tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-213734742024-03-19T03:32:41.309-07:00Idiot StyleUpdates on whatever I happen to be working on at the moment, plus a repository for some of my hamfisted doodles.Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-24829709285007083812015-07-18T18:16:00.000-07:002015-07-18T18:19:57.111-07:00Pig Goat Banana Cricket!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Pig Goat Banana Cricket premiered on Nickelodeon today! Or last Thursday really, but officially, today. Here's a piece I did for the group art show last December! Click for a larger version!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17l7MGwkSqOwaRHCc1Wv-D0d6I2_1YE_s5KTbwTqUmDkFa1NkmhBA94redrrsR-VdX9I1DpORRNUm0GDCmG_hxLvAZ_h2smoK2eV7k5e74d43uAt8ZLacrU0cQG1ZLuvSdXg-Q/s1600/Marginal+Thinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17l7MGwkSqOwaRHCc1Wv-D0d6I2_1YE_s5KTbwTqUmDkFa1NkmhBA94redrrsR-VdX9I1DpORRNUm0GDCmG_hxLvAZ_h2smoK2eV7k5e74d43uAt8ZLacrU0cQG1ZLuvSdXg-Q/s400/Marginal+Thinking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-51241603642874997622012-04-16T16:43:00.001-07:002012-04-16T16:43:47.990-07:00コウモリダニプレゼンツ:バットマンの奇妙なケース!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5VXcSlw0ggGsz6HVVSW7kieJTWmfcYY6x8L16JHZm7WQeQ-gi7G68YlvTLbnGcFYK2uLWIBvAxhbxQ7IC-6biBpUGc3XpMS0XYLAwlxWDe9jK7tPItPUdGIvXJwsECDAqff2fQ/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5VXcSlw0ggGsz6HVVSW7kieJTWmfcYY6x8L16JHZm7WQeQ-gi7G68YlvTLbnGcFYK2uLWIBvAxhbxQ7IC-6biBpUGc3XpMS0XYLAwlxWDe9jK7tPItPUdGIvXJwsECDAqff2fQ/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's all come full circle - here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Z9PwkbmU8&feature=relmfu">link</a> to <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases! </i>translated into Japanese! Sadly, it won't let me embed it here, but the Bat-Manga section starts at 6:35. Check it out before it gets pulled!</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-36243174603530730922012-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:002012-03-23T14:39:04.598-07:00Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Comic Book Pages (MAD Edition)!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hey, guess what - Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season Two, Part Two is now available for purchase at your local retailer (and Season Three will be available June 19)! Which is just the event I've been waiting for to post my final inside look at the making of Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases! Remember, in <a href="http://hamfist.blogspot.com/2011/03/bat-mite-presents-batmans-strangest.html">this</a> post, I promised a spoiler-filled look at Batboy and Rubin? Probably not. Either way, now that it's available on DVD, I don't have to worry about spoilers, so here it is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A bit of backstory first - when we first mixed this episode, Sam Register had concerns that the teaser (the part with Batboy and Rubin) played a little slow. So we chopped about a minute out of the teaser, which left us a minute-long hole to fill, since we're required contractually to deliver the show at a particular length. So we put a few scenes that had been cut back into the Scooby section (everything with the ticket girl), added a couple drifting pans to the manga section, and created a framing sequence for the teaser, featuring a fake comic book starring Batboy and Rubin, which looked a little something like this -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ8DDoE7sZBrTd8XJTOT8QBTKwVvk7jL6m-f5jpWitk8HiZRi_EKrUVEZSw_og7af5nd0qrjI0Ij1O217Td0wmdd1gHpzygRTCTM2i9rnU49FtLt6bP32JB3fSL4bhIn8DW7pDQ/s1600/batboy_cover2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ8DDoE7sZBrTd8XJTOT8QBTKwVvk7jL6m-f5jpWitk8HiZRi_EKrUVEZSw_og7af5nd0qrjI0Ij1O217Td0wmdd1gHpzygRTCTM2i9rnU49FtLt6bP32JB3fSL4bhIn8DW7pDQ/s320/batboy_cover2+copy.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cover is drawn by Lynell Forestall, over a background from the show painted by <a href="http://braveandboldbackgroundpaint.blogspot.com/">Bill Dunn</a>. The lettering here, and in all of the interior pages, is by Peter Girardi.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkTendBSebrpDoBFOE0bQqPJDb8D6YceCl-wh1EJ5DqiU_V_6pwzkcQcuLsknGzkyEghA62mm74Z5ZpOPBzwSWfWWRaC7NC9b2ZVsxmm5SW9sIrZY_1u4gs9mlnr0iftHY4EkBQ/s1600/PAGE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkTendBSebrpDoBFOE0bQqPJDb8D6YceCl-wh1EJ5DqiU_V_6pwzkcQcuLsknGzkyEghA62mm74Z5ZpOPBzwSWfWWRaC7NC9b2ZVsxmm5SW9sIrZY_1u4gs9mlnr0iftHY4EkBQ/s320/PAGE1.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we get inside, all of the panels are screen captured from the teaser itself, because that's really all we had time to do at that point. I certainly would've loved to take a month or two and draw 9 pages of faux-Wally Wood, but it just wasn't meant to be.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7H3jYpbizJnQuL4i4YLg_37m30PQMFsvi11uh7so3zUA0WnttiXpxXOvRi6v4p6ShJwiTBuA4EeytHkHvq0FuZn7_CZq-lr3nkNIIsoTJKo96yBQFj8aVZhG6LX2UHlyKm9y9w/s1600/PAGE2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7H3jYpbizJnQuL4i4YLg_37m30PQMFsvi11uh7so3zUA0WnttiXpxXOvRi6v4p6ShJwiTBuA4EeytHkHvq0FuZn7_CZq-lr3nkNIIsoTJKo96yBQFj8aVZhG6LX2UHlyKm9y9w/s320/PAGE2.