Looks like another great year for Dragon*Con attendees. The 2008 convention in Atlanta, GA ended yesterday and tons of photos are appearing online.
You can browse Dragon*Con photo galleries Here, Here, Here, Here, Here and Here.
I imagine most people have come home exhausted and are still trying to organize their photos. We’ll post more about Dragon*Con soon!
I have a new favorite superhero. Or, maybe I should say antihero. His name is Mr. Justice. He’s flawed, starved for attention and refreshingly likeable. His partner, Powerful Girl, is his voice of reason. Together, the “super” duo set out each day to perform what they consider a good deed for humankind, like raising awareness for rabbit adoption.
I can’t let go of my infatuation with Dr. Horrible and Capt. Hammer…but I’ve carved out a special place in my heart for the quirky Mr. Justice (and not just because of his costume). Take a look at this video and you’ll see why.
An estimated 10,000 people wore costumes at Comic-Con last weekend. Lots of great photos are showing up online. Cinemablend.com just published a gallery with dozens of excellent photos.
Wow, everybody looks great! Be sure to visit Cinemablend.com to view the entire gallery.
You know how they say that life is stranger than fiction? Maybe that’s because sometimes life tries to mimic fiction but it doesn’t go so well.
This past weekend, Spencer Taylor, 20, of Three Rivers, Mich, tried to steal posters and other items related to the new Batman movie from a cinema lobby while dressed up as the Joker.
Unfortunately Spencer, who was wearing a purple suit, green wig and face paint in the style of the Dark Knight’s nemesis, is no criminal mastermind. He was detained by the theater employees until police arrived.
Now our young not-so-super villain may face larceny and malicious destruction of property charges.
Look’s like the joke is…on this joker.
It’s that joyous time of year again — Comic-Con! And thousands of people in costumes flock to the big event in San Diego. All the great costumes… it’s brings a tear to my eye.
Wired.com has a good article and photo slideshow of this year’s costumes. Looks like so much fun!
Well I hope everyone has a fun and safe Comic-Con. I know it’s sold out, and I’m so jealous for the people who get to go.
To view all of these great photos, head on over to Wired.com’s entire photo gallery.
Have you heard of the Wolfpack Elite? When it comes to costumes, conventions and cosplay, these guys are the best of the best. When they say Elite, they aren’t joking.
They are well known for throwing big costume parties at every major comic/sci fi convention in America, “because there’s nothing like throwing back a few shots with Batman on one side and a storm trooper on the other.”
Heh, I like the sound of that!
You can literally spend countless hours on their website, browsing through the photo gallery and forum. The forum is especially helpful for sharing ideas and costume-making tips, and just talking about costumes in general.
The members of Wolfpack Elite seem to be a very fun, welcoming group of people. If you love costumes, you should head on over there and say hello: www.wolfpackelite.com.
You love superheroes, and you love fashion. But other people don’t share your appreciation and they laugh when you wear your Batman cape to the grocery store.
Apparently, those people haven’t been to the Superhero Fashion Exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art. Running through September 1st, The Superhero Fashion Exhibit aims to explore the symbolic and metaphoric associations between fashion and the superhero.
Some of the exhibits are for pure, fantastical enjoyment while others offer practical variations of super hero costumes in high performance sports or fashion wear. Hey, you can even buy a hot pink and green Batman-esque scarf at the gift shop, for $35.00, that’s classy enough to wear to work!
So let people laugh at your every day Batman attire…bet you won’t see their clothes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Going to Comic-Con? Marvel Comics will be teaming up with costume vendor Disguise to hold the first ever Superhero Costume Fashion Show at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego.
The Fashion Show begins in the Marvel Booth (Booth #2429) Friday at 2:00 and will be followed by a photo-op with the models.
According to the press release:
This is no cosplay; these are seriously fierce costumes worn by incredible models, strutting their stuff down the catwalk, for the debut of the sexiest line of costumes ever created and inspired by Marvel super heroes.
Dressing up as a super heroine in the past would have meant spandex and tights. No more! Disguise has tossed this old and unflattering cartoonish concept and instead made fashionable, wearable and fun costumes that not only fit great but look fabulous. These costumes are inspired by some of the hottest and most iconic heroes to grace the pages of Marvel, and this will be your first chance to see them live as they make their Comic-Con debut!
This looks awesome! I’m pretty sad I won’t be going to Comic-Con this year.
For a special preview of the costumes, CLICK HERE.
Do you like superheroes and supervillains? Are you a fan of musicals? Then wait no longer.
