Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2002 DC Direct Justice League Animated: Wonder Woman Maquette



JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED: WONDER WOMAN MAQUETTE
Sculpted by Karen Palinko
Pre-solicited; in stores March 13, 2002.

DC Direct presents its first ever line of Maquettes, beginning with the JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED: WONDER WOMAN MAQUETTE! Featuring the super-heroes as they will appear in the exciting new Justice League WB Animation series appearing on the Cartoon Network in the Fall of 2001. Throughout 2002, DC Direct will exclusively produce Maquettes of all the characters from the JLA Animated series including: Martian Manhunter, Superman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, the Flash, and Batman…at a very affordable price! Stands approximately 9 1/8" overall on a base. Packaged in a 4-color box.

Retailers, please note: The JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED: WONDER WOMAN MAQUETTE is manufactured to order, so only limited quantities may be available for reorder. Final product may differ from image shown. This item is pre-solicited. Orders must be placed with those for December-released product, solicited in next month's issue of Previews.

FC, Maquette $89.95

Sunday, December 25, 2011

2002 DC Direct Wonder Woman Snowglobe



WONDER WOMAN SNOWGLOBE
Sculpted by Tim Bruckner; designed by Terry Dodson
Advance-solicited; in stores February 27, 2002.

Wonder Woman, Amazon Princess and warrior for peace, is featured in the dynamic new WONDER WOMAN SNOWGLOBE! Poised for action, her bracelets raised to ward off the bullets of her foes, the WONDER WOMAN SNOWGLOBE is set upon a Greco-Roman-style base decorated with the Golden Lasso, sword, battleaxe and helmet of the Amazing Amazon's arsenal. The WONDER WOMAN SNOWGLOBE stands approximately 7 7/8" high x 3 3/4" wide x 3 3/4" deep. Packaged in a 4-color box.

Retailers, please note: The WONDER WOMAN SNOWGLOBE is manufactured to order, so only limited quantities may be available for reorder. Final product may differ from image shown. This item is advance-solicited. Orders must be placed with those for November-released product, solicited in this month's issue of Previews.

FC, Snowglobe $79.95

Friday, December 23, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Marat Mychaels

Click To Expand & Enlarge


A.K.A. Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his back-up, apparently...

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Huntress #2 (January, 2012)



Between the garbage strike and the general Italian permissivo atteggiamento, the Huntress had an easy time sneaking into a polizia station to access their computers. While eating a stale (but still delicious and vastly superior to stateside) sfogliatelle, Huntress learned that the men she'd beaten had been murdered. This limited her ability to connect them to the head of the sex trafficking ring, but they happened to be picked up by the same undertaker. A (dubiously uniformed) female officer caught the Huntress and chased her off with several gunshots.

Mr. Moretti relieved some tension with one of his recent acquisitions, then assured a mafia representative on the phone that the violent "pervert... leather type..." wouldn't interfere with any more business.

Huntress pinned the sleeves of the undertaker to an upright coffin, a pretty questionable feat for a crossbow, then extracted information from him by threatening his genitalia (with just the one bolt this time.)

Helena met with those newspaper people, who I guess were named Alessandro and Christina, over coffee and pastries. How does she keep her figure? Probably by keeping her human contact down to two pages of exposition about Moretti's gun running and sex trafficking. "...We need to break the connections... Before all the refugees from the Arab revolutions get caught up in them, and trade life under dictatorships for lives in brothels."



On a ship at the docks, Huntress beat up two whole guards, one of whom was beating on a human slave first, then drove all the girls off in a schoolbus while blowing up the ship with an explosive arrow.

The next day, Helena spied on Moretti as he traveled from his villa to a small boat. She fired a tracer crossbow bolt at the ship, then tracked it with a handheld GPS. "I really don't like men who use little girls... See you soon, Moretti. This hunt isn't over."

