The Killing Joke Brought Back To Life By Mr. Misiano

The Killing Joke is one of the most iconic comics ever to come to fruition. I hate Alan Moore as a person, but I so love him as a writer. Artist Brian Bolland draws the characters in a very unique way... especially The Joker, who is the centerpiece of the book. He has never looked as normal and as maniacal as he did in that book. In one frame he looks as normal as a white face painted clown could, wearing silly clothes (the Hawaiian shirt scene) and looking normal. Then there are the iconic images of him looking crazier then ever (think the Hahahahaha background) and him doing wacked out shit like shooting poor Barbara Gordon. Bolland really toes the line between sanity and insanity when it comes to the Joker in this book, and that is what makes it such an iconic work for that character. Enter Joker cosplayer Mr. Misiano, who brings the Joker to life in a way that I have never seen duplicated. He has many poses and scenes for sale on his site, but his two best have to be from The Killing Joke. He re-creates both the cover and the HaHaHa scene masterfully. They are so close to the originals it is scary. It makes you really appreciate a good... no, GREAT cosplayer. Check out both with the comparison photos after the jump...

V for Vendetta by Cesar Moreno

Damn, Damn, DAMN YOU Mondo!!! The Texas based poster juggernauts are at it again and have just released a killer V for Vendetta poster that highlights the fire at Larkhill aspect of the story, one of my favorite scenes in the film version. It also forms the Guy Fawkes mask, which will always be associated with the story forever.Even though Alan Moore may not have liked the way the film version turned out, original artist for the series David Lloyd enjoyed it very much and told me so when I met him back at this years NY Comic Con. Artist Cesar Moreno knocked this one out of the park. It was made available yesterday, so get over to the Mondo web store Asap if you want any hope of scoring one of these for you own personal collection. You can see the piece after the jump....

League of Extraordinary Gentlepersons 1996 by The Mighty God Kings

Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman is an interesting oxymoron. The stories themselves are based on literary characters of the past that have hit public domain (people like Alan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Mr. Hyde, etc) and have been re-purposed by Moore into new modern adventures. What makes this an oxymoron is that Moore is constantly bashing DC Comics (the company that owns the rights to most of his earlier works like Watchmen & V for Vendetta) for using his characters in ways that he would never use them. I wonder if H. Rider Haggard, H.G. Wells, and Robert Lewis Stevenson would approve of Moore's version of their classic characters. But I digress... The guys over at Mighty God King have decided to show us what a future inclination of the League might look like if the team was formed in 1996. The story would revolve around Edward Scissorhands, Nancy from The Craft, Tequila Yeun, Dana Scully, Zack Morris, and Rufus from Bill & Ted's excellent Adventure. I also love the potraits of past team members from the 80s/90s. Sledge Hammer? Max Hedrom? Yup, I would read the shit out of this book and not give two fucks what the original creators of these characters think about it. Great piece of art. Check out the guys wonderful website here and click after the jump for a full size version of the piece...

Who Watches The Simpsons? by Chris Weiermiller

Every time I find out that one of my fellow geek friends has NOT read Watchmen I freak the fuck out and immediately try to get them my copy to read. Simply put, it is a right of passage that needs to be experienced by anyone who reads comics. As much as I think Alan Moore is a tool, he really killed this story and created some wonderful characters that have stuck with for over 20+ years. Another stallworth of the entertainment industry has been The Simpsons. I really haven't watched the show consistently over the past 10 years, but all I know is if you have 20+ years on the air you are doing something right. So of course it would be great to get these two properties together in a mashup by artist Chris Weiermiller. The character selection in a mashup is key, and Chris certainly nailed it with this piece. Maggie as Roscharch? Yup... I'm in!!!! Check out the full piece after the jump...

The Next League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Comic Will Feature Jules Verne & H.P. Lovecraft... And I Just Fainted!!!

