get airplay is NOT ok. In all honesty, I haven't been able to listen to the band since this single came out. I care about artistic integrity, and this band has none.</div>
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On that controversial note, we'll leave it there ;)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-84719660063450303882012-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:002012-12-28T16:01:00.353-08:00Panel Of The Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This made me laugh. From X-O Manowar #8.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1HmT2LcLLKMQnlEIUxZA2JX0p9TAv-w1Zbwjqih9vizidk5krVFt4S5mJnpq6T7TtgDy8vsSs5wtW70SfvVpcNs5PkgRht5GNeRb-oryS2GOpoYfrFV72gLCvYoulGD7YUEQVxsBPAI/s1600/x-o-manowar-008-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1HmT2LcLLKMQnlEIUxZA2JX0p9TAv-w1Zbwjqih9vizidk5krVFt4S5mJnpq6T7TtgDy8vsSs5wtW70SfvVpcNs5PkgRht5GNeRb-oryS2GOpoYfrFV72gLCvYoulGD7YUEQVxsBPAI/s400/x-o-manowar-008-14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-84847690197748762412012-12-27T16:25:00.000-08:002012-12-27T16:25:00.095-08:002012 Year In Review: Comics2012 solidified my move away from DC. In 2011 before the New 52 launched, I was buying 11 DC titles a month. As 2012 comes to a close, I'm now buying one. Not so good for DC, but it's been a motivator for trying a few different things, including some non-fiction graphic novels.<br />
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<b>Comics I've added to my pull list:</b></div>
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<b>Voltron</b></div>
A nostalgic add, but I enjoyed the old Devil's Due series so it was worth a go and met my 2012 mission of paying more attention to the smaller publishers (in this case Dynamite) . I dropped it after 8 issues since it wasn't very good but hey, worth a go right?<br />
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<b>X-O Manowar</b><br />
I was never a consistent buyer of the original series, but I did enjoy the occasional issue I picked up and I've since completed the run. I've been very happy to see the return of Valiant, adding all the titles to my pull list as soon as they've been announced. For all that it's the flagship title of the new Valiant I'd probably site it as the weakest of the bunch, but it's worth sticking with for now. I just wish the pacing would speed up a bit (and by "a bit" I mean "a lot" ;))<br />
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<b>Bloodshot</b><br />
Solid.<br />
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<b>Shadowman</b><br />
It's only just getting started so the jury's still out, but it has potential. So long as it doesn't go overboard on the voodoo like the old Acclaim relaunch did with Vol 2, things should be just fine.<br />
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<b>Archer & Armstrong</b><br />
This has been really fun so far. Got to the point quickly, and has kept things rolling since then.<br />
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<b>Harbinger</b><br />
My pick of the new Valiant. A good dose of the current "grim and gritty" style of comics, without *quite* tipping the main character over to the point of "unlikeable bastard". Story pacing has been effective.<br />
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<b>Comics I've dropped:</b></div>
<b>Voltron</b><br />
As mentioned, it just wasn't very good. Off the top of my head, I think it was about 5 issues before Voltron itself actually joined the action. Too much standing around talking, and too long to get to the point. Plus the art is a bit on the weak side.<br />
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<b>Blue Beetle</b><br />
I'm not quite comfortable calling this "bad". All I can really say is I just didn't enjoy it. It shares the same problem several of the New 52 titles have - the character just hasn't been around long enough and doesn't have enough past stories under their belt to warrant starting their story all over again from the very beginning. We went through the origin story of the character too recently for me to be able to emotionally invest in it all over again, but really there's no way around it for the current creative team. To fit Blue Beetle into the current DCnU he <i>has </i>to start from the beginning. Just one of those things.<br />
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<b>Aquaman</b><br />
I really like what Geoff Johns has been doing with Aquaman. I just don't like how god damn slowly he's doing it. The Trench storyline was an issue or two too long, but it was cool so I kept on with it. The Black Manta story that followed was slow even by Johns' standards. I just don't feel it's worth my money, even though the overall concept is a good one.<br />
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<b>Hawkman</b><br />
This was terrible from the very beginning, both in the writing and the art.<br />
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<b>JLI (cancelled)</b><br />
I reasonably enjoyed this title but DC got rid of it, seemingly for story reasons rather than low sales. I don't get it but hey, if DC don't want my money...<br />
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<b>Moon Knight (cancelled)</b><br />
I loved this. Moon Knight channeling Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America was a brilliant approach to his schizophrenia. I have no idea if this thing ended due to sales or if it was just due to end anyway, but I was sorry to see it go.<br />
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<b>Hellblazer (soon to be cancelled, at least)</b><br />
OK, this isn't ending until 2013, but I'm gutted about this so I'm adding it here to indulge in some extra angst. I buy it in trade format so I'm technically not losing it off my pull list, but well... for me it's the shining beacon in DC's roster, certainly as far as the last 16 months have been concerned with their superhero output. *sigh*<br />
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<b>Comics I'm still reading:</b></div>
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So this is the section where I mention all the comics that I've been collecting for longer than just the past year. Somewhat depressingly, the list rounds out at one.</div>
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<b>Firestorm</b></div>
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There will be a separate post coming about this series in the near future, but I will say this: I'm excited to see where Dan Jurgens will take the character, I just hope he gets a chance to do it before getting cancelled.</div>
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That rounds out the monthly titles I bought on a regular basis. There's a couple of graphic novels I'd like to mention, but I think I'll make a separate post for those. This post is a bit on the long side ;)</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-84111381292094518892012-12-26T18:39:00.000-08:002012-12-26T18:39:00.645-08:00X Marks The Spot... Reboot EditionAll the cool kids are rebooting their comic book lines these days, so Dark Horse have decided to join in. It started a few months ago with Ghost, and now it continues with something that has me unreasonably excited: the return of X!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxn-0r4kh02tnoIDE8KD_TVZifqUzr4ZlaXF7G6xZa6k6DC076kr-qfQV2mvJ7NBWAKty6zUuF_AKORrrOeRGY4058wUxvh4kpwZbqAokjUEKrSvq-HdP-rrCRwOpg4Zk8KXhoTBxXcl/s1600/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nxn-0r4kh02tnoIDE8KD_TVZifqUzr4ZlaXF7G6xZa6k6DC076kr-qfQV2mvJ7NBWAKty6zUuF_AKORrrOeRGY4058wUxvh4kpwZbqAokjUEKrSvq-HdP-rrCRwOpg4Zk8KXhoTBxXcl/s400/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-001.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
