Elasti-Girl Friday 19

Some of you may or may not know, but Cliff Chiang drew the cover for my Hawkman Companion published by TwoMorrows. Long before I asked him to do it, I admired Cliff's uncommon art style. When I initially talked to Cliff about MY ideas for the cover, he politely told me that he had different ideas. He didn't say mine was stupid or bad, he just said he had something different in mind.

I'm glad he did.

Cliff admitted to me that he hadn't drawn Hawkman before the cover, but honestly, you'd never know by looking at this.

Since then, I've followed Cliff's work - Spectre, Green Arrow/Black Canary, and his recent Supergirl story in Supergirl #50. He's got some stuff coming up, such as an original Vertigo graphic novel centered around Neil Young's Greendale album, written by Joshua Dysart and an issue of The Brave and the Bold coming out in April.

As for what Cliff Chiang has to do with Elasti-Girl Friday, well, there's this:

A commission for some lucky fan who attended Baltimore Comic Con last year. Of course, this was the first year I haven't attended Baltimore, so I didn't see this live. For those of you burned out on the "mega" cons, Baltimore is a nice, relaxing con that draws an incredible amount of great creators (like Cliff!) each and every year.

I asked Cliff's permission to post this image, and he graciously (which is how Cliff does everything) agreed, saying, "Sure, feel free to post the Elasti-Girl sketch. I love Bruno Premiani and think he doesn’t get enough recognition."

So there you have it, Cliff Chiang and Elasti-Girl Fridays! You can check out more of Cliff's work over at www.cliffchiang.com

Quick update:

Cliff along with the Doom Patrol's very own Matthew Clark, among others will be at the New York Comic Book Marketplace this weekend. Looks like it's a Saturday only event. I've never been (not even sure if it's an annual deal) but it sure looks like a great assemblage of talent! If you go, please let us all know how it was.

Negative Monday 27

It's Monday, so let's get negative. . . . !

This week I want to share a page with you from Showcase #94. I hear you out there, "Showcase #94? Why should I know that, I know I KNOW that. . . " and so on.

Here's why:

Got it? Good. Showcase #94 from 1977 was the first time we saw the "new" Doom Patrol under the pen of Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Joe Staton. Right here is the first time we get to meet Tempest, Celsius, and Negative Woman. You know, the Doom Patrol that was recently resurrected as Black Lanterns? First appearance right here.

I'm going to leave you with Cliff's re-introduction to the Negative being and we'll pick up a little more about this later this week.

Elasti-WOMAN Friday 18

The next few Elasti-Woman Fridays are going to be simple one panel randomly (well, as random as I can get) selected with some commentary.

YOUR commentary is encouraged and appreciated.

For starters, I grabbed the first John Byrne issue I could lay my hands on. I grabbed this panel from Doom Patrol Volume 4 Issue #14.

Re-reading this issue I found it was actually a bit of fun, so without further ado:

Yes, I am aware of the firestorm (gotcha Shag!) this could create since Byrne is either revered or not-so-much.

Personally, I am quite fond of Byrne's rendition of the original patrol such as he submitted int he original Who's Who decades ago. His turn of DP was decent, but far from my personal fave. The bondage Larry outfit just bugged me. . .

Discuss. . .

Doomed in May 2010

Looks like we're in for an extra treat or two in May.

As my friend, Petar, covered on the Doompedia earlier (like yesterday) the Patrol will be in the May issue of The Brave and the Bold #34. This is their second time appearing in this current incarnation of the series. Here's the cover and solicit:

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #34
On sale MAY 19
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI Art and cover by JESUS SAIZ
Don’t miss this first chapter of a most unexpected two-parter! This wouldn’t be the first instance where the Legion of Super-Heroes have gone back in time looking to add to their ranks. But the sheer craziness the Doom Patrol will bring into their lives just might make it the last time... and the Legion’s mission will lead to some rather unexpected consequences next issue!

I've been really enjoying JMS's run on B&B. It's been fun so far.

Then there's

DOOM PATROL #10
On sale MAY 5 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by KEITH GIFFEN Art by MATTHEW CLARK & RON RANDALL
Cover by MATTHEW CLARK & LIVESAY
What looks like a life-size statue washes up on the shore of Oolong Island and all hell breaks loose – the Porcelain Assassin has arrived! The Doom Patrol focus all their efforts on fending her off, but the fight isn’t nearly as brutal as the revelation of who sent her!

"The Porcelain Assassin" - cool! One of Matthew Clark's contributions to the book front and center.

And also the first of the trade paperbacks for the new DP.

DOOM PATROL: WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE TP
On sale JUNE 9 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US
Written by KEITH GIFFEN Art by MATTHEW CLARK, JUSTINIANO & LIVESAY
Cover by MATTHEW CLARK
The first issues of The Doom Patrol’s new series are collected as the team deals with a black hole and comes face to face with death in a BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in.

. . . and some more reprinty goodness featuring the Doom Patrol (albeit it's a former DP). Good stuff here, all in black and white!