"Crossbow at the Crossroads: Part Two" was by Paul Levitz, Marcus To and John Dell. I liked it better when it was called "Crossbow at the Crossroads: Part One." It's like they just rearranged the pages. It still looks good, and I'd like to give a shout out to Andrew Dalhouse for managing softer, feminine coloring suited for a purple-clad vigilante without undermining the darker aspects of the story. However, that story has not progressed in the slightest, and reads like a silly '80s action movie without a sense of stakes or accomplishment for the protagonist. There's even a mild, halfhearted exploitation vibe. The Guillem March cover is this comic in a nutshell: an otherwise attractive image marred by an incompetently positioned bo staff obscuring the heroine's face. I want to like it, but it undermines itself in obvious ways.

New 52's Day featuring Wildstorm

Sunday, December 18, 2011

2008 Mark Texeira Wonder Woman Commission

Click To Enlarge


One of my longtime favorite artists and characters, though not a combination I always enjoy. Tex has a particular take on women that's a bit too-- what's the word I'm looking for-- '80s hair metal whore-- to suit the heroine's superheroine. Here though, I love Diana's slight smile and gentle, realistic (referenced?) face. She's also got those thick, well muscled Harry Peter legs, and isn't especially eroticised or stand-offish. A damned nice piece, offering a Wonder Woman with more human spirit than most. My girlfriend printed this out and taped it to a filing cabinet she surrendered to me, along with other art, so it's become a fixture of my blogging workspace.

Friday, December 16, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Alex Ross

Click To Expand & Enlarge


It ticks me off that Alex Ross favored Johnny Come Lately members Superman and Batman over Aquaman and the Manhunter from Mars, but at least he didn't shoehorn Captain Marvel or Plastic Man in there again. Wonder Woman is also front and center, a big win for the Amazing Amazon!

Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sensational Comics for March, 2012



Sensational Links:



Wonder Woman
WONDER WOMAN #7
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 B&W Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.
Remember the myth of Orpheus? Wonder Woman certainly does. And we hope she’s learned its lessons well, because someone she dearly loves is in Hell’s clutches – and she’s the only one who can mount a rescue mission! But Hades has no mercy, even for his own family – in fact, especially for his own family – and he doesn’t intend to let her walk out of his domain without paying a terrible price!
Uncle Ayholes?

JUSTICE LEAGUE #7
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by GENE HA and GARY FRANK
Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:25 Variant cover by GARY FRANK
1:200 B&W Variant cover by JIM LEE
On sale MARCH 21 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.

Now that the team’s origin story is complete, starting with this issue we shift to the present-day Justice League! What has changed? Who has joined the team since? Featuring artwork by Gene Ha, the story also reintroduces the team’s greatest champion: Steve Trevor!

Also starting in this issue: “The Curse of Shazam!” featuring a story by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank! Discover Billy Batson’s place in DC Comics – The New 52 as we reveal his all-new origin story!

This issue is also offered as a special combo pack edition, polybagged with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
Is it just me, or is this cover kind of funky and slight for a Lee/Williams joint? Gene Ha's preview pages were some of the worst I've seen from him, as well. Still, an emphasis on Wonder Woman stuff piques my interest, and I'm very interested in Gary Frank on Captain Marvel...

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #25-26
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by MIKE S. MILLER, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #25 by MIKE S. MILLER
Cover #26 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
#25 on sale MARCH 7
#26 on sale MARCH 21 • FINAL ISSUE
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Lex Luthor and the remaining super powered heroes on Earth have sprung their trap on Brainiac...and the real war begins! The events in this issue will be talked about for years to come!
The battle that DCUO Legends has been building to for over a year is finally here: Brainiac versus The Man of Steel! But will even Superman be powerful enough to stop this universal evil? And what stunning role will Lex Luthor play in the events? Find out in the stunning series conclusion!

JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 1: ORIGIN HC
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
On sale MAY 2 • 176 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make history with the first hardcover collection of a DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 series! In a universe where Super Heroes are strange and new, Batman has discovered a dark evil that requires him to unite the World Greatest Heroes! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg unite for the first time to form the JUSTICE LEAGUE! Don’t miss the thrill-a-minute hardcover collecting the first six issues of the best selling comic!
This should be good for what, a half-hour's entertainment value?

WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1: BLOOD HC
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by CLIFF CHIANG and TONY AKINS
Cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale MAY 30 • 160 pg, FC, $22.99 US

The first six issues of the critically acclaimed new WONDER WOMAN series are collected in hardcover! Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, has kept a secret from her daughter all her life – and when Wonder Woman learns who her father is, her life will shatter like brittle clay. The only one more shocked than Diana by this revelation? Bloodthirsty Hera – so why is her sinister daughter, Strife, so eager for the truth to be told? Superstar writer Brian Azzarello creates a new direction for one of DC’s best-known heroes, with spectacular art by Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins!
I'm still resistant. Everybody use the comments to convince me to buy this thing.

SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GERRY CONWAY and BOB ROZAKIS
Art by MIKE VOSBURG, RICH BUCKLER, DICK DILLIN, ALEX SAVIUK, JOE ORLANDO and others
Cover by RICH BUCKLER
On sale MAY 16 • 208 pg, FC, $24.99 US
Don’t miss this second helping of tales of villainy from SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #11-15, DC SPECIAL #27, DC SPECIAL SERIES #6, SUPER-TEAM FAMILY #13-14, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #166-167 and a story from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE #2.
I bought the first volume based on solicitation copy recycled from an aborted Showcase Presents volume that stated all these issues were to have been included there. Obviously they were not, including the previously unpublished final story. I've got to decide whether I want to punish DC fir screwing me, while punishing myself by not getting a rare story finally completed (?) in full color...

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ALL-STAR SQUADRON VOL. 1 TP
Written by ROY THOMAS and GERRY CONWAY
Art by RICH BUCKLER, DICK GIORDANO, JERRY ORDWAY, ADRIAN GONZALES and DON HECK
Cover by JOE KUBERT
On sale APRIL 18 • 528 pg, B&W, $19.99 US
In these stories from JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #193 and ALL-STAR SQUADRON #1-18, the All-Star Squadron has been founded on Earth II by the lost heroes from the JSA to stop Per Degaton from delivering mystic weapons to the Axis powers!
I'll have a tough time turning this down, assuming I even can!

Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark)
TEEN TITANS #7
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:25 B&W Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale MARCH 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.

Are the Teen Titans ready to stage an assault on N.O.W.H.E.R.E.? No way! But as Red Robin explains to the rest of his team, they’ll have to rally to save the Superboy from certain death. And through all of this, only Solstice learns a secret Red Robin has been hiding that could tear the team apart just as they have finally come together!

TEEN TITANS: PRIME OF LIFE TP
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art by NICOLA SCOTT, EDUARDO PANSICA and others
Cover by NICOLA SCOTT and DOUG HAZLEWOOD
On sale APRIL 11 • 200 pg, FC, $19.99 US
Collecting TEEN TITANS #93-100! Strange disappearances on an archeological dig prompt Wonder Girl’s mother to ask the team for help – but they’ll have to defeat an ancient menace first! With new teammate Solstice at their side, the teenaged heroes must drive demonic forces from our world or be conquered!
One of the few pre-boot trades I think is viable, thanks to Damian Wayne douchieness and sweet art.

Wonder Girl (Donna Troy)
TINY TITANS #50
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E • FINAL ISSUE

In this awesome 50th issue, questions are answered! Mysteries are solved! The Tiny Titans may be one step closer to becoming Super Heroes! This issue may change your life! Plus, it’s highly recommended by Franco’s mom!
Final Issue? That'll break some hearts.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Rob Osborne

Click To Enlarge


It's the Fetal League of Utero: J'Onn J'Onzz, Hal Jordan, Diana Prince, Barry Allen and Arthur Curry!

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Top 20 Wonder Woman Covers of the 1980s



It was the best of time, and the worst of times. Wonder Woman had some of her finest covers while the sales (and by some accounts, the stories) were at an all time low. Volume One was finally cancelled, and volume two launched with great fanfare and a beloved artist... who felt the need to write the book, and for far longer than he drew it. I have a complete set of that second volume, but there are chunks of years that I have yet to force myself to read.