Way back in the dim dark past when I actually posted content to this blog, <a href="http://fizzit-fzam.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/X">I had a bit of a thing for this guy</a>. The regular series was written by Steven Grant and had a host of excellent artists throughout it's 25 issue life. It's been <a href="http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/15-289/X-Omnibus-Volume-1">collected into two volumes</a>, which I recommend highly. Now it's receiving the reboot treatment via Dark Horse Presents, with the aim for an eventual stand-alone series. So I thought I'd take a look at it.<br />
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This new story is written by <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://secretdead.blogspot.co.nz/">Duane Swierczynski</a>, with art by </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://shadedgrey.com/ericnguyen/">Eric Nguyen</a>. While I can't claim to be overly familiar with </span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Nguyen's work,</span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Swierczynski's proven himself to be pretty decent - I enjoyed his run on Iron Fist and the new Bloodshot over at Valiant has been enjoyable. At the very least, he's shown he can write violent characters with a decent use of tough-guy talk (one of the things I LOVED about Steven Grant's work on the character). Obviously things are going to be updated with a reboot, but I was anxious to see how the team handled what I consider to be the core aspects of the character. They only have 8 pages to play with, but I felt they </span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">acquitted themselves very well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">The story kicks off with some resident bad guys having a meeting about the costumed vigilante. We're immediately re-acquainted with the basic operating method of X: marking people for death.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvh7Bg3LkYd7rspW0wIh2Y4PBZCMS-mxIP5bUX6hryPfnZ_Yk9I2H6C7ni8HbtgvopA5Pk7EtX09cED5N7R6Cx8QVjW8wMLnLgZiIaOQ1smq6rUC-NHZDRst7zni1pVH8yCqrd1JSkLkdC/s1600/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvh7Bg3LkYd7rspW0wIh2Y4PBZCMS-mxIP5bUX6hryPfnZ_Yk9I2H6C7ni8HbtgvopA5Pk7EtX09cED5N7R6Cx8QVjW8wMLnLgZiIaOQ1smq6rUC-NHZDRst7zni1pVH8yCqrd1JSkLkdC/s320/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There's the intimidation aspect of sending characters photos of themselves; the creative team also keep alive the old device of people encountering objects that form an 'X', in this instance while X himself is carrying out a hit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavFX0rWlX7LGTDq9p7-sVDFIjjpzFcCV-E-JQM9WJHnCUhzdtVQv-sbz1Nwhi43XMna5C3-8gnl8HI4UDq2k_wy6FJQmI-P0hO7tbJ-axH9yKvzlANWMPks9ziYnT1-sMa1LTRpEmagY/s1600/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRavFX0rWlX7LGTDq9p7-sVDFIjjpzFcCV-E-JQM9WJHnCUhzdtVQv-sbz1Nwhi43XMna5C3-8gnl8HI4UDq2k_wy6FJQmI-P0hO7tbJ-axH9yKvzlANWMPks9ziYnT1-sMa1LTRpEmagY/s320/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-005.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
The only difference I'd point out is that in the original series such a sign would indicate impending death for the 3 people in the panel, whereas this occurs <i>after </i>the intended target is dead. So it would appear it's not going to be handled <i>quite </i>the same, but I'm happy to see the idea still present.<br />
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Next up, it's established that X is very driven and pretty damn tough. After catching a bullet in the arm, we see him in an alley rendering first aid:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVN1IKU1atBg5WS14Xai3gYnpFfpzZkmqPzz327UZkBEiCvpJz4yFldYDX0QJd5Lx-AP_GqJAb5iR4zitn5_tU6EnzJGq9GbIi0NRBxBNXw8U3HBCFupCOCuSX6LWFpJQpVD9P8ZFpnkD/s1600/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVN1IKU1atBg5WS14Xai3gYnpFfpzZkmqPzz327UZkBEiCvpJz4yFldYDX0QJd5Lx-AP_GqJAb5iR4zitn5_tU6EnzJGq9GbIi0NRBxBNXw8U3HBCFupCOCuSX6LWFpJQpVD9P8ZFpnkD/s320/Dark+Horse+Presents+019-008.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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That had to hurt. No indication from this if his regenerative powers are present in this incarnation - this could merely be to stop the bleeding while the wound regenerates, or it could be a necessary patch to stop him bleeding to death. We shall see.</div>
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Right at the end, we get the first taste of dialogue from our "hero".</div>
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I assume this is interrogation rather than a slow death - X was never one to prolong things, although he was not above trying to pump someone for information. To be honest I could've done without all the blood (on this and page 3), but that's a tiresome trend in comics that's unlikely to go away any time soon. Plus it drives home the uncompromising attitude of the character, that he's willing to hack limbs off to make a point. <i>Maybe </i>that's pushing the character a bit more into the realm of 'psycho' than he was previously (and he was pretty psycho to begin with...), but it'll be interesting to see where they go with it. X's own dialogue didn't set my world on fire, but it's his first words we're hearing and this is only 8 pages.</div>
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Overall, this was a good beginning. In 8 pages a fair amount happened to establish the character of X while still leaving a ton of questions. We saw a little bit of the criminal element and the world of Arcadia. Enough to give us a feeling, if not a well defined guide. The pacing was excellent, and the art was great both from a storytelling point, and for setting the mood of the book. As much as I hate reboots, this is a situation I can live with. I'm happy to have one of my favourites back, and this was a positive enough beginning that I hold hope for the future of the character.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-23257789646375463692012-12-25T18:09:00.000-08:002012-12-25T18:09:00.964-08:00The Longest Searches Are The Most SatisfyingWay back in <a href="http://fizzit-fzam.blogspot.co.nz/2010/08/random-thoughts-and-discoveries.html">August 2010</a> I made <span style="font-family: inherit;">reference to the "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Hercules - Twilight Of A God" mini series, and highlighted </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">a couple of panels from page 9. Specifically, this:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVUqJNbWrplv5XNJoLRGv5I07t4X9tK-kh5GWAXwSV_WgxKb316FBWm8uVz-QA1Y9Am4lGWv9BwGmSXgC0nqlZCrYK7KzZ00p0tvJaWBZekD2JqcEptrrZI4zx74grAOTsTjpUp1vUZ-N/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVUqJNbWrplv5XNJoLRGv5I07t4X9tK-kh5GWAXwSV_WgxKb316FBWm8uVz-QA1Y9Am4lGWv9BwGmSXgC0nqlZCrYK7KzZ00p0tvJaWBZekD2JqcEptrrZI4zx74grAOTsTjpUp1vUZ-N/s320/IMG_0001.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Quite a nifty play on the Silver Surfer, courtesy of Ron Lim and Bob Layton.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18.883333206176758px;">In late October 2012, the major New Zealand convention for the year was held in Auckland, and featured Bob Layton among the guests. As fate would have it, in amongst all the artwork he had with him was this very page!