FETISH FRIDAY: DEATHSTAR TATTOO

(link)

"KANDORS" INSTALLATION

Mike Kelley did an installation at the JABLONKA GALERIE entitled "KANDOR'S" - in reference to the shrunken Kryptonian City of (from Superman).

More pics & video HERE.
*thanks, Stephanie!

DC Direct made a replica of the City of Kandor back in... 2000 was it?

STAR TREK VS ALIEN

Awesome.

*thanks, srh!
(who sent this to me back in August & I forgot to post!)

ZELDA RUBINSTEIN PASSED ON

ZELDA RUBINSTEIN passed on yesterday from a heart attack at the age of 76. Ms. RubInstein became a legend to many for her classic performance in 1982's "POLTERGEIST". Rest in Peace, Zelda. Thank you for entertaining us in film & TV, and for your hard work in the battle against AIDS.

ACTOR HALL OF FAME: CLANCY BROWN

JIMSMASH ACTOR HALL OF FAMECLANCY BROWN

CLANCY BROWN is pure Awesome incarnate!

He's not only a great actor (and can play villains perfectly!) he's also a fantastic voice actor. He easily made the JimSmash Actor Hall of Fame for 9 roles alone:

KURGAN!!!!! (Highlander)
SHERIFF GUS GILBERT (Pet Semetary II)
CPT. HADLEY (Shawshank Redemption)
LEX LUTHOR (various DC Animated)
SGT. ZIM (Starship Troopers)
GUNNAR (Pathfinder)
MR. FREEZE ("The Batman")
MR. SINISTER ("Wolverine & the X-Men")
BROTHER JUSTIN CROWE ("Carnivale")

He has been in many other great roles, but those above are the ones that stay fresh in my mind.

Clancy Brown's Lex Luthor is by far the best I have seen. He now owns Luthor, as far as I'm concerned. And when I'm reading a comic with Lex, its Clancy's voice I hear in my head.

GET FIT WITH MARVEL

source

"Top Break Out Characters: 2000-2009" has been updated.

MACHIKO'S BACK!

Sweet!

Aliens Vs Predator: Three World War #3 solicts:

Against her better judgment, Machiko Noguchi is back with the Predators, trying to forge a coalition between the clan that once accepted her and a strike force of Colonial Marines. But it's an uneasy alliance at best as neither side understands the motives or mores of the other. Every gesture is a challenge, every altercation an invitation to battle. But the real battle is yet to come-against a rogue clan of warlike Predators with an army of Aliens under their control. It is said that no plan survives contact with the enemy, but Machiko's plan can barely stand up to her allies!

Featuring the creative dream team of original AVP writer Randy Stradley, Rick Leonardi, Mark Pennington, Wes Dzioba, and Raymond Swanland, Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War ties together story threads introduced in the 1989 AvP series and new Aliens and Predator storylines, setting the stage for the most epic AvP brawl ever imagined.

Publication Date: April 07, 2010

*thanks, SpaceJase!

HOW TO WATCH & ENJOY 'STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS'

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: SEASON 2 is in full swing (or has it already ended?). So in honor of that, I thought I'd do a post for those readers who have been avoiding this series like the plague. I say give it (season 1) a shot because I think there's enough fun stuff in it to enjoy. If anything, its better than the live-action prequels and in a few aspects it has what you wanted to see in those prequels but were denied. But to watch it, you must first learn HOW to watch it....

WARNING: This post is only for those willing to hike up their uber-nerd pants and embrace the dork side.... for this guide to work, you must WANT to like the show. And if you haven't seen the 2d animated series, go watch that first (season 1 & 2)!

First off, keep in mind that this is a "saturday morning" cartoon intended for kids. So think "Droids"... think Tartakovsky's 2D "Clone Wars" a few years back, and remember curling up in front of the television early saturday morning with your pillow and cereal.

Next, forget the Prequels... except for a vague outline of the overall story. Do this for the Originals, as well. Just keep in mind the overall MYTH of the story. And remember, this is a 3D animated series based on a 2D animated series based on a Prequel series which was based on the Original - so its 4x-removed and stands alone on its own.

Now, here are a several things to focus on while watching. By focusing primarily (or only) on these aspects of the show (and ignoring the others), your viewing experience will be all the better. Real-Time self-editing is the key, as is using some imagination (just like when you were a kid).

1) COOL ACTION SCENES: Lightsaber fights, Clone shootouts and Space battles! Whether its a quick moment or an all out sequence, each episode has something to geekily glee about.

