Stussy x Marvel trading cards

Stussy:

The first series Stussy x Marvel The Ultimate Teamup will be released on April 27th and combines vintage Marvel characters with definitive Stussy designs. These styles feature the looks from rare and collectible comic books and posters with characters such as Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom and Captain America.

The second series Stussy x Marvel Special Edition Artist Series will be released on May 6th and features artwork by notable artists Will Sweeney, David Shrigley, Bill Plympton, Gary Panter, John K., James Jarvis, Todd James, Mister Cartoon and Noah Butkus.

There are also packs of Stussy x Marvel Trading Cards that will be included with each item purchased.

I'm no fan of the first series of t-shirts:




But some of the cards are pretty great:



*Buy Marvel cards at eBay.

Link roundup

1. LA Times:

Gang tattoo leads to a murder conviction
Inked on the chest of a Pico Rivera gang member was the detailed scene of a liquor store slaying that had stumped an L.A. County sheriff's investigator for more than four years. It leads to a jailhouse confession from Anthony Garcia — and a first-degree murder conviction.

Via.

2. Animated gif featuring Jesse Venture and Old Painless from Predator.

3. A claim that Jim Shooter's blog is filled with lies.

*Buy Tattoo of Death (Choose Your Own Adventure #22) at Amazon.

Illustration roundup

Popeye/Donald Duck mashup by Peter Kramar, currently up for vote at Threadless.



Portal fan art by Dave Armstrong.



Wolverine by Mud.



She-Hulk by John Allison.



A brief guide to different building types by Aled Lewis, currently up for vote at Threadless.

Illustration roundup

Hagrid and baby Harry by Cory Loftis.



Sucker Punch by Raul Trevino, who is looking for commissions.



"Hot" cakes by Tang Yau Hoong up for vote at Threadless.




Hulk and Spider-Man by Farel Dalrymple.



Yuki 7 by Kevin Dart.

*Buy Sucker Punch posters at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Doctor Who/Peanuts mashup by Adam Koford.




The Black Racer by Tom Scioli. Via these sites.



Doctor Strange by Farel Dalrymple.




Lemonade by Josh Parkinson.




Batman gives the Joker a pie in the face by Ben Chen - - currently up for vote at Threadless.




Page from Thunderbolts #149 by Declan Shalvey.

*Buy Peanuts toys at eBay.

Best Covers: Marvel Solicitations for July 2011

My favorite covers from the Marvel Comics solicitations for July 2011. Really high level of art this month, and I like the Juggernaut's new look.


DAREDEVIL #1
Written by MARK WAID
Penciled by PAOLO MANUEL RIVERA AND MARCOS MARTIN
Cover by MARCOS MARTIN (I think?)
THIS SUMMER, THE DEVIL IS REBORN. RENEWED. RESSURECTED.
With new enemies, new friends…and that same old “grinnin’ in the face of hell” attitude, The Man Without Fear is back in a double-sized first issue and leading with his face! Mark Waid (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Irredeemable, RUSE) joins neo-legendary artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin for a new spin on Daredevil that will leave you gasping for air. Having turned his world upside over the past several years, Matt Murdock realizes that justice may not be blind to his past and villains may not be the only ones looking for answers. Bring it on. If Matt Murdock could see what he was doing…he’d be terrified.




SKAAR: KING OF THE SAVAGE LAND #5 (of 5)
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Penciled by BRIAN CHING
Cover by MICHAEL KOMARCK
The final battle to rule the Savage Land comes to a devastating end! As Skaar and Ka-Zar risk everything to save the planet, the Designer resurrects the alien colossus UMBU THE UNLIVING to ensure that if it can’t have the world, no one can! Who will survive, and who will be crowned the ultimate King of the Savage Land?




VENOM #5
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by TONY MOORE & TOM FOWLER
Cover by TONY MOORE
THE HOTTEST NEW BOOK IN COMICS IS BACK WITH A SPIDER-ISLAND PRELUDE!
Can the new Venom and Peter Parker (The Amazing Spider-Man) put aside their differences to help save a man from himself? Plus Betty Brant, crusading blogger and gal pal to Flash Thompson may be onto the secrets behind the infestation kicking off this summer’s Spider-Blockbuster! Rick Remender (X-FORCE) joins Tony Moore (FRANKEN-CASTLE) and Tom Fowler (I AM AN AVENGER) for the next crucial chapter in the life of Flash Thompson!




AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #665
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN
Cover by Paolo Rivera
Infested backup by Dan Slott & Giuseppe Cammuncolli
I AM CAPTAIN AMERICA VARIANT BY Michael Lark
“INFESTED” ENDS WITH SPIDEY AT THE “CROSSROADS”
As Spider-Man, he’s a member of the FF and TWO different Avengers teams. As Peter Parker, he works all hours on his dream job at Horizon Labs. That doesn’t leave him with much time for anything or anyone else. This is where he pays the price. In this landmark issue, one of Peter’s greatest sins-- comes back to haunt him. And the life of someone dear to him hangs in the balance. Plus: With New York’s Infestation complete, the run-up to Spider-Island is over. Prepare for hell to break loose.