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHhkd8980z5JDDBHeDQyPKBbt1S0HUfPk28D1YvSUejEyMp22xjbQ3LKyNY8n1LRI6zTMVGcwd4x2oSGQUZQUQ-NFxbegTEaOIFzw75zXxJmHYwpXFBqUuiD3c2PNENRPUwmy9Z2tc17A/s1600/IMG_0001%2520(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHhkd8980z5JDDBHeDQyPKBbt1S0HUfPk28D1YvSUejEyMp22xjbQ3LKyNY8n1LRI6zTMVGcwd4x2oSGQUZQUQ-NFxbegTEaOIFzw75zXxJmHYwpXFBqUuiD3c2PNENRPUwmy9Z2tc17A/s400/IMG_0001%2520(2).jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.883333206176758px;">I was very happy to add this to my collection (along with 2 further pages by Bob Layton). A bigger scan of the page <a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=947821&GSub=88384">can be seen on my art gallery</a>. Funny how things work out sometimes.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-57044043979175385972012-12-24T17:17:00.000-08:002012-12-24T17:17:22.989-08:00Content filter fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stumbled across this listing today:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwPrBdHyogWuwgxt8_X6MrlsO-tshEAZV74APzKLQ-M1xlo8HmdcC8HSYh6I5_B7XYaYxToG3d06f7XfZ0wuCkc98UaWk-h8gHA0VCcwoY0yqA6puyJ-ChCfFbKTByOsrp3XkpyDcWA7g/s1600/1356370611.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwPrBdHyogWuwgxt8_X6MrlsO-tshEAZV74APzKLQ-M1xlo8HmdcC8HSYh6I5_B7XYaYxToG3d06f7XfZ0wuCkc98UaWk-h8gHA0VCcwoY0yqA6puyJ-ChCfFbKTByOsrp3XkpyDcWA7g/s320/1356370611.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
"Colony (2012 GN)<br />
Written by Bob Layton. <b>Art by ~censored~ Giordano</b>, and Bob Layton."<br />
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Ugh *facepalm*<br />
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Just in case you have not seen anything of this, the final work of Dick Giordano, I'll include the summary:<br />
"Condemned for a crime he didn't commit, Scott Landus is sentenced to life without parole on COLONY- a galactic "Devil's Island" where the fascist Galactic Confederacy disposes of its human and alien refuse. Colony is a science-fiction allegory to the founding of Australia... as hardened career convicts, alien species, and political dissidents from Earth band together to overthrow their technologically superior captors."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-67889970837906518632011-09-30T18:34:00.000-07:002011-09-30T18:45:01.145-07:00How Not To Treat Girls, Featuring Firestorm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfzvgTUmXsVHAHd-jMwutcDGu89RkjEQWQTPVUl7QM1WH9Dax8X7CF3aRsRzAY-PdzoLxUrMSsJ4DZ-65bZCuj-xfxZz459nbF4q6RHBYRrmBxbm646jgNLspUM6I3DVjJ9Y8rAFg0ebF/s1600/newfs1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfzvgTUmXsVHAHd-jMwutcDGu89RkjEQWQTPVUl7QM1WH9Dax8X7CF3aRsRzAY-PdzoLxUrMSsJ4DZ-65bZCuj-xfxZz459nbF4q6RHBYRrmBxbm646jgNLspUM6I3DVjJ9Y8rAFg0ebF/s400/newfs1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658331248961416066" border="0" /></a><br />If there's one thing that made me extremely happy with the new Firestorm book...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoa_evQSA5BlUeChBCIEHfW1O2gglhxoXrvfTYREtSxPDRgFLCcOEm5TUsFRVAzfxVEkQU5T8-u646wli43rjiayv8pfsBdpDQL4skj5S9YzCY5zT08GSp1Be7ZGL4EoKpWBipDi6qqU37/s1600/newfs2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoa_evQSA5BlUeChBCIEHfW1O2gglhxoXrvfTYREtSxPDRgFLCcOEm5TUsFRVAzfxVEkQU5T8-u646wli43rjiayv8pfsBdpDQL4skj5S9YzCY5zT08GSp1Be7ZGL4EoKpWBipDi6qqU37/s400/newfs2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658331252271538850" border="0" /></a><br />...it's that being part of Firestorm <span style="font-weight: bold;">still</span> makes the guys lousy with women.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmh5JbQB5Q7CR-P1UWnTb1Sp2rcjhi9gd9LXXjvJaH1jizdO77kctuYe87u2o4RRWNaw6Yb_5o9fNm-JXsU2m8diRjZ-X5_CUy5IZ3GDVnTCHPcxcqteftL9znZGWlAajkupP0WulcI5E/s1600/newfs3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmh5JbQB5Q7CR-P1UWnTb1Sp2rcjhi9gd9LXXjvJaH1jizdO77kctuYe87u2o4RRWNaw6Yb_5o9fNm-JXsU2m8diRjZ-X5_CUy5IZ3GDVnTCHPcxcqteftL9znZGWlAajkupP0WulcI5E/s400/newfs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658331250500802626" border="0" /></a><br />Reboot or not, some things are universal when it comes to Firestorm.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">For further examples of Firestorm's most unfortunate super power, <a href="http://fizzit-fzam.blogspot.com/search/label/Dating%20Advice">click here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-61382013047978786732011-02-18T00:21:00.000-08:002011-02-18T01:04:30.897-08:00Space Elves Invade!Was just going through some old backups today, and stumbled upon these photos of my old Warhammer 40k Eldar army. This would've been about 5 years ago around the time I stopped playing. From memory this was around about 8,000 points in 3rd Edition (for those of you that know of such things). A bunch of this stuff's no longer game-legal, but still cool (my entirely converted Harlequin army, and my Warp Spider army which I miss the most).<br /><br />This is a bit (well, very) grainy due to being taken on actual film, but here's the entire army:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuhVGF8r-E4hh9iEZx7EgZIf3Kxc-wA3EELpfgS394bb_Zfph42aFw1mtsBLGhD-m_joyxo_sxO814eEhorcQ6nJBEE-3hxex4WfNp5fUUr9yvkGlgU443oUVk4_AIQFRhC307Nn94Dez/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-15_011.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuhVGF8r-E4hh9iEZx7EgZIf3Kxc-wA3EELpfgS394bb_Zfph42aFw1mtsBLGhD-m_joyxo_sxO814eEhorcQ6nJBEE-3hxex4WfNp5fUUr9yvkGlgU443oUVk4_AIQFRhC307Nn94Dez/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-15_011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574951984218264258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I tried to convert most of my character models. I especially like how this one came out, with the head and left arm from one model transplanted onto another:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7MjiY8N-bVoruW9nd1CQDC6r18S66dO_HXqXV0U25So9-HP6t3ZzNLByIp8a3935btv4354JMtdYhgO4C-j5-PuM6Qn7PxlL8DJdUM62Rd-et6Hd8J-j5izU9e5dfccczTQqrhRFonKM/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-0_004.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7MjiY8N-bVoruW9nd1CQDC6r18S66dO_HXqXV0U25So9-HP6t3ZzNLByIp8a3935btv4354JMtdYhgO4C-j5-PuM6Qn7PxlL8DJdUM62Rd-et6Hd8J-j5izU9e5dfccczTQqrhRFonKM/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-0_004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574948126063357186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Guardians:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSaFtAdkJtzL-rOFJwhmKKkRmwhf2fsM6WfJoIDbu7uKaztT1AvmcuywA-Ex-sO9qVfNtEcBUX0mmnX0y1tT4GGhODqiiHOVfsUy4ShDyDH3RA_OIqtgxu1Ig4yp6G-yVMa_6rphxxe_w/s1600/2-18-2011+17-51-58_003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSaFtAdkJtzL-rOFJwhmKKkRmwhf2fsM6WfJoIDbu7uKaztT1AvmcuywA-Ex-sO9qVfNtEcBUX0mmnX0y1tT4GGhODqiiHOVfsUy4ShDyDH3RA_OIqtgxu1Ig4yp6G-yVMa_6rphxxe_w/s400/2-18-2011+17-51-58_003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574948119730664930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From the moment I first saw a Falcon grav tank, I wanted to fill in the gap at the front. Eventually I did.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-ACJwxfxhgQzj6cZiUBQ-7gBpezEW1rchzNk8zFPpx1wxWGHdWGpDRV7EsZCI1WWIbb5BI0EksbfjP422XckPk8M1ELtsTKFVufEXG3e8rW3SMphUOoKqx_DGf66OYMRUWQWKR_1-2qE/s1600/2-18-2011+17-43-6_010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-ACJwxfxhgQzj6cZiUBQ-7gBpezEW1rchzNk8zFPpx1wxWGHdWGpDRV7EsZCI1WWIbb5BI0EksbfjP422XckPk8M1ELtsTKFVufEXG3e8rW3SMphUOoKqx_DGf66OYMRUWQWKR_1-2qE/s400/2-18-2011+17-43-6_010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946283386031346" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr44UY1eLND8w_2QuH9msOkdlDHl7mSUJkXtX9CwfzZ5gJ3RAvCCiYs-Tq6Kqz0rdbeFwpBY5IOPHvX4P8XPFcYGcbyU-vIQXWG7wkYfc9TTtQd_sahoP8V-s7xKqgPtSsNoQWX-gbNjCZ/s1600/2-18-2011+17-43-4_009.