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1 TP
On sale JUNE 16 552 pg, B&W, $17.99 US
Written by JOHN OSTRANDER, KEITH GIFFEN & J.M. DEMATTEIS Art by LUKE MCDONNELL, ERIC LARSEN & OTHERS
Cover by LUKE MCDONNELL
Captured villains are offered an ultimatum: Go on near-impossible covert missions or rot in jail. For the first time, DC collects SUICIDE SQUAD #1-19, DOOM PATROL/SUICIDE SQUAD SPECIAL #1 and JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #13.

I pulled the info straight from Comic Book Resources, if you want to check out the rest of the solicits for DC in May.

Along those lines, Giffen is starting his run on Booster Gold with J. M. DeMatteis and Chris Batista. It looks like it's going to cross over with Giffen and Judd Winick's biweekly extravanganza Justice League International: Generation Lost. For some odd reason, I've seen more than a few people point out how much Booster looks like Michael Keaton on this cover, but no one mentions that Ice looks like Teri Garr.


Magog also continues under Giffen's writing. Additionally, DP alum Beast Boy continues to serve alongside the Teen Titans.

Completely unrelated to the Doom Patrol is the release of Brightest Day. Rather than go with one weekly series for the summer, DC is running two biweekly series. Kiss your wallets goodbye my friends!

While we're throwing money away, in the interest of fairness to both of the big two, and of (potential) particular interest to Doom Patrol fans, Marvel brings the Agents of Atlas back in May under the title of Atlas. If you haven't checked out any of the previous (the six-part mini or the eleven issue series or the Versus minis featuring the X-Men and Avengers) Atlas stories by Jeff Parker, you really should. They're good, clean, Silver Age fun - and they even have a talking gorilla.
Check out Marvel's May solicits here.
So what are y'all looking forward to in May?

Coming soon DP May Solicits

Check back in about 10 hours or so for a brief recap of the DP-related May-solicited product.

Of course, CBR and Newsarama will have the solicits up around 5:00 EST, but my witty banter (it's ok to laugh, I'm laughing too) can only be found right here.

Doom Patrol #7 Reviewed

I haven't had the chance to even crack the cover of this issue yet. I'm a "best/favorites for last" type of reader, so I'll get to it, but it may be Friday or Saturday when I do.

My CBR-reviewing cohort Greg McElhatton had a go at the book for CBR. He gave it two stars, saying

When Keith Giffen's revamp of "Doom Patrol" was first announced, I remember a
lot of promises that it would somehow encompass all versions of the team over
the years. Aside from killing off some members of the John Byrne iteration of
the team and some brief appearances of Bumblebee, though, that promise has gone
mostly unfulfilled. Well, at least until now, where Giffen seems to be doing
everything in his power to make up for lost time on that front.

He seems concerned for the future of the title, which I can understand in today's fickle marketplace, especially when you throw a crossover in early.

I've read some feedback posted here by Nathan on the comments page and it sounds like Greg might not be the only one with concerns.

What do the rest of you think?

Doom Patrol #7 out today

Over at the Source, DC has dropped a preview of today's issue of Doom Patrol. This makes for a nice appetizer to the full issue if, like me, you're trapped at work without your new books for a little while longer yet today.


They've also changed the cover up a bit, using an image that Matthew Clark had previously shared with me (and countless others through his MySpace page).

Here's the new image.

And the solicited one.

Not sure why DC decided to go with this other cover as opposed to the Crazy Jane one, but I'd be willing to guess it was deemed to be "more iconic" or some such.

Crazy Jane Again!

Gearing up for tomorrow's visit from Crazy Jane as she tries to find her old pals on Oolong Island, here's a character sketch.

Crazy Jane as rendered by Matthew Clark. Personally, I'm none too keen on the oversized applejack cap, but then again, I know zip about fashion. Maybe it'll grow on me. . .

What do you all think of what you've seen so far?

Crazy Jane!

Tomorrow brings the return of Crazy Jane!
Here's the solicit from DC.

Written by Keith Giffen • Co-feature written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis; Art and cover by Matthew Clark Co-feature art by Kevin Maguire

Oolong Island is picking up the pieces after the Black Lanterns' devastating attack. Former Patrol member Crazy Jane finds the island first, bearing terrifying news of what's to come… Plus, more Metal Men!

• DC Universe
• 32pg.
• Color
• $3.99 US

On Sale February 3, 2010

If I'm not mistaken, this issue might be the last installment of the Metal Men backup.

Come back a little bit later today for a little more Jane. . .

Negative Monday 26

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's "Larry"!!!

Original pencil art by Matthew Clark. "Oooooooo!" and "Ahhhhh!" at your leisure.

Not Doom Patrol Again!

Hey all!
Wanted to let you in on some wacky fun going on in the Blogosphere.
I'm going to point you straight to the source, which is the Idol-Head of Diabolu. Frank got the ball rolling over there for a DC Challenge-related blog crossovery thing. Check it out.

The Blogroll of sites involved:
For More Challenges, visit these fine blogs!

The Aquaman Shrine
The Atom: Tiny Titan
Being Carter Hall
Comics Make Me Happy
Crimson Lightning
Dispatches from the Arrow Cave
El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker
Firestorm Fan
Girls Gone Geek
I Am The Phantom Stranger
The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Justice League Detroit
...nurgh...
Once Upon a Geek
Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
random picture day
Reilly2040's Blog
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Toyriffic
when is evil cool?