Head on over to www.drhorrible.com to view Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog!
It’s the story of a low-rent supervillain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to.
This musical will be free to watch for one week only. After July 20th, 2008, the video will only be available for purchase on iTunes. A DVD packed full of fun extras will be released sometime in the near future.
For an additional back story of Capt. Hammer, be sure to check out his “Be Like Me!” Capt. Hammer online comic published by Dark Horse Comics.
And don’t forget to pick up your Dr. Horrible T-shirts!
So what are you waiting for? And be sure to tell your friends.
Someone at Domino’s Pizza is thinking outside the box - pizza box, that is. To promote the upcoming “Dark Knight” movie, Domino’s is offering a free Batman costume made of cardboard!
Each pizza box will have a part of the costume, and you’ll have to order several pizzas to complete the outfit.
That’s a pretty creative idea, I bet kids will love it.
Here’s a fun promotional video released by Marvel Studios to get fans excited for their numerous superhero movies.
Iron Man was a sensational hit, and the Incredible Hulk opens this coming weekend. Marvel is paving the way for an Avengers movie, which will include all of their heroes teaming up together. I can barely wait, I’m so excited.
This video shows Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk teaming up to fight some giant robots. Heh, Spider-Man seems to take a backseat to the other heroes, probably because he doesn’t have a movie coming out this summer.
Still, it’s great to see the wise-cracking webslinger in action along with Hulk and Iron Man.
Enjoy!
We’ve already blogged about the celebrities and paparazzi who attended the Celebrity Gala, so now let’s take a closer look at the Superhero exhibit itself.
The Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibit runs until September 1, 2008 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
“Through the years, the superhero has been used to embody—through metaphor—our social and political realities. At the same time, it has been used to represent concepts reflective of sexuality and corporeality through idealized, objectified, and hyperbolic visualizations of the human body.”
The Graphic Body
The “S” emblem inscribed on Superman’s chest and cape functions as a simplified statement of his identity. Almost every superhero carries a similarly expressive bodily marking.
The Patriotic Body
Superhero comics both reflect and respond to real-world social and political conflicts…which usually involves upholding American utopianism as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The Virile Body
While phallic symbolism is implicit in the representation of most superheroes, it is made explicit in the case of the Hulk. With his thick neck, bulging tendons, and throbbing veins, he suggests the turgidity of male arousal.
The Paradoxical Body
Nowhere are these biases more blatant than in the representation of female superheroes. With unabashed and unapologetic obviousness, women are portrayed as objects of male desire and fantasy with absurdly exaggerated sexual characteristics.
The Armored Body
Like Batman, Iron Man serves as an effective metaphor for paranoia, but also as a metaphor for the quickly disappearing distance between the body and technology.
Wow, these are some deep, psychological analyses!
Check out their website for the entire online presentation!
With the new “The Incredible Hulk” movie coming out next month, I thought it would be fun to take a look at our giant green friend throughout the years.
“The Incredible Hulk” TV Show (1978)
Before CGI animation existed, the Hulk was played by *gasp* a live person. Bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno painted his skin green and played a pretty good Hulk.
The show ran for several years and was cancelled in its fifth season in 1982. Six years later, three “made for TV” movies were produced with Lou Ferringo reprising his role as the Hulk.
This is probably the best fan-made costume I’ve ever seen! Custom molded and painted, this looks EXACTLY like the Iron Man suit in the movie. You can read more about the creation of this costume on the Replica Prop Forum.
All the armor parts are fanmade out of glassfiber with strong and sharp details, then carefully painted in rich red and gold colour. The midsection armor and neckseal is made from flexible plastic, painted in rich red colours. The gloves are made of foam rubber. The helmet comes with see through eye lenses. The lenses reflect light and does not allow anyone to see your eyes.
SIZE RANGE:
The armor is made to fit a person approx. size 6 -6.4 foot tall with from 32 - 38 inch waistline. Ideal size: 6.2 tall, 35 inch waistline, approx. 220 lbs.
Well done, sir. You are a costume master!
According to a note posted on Mediumatlarge.net at least 64,000 people were in attendance at the New York Comic Con over this last weekend. That’s a hearty boost up from the previous year which rolled in just under 50k.
Yeah, comics and comic book culture are big in a big way. It seems to only be getting better too.
Put together the combined efforts of film, print media, and now a growing video game market and it makes a lot of sense. This kind of growth has been a common trend for the last seven years, and it looks to grow even more through 2008 with the big Iron Man release.