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr44UY1eLND8w_2QuH9msOkdlDHl7mSUJkXtX9CwfzZ5gJ3RAvCCiYs-Tq6Kqz0rdbeFwpBY5IOPHvX4P8XPFcYGcbyU-vIQXWG7wkYfc9TTtQd_sahoP8V-s7xKqgPtSsNoQWX-gbNjCZ/s400/2-18-2011+17-43-4_009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946275006906882" border="0" /></a><br />I loved Warp Spiders so much I made an entire army of them. Yes, I painted a spider web on the back of each model.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jEDmntqYPFZ-hFIOTCdwJE_TKG2-fy9JukFbasG9eleAJCShzhpMu2Gkl6WS7s3PUK5PzOk-jNzd-xzmLFTQMXjTB6e2fHTy7894wipNeIawJyA2uKw_ymHwBNLLe0nO7gjbJpW0nWiB/s1600/2-18-2011+17-51-54_001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jEDmntqYPFZ-hFIOTCdwJE_TKG2-fy9JukFbasG9eleAJCShzhpMu2Gkl6WS7s3PUK5PzOk-jNzd-xzmLFTQMXjTB6e2fHTy7894wipNeIawJyA2uKw_ymHwBNLLe0nO7gjbJpW0nWiB/s400/2-18-2011+17-51-54_001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946854140540242" border="0" /></a><br />Ahhh Swooping Hawk exarch, how I loved you in 3rd Edition<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH95RvuaNzOv4v1hA8lMoxpGKRLltvO_IMr898LBoqQK0QVlYSTTsOm4Xyk4StAZU0kblquKTYDJunaUVYNMOkelIXknENuii-PuCzOBg1D_iIQW9hV9VaFWK0t4kQgSwO20T_GWmVUH-p/s1600/2-18-2011+17-51-56_002.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH95RvuaNzOv4v1hA8lMoxpGKRLltvO_IMr898LBoqQK0QVlYSTTsOm4Xyk4StAZU0kblquKTYDJunaUVYNMOkelIXknENuii-PuCzOBg1D_iIQW9hV9VaFWK0t4kQgSwO20T_GWmVUH-p/s400/2-18-2011+17-51-56_002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946862392181474" border="0" /></a><br />Although it must be said, he would fail and die just as often as he would rip a squad apart. More often, actually.<br /><br />Jetbikes never really did it for me, but I do like this one:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlYka_BK_1PeS13Z6EPaxz9khHPRVtsAYUZ31osbNzzWzBLY34jLIJtIPBATIs71nQ2QQJ8pOT34sZOVx8FQGkJGoN_pO9SFbY76GoLWwnTKDjUNpJL4iQSBwmGO5oi6bh6-gpdKumpj/s1600/2-18-2011+17-42-40_001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFlYka_BK_1PeS13Z6EPaxz9khHPRVtsAYUZ31osbNzzWzBLY34jLIJtIPBATIs71nQ2QQJ8pOT34sZOVx8FQGkJGoN_pO9SFbY76GoLWwnTKDjUNpJL4iQSBwmGO5oi6bh6-gpdKumpj/s400/2-18-2011+17-42-40_001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574944553233012338" border="0" /></a><br />Some of my Exarchs (squad leaders for you n00bs). I named them all using Sumerian.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugOI01zZF-gYH8_SYOAHCzFjzdOEMFrlIFTjYe-MGwBhn_3em3VztkKJjYebXzG-DQwZxMKq1BWUV07ewFvT-Rve_0Agmryxj3ycLzP6OW6aez8YxQ5hpcNApOXw3kw9kGWXdx_B7GJLj/s1600/2-18-2011+17-43-13_012.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugOI01zZF-gYH8_SYOAHCzFjzdOEMFrlIFTjYe-MGwBhn_3em3VztkKJjYebXzG-DQwZxMKq1BWUV07ewFvT-Rve_0Agmryxj3ycLzP6OW6aez8YxQ5hpcNApOXw3kw9kGWXdx_B7GJLj/s400/2-18-2011+17-43-13_012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946848639097522" border="0" /></a><br />I'm a big fan of drybrushing<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK1PPUQFiswwoe5JKMtXONGBhoG9FSVxoTk-tE2FI8qxY84Q5EKMo37l2nhu_e82Ge23L5hglKEfuo69Ir0CXEI9lM6KhstR7XQopO0b7YdH5t-rkn1Y8qOiW8Jni-D1Zdm47IH9rcuE4/s1600/2-18-2011+17-43-1_008.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK1PPUQFiswwoe5JKMtXONGBhoG9FSVxoTk-tE2FI8qxY84Q5EKMo37l2nhu_e82Ge23L5hglKEfuo69Ir0CXEI9lM6KhstR7XQopO0b7YdH5t-rkn1Y8qOiW8Jni-D1Zdm47IH9rcuE4/s400/2-18-2011+17-43-1_008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574946273883465826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />...and then there were my Harlequins. Every model is converted in some way, I basically used the project as an excuse to use any model that I thought was cool.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVut6UNCR2Cvt7Pm7b_IOobttCVHnNXZzJ4JOzjkUZxLqjQwFQF5OHu5BzjFTgEvFBu-Nl1kSVndq4p2Z_FTnUHXabNMmEcgnORoXeNxx9Bv7j4t_tzqClpUM6RKWNkE8YN1Z97l0PsJZw/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-2_005.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVut6UNCR2Cvt7Pm7b_IOobttCVHnNXZzJ4JOzjkUZxLqjQwFQF5OHu5BzjFTgEvFBu-Nl1kSVndq4p2Z_FTnUHXabNMmEcgnORoXeNxx9Bv7j4t_tzqClpUM6RKWNkE8YN1Z97l0PsJZw/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-2_005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574948132333457074" border="0" /></a><br />Death Jesters with Bright Lances:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_IsHoo1Q8PQ4KxgvefMFRBtPv0shrYotGmRAiMIzrYFSAwTQb9Az2l9iT80paOUWvz-cRKdUxKYgOG_9vrMcQo43PpW1d6t0iIKSx136TvdfqMhvUBM2jqx3p2eNlUbJsMDJeAbAUqH_/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-5_006.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_IsHoo1Q8PQ4KxgvefMFRBtPv0shrYotGmRAiMIzrYFSAwTQb9Az2l9iT80paOUWvz-cRKdUxKYgOG_9vrMcQo43PpW1d6t0iIKSx136TvdfqMhvUBM2jqx3p2eNlUbJsMDJeAbAUqH_/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-5_006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574949713311235730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />...and a few group shots to round things off<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPad24PduT4arcVdeUJ-uFOC0p7fHswm8lH0T_aJdJ25go0GkXUg5zF8dOT0QHy0eUao0d9niXw4_l1uAZpvm1ze0tDZLmI9keNlDF8zHFof8SzyhZqGGHS9ms3HG9B6QBVLBbKbEb-Uq1/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-17_012.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPad24PduT4arcVdeUJ-uFOC0p7fHswm8lH0T_aJdJ25go0GkXUg5zF8dOT0QHy0eUao0d9niXw4_l1uAZpvm1ze0tDZLmI9keNlDF8zHFof8SzyhZqGGHS9ms3HG9B6QBVLBbKbEb-Uq1/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-17_012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574951553622896098" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1nNaXFNrZ_mFPhecE_ZKJiy8jZCpb1wjRugG6UPhNWjNFTznqKy9SqZFpwwqt348sAcUSQsZTX_huPjFIzMDh9IYzv3RK3whMlbY7y9vhU_7Ll84VTQ543GWF3WdnFlusEM3z7BeSmJQ/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-13_010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1nNaXFNrZ_mFPhecE_ZKJiy8jZCpb1wjRugG6UPhNWjNFTznqKy9SqZFpwwqt348sAcUSQsZTX_huPjFIzMDh9IYzv3RK3whMlbY7y9vhU_7Ll84VTQ543GWF3WdnFlusEM3z7BeSmJQ/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-13_010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574951542779177282" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnPXUnyIQr6knsxTNreDwG6tbyhflNEtYJ4F6DuoZoumM2mzPo3T1yqkGfNO4oyrTrKGAYGmcWd92l30A3lvcRezSD0HpPV2SQ_un09_vQAZ6WX6rPsVqd4_ELieYphfPwMO4acZVJz-k/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-7_007.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnPXUnyIQr6knsxTNreDwG6tbyhflNEtYJ4F6DuoZoumM2mzPo3T1yqkGfNO4oyrTrKGAYGmcWd92l30A3lvcRezSD0HpPV2SQ_un09_vQAZ6WX6rPsVqd4_ELieYphfPwMO4acZVJz-k/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-7_007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574949722983134866" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RCqDUGUYOAKOFOO4OyaGO6qdUCE-eHu7Zv7v6BIZqrqe9g1zh_HJmicKGf229_L0WGd11xB7R9HxikJj5SwUNFqdEtAN2oDt19lEb-SRaYlhjyLVfdxUfZIHrO5DGimXMXN8Q-OXp6hs/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-11_009.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RCqDUGUYOAKOFOO4OyaGO6qdUCE-eHu7Zv7v6BIZqrqe9g1zh_HJmicKGf229_L0WGd11xB7R9HxikJj5SwUNFqdEtAN2oDt19lEb-SRaYlhjyLVfdxUfZIHrO5DGimXMXN8Q-OXp6hs/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-11_009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574951540196193074" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDH0Zale_GVRcM_2Sx5vr3kiCZRffjRMssneFGtTYDMNI1b_KjuFraOdWwvj-teB4KLcp5grYdOwv-m4B4lNJTgH8H51nnKqLskYWhD7N1A_oYfdTiD-MwruvaIjCkoePWFVPAZqLyaR7/s1600/2-18-2011+17-52-9_008.