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I laid these pages out, which are all from the animation Lotto did for us, based on storyboards by Bret Blevins and myself. I tried as much as possible to emulate the page layouts from the original story...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcl2r7TjjrFut8E74rtPYFFTLJUZlOkl8Zo9gMnJT5NIwmgPuvFW-FYPOwMIBb_7HWh-2CZ_usEsLQw5Lz7nNUrplOA6LtKNx27DWOyBwhn4vtqFVvv2HgTkxYrOllm4OejbYKQ/s1600/PAGE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcl2r7TjjrFut8E74rtPYFFTLJUZlOkl8Zo9gMnJT5NIwmgPuvFW-FYPOwMIBb_7HWh-2CZ_usEsLQw5Lz7nNUrplOA6LtKNx27DWOyBwhn4vtqFVvv2HgTkxYrOllm4OejbYKQ/s320/PAGE3.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...but we had a few panels that had to match the ratio of a hi-definition television screen, since those were the panels we were trucking in and out of to transition between the show and the comic.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcZf-LHV81e5O9rnLr5_rK8SXqaqMFVHIi4TgtM2CDAr1YOViNCuHPFosnjjUXi0K9AcDmvAv1t9vakzoVfXQmBbukIo_iyftQKx6v2shrrKgpvrVU4pYFPCFVc2GZ-l0HJogtA/s1600/PAGE4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcZf-LHV81e5O9rnLr5_rK8SXqaqMFVHIi4TgtM2CDAr1YOViNCuHPFosnjjUXi0K9AcDmvAv1t9vakzoVfXQmBbukIo_iyftQKx6v2shrrKgpvrVU4pYFPCFVc2GZ-l0HJogtA/s320/PAGE4.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And yeah, I know that guy should be strung up by his neck, but Standards and Practices had a problem with that.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWsOXY6IhKRKd2qSSEMtS3q2V5waq9S8Ul1Bre_5xLU4C620ojSHU2A8XL7MPtXvi2tFWVNXDS40d_AopaWb149WBzScsATHM8VFzZZBpKIurCTUsQddiY9BYNjMx-ITJ8Si2RA/s1600/PAGE5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWsOXY6IhKRKd2qSSEMtS3q2V5waq9S8Ul1Bre_5xLU4C620ojSHU2A8XL7MPtXvi2tFWVNXDS40d_AopaWb149WBzScsATHM8VFzZZBpKIurCTUsQddiY9BYNjMx-ITJ8Si2RA/s320/PAGE5.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Peter also added a layer of texture to age the comic up somewhat - I think the coffee cup stain was a nice touch, although I'm sure it lowers the value of our nonexistent comic to Fair or even worse.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrI2SZ_nc1GuM65tp7NoStKhocaJ8TPCjW3hnFDDkqLC1R1voOarVKeJY2AorgnX8b26FiS-0J2bjV-K31yDUvqTEcYDQN-qvL8Q1xT4SS7lNhYNKG1RAmPBhXs02K1DCx9k6Zw/s1600/PAGE6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrI2SZ_nc1GuM65tp7NoStKhocaJ8TPCjW3hnFDDkqLC1R1voOarVKeJY2AorgnX8b26FiS-0J2bjV-K31yDUvqTEcYDQN-qvL8Q1xT4SS7lNhYNKG1RAmPBhXs02K1DCx9k6Zw/s320/PAGE6.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The astute reader might also notice that our stand-in comic has some pacing issues - partly, it's a natural side effect of adapting a seven page comic into a nine page simulacrum thereof...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qNBmjIxe4ZuVmUKn70-wStmqEcMNEt9ks03AoXBUmokudQEroMTdC9cMZVFKMYg4HFOsvsnas5pb5LWqBtSYFRJ7iW0j_9FKfvvsga6z_WU1_yTAjov6djElhEoIWDVJz0ke2w/s1600/PAGE7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qNBmjIxe4ZuVmUKn70-wStmqEcMNEt9ks03AoXBUmokudQEroMTdC9cMZVFKMYg4HFOsvsnas5pb5LWqBtSYFRJ7iW0j_9FKfvvsga6z_WU1_yTAjov6djElhEoIWDVJz0ke2w/s320/PAGE7.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...partly, too, it's a result of not spoiling the vampire reveal at the end.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtKndGyVkkg5f2f0A2BXDyz0zBzYssiLHwgQRLrSYKMTAXD9fMJUHvP-mzftdXa6bDrO5fObsBujVxwfy3z0Wry2qNInNDmiLuoRr9fA5SAPA97SYm1SnIUKTCOPEW7IjJViD_g/s1600/PAGE8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtKndGyVkkg5f2f0A2BXDyz0zBzYssiLHwgQRLrSYKMTAXD9fMJUHvP-mzftdXa6bDrO5fObsBujVxwfy3z0Wry2qNInNDmiLuoRr9fA5SAPA97SYm1SnIUKTCOPEW7IjJViD_g/s320/PAGE8.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the last page, the pacing is positively glacial - it's almost like we were planning a multi-part story to be collected in a longer trade. But of course, no one making a real comic book would ever let their pacing get shot all to hell just to pad a story out to six issues.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw84ey4CqK_Qv4ByqkPGhiG_tXbYln8LxY56tKapakoVsOMRPVG5tR10LVlg4eNh1qxeEYwAxEfdFQZSAkuaV0xEl_yoIDLQJ6Od20fX4qqrcsEU-QbVdN2mimWwydcQoRN6U0cA/s1600/PAGE9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw84ey4CqK_Qv4ByqkPGhiG_tXbYln8LxY56tKapakoVsOMRPVG5tR10LVlg4eNh1qxeEYwAxEfdFQZSAkuaV0xEl_yoIDLQJ6Od20fX4qqrcsEU-QbVdN2mimWwydcQoRN6U0cA/s320/PAGE9.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ8DDoE7sZBrTd8XJTOT8QBTKwVvk7jL6m-f5jpWitk8HiZRi_EKrUVEZSw_og7af5nd0qrjI0Ij1O217Td0wmdd1gHpzygRTCTM2i9rnU49FtLt6bP32JB3fSL4bhIn8DW7pDQ/s1600/batboy_cover2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Any ways, there you have it - our fake Batboy comic. It doesn't work so great as a comic by itself, but flipping by for a few seconds, I think it works pretty well, and it was a lot of fun to make. And you can use it to read along with the episode, now available on DVD!</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-39413345611282323282012-03-08T12:36:00.000-08:002012-03-08T12:36:47.719-08:00In other news...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today I just wrapped a project I still can't talk about, because it hasn't been announced by Warner Brothers. But rest assured that this unnanounced project, of unspecified length, will sooner or later be available for purchase or rental or viewing in some as-of-yet-undesignated format or medium. So look for it at an undisclosed store, network, website or theatre near or far from you!<br />