Case in point, the cover above to Wonder Woman #3 (April, 1987.) Look, George PĂ©rez is one of the greatest artists in comic book history, and the man earned his pay for a lot of covers. It's just that his frontpieces for Wonder Woman were often milquetoast compared to the rest of his work. This is a perfect example. A woman just flew out of the sky, and a street full of pedestrians barely slow down to rubberneck. Steve's napping, Diana's staring blankly, and even the villains in the color hold seem only mildly interested. Finally, this is occurring in a city park, yet the statue's still standing and the trees are not on fire. In comic book terms, it's positively prosaic.

Honorable Mentions


20) DC Comics Presents #32 (April, 1981)

This is the first major instance of Superman kissing Wonder Woman that I can recall, and while it's cool that they do it in front of their crappy longtime significant others, I still hate like hell when this happens. Thanks to the spoiler presence of Eros and a dull layout, this is the shocking revelation on the cover to The National Enquirer about some D-lister you didn't know was still alive, much less cared about.


19) Wonder Woman #22 (November, 1988)

A nice George PĂ©rez cover of Diana flying at the reader while twirling her lasso. Clouds. Birdies. Interaction with the logo. Nice. Just... nice.


18) Wonder Woman #314 (April, 1984)

Gil Kane provided a batch of swell covers during this period, and here demonstrates how to do a detailed cover without the subject being overwhelmed by background elements. However, Wonder Woman's stance is weak, and the battle seems static where it needs movement.


17) Wonder Woman #18 (July, 1988)

Nothing says "horror" like stripping a hero of their trademark logo. I get that these are scary monsters and there's a young woman to protect. It's got stark down as well. Just... I don't like seeing Wonder Woman cower before a threat, and I could never picture Superman or Batman being put in that position.


16) Wonder Woman #286 (December, 1981)

This one gets the job done. You get the location, the principles, the conflict, and the emotion. Good body language, too. It's just weird to me that Ross Andru + Dick Giordano registers in my brain as Buckler, instead.


15) Wonder Woman #264 (February, 1980)

This one is cool by being uncool. There's a horses ass, rocket-propelled horseshoes, a heinous bandito stereotype, and Wonder Woman being dragged at the ankles by a whip over the streets of Washington. The kinky humiliation fantasy echoes Marston and establishes misogyny as the true adversary of the day. Curiously, Andru + Giordano registers in my brain as Garcia-Lopez this time.


14) Wonder Woman #1 (February, 1987)

The prototype overly rendered George PĂ©rez cover. He always seemed to be overcompensating for the lack of recognizable, conventional characters in this series by drawing casts of dozens amidst multiple "exciting" scenarios. I can't distinguish any of the generic Greco-Roman goddesses from one another. I don't know why Diana's legs are being spread apart by a dubiously functional battleax. What's with the spear and partially painted Captain America shield? Do I need to see the rush of semen building within Heracles as he prepares to feed himself to Hippolyta? There's cavepeople and a cavern of souls and another Hippolyta and three other Dianas and Ares and Ares' house and some wench that twisted up Heracles and dammit PĂ©rez keep the combo platter down to five items or less. Well no, he instead let it spread to a triple gatefold a year later and way to many samey-same regular covers.


13) Wonder Woman #303 (May, 1983)

This Gil Kane piece falls on the opposite side of the spectrum. It's a simple single figure laid over a bust. I really don't need to see the bullets deflected by the bracelets traveling several yards past the logo. We need more here.


12) Wonder Woman #305 (July, 1983)

A really nice convention sketch tarted up with repeating logos. Nice the first time, but the same gimmick was recycled multiple times within a single year, as seen above.


11) Wonder Woman #8 (September, 1987)

Much better. It's still busy, but the images within each letter reflect chapters in the story, and their lack of color prevents them from drowning out Wonder Woman. It's much more fun to see Diana presenting the floating heads of her new super friends than random unimpressive deities in translucent robes.


10) Wonder Woman #308 (October, 1983)

Andru & Giordano looking like *gasp* Ross Andru. What a dynamite, kinetic piece! The Amazing Amazon deflecting bullets from an off-panel Black Canary which chases an Elongated Man around an intricate computer room. This is detail done very right.

9) Wonder Woman #31 (June, 1989)

Positive PĂ©rez pattern progresses. Here we use silhouettes with iconic accents to sell a savage battle ahead.