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDH0Zale_GVRcM_2Sx5vr3kiCZRffjRMssneFGtTYDMNI1b_KjuFraOdWwvj-teB4KLcp5grYdOwv-m4B4lNJTgH8H51nnKqLskYWhD7N1A_oYfdTiD-MwruvaIjCkoePWFVPAZqLyaR7/s400/2-18-2011+17-52-9_008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574949726695371874" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-91948028256480616842011-01-23T22:13:00.000-08:002011-01-24T00:41:04.336-08:00DC Universe Not-Quite OnlineIs this thing frustrating or what? Installed yesterday, needed a 2.6g patch straight away. Play game for an hour today, now downloading a 5.4g patch. Crazy. I would post screenshots of my Firestorm-themed character, but this download is taking foreeeeeevvveeeeeeerrrrr. Maybe tomorrow :'(<br /><br />[Edit] Hey what do you know, this thing actually works. I present to the world:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fireblight</span> (it's a disease that affects apples, but it sounds kinda Firestormy)<br />This was the initial costume:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr68HEO2gBGgW7AjHfoNuDsAhyMSXiw1m6fpuVBVw1XzAW85VKMR2ZY_TyzqJmQ2f1QeTrBjDZI3kdgQUOyESgBp6UaBy79RP5LnXxNX_kAtsDXPv8FA-mb19pqubpVIYF3Q6OUGfhNpU/s1600/fireblight.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr68HEO2gBGgW7AjHfoNuDsAhyMSXiw1m6fpuVBVw1XzAW85VKMR2ZY_TyzqJmQ2f1QeTrBjDZI3kdgQUOyESgBp6UaBy79RP5LnXxNX_kAtsDXPv8FA-mb19pqubpVIYF3Q6OUGfhNpU/s400/fireblight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565668893373113458" border="0" /></a><br />and this is where it is now:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQPD5eHuzKj2lEdt0FSmeiuzVWSMiMGbg76M99-KH-GZs3fOCjcmslwrHi-iWleMUDD2xCouPtVXu9b4na0lhtHiJNbZdG3LrXxVC4BUFHSp5VpE0stpLbrPLpaCw5uZjl45YSPTrN0X-/s1600/Fireblight2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQPD5eHuzKj2lEdt0FSmeiuzVWSMiMGbg76M99-KH-GZs3fOCjcmslwrHi-iWleMUDD2xCouPtVXu9b4na0lhtHiJNbZdG3LrXxVC4BUFHSp5VpE0stpLbrPLpaCw5uZjl45YSPTrN0X-/s400/Fireblight2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565668894209160562" border="0" /></a><br />So far it's entertaining enough. Onwards! (assuming there's not another 5gig update tomorrow...)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-54348187713293349962011-01-07T00:05:00.000-08:002011-01-07T02:06:08.440-08:0040k Dreadnought Drop Pod Conversion - Extreme VersionThe goal: convert a Space Marine Drop Pod so that it holds a Dreadnought <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">with it's base</span>.<br /><br />Credit where credit's due, the bulk of this conversion was taken from an excellent tutorial on <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/">The Magnet Pro</a> blog. Go read the article <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">here</a>. No seriously, <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">go read it</a>. I'll be doing a bunch of stuff he covers there, and because I'm lazy I won't be restating the reasons why. The one downside to that method is that while the Drop Pod will take a Dreadnought, it won't take one with the base attatched. This bugged me on two fronts: 1, I'm lazy and can't be bothered with magnets; 2, I like the idea of having everything self-contained in the Pod, so that the first an opponent sees of the Dread' is when the doors swing down and it wanders out. So I came up with the following.<br /><br />(ok, <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">last chance to read that article</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part One</span></span><br /><br />Space inside the Pod is at a premium, so to get some extra space we lower the floor.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZYMktUbR5PCaGTdoDxkvkYzhq8qY8XHoi__yFhuz80nz9RuQ_GbmNajTehP9O-L7SlTgB-MsPx0CXXZTNtEzM6xxP_WKFCb2VqKO1RJcoE66F6QkN44OaNdtaBFva9RI4C7R3JtVeH_i/s1600/1a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZYMktUbR5PCaGTdoDxkvkYzhq8qY8XHoi__yFhuz80nz9RuQ_GbmNajTehP9O-L7SlTgB-MsPx0CXXZTNtEzM6xxP_WKFCb2VqKO1RJcoE66F6QkN44OaNdtaBFva9RI4C7R3JtVeH_i/s400/1a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559353558153249378" border="0" /></a><br />The back two floor supports (either side of the door in the left pic) need to be cut back to line up with the bottom of the door. The other 3 supports can be cut to fit the Dreadnought base.<br /><br />Put in the doors as normal. When the tiny floor pieces are attatched, the supporting bits of the base should be trimmed back so they line up with the top part.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP45cJw-M5zrBbIChnJf5Y5-OO7jyKsAEBMVGL6FMsS6AENT1lon6Y4Cmaz2FvZaQnGTUQDiTcZ9As-h_fWUnyhFlGPe0taKAIu6gw8FTH1q-B6ot7fFUCoSN0eyldoYunqE99FsOrItR/s1600/1b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP45cJw-M5zrBbIChnJf5Y5-OO7jyKsAEBMVGL6FMsS6AENT1lon6Y4Cmaz2FvZaQnGTUQDiTcZ9As-h_fWUnyhFlGPe0taKAIu6gw8FTH1q-B6ot7fFUCoSN0eyldoYunqE99FsOrItR/s400/1b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559353565579026914" border="0" /></a><br />Notice that only one door has the internal facing glued on. <span style="font-weight: bold;">This is important</span>. We need the spare door parts for later. From here on out, the one complete door will be The Front, and the 2 doors opposite will be The Back.<br />You also might notice I removed the bottom from 3 of the doors- seemed like a good idea at the time, but really not necessary (and it creates gaps that are impossible to fill later).<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part Two</span></span><br /><br />Now for the fins that form the walls (such as they are). First up, cut the red part out of all 5 fins.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTzRorCEhyX9VWII0rud5UB8-qC1jCDUiwRTwMtPEXtn6pVcqEYC7Jvi4-Zo1SwuH5j0ijz2-igfOWVSEd24M55fjuPg0U1jzEpkmj0kf6fSYDfS6u1GKZh1JUQtP2PCyOgBlfsLHzrzZ/s1600/2a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTzRorCEhyX9VWII0rud5UB8-qC1jCDUiwRTwMtPEXtn6pVcqEYC7Jvi4-Zo1SwuH5j0ijz2-igfOWVSEd24M55fjuPg0U1jzEpkmj0kf6fSYDfS6u1GKZh1JUQtP2PCyOgBlfsLHzrzZ/s400/2a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559353565006656722" border="0" /></a><br />We're going to be shifting the central column up a bit (more room!), so the 5 fins also need to be flattened off (finished one below left, cuts marked on right)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-bekVXc6C7M8AvMBBT_R9zDZIhFR6GmVW1lVpyyJwwEEgss7OWrUFxwVSitD4V3QECsMoCMEurjLCpuWbxQipZKqzIKXXbiux30iZ07NiRnlpaYoxofJFWrIsyIXicVpADjEqzX_jAgQ/s1600/2b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-bekVXc6C7M8AvMBBT_R9zDZIhFR6GmVW1lVpyyJwwEEgss7OWrUFxwVSitD4V3QECsMoCMEurjLCpuWbxQipZKqzIKXXbiux30iZ07NiRnlpaYoxofJFWrIsyIXicVpADjEqzX_jAgQ/s400/2b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559360647948126402" border="0" /></a><br />As with <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">that other tutorial</a>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">two </span>of the fins need the bottom parts removed. I've taken it a step further and removed the support piece on the right.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjUNhtaJ_IRc3n6G9sl8y69vgm87__DqDDIlTIz-CoxdtavPefDlkUCJIcaGU_d0hoLUvs0JCs9I2nrHYjovkzjwPO_ta67mx51R_SGGBSGQQmNWPjJzA9zeggrt_cX5QmTRjP3jVg4G2/s1600/2c.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjUNhtaJ_IRc3n6G9sl8y69vgm87__DqDDIlTIz-CoxdtavPefDlkUCJIcaGU_d0hoLUvs0JCs9I2nrHYjovkzjwPO_ta67mx51R_SGGBSGQQmNWPjJzA9zeggrt_cX5QmTRjP3jVg4G2/s400/2c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559360650445004066" border="0" /></a><br />Put those two fins to one side.<br /><br />On the <span style="font-weight: bold;">other 3 fins</span>, remove the fancy piece lining the wall. Be sure to leave just a little piece at the bottom- it will be getting removed later, but we'll need it to be able to glue the fin in the right place (cuts marked in red, finished piece at bottom).