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Here's a sneak preview -<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNbDi5QLv9gyYBHAft30BkFX5_4UaUo0UWYxmiQb_XNxl7M9uiEQxUOqrX7uWHWYqhk_t_AZYHNqUKvn0b4rEwhc1Q1q_Y8P_KkzH4x9OXDH0rB-41G57z9zKrEP3A51HMO97_w/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNbDi5QLv9gyYBHAft30BkFX5_4UaUo0UWYxmiQb_XNxl7M9uiEQxUOqrX7uWHWYqhk_t_AZYHNqUKvn0b4rEwhc1Q1q_Y8P_KkzH4x9OXDH0rB-41G57z9zKrEP3A51HMO97_w/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-2318988947249166302012-03-08T12:27:00.000-08:002012-03-08T12:27:31.322-08:00DC Nation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So here's what I've been doing instead of updating my blog - working on shorts for a brand new block of superhero shows for Cartoon Network called <a href="http://dcnation.kidswb.com/">DC Nation</a>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xmjq8q" width="480"></iframe><br />
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The shorts with the cheerful little plasticine heroes are of course by the geniuses at <a href="http://www.aardman.com/">Aardman Studios</a> - in this case, the specific genius is director Rich Webber. Here's a peek at a short I directed myself, starring some some familiar faces (and voices) -<br />
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<object class="ign-videoplayer" data="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" height="270" id="vid_af7e25ce563905023cb775ac2cc66a4a" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashvars" value="url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/02/15/exclusive-the-titans-face-3d"/></object><br />
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These "previews" are more than half the length of the actual shorts, so I guess they should have had spoiler alerts. Sorry! This next one, by <a href="http://andyupdates.blogspot.com/">Andy Suriano</a>, has already aired, so check it out -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S9rhW-k3TQ4" width="480"></iframe><br />
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This short, which is actually cut from a longer short made years ago by <a href="http://davidproduction.jp/">David Production</a> in Japan (directed by Toshiaki Hontani, produces by Koji Kajita and Taito Okiura), will be airing this Saturday, so if it's not already too late, spoiler warning!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tKC--L2bxuQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
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So I'll try to be better about updating this blog with DC Nation stuff, but mostly I've been dumping it onto my <a href="http://idiotstyle.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/idiotstyle">tweeting</a> about it, so for the full picture, you might want to check those out too.</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-35323293456583648062011-06-11T09:53:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:53:49.933-07:00Two Atoms Enter, One Atom Leaves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> While Cartoon Network is still holding off on airing new episodes, someone hasn't passed the word along to iTunes or Amazon, because they're releasing new episodes every week. Grab 'em before they notice their mistake! So this post is about episode 7 (listed as episode 6 with the online vendors), and if you want to avoid even the tiniest of spoilers, stop reading now (although the title is about as spoilery as this post is gonna get anyways).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpt424tRsfTB6Eto-YPcHDwLYa3tEnMJWWnl0sFenDokrYGzKkWXc-7JT6-c9on9y37hD1sEdv-KkFprmY0Aho2guSUOtep8IxuFu_bpKQt7lAGYlCymZIH8nZ7kScxNmNk4nIg/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-06-11+at+9.51.30+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpt424tRsfTB6Eto-YPcHDwLYa3tEnMJWWnl0sFenDokrYGzKkWXc-7JT6-c9on9y37hD1sEdv-KkFprmY0Aho2guSUOtep8IxuFu_bpKQt7lAGYlCymZIH8nZ7kScxNmNk4nIg/s400/Screen+shot+2011-06-11+at+9.51.30+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Still reading? OK then, here's the thing - Show 7 is our Atom episode, the one where we introduce Ray Palmer. But don't fret, Ryan Choi fans, he's in it too. But by the end of the episode, only one will be the Atom. I just wanted to take a moment to say that DC's been really good with giving us a lot of leeway in our show, but they did have a specific mandate for which Atom would still be our show's Atom at the end of the episode. All the same, thanks to DC for mostly giving us free rein.<br />
Also, for those who are interested in the behind-the-scenes kinda stuff, we switched the teasers for <i>Battle of the Superheroes!</i> with this show. So really, there wasn't quite so much of an Aquaman barrage in the script for this one, it just kinda worked out that way.<br />
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All art and characters ™and © DC Comics</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-71528920481481193282011-04-30T16:21:00.000-07:002011-04-30T16:31:55.771-07:00Sorry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> As promised, here's an apology for <i>Night of the Batmen!</i> Not for the episode itself, which I think was a good one, and one I'm proud of. Also, I won't apologize for the fact that "The Ballad of Batman" is now stuck in your head forever, because that's what a good song is supposed to do. No, my apology is not for anything that was in the show, but something we left out.<br />