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2) ANAKIN. He's more likeable in this series (ie not creepy & whiny). He's matured a bit through war and has a commanding presence of a leader and hero. His outfit is dark with black shoulder armor that constantly reminds you that he is on the path to becoming Darth Vader. While still the young hero (likeable!), you can see the darkness within (not creepy!) and you truly want the series to show him be seduced by the Dark Side through battle fatigue as he tries to do too much to help his fellow brothers-in-arms. But alas, they won't because this is a kids cartoon, after all. But he IS on the path, and you can see it.

Also, its awesome to see him in charge of a fleet of Clone Troopers on the deck of a Republic Cruiser with Republic Officers obeying his orders. You really get a sense of the twisted tragedy that is the Empire - they WERE the good guys during the Clone Wars!

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3) THE REPUBLIC ARMY & CLONE TROOPERS.
Man, seeing the Republic Army in action is badass; Republic Cruisers, V-19 Torrent Starfighters, Admirals and Clone Trooper all kicking ass being led by Jedi in dark clothes (Anakin).... er, wait that sounds like The Empire, Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, Stormtroopers and Darth Vader! Yep, you really see not only how the good army guys become twisted and evil, but you see them in real action - showing how awesome the Empire's Fleet really is when they get into the thick of it.

You get to know the Elite Squad of Clones working closely with Anakin & Obi-Wan. They are the same uber-Troopers seen in Tartakovsky's series. Little-known-fact: The reason why they stand out from the others is because they are the first batch of Clones, had the most training and are the closest to being Mandalorians. Later clones, and each generation after, have less independent thought & training. These elite clones also have nicknames, given to them by the Jedi. This is due to the bond formed in countless battles with the Jedi as they both died and bled on the battle fields. The Jedi found them to be more than simple canon fodder, and thus they were assigned individual names. These handful of Clones (designated with color markings) are also stars of the show and heroes themselves. You get to know and like them. This adds to the betrayal in the Star Wars STORY, as they are also the ones seen in 'Revenge of the Sith' killing the Jedi Masters:

COMMANDER 1004, aka 'GREE'
He later tries to kill Yoda, but gets his head sliced off instead!
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COMMANDER 4477, aka 'THIRE'
In 'RotS', he's the Shocktrooper cmdr that searches for Yoda's body in the senate.
He may also be one of the dudes that saves Anakin on the lava shores.
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MARSHAL COMMANDER 5052, aka 'BLY'
He's the commander on that kills Aayla Secura on Felucia.
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MARSHAL COMMANDER 2224, aka 'CODY'
Trusted buddy to Obi-Wan, who then tries to kill him.

But in this series, they are heroes.
You get to know them and you like them.

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In addition to the tragic betrayal of the Clones, one of the Admirals who works closely with Anakin & Obi-Wan is ADMIRAL YULAREN. He's also one of the head Admirals seen in 'A New Hope', sitting at the table with Grand Moff Tarkin, Admiral Motti and others. Again, in this series he's one of "the good guys", but you know his fate is to become part of the ruling elite of Evil.

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4) ADDITIONAL LITTLE THINGS.
* More Sith! I really dug the character ASAJJ VENTRISS in Tartakovsky's series, and she's back in this. She's a good villain, scary with some disturbingly-creepy sex appeal (or so others say!). She's also pathetically tragic, as she's a walking tool of the Sith and she doesn't even realize it. More importantly, tho, often she's portrayed as one to be feared.

* Obi-Wan looks sweet in his Jedi/Trooper gear! And you really see the good relationship between him and Anakin. At this point in the story, they are almost equals. No longer are they just "Master & Apprentice", now they are good friends and brothers.

* Often times you'll see designs that were unused in the movies. Or like, say, you get to see Y-WINGS in battle with their original covered engines.........or say, the markings on Clonetrooper REX's helmet: It's taken from Ralph McQuarrie's early designs for Boba Fett. Neat!
* Introduction of the STEALTH BATTLE DROIDS. I hate the regular battle droids and wish THESE were them throughout the prequel trilogy. So far they only appeared in a single episode, "Rookies", but I'm hoping to see them again.

* The overall feel... I like the colors and textures of the 3D models. The animation isn't the best, so think of it as an ANIMATIC for a live action series.
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WHAT TO IGNORE:
* AHSOKA. She's annoying, but your hatred of her will diminish a bit quickly. Just ignore her. For the most part, her role SHOULD be Obi-Wan (meaning the dynamic duo element). I mentioned 'self editing' and 'use your imagination' - this is a perfect example.

* JAR JAR. Don't worry, you barely see him. But if you do, just skip ahead.

* THE [3d animated] MOVIE. Well, not entirely. There's a lot of awesome stuff in it, so its worth a view... just look past Ahsoka, Jabba, Ziro and (sigh) Stinky. Concentrate on all the good stuff above. Use the knowledge I have given you.