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE9WLDj5zkOYGEUHZlJDNjS56GszZ60ikv8fa5iBn-uICTnA98LFApErBGz58NXiSnwbzhgVWWvzJrM1e41iOQ6W9hiK_aE9-KolPD4pLxO5JS6j4fHHFC5ey78uPHNa8rgkRdYFy1Wq_/s1600/2d.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE9WLDj5zkOYGEUHZlJDNjS56GszZ60ikv8fa5iBn-uICTnA98LFApErBGz58NXiSnwbzhgVWWvzJrM1e41iOQ6W9hiK_aE9-KolPD4pLxO5JS6j4fHHFC5ey78uPHNa8rgkRdYFy1Wq_/s400/2d.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559360659147571298" border="0" /></a><br />Continuing with the 3 fins, make an angled cut along the part that would normally be the ceiling. As I mentioned earlier, the central column is moving up, so to make it look good be sure to measure out the space for the panel. Incase you missed it before, get rid of that bump one the side.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgPXoQImSRQoD3MKLORCiO3VHhEhu3KhOOscHEaaeij3oGQfLpBj2zOmknzn3GLMuVAMDx02yRisdVjtMiDOt8A4GKGlSpzDHjLiDbECclnRkDf-jr84O5jrU7bOxRJet8wot4JX7BKmJ/s1600/2e.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgPXoQImSRQoD3MKLORCiO3VHhEhu3KhOOscHEaaeij3oGQfLpBj2zOmknzn3GLMuVAMDx02yRisdVjtMiDOt8A4GKGlSpzDHjLiDbECclnRkDf-jr84O5jrU7bOxRJet8wot4JX7BKmJ/s400/2e.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559360656984058658" border="0" /></a><br />Ok, central column- Glue the two main cylinders together, then turn it upside down. The gun attachment is going <span style="font-weight: bold;">on top</span> of the Drop Pod. Glue on the side panels- visually they should face the same way up as a regular pod, but technically speaking they're upside-down on the cyliner (confused?) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't attach the front panel</span> (remember which part is the front?). Take the 3 fins, and assemble as normal EXCEPT that the central column lines up with the top section of the fins.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OAiH9C1dYjZGxNaMiYDNIJRmgpOkv-kZmDXYzzyJqrF90uQ9JOQdngyxB5YttiQytlDovBYUA7HumHzLCzclqu1fRWVTmisxN_ZR_aQjTfjch9ixvouMMwFmUW-OV982ZjOAIryYQMKi/s1600/2f.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OAiH9C1dYjZGxNaMiYDNIJRmgpOkv-kZmDXYzzyJqrF90uQ9JOQdngyxB5YttiQytlDovBYUA7HumHzLCzclqu1fRWVTmisxN_ZR_aQjTfjch9ixvouMMwFmUW-OV982ZjOAIryYQMKi/s400/2f.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559360667331349826" border="0" /></a><br />Once that's set, slide the gun placement in and glue.<br /><br />Give it a bit of time to set, then remove the little part we left on the wall.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMocKiRG5Nr_0-UdMe5YfmfZcichQkFS1IpkYRocurQtJjf4ah3lz7ZdSKDCoEhwB2TmZQbQGTVGrXRzIrkK7nRHe8qKCp6-lm1TUSgnd1pMu8CB96n0L-8CI8ZgjpnoTKheyG1lckoPku/s1600/2g.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMocKiRG5Nr_0-UdMe5YfmfZcichQkFS1IpkYRocurQtJjf4ah3lz7ZdSKDCoEhwB2TmZQbQGTVGrXRzIrkK7nRHe8qKCp6-lm1TUSgnd1pMu8CB96n0L-8CI8ZgjpnoTKheyG1lckoPku/s400/2g.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559367578817376162" border="0" /></a><br />Now here's a slight twist on <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">the original method</a>. Instead of gluing the last two fins on the side doors, stick them both on the front door like so:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb_wdI-PyS9qVaYlpxZFGSDkWciltFjd8SfJrENsqXr3SW7GrTsmZbb-WVBrSieNYpz5MQ_0Y0S3ix0YTg8oy0gfqMeFhgYVO93CSDJ_yld-cxGBrfL1oU4H18cOyu5fll05fy3KARVPr/s1600/2h.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb_wdI-PyS9qVaYlpxZFGSDkWciltFjd8SfJrENsqXr3SW7GrTsmZbb-WVBrSieNYpz5MQ_0Y0S3ix0YTg8oy0gfqMeFhgYVO93CSDJ_yld-cxGBrfL1oU4H18cOyu5fll05fy3KARVPr/s400/2h.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559367589196467602" border="0" /></a><br />The final step is to glue the remaining panel from the central column to the front door.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdlmlQW2JsXVRfg13a7kKBE9bYehpia54bmfIsqZw_cCjv3R64CRMuOANqonl7TnxoJyW6VaDUOXQsqN_lJWuQk_ymsuXRJe1ILKwiFGztNTTAj8XvJ2EtW4fKBiesm5E2jf5I6kaBYks/s1600/2j.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdlmlQW2JsXVRfg13a7kKBE9bYehpia54bmfIsqZw_cCjv3R64CRMuOANqonl7TnxoJyW6VaDUOXQsqN_lJWuQk_ymsuXRJe1ILKwiFGztNTTAj8XvJ2EtW4fKBiesm5E2jf5I6kaBYks/s400/2j.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559367596568838578" border="0" /></a><br />It will require a bit of sanding and/or cutting to get a good fit. Be sure to line it up so that it actually clips into the central column when closed.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part Three</span></span><br /><br />So, we've raised the roof and partly lowered the floor (you didn't think we were done with that, did you?). Now to get some extra room around the sides.<br /><br />Get the 4 inner door parts that weren't used earlier. Cut the sides off, then cut the side pieces where the bend is (you can throw away the walkway part).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfuRRf_5geuP_1BzT3DE5sYnlam89kbtHF11-E8ZZXEcll3KYO9h7Xoz4Uj_0KQzR2LdQ9u7JwNG2U7SJTIVAfshRseBikr2zzzgACFLuIhHMef85fDqgGR3QOVg9lU_gpxmA4nsq6av3/s1600/3a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfuRRf_5geuP_1BzT3DE5sYnlam89kbtHF11-E8ZZXEcll3KYO9h7Xoz4Uj_0KQzR2LdQ9u7JwNG2U7SJTIVAfshRseBikr2zzzgACFLuIhHMef85fDqgGR3QOVg9lU_gpxmA4nsq6av3/s400/3a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559370295893667842" border="0" /></a><br />Turn the long pieces sideways and cut about half the plastic off the top- the part we're mostly interested in is the front with all the little circles.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T8QOj_Ka4yDtHmLTcRvrliPnCZ8q2f_sFJd3H0XOD7mAIvQbn9Gt6BUuSCBJaX29PKZ00Fu9O0cSFsAkvHAZOWxhkZaKgFdRg9VHQjEtozNCJYZg3mm4g5zZ6ozo-E1ApdMCAPT8A_DI/s1600/3b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 366px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2T8QOj_Ka4yDtHmLTcRvrliPnCZ8q2f_sFJd3H0XOD7mAIvQbn9Gt6BUuSCBJaX29PKZ00Fu9O0cSFsAkvHAZOWxhkZaKgFdRg9VHQjEtozNCJYZg3mm4g5zZ6ozo-E1ApdMCAPT8A_DI/s400/3b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559370302593254386" border="0" /></a><br />There's a lip just inside the long pieces we've cut. Line that up along the front of the Pod door and glue. The sloped end should be lined up with the top of the door.<br /><br />Repeat for both sides of all 4 doors. As you can see on the right, that just created a whole bunch of space (don't worry, we'll fix it)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX1KsXx2sC-gWMOjchheuZ2oI_zbYtJ4ghhyphenhyphenMdskVZgLVmMJ9m7YgookWNogC3gb7uWBRAVpOvOEOFddxtw5Bwlh_UYMx4TBoq8UVw14UClItsmTTJ6R7UZN4E0aNAft9JuPRQ6ocyycy/s1600/3c.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX1KsXx2sC-gWMOjchheuZ2oI_zbYtJ4ghhyphenhyphenMdskVZgLVmMJ9m7YgookWNogC3gb7uWBRAVpOvOEOFddxtw5Bwlh_UYMx4TBoq8UVw14UClItsmTTJ6R7UZN4E0aNAft9JuPRQ6ocyycy/s400/3c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559370306060269346" border="0" /></a><br />Take the smaller pieces from the inner doors, and cut them so they are flat- we want the detail, but we don't want a lip on them. Glue them to the bottom of each side of the door.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcYYrwjwk_OSUtqTtlvG6Olv3X1waCI2As_aybHaTHy30_bE-2rrMlIFwisCovLmqZSWF5CnNoAivSVKezzaKuFuLBayz4D61QkIvG3aWA63SB7ylVK58qSX89vx8TyV9AylH7nYM89fP/s1600/3d.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcYYrwjwk_OSUtqTtlvG6Olv3X1waCI2As_aybHaTHy30_bE-2rrMlIFwisCovLmqZSWF5CnNoAivSVKezzaKuFuLBayz4D61QkIvG3aWA63SB7ylVK58qSX89vx8TyV9AylH7nYM89fP/s400/3d.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559370303944787554" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, grab some plastic card (I used 1mm thick, but it shouldn't matter). It will take a little bit of measuring, but make endcaps for the doors.