In the original script, from first draft all to the final version, Joker was accompanied by his cute but calamitous companion-in-crime, Harley Quinn. But as we started to get ready to board it, I asked James Tucker if he'd mind if I replaced her with one of Joker's previous sidekicks, Gaggy - which he obviously agreed to, because in the show, we did this -<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspUc5DIjTwzB0BPdGFl5uYixlzPlnFnv3h8TRB6cH9j5-vzqeCNLS8be7En6y40mSqJB6C3VzRcaNOrNhkpM0zM7XWsO0Wy5ewdfEWl1MU1yF6EFpvFYPgI9rBB8o4G7oltU4Ng/s1600/Gaggy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspUc5DIjTwzB0BPdGFl5uYixlzPlnFnv3h8TRB6cH9j5-vzqeCNLS8be7En6y40mSqJB6C3VzRcaNOrNhkpM0zM7XWsO0Wy5ewdfEWl1MU1yF6EFpvFYPgI9rBB8o4G7oltU4Ng/s400/Gaggy.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So to all of the Harley Quinn fans out there, I'm sorry I removed her from the show. But here's the thing - in an 22 minute episode with five guest heroes and six villains with talking parts already, there was no time to include Harley, except as a silent partner. And if you're gonna use Harley, you want her to have some dialogue - it's just out of character for her to hang around quietly in the background. Not so much for Gaggy. So while I don't regret swapping Gaggy in for her, I know she has a lot of fans who would have liked to have seen more of her in our show, and to them, sorry.<br />
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All characters ™ and © DC Comics</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-10727046658489434242011-04-27T13:26:00.000-07:002011-04-30T17:31:35.730-07:00The blog that ate itself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I meant to post something about <i>Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!</i> a while back, but I didn't want to post anything before it aired, because I couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't spoilery (even the title itself is a little spoilery for my tastes), so I figured I'd post something after it aired. But then I got really busy, and this is the first chance I've had to sit down and blog, so here we go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YQYL9TSRmQ2RM38O1-pAL-qF5X9Lza3cxtJUDbiuY3cuAtP4piBlHG-eozIVxUQs16LzkhyUuU-r0z13BKU0m-dTQ_i6Jwk-MmNJzJZUexiwSAkB46D4cULQCOrSMeVXQK8z1Q/s1600/JTVatV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YQYL9TSRmQ2RM38O1-pAL-qF5X9Lza3cxtJUDbiuY3cuAtP4piBlHG-eozIVxUQs16LzkhyUuU-r0z13BKU0m-dTQ_i6Jwk-MmNJzJZUexiwSAkB46D4cULQCOrSMeVXQK8z1Q/s400/JTVatV.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So anyways, <i>Joker: The Vile and the Villainous -</i> this was the first story written for Season 3, and according to Michael Jelenic, the concept for the episode was inspired by none other than this very blog, specifically <a href="http://hamfist.blogspot.com/2010/01/big-announcement.html">this post</a>! So that was nice to hear.<br />
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We (Michael, James Tucker, Jim Krieg and I) blocked out the structure of the story over the course of a morning, then James left us with one unresolved piece of the puzzle - who would the Joker team up with? So spent a lot of time (most of a full afternoon) trying to come up with a partner for the Joker, running through a couple of candidates that weren't quite right, until James saved our collective behinds by emailing in from nowhere with the Weeper.<br />
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This Friday, <i>Night of the Batmen!, </i>our adaptation of issue 13 of the comic book - after which, another blog post, featuring an apology from me to one particular fanbase that's sure to hate me when they find out what we've done (or rather, didn't do)!<br />
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Image ™ and © DC Comics</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-80794868962590527452011-03-28T16:51:00.000-07:002011-03-28T19:57:50.122-07:00Wow, you guys really like Superman, huh?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/reviews/57battle/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/reviews/57battle/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a little unusual - I thought the Superman episode was pretty good and all, but now that it's aired, the response has been pretty dizzying. It got some nice write-ups at <a href="http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/03/batman-brave-bold-expires/">Wired</a>, <a href="http://io9.com/#!5786440">io9</a>, <a href="http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/03/the_brave_and_the_bold_and_the_superdickish.php">Topless Robot</a>, <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tv/getting-animated-batman-brave-bold-back-110328.html">Newsarama</a> and even the Onion's <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/batman-the-brave-and-the-bold,53692/">A.V. Club</a> (although they listed Dana Delany as the voice of Lois (it's Sirena Irwin) and misspelled Mxyzptlk - how can you misspell Mxyzptlk?), as well as an overwhelmingly positive response in the usual places. Still, it's weird how they all seem to make grim note of the fact that the show's in its last season - let's focus on the positive, people!<br />