RED SKULL #1 (of 5)
Written by GREG PAK
Art by MIRKO COLAK
Cover by DAVID AJA
Witness the chilling creation of Marvel’s greatest monster, and liberty’s greatest enemy. As Berlin descends into chaos and ruin, sinister forces are on the rise…and the men who will form the Nazi Party ascend to power. Against this tragic backdrop of history, a boy comes of age…Johann Schmidt. orphan, thug, urchin – Johann has nothing…and how far he would go for power will change the world…Greg Pak, the writer of X-MEN: MAGNETO – TESTAMENT, and breakout Mirko Colak (SECRET WARRIORS) bring to life the twisted birth of the Red Skull.




ALL-WINNERS SQUAD: BAND OF HEROES #2 (of 8)
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
The super-powered veterans of World War II are facing a deadly mystery…and it goes all the way back to the top-secret missions they ran behind enemy lines under Captain America’s command! Help in unraveling the mystery will come from a very tricky source – and nothing is what it seems!




DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER – THE BATTLE OF TULL #2 (of 5)
Written by PETER DAVID
Pencils & Cover by MICHAEL LARK
In the desert town called Tull, gunslinger Roland Deschain finally encounters one of the men present at the years-ago death of his first love Susan Delgado. But he may have little time for revenge as his strange quarry, the Man in Black has also come to Tull. He has come to perform wonders—dark and deadly wonders. The first of which is the horrifying resurrection of town drunk Nort through a mystic ritual not meant for human eyes. Why the resurrection of this man and why now is a burning question whose answer could mean certain doom for Roland, last member of the House of Eld.




FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #4 (of 7)
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE, PETER MILLIGAN, HOWARD CHAYKIN & KEVIN GREVIOUX
Penciled by MIKE MAYHEW, ELIA BONETTI, HOWARD CHAYKIN & MC WYMAN
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
Speedball desperately races across the world, trying to unite pockets of resistance against the Serpent...but as the Serpent's forces strike back, and innocent lives are lost, is he only bringing about his own greatest fear? PLUS: Jimmy Woo’s world unravels as he pieces together a puzzle he didn’t even know he was part of! Is ultimate knowledge worth the price of his sanity? And can the Blue Marvel fight what the Serpent has wrought in the trenches?




THUNDERBOLTS #160
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by
Jean-Sébastien Rossbach
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
The Raft prison has been destroyed. Hundreds of the most powerful criminals in the world are on the loose. But their threat is nothing compared to that of the one man who
was already unstoppable and now wields godlike power. XXXXX XXXXXX is tearing a path across the United States, obliterating everything before him-- and now the Thunderbolts are going to stand in his way. Can XXXXX XXXXXX's team stop him? Can anything...?!





UNCANNY X-MEN #540 & 541
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils and Covers by GREG LAND
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN!
The X-Men are used to being feared. When FEAR ITSELF finally reaches the west coast, they're going to become well acquainted with the emotion first hand. The unstoppable power of an old foe renewed is heading their way, and they have all the time in the world to realize how little they can do to stop him. And even more time to think about exactly how he's going to destroy San Francisco and everything it stands for. Parts 1 and 2 (of 4)




JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #625
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Cover by STEPHANIE HANS
FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN
Loki's search for allies against the Serpent in the depths of the underworld has gone somewhat awry. Paranoia reigns in the pits, as the forces of Mephisto's Hell and Hela's Hel totter on the edge of open war. Thankfully, Loki has a carefully considered, planned and proportionate response: assassination and perhaps a little torture to follow. Can Loki escape the suspicion that we're all flies to this wanton boy?

*Buy completed build-a-figures at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Revolver Golden Gods Awards poster created by Phantom City Creative's Justin Erickson and Rue Morgue Magazine's Ghoulish Gary Pullin.



Robert Ball has been posting movie villains - - his Agent Smiths would be a great hard drive icon.




New Mutants promotional art circa 1984 by Bill Sienkiewicz. Via these sites.




Batman by Vitaliy Shushko. Via.




Red Knight by Michael Kutsche.

*Buy Magik toys at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Chris Samnee put a bunch of drawings on sale at Etsy.




Myth Busters t-shirt currently up for vote at Threadless.




Tintin meets the Alien by Dan Hipp. (I think this one already sold.)




Daredevil #1 cover by Paolo Rivera.




X-Men First Class poster by Bryan Lenning.

*Buy Tintin toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. I just realized this myself this week - - if you let your Flickr pro account expire, Flickr keeps your photos hostage until you renew.