With so much going on, it’s hard to highlight just one thing. However, I’d say the emergence of Frank Miller’s new on screen project will do just fine. This time, Miller is taking on The Spirit in tribute to Will Eisner’s core comic classic. Fans will be watching this project and trying to keep pace with the success of the artsy combination of animation and live action that Miller does so well.
Here’s a bit of a teaser to sharpen your comic wits on for now…
2009 will be more than just the year before 2010.
It will also be the year that Dragonball Z superfans will emerge from their lairs to go see the live action film. Anime-to-film adaptation? You bet your tomagotchi, amigo.
Over a week ago a few leaked photos from the set and costumes made it onto the Internet and generated enough buzz to get the attention of Twentieth Century Fox Films. Naturally, to protect the IP and prevent rampant rumor spreading, they asked for the photos to be taken down. Fan reactions were all over the place, despite the work likely not being done.
So what was seen?
From the pulse we found around blogs and sites who had the pictures, it looks as though the makers are taking some liberties with the film and the outfits. How much of those are due to restrictions of translating manga to live action remain to be seen, but the general disapproval will prove to be a marketing obstacle if these unfinished photos spread too far. We’ll keep checking back to see how this story develops.
Donning a costume can be a hard task for a superhero, but it may not be as hard as making a Marvel film studio fly.
Well, hard or not, it’s happening. Marvel is working on releasing both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk this year, and prospectively working on 2 more titles for ‘09. Purpose? Marvel wants to have a good deal of control over how their various IPs get thrown on screen. Heavy undertaking, if you ask us. In fact, Screen Rant reports that limiting factors may be putting this fancy goal on hold.
As the first film to be birthed by the studio, Iron Man appears to be setting them up all pretty. The movie has boasted so much buzz, that one hardly wonders about success. But amongst the rumors and scuttlebutt orbiting this new venture is the fear that the formula has already been overworked. From an article found in Newsday today:
Launching a major movie production company right now seems like a dicey venture. But the Marvel formula has been a spectacular success for other studios the past eight years. The self-doubting Spider-Man, the bickering Fantastic Four, the misunderstood X-Men and all the other Marvel misfits have racked up a stunning $5 billion in worldwide box office, most of that for Sony and Fox.
So the question is, has the genre already made its chunk of money? Investors may chomp at the bit to get a piece of this pie, but are there enough capes with compelling enough stories to make this juggernaut of an idea turn into marketable goods?
[Image via MyExtraLife.com]
We sent a few questions over to Scott Johnson, cartoonist and comic artist. Scott pristinely runs a couple of popular podcasts about World of Warcraft as well as comics and all things of the sort. Scott’s work is mostly shown either on his website, MyExtraLife, or on his Flickr page. In short, he knows his stuff. Here’s what Scott had to say:
MyDisguises: What do you think of Marvel starting their own film company? Do you think it will serve a need that hasn’t been served with other studios?
Scott: I think its actually a little weird. They should just leave it to the people in the know, and press more for creative control over their own property. Heck, maybe that’s why they are doing it in the first place. The film business is such a jungle sometimes.MD: Is the whole comic-book-into-film thing hitting a dead end anytime soon? Most of the big names in comics have made it to film… is there much else out there to explore?
Scott: I think there is room to grow, but I think Marvel and others need to start working on building new character possibilities like folks at DarkHorse, Image and others have been doing.
MD: How vital do you think it is for Marvel to get this first film right? Will fans lose faith fast or will they trust the Marvel name?
Scott: I think the first movie that comes from this will make or break the deal. if they deliver the goods, then people are on board. If the first effort sucks rocks, then they are screwed.
MD: Now that Marvel has their own studio, do you think we’ll be seeing
some more obscure characters get some time on screen?Scott: I hope so. Cable anyone? Oh yeah, baby.
MD: How do you think fans would respond to animated features by Marvel?
Scott: I think they will give it the one big shot, but they will be picky.MD: Why do you think there are so many comic book characters that flop in film?
Scott: Because people don’t really think through the characters and such. Take movies like 300, Road to Perdition, the first Men in Black, Spiderman II, X-Men one and two…these movies were taken seriously by both the creators and the film makers and as a result, we got really great stuff. I think if you put really talented people on it that love the work, great things can and will happen.
With a couple of the big blockbusters set to hit this summer, we’ll find out soon enough.
Somehow, I wish these were original. Nonetheless, I’m working on getting over the fact that I didn’t get out to Wonder Con and cover it. I’m trying to move on. I’ll be scrounging up all the good info and pics I can find for those of us who haven’t already located every tidbit of information on the Internet.