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If we knew how much everyone liked Superman, we would have... well, we would have done what we did, since we didn't have permission to use him until now. Anyways, there are a <a href="http://absorbascon.blogspot.com/2011/03/quantity-is-good-worlds-finest-on-bb.html">couple</a> of <a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=425538">folks</a> working up some annotations - check 'em out! And yes, Michael Jelenic does know about a certain <a href="http://superdickery.com/">website</a>, which did provide some inspiration for the story.<br />
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So I'm glad the show went over so well... I hope the rest of the season goes over half as well! And oh yeah, I guess Season One Part Two has been out on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Brave-Bold-Season-Part/dp/B004AUCDK6/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_b">DVD</a> for a couple weeks now, so go buy that if you haven't yet. And watch Bat-Mite this Friday at 6:30!<br />
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All characters ™ and © DC Comics</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-53702271283593292382011-03-24T14:37:00.000-07:002011-03-24T14:43:28.247-07:00New B:TBatB episode tomorrow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow night at 6:30 on Cartoon Network - this guy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.cartoonnetwork.com/v5cache/CARTOON/site/Images/i20/CARE1003271100008040_009_1280x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://i.cartoonnetwork.com/v5cache/CARTOON/site/Images/i20/CARE1003271100008040_009_1280x720.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes we dig pretty deep into the deeper recesses of DC's library for some obscure heroes to team up with Batman, but this time we outdid ourselves... we went all the way back to <b><i>1939</i></b> to dig out a hero named... lemme check my notes here... Superman! Anyways, he'll be on the show tomorrow, so check it out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Superman and Batman ™ and © DC Comics.</div><br />
</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-12960741331107232932011-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:002011-03-24T14:41:28.784-07:00Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Deleted Scenes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Cartoon Network has announced airdates for a couple of new B:TBatB episodes, starting with <i>Battle of the Superheroes!</i>, which is actually the fifth episode of Season 3, airing March 25th. That's the one with Superman, but I can't say anything much about that until Warner Bros. decides to let some stuff leak out, so instead, I'll use this post to gab on at further length about <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!</i>, which also had its airdate announced. And that airdate is...<br />
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April the First!<br />
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That's pretty much the perfect airdate for Bat-Mite. Well played, Cartoon Network!<br />
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But now that an airdate has been announced, I feel hesitant about posting any more B-MP:B'sSC spoilers. So that spoiler-filled Batboy post I was planning will have to wait, but I wanted to post something more than the news about the airdates, so here's the compromise - I'll post stuff from the Bat-Mite episode that never actually made it to the air. No spoilers in footage that isn't actually in the show, right?<br />
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Normally we don't have much in the way of deleted footage, but Bat-Mite has a knack for messing up our normal schedule one way or the other. This time around, when we finished the storyboard, we found that it was a couple minutes short of a full show, so we had to scramble to make some stuff up to patch up those gaps. We put back some of the gags that had initially been cut from the Batboy and Rubin section, James wrote the bit where Bat-Mite magically adds fight scenes to the Scooby section, I wrote a shark safety PSA, and James came up with one last thing - a commercial parody that we would have squeezed into the act break during the manga section.<br />
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First, a little history - for those who didn't live in Canada in 1987, you might have missed these department store commercials (although they were being rediscovered on the internet around the time we were working on B-MP:B'sSC).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pi5qoxxQpMY?fs=1" width="425"></iframe></span><br />
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They were directed by the amazing Greg Duffel in Toronto at his Lightbox Studio, with designs by the great <a href="http://tytempletonart.wordpress.com/">Ty Templeton</a>.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GnhpHCI53KA?fs=1" width="425"></iframe></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's also Greg as the voice of Robin, by the way.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fux7g94T5nM?fs=1" width="425"></iframe></span><br />