2. Really great interview showing how various important people at Marvel got their jobs in comics. For example, Joe Quesada:

"I couldn't get an interview at Marvel, so I called Jim Owsley at DC, who had just started there, and he yelled at me that he didn't have the time. So I ran up to DC['s offices] and asked for Jim Owsley, and they called him, and [the receptionist] said, 'Wait here.' So I waited, and eventually Jim Owsley, who wouldn't see me in his office, saw me in the lobby. He came out, and he was sweating and he was all scattered, and he said, 'Whattya got, whattya got, whattya got?' I showed him my portfolio. 'I thought you were gonna suck.' 'Thanks.' 'I got bad news for you. I have no assignments for you; I have two crappy licensed books from TSR. I hate them, and I have no assignments. So I'll tell you what: do me a favor. Go home, give me an inventory cover for this book. Go home, do this for me, and bring it back.'

"So I go home and that night, I drew the cover," Quesada continued. "I bring it back, they call him, and he says, "What are you doing?' 'Here's your cover.' 'I didn't mean now!' 'Well, I got nothing else to do, here it is now.' So he looked at me and said. 'Thank you, I've got no other work for you. You don't have a job, do you? I might have something for you in the next week or two. Stay here, and let me talk to our managing editor, and see if there's an open assignment.' So fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes go by, then 45 minutes, maybe an hour. The receptionist says, 'Mr. Owsley would like to see you in his office.' I walk through the door, and he says, 'Let me ask you; what are the odds of one of the artists on one of my two solo books should call me up, get pissed off, curse me out, and quit?' I said, 'Pretty astronomical.' He said, 'What are the odds that I would give this assignment to some guy that just walked in off the street yesterday and handed me a cover I wasn't expecting this morning? Well, congratulations, buddy. Consider yourself the luckiest sonovabitch in the history of comics.' And to this day, I consider myself the luckiest sonovabitch in the history of comics."

3. Arianna Huffington: "We are betting that content will be free, except maybe for financial information or weird porn."

Link roundup

1. Excellent overview of the Undertaker's WWE career, including this:

In 2006 The Undertaker was feuding with Randy Orton and his proxy (and father), '80s fixture "Cowboy" Bob Orton. (The Orton-'Taker match at WrestleMania 21, incidentally, was the first to use The Undertaker's undefeated streak as part of the storyline. After last night, his streak now stands at 19 matches.) In one match, an aggrieved 'Taker took it to Orton père, bloodying him badly. Later, off screen, Calaway found out that Bob had once tested positive for hepatitis and that nobody had thought to mention it to him before the two shared a bloodbath. Calaway was justifiably incensed, and the elder Orton was soon sent packing.

2. Jim Shooter has been posting one great anecdote after another. For example:

The San Diego Comic Con used to do this thing where artists would do drawings on stage, and then auction them off to raise money for the con. I remember Jack Katz had set a minimum bid on his of $200, and somebody actually paid $200 for it. Then the auctioneer gets this wonderful, huge drawing of Captain America that Jack had been drawing live on stage, and the auctioneer looks at it and says, “Am I bid $5?” I was so offended; it just cut me like a knife. He, like a lot of fans, didn’t like Jack’s work at that point, and that was his honest assessment of what somebody might pay for this.

And another:

The road that led to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars actually began when Kenner Toys licensed the DC Universe for a boys’ action figure line. Their competitor, Mattel, already had their He-Man action figure line, which was doing very well, but wanted to hedge the bet in case comic book character action figures became the rage. So, they came to Marvel to talk about licensing our characters. One thing they demanded of us was an “event,” a special publication or series to help launch the toy line. I offered an idea that was suggested by a dozen or so correspondents -- usually younger ones -- in the fan mail every day: one big, epic story with all (or many) of the heroes and villains in it. Everyone agreed.

We went through a number of ideas for names for the toy line and series. Mattel’s focus group tests indicated that kids reacted positively to the words “wars” and “secret.” Okay.

Mattel had a number of other requirements. Doctor Doom, they said, looked too medieval. His armor would have to be made more high-tech. So would Iron Man’s, because their focus groups indicated that kids reacted positively...etc. Okay.

3. In 2010, 186 restaurants in Florida were cited for mislabeling their fish. Via.

*Buy Secret Wars toys at eBay.

Illustration roundup

Harry Potter meets Ziggy Stardust by Russell Walks - - it's part of a planned series of iconic album covers mashed with iconic pop-culture characters that he's considering turning into calendars or prints. He'd like some feedback, so if you'd like to see more, please say so in the comments, including whether you'd like top see prints or a calendar.




Jason Chalker's poster for The Lord of the Rings featuring The Beatles is on sale as a $15 print.




Captain America and Wolverine by Travis Charest.




Mecha Bison by BossLogic.





Tyson Bodnarchuk posted some the sketch cards he created for the Star Wars Galaxy 6 set. Original paintings are available at Etsy, and he's also looking for commissions.

*Buy Travis Charest comics at Amazon.