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW88zVN8vgMQUk835jCi9gaBqnFvBQMvu0NcGC6wPxzvJUczT6Ln0FzuXaMkHdS6OPFdQzUsZ-670SWUNmp6x7ecA0FJAGc2d7DIJxttCxxCeG2sz-KEtgGGCBWptoxut70ZURP77VbnP7/s1600/3e.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW88zVN8vgMQUk835jCi9gaBqnFvBQMvu0NcGC6wPxzvJUczT6Ln0FzuXaMkHdS6OPFdQzUsZ-670SWUNmp6x7ecA0FJAGc2d7DIJxttCxxCeG2sz-KEtgGGCBWptoxut70ZURP77VbnP7/s400/3e.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559370322025800354" border="0" /></a><br />Yeah so obviously the front door breaks the symmetry of the pod, but it's really not that noticeable. Doing the same trick to that door wouldn't have left enough for the 2 fins to securely bond to (I suppose you could reinforce with putty but like I said, I'm lazy...)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part Four</span></span><br /><br />Time to finish lowering the floor. If you hold the base up to the light, you'll see a faint mould line around where I've marked below- cut the centre out along this.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccf-9N51PVB1vukiCSbPJvMknaKfR8XF76xqxb-umTHd8rgpyCtSYqHefhVyEvDYZe8kf29AaueAvpqP2XsrkrGCASO89Ucogik4SU867Vl2SRThoi1MwjcGLPm2sVhoGQc5UzAmuvQ7J/s1600/4a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccf-9N51PVB1vukiCSbPJvMknaKfR8XF76xqxb-umTHd8rgpyCtSYqHefhVyEvDYZe8kf29AaueAvpqP2XsrkrGCASO89Ucogik4SU867Vl2SRThoi1MwjcGLPm2sVhoGQc5UzAmuvQ7J/s400/4a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559374178331502802" border="0" /></a><br />Take the left-over floor from part one, trim up the sides and flatten off the bottom. Also get rid of that pesky lump in the middle since we need all the space we can get (cover it with something flat so it doesn't look horrible)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCJOeXY9I_OsANHRvwHcJuJxFpUMAbjEhT8qzB4VenzuAymuN6vlEU1SZYw_ExIzNp73IHlSuZ5c9n_sMLN8pr4U7k1Qkla4gzsRdC4XNDJ24Sfladv11AS9tEZvsZviW2RUxzIMZ1QVp/s1600/4b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCJOeXY9I_OsANHRvwHcJuJxFpUMAbjEhT8qzB4VenzuAymuN6vlEU1SZYw_ExIzNp73IHlSuZ5c9n_sMLN8pr4U7k1Qkla4gzsRdC4XNDJ24Sfladv11AS9tEZvsZviW2RUxzIMZ1QVp/s400/4b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559374188137062834" border="0" /></a><br />Glue the floor to the base section. If you're picky you might like to fill in the gaps around the side with something. Personally I think it'll be hidden just fine by black paint.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMo4rsihIZI5JlRWi0bIWh7ukN3zf_CtDa1By1QN6Rlp0VFBKX_g9PmKa0i-9qtZAvAI4D4apECXFnRXfRMRmT3Fj-mLNecuFmLt_Aluq5e7oEURhtMMZA5iEZUdQLn1buMZTet0FIbEQ/s1600/4c.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMo4rsihIZI5JlRWi0bIWh7ukN3zf_CtDa1By1QN6Rlp0VFBKX_g9PmKa0i-9qtZAvAI4D4apECXFnRXfRMRmT3Fj-mLNecuFmLt_Aluq5e7oEURhtMMZA5iEZUdQLn1buMZTet0FIbEQ/s400/4c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559374193797861522" border="0" /></a><br />If you feel so inclined, line the inner doors with textured plastic card. I only did the side doors, as the back ones I'm gluing closed (which you don't have to, but it just felt right)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part Five</span></span><br />So that's essentially it! There's a few cosmetic things I added:<br /><br />We don't need the seating assembly, so I stole part of it (don't worry, there's plenty of room)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXCFD9tlwgKmbACv3LABKu2H2a-QR2xvWZbCl84gPeQ88I2KGnuYS5VuQpcNBYaypHuGeWupQg_ZLbmaYHwZu3ufyi45tBRz6gANN-LxQ3YFyBTviQoQ1C6-ZOOPDZjm8zq0soc4nlWxN/s1600/5a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXCFD9tlwgKmbACv3LABKu2H2a-QR2xvWZbCl84gPeQ88I2KGnuYS5VuQpcNBYaypHuGeWupQg_ZLbmaYHwZu3ufyi45tBRz6gANN-LxQ3YFyBTviQoQ1C6-ZOOPDZjm8zq0soc4nlWxN/s400/5a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559376323266382626" border="0" /></a><br />Given that the bottom of the Pod has been cut out, there's all these little fan bits just going to waste...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOspmZGHVCs1KoVTqB_vMXYDJ-BjkwgOeQVJc9a9_E9pz0NysdRZeReZuKQq4oCsKG2GfIr4-FLqvz0CBfM_LxE5wJPAFMdG2zJfkekbf7Je5aiURzehINEF0dUI_iistYJtBNEKTUongu/s1600/5b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOspmZGHVCs1KoVTqB_vMXYDJ-BjkwgOeQVJc9a9_E9pz0NysdRZeReZuKQq4oCsKG2GfIr4-FLqvz0CBfM_LxE5wJPAFMdG2zJfkekbf7Je5aiURzehINEF0dUI_iistYJtBNEKTUongu/s400/5b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559376324786828434" border="0" /></a><br />Putting them on the tops of the doors makes the whole thing look a bit more official.<br /><br />As a result of having the side doors sick out, they don't want to stay closed. A little rod sticking out of either side on the front door is enough to hold them closed (see, that's why we made sure the front door slotted in to the central column earlier)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FlqJ62bH69nkAoxXSvsOdfCFyaPwDwsy8lQyUL10ko_QO2DpnN2OB7k5TaBT7yM7yv84rTjQHGZRw6UHHlWIl_hR9ezNbwH5THiQYgLrblfiAh4yQ8IwvI3DBTFkH1HrpZm_Y9tfEpn7/s1600/5c.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FlqJ62bH69nkAoxXSvsOdfCFyaPwDwsy8lQyUL10ko_QO2DpnN2OB7k5TaBT7yM7yv84rTjQHGZRw6UHHlWIl_hR9ezNbwH5THiQYgLrblfiAh4yQ8IwvI3DBTFkH1HrpZm_Y9tfEpn7/s400/5c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559376326443203746" border="0" /></a><br />Just incase you're one of those people that likes to leave destroyed vehicles turned over on the battlefield, better do something about the mess we made of the bottom. Hey look, it's more bits from the seating unit that we're not using...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqIw9Tx-cdlAe_6bnzKC0d_7Kh0eOhCds9-EU9j1uUbR2eZrdYaB8e0aqDD7s1hgwYsJqytN98KJDOaPe_46Kg1WMa0PJ7gB8Ag-UU91Cy0cKgsRS-l4c4KedZB8KmOsbRjI9UqmD81VN/s1600/5d.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqIw9Tx-cdlAe_6bnzKC0d_7Kh0eOhCds9-EU9j1uUbR2eZrdYaB8e0aqDD7s1hgwYsJqytN98KJDOaPe_46Kg1WMa0PJ7gB8Ag-UU91Cy0cKgsRS-l4c4KedZB8KmOsbRjI9UqmD81VN/s400/5d.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559376329466390578" border="0" /></a><br />This last bit is possibly unneccessary given the extreme lengths used to create room, but I figured every bit counts.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z7hn28fza1_CyhVYV7AkFhoPmUES3hxEg315zXuQkBCMIOuF5ljh7bz7HIhfNAypN9xcqJtr-O4DJhzvZKbaOL095X5kRErSxvEiNX10h8g1_fZP6_xVS2tWjeRWrRpUOFJl_pOxTtja/s1600/5e.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z7hn28fza1_CyhVYV7AkFhoPmUES3hxEg315zXuQkBCMIOuF5ljh7bz7HIhfNAypN9xcqJtr-O4DJhzvZKbaOL095X5kRErSxvEiNX10h8g1_fZP6_xVS2tWjeRWrRpUOFJl_pOxTtja/s400/5e.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559376335885506866" border="0" /></a><br />Plastic base vs 80grade sandpaper ftw.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part Six</span></span><br /><br />So we just butchered a Drop Pod kit- does it actually achieve it's purpose?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx_WbfQ2kCOXMOYVYC1Sg8oMgMd8iRQRwOsrzszZbjf7yPUtbBW-ZlvqZhZUWS7LU9qN5drqBg1u2bP7FtbOmKjR0-SZRjUc3R7AQms_ywby0SysF6-hS30GqG5BfgtL5mVTCebD-6oxm/s1600/6a.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx_WbfQ2kCOXMOYVYC1Sg8oMgMd8iRQRwOsrzszZbjf7yPUtbBW-ZlvqZhZUWS7LU9qN5drqBg1u2bP7FtbOmKjR0-SZRjUc3R7AQms_ywby0SysF6-hS30GqG5BfgtL5mVTCebD-6oxm/s400/6a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559378876495635010" border="0" /></a><br />Hey, the base fits!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1sVhF7nLWwD_D-5y3JV7M1IFQBiBgl0MXLv3Y6hAScGJrTp4liRuQhJi06qxzt3kt1lkiCo-vKHdT2S3YU7waDRYAUVuMHvz09ph3sCI5FlesPZlkzTzSfOfX4KIzwLp6t0jHVHjAauy/s1600/6b.