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As a side note, these commercials eventually led to Greg's studio being hired to do some test animation that was used to sell a little show you may have heard of called <i>Batman: The Animated Series.</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RObBwd9PCgI?fs=1" width="425"></iframe></span><br />
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So along with all of the other stuff, James wrote a script for our own fake commercial, and we whipped this little number up (pardon the crudeness of the drawings, I had to bang it out pretty quick)-<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzTynWJw-Ed1AQ5rEMZHTtm1HOOTP1EmJ0eFkMsAwJ4ddWOs4R1odgT2x4ar_AxRBPofuPoDFCafig' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But then, a funny thing happened - when we added all the new stuff into the show, we were actually a minute OVER. So we cut the commercial, since it was easiest to lift out and also, it saved us from doing a bunch of new designs in an episode that already had to be completely re-designed three times over already.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's it for now - the show will finally be on the air in a month, so everyone will be able to enjoy all the stuff's that's actually in the show, and I'll be more comfortable posting some more spoiler-heavy Bat-Mite stuff again. Superman news before that, hopefully!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Batman characters ™ and © DC Comics</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zellers logo and commercials ™ and © Zellers, probably</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zigglers logo and commercial ™ and © Warner Bros Animation, maybe?</div></div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-46100111665906664472011-02-11T19:59:00.000-08:002012-03-27T19:06:35.529-07:00Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Comic Book Pages (Manga Edition)!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes people ask me how to get into animation. Mostly I encourage them to keep drawing, preferably from real life to get those fundamentals solid, and that's pretty good advice, I think. But the curmudgeon in me just wants to warn them away, because the truth of the matter is that animation is, by and large, a lot of work for very little reward.<br />
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By way of example, lets consider a sequence from <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!</i> As a transition from Bat-Mite's lair to the manga section of the show, we had to come up with a few fake pages of a Japanese Batman comic, based on the old comics by Jiro Kuwata. Legal wouldn't let us just use scans from the originals, so we had to cobble together some fakes, made to look enough like Jiro Kuwata's art to be recognizable, but not enough to exact duplicates of the original.<br />
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So I spent a couple weeks coming up with these 6 fake pages -<br />
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-and then we sent it off to legal, who had some tiny changes. Next up, inks-</div>
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-so with the legal hurdles cleared, we got Craig Cuqro to colour the pages, and added a layer of aged paper texture from Bill Dunn. We also got some dialogue translated into Japanese by Toshi Hiruma (I can't remember what it says any more, sorry) -</div>
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-and wrapped it all up in this cover, drawn by Lynell Forestall, inked by Robert Lacko and again coloured by Craig Cuqro and aged up by Bill Dunn -<br />
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All told, the whole process probably took about a month. Now watch it go by onscreen - </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxYHs5fIFL3lkkkzPXG7mwkE0PswIVBlOOiHRsTEQnd4irUejZfYPmPljwjDEfwHT4MYftosVemx5g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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And that's after we duplicated the cycle to extend it. So in a nutshell, we compressed a month's worth of labour into three seconds of screentime. So there's my advice for aspiring animators - always remember that animation is a medium that will drain years off of your lifespan and leave you mere snippets of footage in return.</div>
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And keep drawing!<br />
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All characters and art ™and © DC Comics</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-86937208189543773132011-02-08T19:50:00.000-08:002011-02-15T13:28:08.247-08:00Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Spoilers!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I wasn't going to post anything about <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases</i> until Cartoon Network at least decided when they were going to air<i> </i>it for fear of spoiling things. But now that's it's aired in the UK, it's starting to spread, so anyone who wants to see it probably has. In the meantime, if you're avoiding spoilers, and even if you're not, our background supervisor Bill Dunn has started posting some of his paintings from the show. He's working chronologically, and so far he's only up to episode 2, so it's spoiler-free. Check it out <a href="http://braveandboldbackgroundpaint.blogspot.com/">here</a>!<br />