* Some of the voices, like the Clones, can be a bit odd. ("Yoo Claynkas!")

With all that said.... well, granted the show is not GREAT, but there's enough fun stuff in it that I set my DVR to record it and yes, I will be picking up the dvd seasonal sets ..... and editing the hell out of it for my own future viewing pleasures!

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RECOMMENDED EPISODES TO CHECK OUT FIRST(SEASON 1):
02: "Rising Malevolence"
03: "Shadow of Malevolence"
04: "Destroy Malevolence"
05: "Rookies"

AVOID:
08: "Bombad Jedi"
12: "The Gungan General"
14: "Defenders of Peace"
22: "Hostage Crisis"

T-SHIRT OF THE DAY: ALIEN BEATS PREDATOR

*thanks, Jason!

TUESDAY COSPLAY: PREGGERS VADER

(source)

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE CLOTHES

Saw this book at a used bookstore the other day.
While I did not buy it, I did take a pic for your enjoyment.

THEMEGOMAN'S FORGATHER

If you're in Los Angeles tomorrow night, swing into Territory Records to see themegoman's Art Show "FORGATHER". 7:00pm to 10:00pm PST.

map.

MODERNIST MUTANTS & MINIMALIST MARVELS

Check out these prints by ROGAN JOSH! I love that HULK one!! There's more HERE where you can buy prints for $18.

Josh says:

Do you have a taste for bright, sophistocated, modern, design - all the while harboring a deep, smoldering passion for comic book geekery? Then, my posters are for you!

All prints are on 13x19 heavyweight glossy paper with archival ink. I can also print smaller sizes upon request, no problem.

They look great framed or pinned up, and make super gifts!

Happy browsing!

I'm also taking requests for caricatures people want to see in my Graphic Mutants series. Feel free to let me know if you have a favorite character that you'd like to see made into fab vector art. They don't have to be mutants ;)

You read that? He also takes REQUESTS!

*thanks, nfpgasmask!

FETISH FRIDAY: NAKED DESTRO

So that's why they call him "chrome dome".

'SHADE THE CHANGING MAN' COLLECTED

Oh, cool - DC is releasing the 90's Vertigo title SHADE THE CHANGING MAN in collected form. I think Volumes 1 and 2 are available now, with Volume 3 on the horizon. I arrived late to the party, my first issue being #33 (when it was absorbed into the Vertigo Imprint). From what I remember, I really dug the writing (Milligan) and art (Bachalo). Having these released in collected form is very tempting to fill my shelves with them, alongside my other Vertigo books; Sandman, Death, Lucifer, Preacher, Swamp Thing, WE3, Hellblazer, Y:The Last Man, Fables, Transmetropolitan, etc.

RIPLEY VS THE MACHINES

RustyRaygun sent this one in:

Recently, for fun, I did a video mashup I thought you'd enjoy. I had a random idea to combine Ripley's powerloader scenes from Aliens with the Zion fight from Matrix Revolutions. It was a fun exercise.

Thanks, Rusty!

ALIEN TATTOO OF THE DAY: ALIEN 3 MOMENT

This is JimSmash Reader PUMPKINKING4's tattoo.

Which is taken from this classic moment:Thanks for sharing, Pumpkinking4!

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Click HERE for the other JimSmash "Alien Tattoo of the Day" posts!
*(always posted to the right)

TUESDAY COSPLAY: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA HOOKERS

Secret of the Ooze
(Apologies for the tagline)

*thanks Jason & Muli!

LIGHTNING LADS

Anyone else notice how Black Lightning's new costume and Adam Warlock's new costume both look similar to LIGHTNING LAD'S? Just a dorky observation that's been on my mind for awhile....

PREDATORS SET PIC

From the upcoming Rodriguez-produced "PREDATORS" movie.

I used to love the Predator. But after seeing the disappointing Predator 2, AVP, AVP-R, numerous images of the Predator shitting on the Alien, and countless lame cosplay fans (the same ones that have tarnished the Klingon) I have very little interest in anything Predator. But I still love that first movie... and its still a great creature. I will probably rent this movie, unless word-on-the-street is extremely positive.

*thanks Dino & Chris!

RANDOM FIND: CHEETARA PLAYBOY

meow.

HE-MAN ART SHOW

Gallery1988's latest glorified fan art show is a He-Man theme.
Here are some of my favorites:

Kooky
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Skulls

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All Hail Faker!
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Motorhead Skeletor!
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WTF?
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Ha!
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Yep.
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Moss Man!
---I think this is my absolute favorite.

See the others HERE.

*If you go check it out, swing into Golden Apple Comics next door!