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1sVhF7nLWwD_D-5y3JV7M1IFQBiBgl0MXLv3Y6hAScGJrTp4liRuQhJi06qxzt3kt1lkiCo-vKHdT2S3YU7waDRYAUVuMHvz09ph3sCI5FlesPZlkzTzSfOfX4KIzwLp6t0jHVHjAauy/s400/6b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559378880682713906" border="0" /></a><br />The doors even close!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAy7pBqgn4uicVEaErNSplW3fR-GWjw4vXl12y5aUIa6RSfF1DzJh8VJjiGLcocI9C3jPvZ17iGjC5Gy8Zefyxn8hzU1bdYQxTLOPDF0YkaThagH2VWOmmpdfOXppvHphERx_jEMG3nTMM/s1600/6c.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAy7pBqgn4uicVEaErNSplW3fR-GWjw4vXl12y5aUIa6RSfF1DzJh8VJjiGLcocI9C3jPvZ17iGjC5Gy8Zefyxn8hzU1bdYQxTLOPDF0YkaThagH2VWOmmpdfOXppvHphERx_jEMG3nTMM/s400/6c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559378885239019202" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, there's a fair bit of room to move, so hopefully most weapon combos will work.<br /><br />Once again, a <a href="http://themagnetpro.blogspot.com/2010/02/dreadnought-drop-pod-conversion.html">final tip of the hat to this blog</a>, without which I wouldn't even have considered this insanity. I hope this is useful to someone out there :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-18896458790995603072010-12-19T21:38:00.000-08:002010-12-19T22:13:30.199-08:00I Can Has Ninja?Last week one of the small art galleries here (and I do mean small) ran an exhibition for what I regard as the coolest self-published comic in New Zealand- <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ninjet</span></span>.*<br /><br />So, Ninjet is about a ninja cat. I would link you to content, but ninjet.com is currently dead, so I won't. What I <span style="font-weight: bold;">will </span>do is show you the art I picked up, penned by the enigmatic, singularly-monikered ninja cat mastermind, Drake ;)<br /><br />This right here is one of my favourite pages (printed version on right)<br /><a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=708494&GSub=88384"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZcpyRJf-WXNk7HQUbIaF6o_17YrOIEbo1iUt0SyqKlT59UIdfUzYW24zbABgbO68kLczFEJpJXQCXjKGgEHfHL-PDEaeekHLxtjbP1q1YWGuN9N2XNpn70I1WB1DMeNtuAQ7ZYwvcKab/s400/ninjet+flying.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552635221374400514" border="0" /></a><br />I've had this blown up as a poster on my wall for a few months, so it rocks to actually get the original!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg51of6EtG7sR0i49AHdi7mhPA8VpS59CguHJQd3g89qDKAikGIODN59KzBAjd6vdvoRzQK8mnKKmTeVgaH3tSUmqV9UyC89FzkRreJAQjBlTouB-qLQnH8enry815uZs2JkWXa5E9OGQF/s1600/yeah.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg51of6EtG7sR0i49AHdi7mhPA8VpS59CguHJQd3g89qDKAikGIODN59KzBAjd6vdvoRzQK8mnKKmTeVgaH3tSUmqV9UyC89FzkRreJAQjBlTouB-qLQnH8enry815uZs2JkWXa5E9OGQF/s400/yeah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552638711957058514" border="0" /></a><br />It wasn't actually part of the exhibition, but Drake being the cool guy that he is let me have it.<br /><br />This one <span style="font-weight: bold;">was</span> on display, and it rocks:<br /><a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=708493&GSub=88384"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabIN1mG1iYkIrWeYFZ7WqXfpuXABRTp54ZtEwmcTTB-Utu7NFtMWyWHL1SK1RBtcOKdjiwjBM77Zn4gHNsGCK5tqtDTZwTUtGj353cprNdsTAgy-4i5M8DaXdB1umQFao03xN13K5sNkx/s400/ninjet+JUMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552635220747729250" border="0" /></a><br />I can't show you the published version, my copy of the issue is hiding somewhere in the depths of a comic box and doesn't want to be found.<br /><br />As anyone familiar with me would expect, this calls for more framing of artwork. I'm still planning for the first picture, but the 2nd one I did yesterday:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_GGi9xgZPARENmP9ed8wax_hoKEfOtj3I29jRkw99BfqZkUMgRBeyJ50t7qCGR02wYcI65qA7lyq_Qx6hCofNhsC8SimHvwNqjpFmOTEvGPztxya5cjUVGsdahkM3nj_kjXKvwMOXPVS/s1600/DSC01430.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_GGi9xgZPARENmP9ed8wax_hoKEfOtj3I29jRkw99BfqZkUMgRBeyJ50t7qCGR02wYcI65qA7lyq_Qx6hCofNhsC8SimHvwNqjpFmOTEvGPztxya5cjUVGsdahkM3nj_kjXKvwMOXPVS/s400/DSC01430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552635225298546482" border="0" /></a><br />A closer look at the logo- that's actually a badge I laid in there<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxw9BdsBZ4j8HJ6chLVWTNBCq3fgNbc0VFE1McYsf5RQ7WCIqrcIm0-ljKAb9UMNF7_-QaPEBdidzo9R9WxX-rHrV7FfAnEgXP8TCIt-noq9omEcs53wIvQwG0wgKqg-aEPYsTCNXulhn/s1600/DSC01431.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxw9BdsBZ4j8HJ6chLVWTNBCq3fgNbc0VFE1McYsf5RQ7WCIqrcIm0-ljKAb9UMNF7_-QaPEBdidzo9R9WxX-rHrV7FfAnEgXP8TCIt-noq9omEcs53wIvQwG0wgKqg-aEPYsTCNXulhn/s400/DSC01431.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552635230915509954" border="0" /></a><br />And just incase you're wondering where all the purple came from, one of the covers:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD6IJCmix0KM_F8S8Y0O0_8n3pPFWEov4rKcA8IMHaED0VqAu7ADpj9OXXDVDMB59CB24ie5jKMTLx8Q767-_umcJkk-cn_GnT2FQ2qhUw-MLoJznwAOtPIxyLeOTgoUkAf57R-Q4IbSB/s1600/DSC01432.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD6IJCmix0KM_F8S8Y0O0_8n3pPFWEov4rKcA8IMHaED0VqAu7ADpj9OXXDVDMB59CB24ie5jKMTLx8Q767-_umcJkk-cn_GnT2FQ2qhUw-MLoJznwAOtPIxyLeOTgoUkAf57R-Q4IbSB/s400/DSC01432.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552635228420989554" border="0" /></a><br />It's replaced my <a href="http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=564241&GSub=88129">Phil Jimenez 52 JLA</a> splash on my bedroom wall, so it's in an honoured position ;)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />*<span style="font-size:85%;">(not that I'm in any way an expert on the local indie comic scene, since by and large indie comics bore me so I tend to avoid them. They usually try to be too clever for their own good, or aren't as funny as their authors think they are).</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666003530642388642.post-27669060194819669692010-11-28T00:40:00.000-08:002010-11-28T00:50:02.415-08:00The Boys: Dark Knight ParodyIf you're anything like me you walked into the local comic shop, saw this...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaMjB-SFTP6P-8pFgny8XcFap4baEQJK_A2P7Wikq_-H9IwsB1klZoKCy5rl90k9VeTZF8RcRzkAUKmJbHvwYbeR5JUpeltTaUp-zim4hEm1WBzEo3Yi6qrjjoIvk8_2m5vDrQ4_frDKU/s1600/Boys48-Cov-Robertson-temp.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaMjB-SFTP6P-8pFgny8XcFap4baEQJK_A2P7Wikq_-H9IwsB1klZoKCy5rl90k9VeTZF8RcRzkAUKmJbHvwYbeR5JUpeltTaUp-zim4hEm1WBzEo3Yi6qrjjoIvk8_2m5vDrQ4_frDKU/s400/Boys48-Cov-Robertson-temp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544518702649608962" border="0" /></a><br />...and laughed your arse off. I've never actually read The Boys, but I picked it up just for the cover (and technically speaking, I still haven't read an issue of The Boys yet heh).<br /><br />Because I like cool things, and because I couldn't find one by someone better at such things than me (read: anyone), I made my own desktop version, with the original Dark Knight cover.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvm9U_CVz3cwpTkTBmZ8i4CCsfJGeP1kuNcBM4ondqi829SYhm1pkybaLy2gf4lhmf3ZW625CD7xDJv-3E-aBBVhejL6JUYDleIPqf4jvzKRwgHwjklpNRaVS-LKSFtSk1PN3vRo999c_V/s1600/deskt1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvm9U_CVz3cwpTkTBmZ8i4CCsfJGeP1kuNcBM4ondqi829SYhm1pkybaLy2gf4lhmf3ZW625CD7xDJv-3E-aBBVhejL6JUYDleIPqf4jvzKRwgHwjklpNRaVS-LKSFtSk1PN3vRo999c_V/s400/deskt1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544518063362964706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(My screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 btw)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0