8) Wonder Woman #307 (September, 1983)

Zeus is the star of this cover, and very nearly too much Zeus for Comic Code Authority approval for sale to minors. However, the scale of Zeus and his easily recognizable lightning bolts illustrates the accomplishment of Wonder Woman to evade them with Steve Trevor in tow. The best of the Gil Kane covers.

7) Wonder Woman #302 (April, 1983)

This one mixes the cool with the drip. Nice central figure, allusion to bullets & bracelets, incorporation of symbol as design element, and fumetti background. Disorganized cockeyed perspective, ugly background color, gratuitous signature, and wonky unaided flight. Good with the bad.


6) Amazing Heroes #106 (November, 1986)

PĂ©rez's Amazing Heroes magazine covers tended to be better than those for the series, as he seemed freer to experiment with style and technique. Also, due to the space required for copy, PĂ©rez kept it simple. An attractive central image of a womanly Diana alongside a full body shot in her new armor with the lasso acting as a design element. Done.


5) Wonder Woman #269 (July, 1980)

Princess Diana pulls a Hal Jordan. She's quit before and been fired even more, but never with such panache.


4) Wonder Woman #9 (October, 1987)

PĂ©rez cracks the top five, once again by not overdoing it. He cleverly incorporates Wonder Woman and her logo in a way that allows Cheetah to demonstrate her hostile intentions in a provocative manner. It's also a nice callback to a Rick Buckler '70s cover with a considerably more intimidating take on the villainess.


3) Wonder Woman #329 (January, 1986)

While Diana looks a tad squat here, and that background coloring is kind of ugh, the image still makes me want to read this story. "48-Page Final Issue!" A Crisis tie-in that likely mattered! Diana leading an army of fantasy warriors while still being Wonder Woman (no armor, no edged weapons, etc.)


2) Wonder Woman #298 (December, 1982)

A rare Frank Miller cover so bold that it dares you to claim you aren't dying to read the story inside. Plus, it set up some sweet Ray Harryhausen action. Hypocritically, this image is also pretty much everything I decry with my #1 choice...


1) Wonder Woman #306 (August, 1983)

José Luis García-López, Dick Giordano, color holds, the Invisible Jet, the Magic Lasso, unabashed patriotic iconography... This cover represents everything that was awesome and fun about the Pre-Crisis Wonder Woman that successive creators keep trying to "fix" with their bull$#!+ "realism."

Their Top Covers of the 1980s

Monday, December 5, 2011

1991 Wizard Magazine #9 Unused Wonder Woman cover art by Bart Sears

Click To Enlarge


Bart Sears was one of my favorite artists for a lot of years, and this was the man in his prime. Wizard didn't figure they could sell a Wonder Woman cover though, so if I recall correctly, she got bumped by Venom. Ah, the '90s. A few years later, the cover was printed inside the magazine during a rundown of rejections.

Friday, December 2, 2011

2010-2011 The Justice League of America 100 Project charity art by Gene Ha

Click To Expand & Enlarge


Wow! A lushly rendered piece in which Donna Troy uses her Trojan Cry against Wonder Woman. Wait-- what?

Hero's JLA 100 Project Friday

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (Formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.


ALL 104 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 ORIGINALS…NOW ON DISPLAY!

Please enjoy this gallery of ALL 104 original Justice League of America #50 Hero Initiative covers!

Hardcover and softcover versions of a book collecting all the covers will be available in December, 2011. AND all the originals will be auctioned off according to the following schedule:

• December 3, 2011, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles, CA: Display of all 104 covers and auction of first one-third
• Jan. 20-22, 2012, Tate's Comics, Lauderhill, FL (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area): Display of remaining covers and auction of second one-third.
• Feb. 17-19, 2012: Orlando MegaCon, Orlando, FL: Display and auction of final one-third.

All covers will be sold via LIVE AUCTION on-site at the venues above. If you cannot attend but wish to bid, proxy bidding is available.
Contact Joe Davidson at: yensid4disney@gmail.com
Deadlines for each grouping are below, and each cover carries a minimum bid of $100.

Special thanks to Firestorm Fan for the notice!