I’m also testing out this new gallery, so for now feast your eyes on the new gallery feature and our “found” Wonder Con pics.
2007 brought us upon some of the coolest sites we have seen in a long time. We thought we’d pay a quick visit back to some of the big ones and see just what’s up…
I fell in love with this site immediately, as it’s something I’ve never seen before. Comic book artist Dean Trippe put together this blog with the endeavor to re-costume some of the most well known super heroes in pop culture. In the end there are some terribly clever adaptations on classic looks that we have seen on Project Rooftop.
Rooftop likes to host contests for wardrobe redesigns and new looks. I browsed a few of them and must say they attract the most creative artists and gung-ho enthusiasts.
Most notably is the Fights, Flights, and Tights contest. This is where they trade pen and paper for fabric and mask. The annual costume contest brings in some of the more clever comic fans, so you can expect some real classy looks.
Don’t miss the contest and leave some comments. There’s sure to be a MyDisguises reader that will be submitting to the contest soon enough.
Handmade Detroit isn’t quite all about costumes. However, they have their share of content that is great for anyone who is into the DIY thing. Whether you’re dressing up your body for Halloween, your house for the holidays, or your wardrobe with something flashy, it’s good to get tips here.
Since we were last at Handmade Detroit, we noticed plenty of posts covering the Holidays. Regrettably, I personally didn’t get the chance to implement any of the suggestions for my own personal holiday celebration. However, there’s always good content flowing in and out of the site.
My personal pick for the Handmade Detroit contribution not to be missed is the “12 Days of Crafty Projects” segment. It’s classy and looks like a lot of fun.
Ahh retroCRUSH, I love you. This site is worth more than all the Garbage Pail Kids you can muster (Actually, I bet they’d love to see your collection). It’s a respectful, light-hearted, and amazingly fun tribute to all things of the past worth remembering. I get a warm feeling every time I even peek in to see what’s going on.
retroCRUSH always has gems, and it’s hard to pinpoint their best. Personally I’d take a look a few particulars.
First is the retroCRUSH Toy Box of Glory. Here you’ll find all the cool toys you played with as a kid and couldn’t let go of. Slinkys, Stretch Armstrong, Weebles, Ouija Boards, you name it. The gallery is pretty comprehensive and there are videos and pictures to accompany everything.
I’d say that the Gallery of Retrobabes is something for the guys, but there’s just too much good nostalgia for women to not appreciate. On the costume side of things, it’s real fun to see some of these old actresses and celebrities decked out in some of their famous garb from popular films. It’s an enthusiasts hot spot.
Heck, even the web site’s layout and design is pleasantly retro.
This is some sponsor love, because we really mean it. Costume Craze has had a wonderful year, and they are growing to become one of the fastest growing and reliable companies in the U.S. today. Over the past year, they really expanded their costume offerings, and have done a great job keeping our blog alive. How else would we deliver such consistent content?
Since we last checked in with Costume Craze, there’s been a lot to see. What’s most notable is the exclusive offering of custom costumes by Valerie Tabor Smith. There’s absolutely no other way to get costumes this cute for your kids.
We try not to be too preachy, but we owe it to Costume Craze for being so great and for having such a wonderful catalog. Check out the exclusive costumes you can even stock up for next year ahead of time.
Batman and Robin by Daniel Krall
Dean Trippe is doing a service to the comic and costume industry with his blog Project Rooftop. It’s a blog with a mission to diversify the clever super hero costumes out there. The blog has numerous contributions from comic artists all over, and just about every bit of art that floats to the site is second to none. It begs the question, why costume redesign? According to Trippe’s site:
In the superhero market, the various character redesigns by superstar artists like Bruce Timm and Alex Ross have impressed upon readers just how versatile classic superhero iconography can be. Many characers, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Green Lantern, and Supergirl, have had numerous costume changes, but have generally retained their visual identity. Redesiging classic superhero costumes has become an art which combines design skills, color theory, theatrical costuming, and fashion sense.
The superhero fashion industry seems to be a robust one. With superhero culture growing larger from Hollywood adaptations and the popularity of events like Comic Con, it’s no wonder comic artists gather to rehash their favorite do-gooder paragons into their own interpretations.
We absolutely love it! In the world of superpowers, costumes make the hero. This is a great place to get some wonderful ideas for clever DIY costumes, and really pay homage to the artists with the imagination behind the work.
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