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As for Bat-Mite, just to be safe -<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><light ahead="" spoilers=""></light></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>(LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD)</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That should do it. The spoilers will be pretty light-to-non-existent here in the first B-MP:B'sSC post, but it will get spoilerier with each following post. The details are leaking out across the internet already, what with <a href="http://twitter.com/Paul_Dini/status/33030482929262592">Paul Dini</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/alyankovic/status/33213868251549696">Weird Al</a> already tweeting about their involvement with it (plus, tweet-wise, I got a nice shoutout from superstar comic book writer <a href="http://twitter.com/tompeyer/status/31541752875720704">Tom Peyer</a>), so I'm assuming anyone reading this far has seen the episode.</div><br />
<light ahead="" spoilers=""></light><br />
First up we have a look at the posters on the wall in Bat-Mite's lair. These posters were all drawn by me, inked by Robert Lacko, and coloured by Hector Martinez. The first poster commemorates Batman's teamup with Sherlock Holmes. You might expect a nerd like me to use the cover to Detective Comics #572 -<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk36xx5Dd78tBotrGQsNbHm-J26MSDM88bJSPiDmB27TKP7_cNOY46TES86kJe2XwTC9ShTGqdKeCrEWzIqbBG10LiSMeWu6alsWgcdYYwHJaitfs3y4VT9IblyvzjgnxJv3SByQ/s1600/batmanholmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk36xx5Dd78tBotrGQsNbHm-J26MSDM88bJSPiDmB27TKP7_cNOY46TES86kJe2XwTC9ShTGqdKeCrEWzIqbBG10LiSMeWu6alsWgcdYYwHJaitfs3y4VT9IblyvzjgnxJv3SByQ/s320/batmanholmes.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- and know that I tried, but legal wouldn't have any of it. In fact, the closest that I could get to an image depicting a teamup between Batman and Sherlock Holmes is this -</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_XjQhxfQj4lNd71WDBRiL2DxmARmoDvelCux0RriFjHTfl9sY8-2yoItutM97l8LFFftkY7kavBAyHTv_N1qAVdBmWocHcMi44_rc_GfZOARIDSoyuSBoUmpzjr7UBsxPufGwg/s1600/pipenhat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_XjQhxfQj4lNd71WDBRiL2DxmARmoDvelCux0RriFjHTfl9sY8-2yoItutM97l8LFFftkY7kavBAyHTv_N1qAVdBmWocHcMi44_rc_GfZOARIDSoyuSBoUmpzjr7UBsxPufGwg/s400/pipenhat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Long time fans of the show will probably now ask, "Hey, why not just use a screengrab from <i>Trials of the Demon!</i>?" to which I can only say that the legal issues surrounding the use of Sherlock Holmes are complex, labyrinthine, self--contradictory and ever-changing. In short, I tried that too, and legal said no.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up we have the Elongated Man. I'm glad Paul Dini put him in the script, because I actually like Ralph Dibny. He gets written off as a Plastic Man ripoff, but like many characters that have been around for four decades before being needlessly slaughtered in a company-wide crossover, Ralph's character picked up a few interesting aspects over the years, like his status as the JLA's #2 detective, and his rare-for-comics idyllic marriage. I also liked the running gag started in Justice League Europe (I think) about how all the other characters are kinda weirded out by his mystery-sniffing nose, so I tossed that into the poster.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BUJyueFLlHvkrtmICF9u-8Cu75JvhWuKbmQAZhhtc0-nWjcbot1KnqULzhlrTrNOX2xLprsJoiGYzLBqaVhPslf-EfwfHC-Gzoxz5cOUQ8OAxc-L1JTcIUDBq5KM4Xmt7uO1CQ/s1600/Ralph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BUJyueFLlHvkrtmICF9u-8Cu75JvhWuKbmQAZhhtc0-nWjcbot1KnqULzhlrTrNOX2xLprsJoiGYzLBqaVhPslf-EfwfHC-Gzoxz5cOUQ8OAxc-L1JTcIUDBq5KM4Xmt7uO1CQ/s400/Ralph.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><br />
The next three posters weren't called out in the script, but there was a lot of dialogue to cover and I wanted to keep Bat-Mite moving, so I had to make some stuff up for him to float past. Now, DC has a lot of detectives we could have used for these posters - Slam Bradley, the Crimson Avenger, Roy Raymond, Rex the Wonder Dog, and so on - but we didn't have designs for any of those guys, and this show was already pretty design heavy, so I just pulled three detectives from the characters we already had designed. Detective Chimp was a pretty obvious choice. You can see the tracks he's following transform from human to simian, so maybe they're tracking a victim of Grodd's E-Ray, or a were-ape, or something.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm8aK3JC1IQJBBC38VRstY9m99UWWejoag9T0HtdiXEZHyAgnut663582CC29QGztRXuhVTuyZXMmcAEd4SQ7Hk2nsVwKy1yPl-nTNZRPI5wKOTGZF_KsVvMKdFfJBfnSDoKr4A/s1600/Chimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm8aK3JC1IQJBBC38VRstY9m99UWWejoag9T0HtdiXEZHyAgnut663582CC29QGztRXuhVTuyZXMmcAEd4SQ7Hk2nsVwKy1yPl-nTNZRPI5wKOTGZF_KsVvMKdFfJBfnSDoKr4A/s400/Chimp.jpg" width="345" /></a></div><br />