I may not agree with Alan Moore and all the belly aching he does about people using his characters, but I certainely do like Moore's work.... especially The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I am a huge fan of Moore's literary mash-ups, and I can't wait for the upcoming one shot Nemo: Heart of Ice. The tale will obviously focus on Captain Nemo, but apparently the ride will take him to Antarctica where he will no doubt be At The Mountains Of Madness from H.P. Lovecraft's classic tales. He will also have Jules Verne along for the ride, and I am sure Moore has some other tricks up his sleeve as well. I always found it kinda funny that Moore is so adamant about DC Comics & others corrupting his characters when they use them without Moore's involvement, yet he has no problem stealing all of the great literary characters & settings he likes for his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories himself (aside from the core characters of the League who are all major literary characters of the past, Moore has also incorporated John Carter, Lewis Carroll, War of the Worlds, The Avengers (UK version), James Bond, and tons of other shit from other authors works).  The books is due by the end of 2012. You can see the original article and more of Allan Moore's hypocritical rantings on the subject of stealing characters by clicking here & here. 

CCD Holiday Geek Gift Guide #5: What To Get The Comic Book Newbie In Your Life

I am a veteran of the comic book game... I have been collecting since I was four (just over 28 years) and I have tons of comics/graphic novels to prove it. I, along with many of my fellow 80's baby comic geeks, were way ahead of the current comic book movie craze and have read ALL of the source material that is making the summer blockbusters the masses are devouring at a record pace. But what if you have to buy a gift for the person who is just getting started with comics? Here is a list of a few of my personal faves that will give any comic fan, new or old, a smile on their face. These will even work for a hardcore fan, even though a true comic book head SHOULD have in their collection (both in issue format and collected versions...lol). Click after the jump for my suggestions...

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Day #15 - Letter O - Ozymandias

Movie & Comic Versions of Ozymandias

Ozymandias is one of my all time favorite comic book villains ever... and I am also sympathetic to his reasoning for wanting to create a "better world". For those of you guys who have no idea who the fuck Ozymandias is and what I am talking about, I have a question for you: Are you fucking KIDDING ME?

This panel is why Ozymandias is SO GANGSTER!!!

Ozymandias is the classic hero who has had enough trying to help a society that can't help itself. He is clearly superior to the rest of the world when it comes to frame of mind, so he hatches a plan to focus everybodies attention to a faked alien attack in the hopes that all of humanity will fight to unite against the intruders. The best part about Ozy is that he doesn't make the classic villain mistake of babbling about what he is going to do when confronted by Night Owl & Rorshach. Nope... when they ask him WHEN he plans on unleashing this attack, he tells them it already happened!!! Their reaction is to be stunned.... and there is nothing they can do about it. That makes him the best villain in my book.

Then there is his awesome genetically altered lynx companion Bubastis. How cool is this purple motherfucker? He would easily bring damage anybody who would want to harm Oz. This guy is so majestic it is scary. I was so sad when he was taken out at the end of the Watchmen film... he didn't get nearly enough screen time!!! All of these reasons make Ozymandias the greatest villain in the history of comics. He got it done... don't hate, congratulate!!!

See All 33 Years Worth Of Covers From 2000 AD

Most of you guys probably never heard of 2000 AD, the semnal British magazine/comic book that is absolutely awesome. Characters like Judge Dredd, Dan Dare, and Slaine had some amazing stories in this legendary magazine. We also got to see the talents of guys like Alan Moore (One of the best comic writers... ever), David Gibbons (Watchmen artist), Garth Ennis (Preacher), Mark Millar (Wanted) & Grant Morrison (Batman) come to fruitition. Not to mention, in my opinion, the greatest comic book writer ever... my personal favorite, Neil Gaiman (Sandman, The Eternals, Marvel 1602). This magazine represents the best of the UK comic book industry, and just by this small list of artists & writers above, I certainly am thankful for our British brothers (especially Gaiman... thank god for Gaiman!). So, here you go... 33 years worth of cover genius. Thanks to io9 for the tip.