Our next detective is the Question - for his poster, I leaned more towards his portrayal in JLU than our show. I mean, he's still a detective and all in our show, but by that point, we'd only seen him tied up in a giant scale and breaking into Darkseid's lair on Apokolips. Here we have him sneaking around in a much more Earthbound environment, probably uncovering some nefarious underhanded crimes by a shadowy conglomerate. Or a <a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/grudgematch/">32nd ice cream flavour</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEy0zRl00iTA4EBLsI0KVTHntyBflD_1UKLHDr9kwsdbL6Ht3ZU4tXT1ulYfacqtagfis5FdVzSTJZhp8gkxVphI3efHk1Ou235qLm7LpKr-hGCYNTdQhUi6f_MRIfpjbrq2stA/s1600/%253F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEy0zRl00iTA4EBLsI0KVTHntyBflD_1UKLHDr9kwsdbL6Ht3ZU4tXT1ulYfacqtagfis5FdVzSTJZhp8gkxVphI3efHk1Ou235qLm7LpKr-hGCYNTdQhUi6f_MRIfpjbrq2stA/s400/%253F.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />
And finally, the Martian Manhunter helping Batman solve some sort of mystery on the moon. J'onn, of course, is a police detective in his civilian ID, and debuted in Detective Comics, so he's certainly qualified for the wall of detective teamups.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ar1JIOnuz7ZT_NuL01cKaCK-plsiEcJHUlLDeALZ7H4WysQGKD4kUV6bXkhD8Itne7ZYeqdTAiHBl2nWC0Imnw7ojQTuTwrIOxfOBCYoru24WnRY8a81TEYjJsCh0tW_5Wi-ug/s1600/Martian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ar1JIOnuz7ZT_NuL01cKaCK-plsiEcJHUlLDeALZ7H4WysQGKD4kUV6bXkhD8Itne7ZYeqdTAiHBl2nWC0Imnw7ojQTuTwrIOxfOBCYoru24WnRY8a81TEYjJsCh0tW_5Wi-ug/s400/Martian.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br />
And that's that for that. Coming up, more B-MP:B'sSC posts, unless work gets crazy again, in which case, I hoped you liked this one, 'cause I won't have time for any more.<br />
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All characters and art ™ and © DC Comics, except Sherlock Holmes<br />
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Sherlock Holmes ™ and © don't even ask</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-36715321373176717252010-11-11T17:39:00.000-08:002010-11-11T23:59:59.958-08:00U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S., Eh?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So there's a new episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold airing tomorrow! This one's overflowing with more patriotic spirit than any half-hour of television ever. Check this out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C9E5Sbkp6rqyi76cYNZ2cCzw9a2idb5eRnFKPWbZW7DhpXhhec3piSD_juMinDu5cUDHZMeZtyFQoyB9BD918wNMkxdgmqMQPmFwiobbki-3Pwl7oDV4YAAN7D9ay_P8RyqBiQ/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C9E5Sbkp6rqyi76cYNZ2cCzw9a2idb5eRnFKPWbZW7DhpXhhec3piSD_juMinDu5cUDHZMeZtyFQoyB9BD918wNMkxdgmqMQPmFwiobbki-3Pwl7oDV4YAAN7D9ay_P8RyqBiQ/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Naturally, when the time came to hand out this most American of scripts, it somehow landed on the desk of the show's only non-American director, me. To compensate, I have tried to jam it full of those vivid Stars and Stripes that you Yankee Doodles are so fond of. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHQZCjsh4DsePUEy1znGC_9BuWHiNFAX4C6QUzTASgjYXL8NMYtcEMg-d1xp_mNzCDW3euheXyTbcvkEuyFwr60OGWdzs3bRRU4G3R8ewXTMOvrltNp91NUJKmXsjJqiySPRtsw/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHQZCjsh4DsePUEy1znGC_9BuWHiNFAX4C6QUzTASgjYXL8NMYtcEMg-d1xp_mNzCDW3euheXyTbcvkEuyFwr60OGWdzs3bRRU4G3R8ewXTMOvrltNp91NUJKmXsjJqiySPRtsw/s400/04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's also a rousing adventure full of as much of the usual B:TBatB mayhem and whimsy as ever, so even if you're not in the USA, check it out! It's also got this guy in it -</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUvUX6eLj4glkVrTjPTsTveqMp5a-lFozB6yt8C7u3anZjNs5WFIzTE0wpaxY_AHhF21MG4bTiwl1ExULVu3xnV2Togx79-vf1tv3Eo2pOig2sEhsUqfE9UYzocNnInYomH8npQ/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUvUX6eLj4glkVrTjPTsTveqMp5a-lFozB6yt8C7u3anZjNs5WFIzTE0wpaxY_AHhF21MG4bTiwl1ExULVu3xnV2Togx79-vf1tv3Eo2pOig2sEhsUqfE9UYzocNnInYomH8npQ/s400/07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If you can't wait for tomorrow, there are video clips and more pictures <a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/reviews/48cryfreedom/">here</a> to whet your appetite. They'll make your computer smell like Mom's apple pie!<br />
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All characters ™ and © DC ComicsBen Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-33476773353636152322010-10-20T15:20:00.000-07:002010-10-20T15:22:13.722-07:00Hey, Bat-Mite, what's new?<img height="225" src="http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/bravebold/guides/reviews/45emperorjoker/03.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Emperor Joker is on Cartoon Network this Friday? Awesomesauce!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Coincidentally, at least 3 of the characters on the cover of that issue of Who's Who will be appearing in upcoming episodes. Watch for 'em!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Art and characters ™ and © DC Comics.</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-17529024443050391422010-10-12T03:42:00.000-07:002010-10-12T03:54:53.780-07:00Doomed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now that the Doom Patrol episode's aired, I thought I'd post a closer look at the sideshow banners from the circus, since a lot of work went into them. That's kind of the nature of animation - working for weeks on images that flash by in seconds. But in this age of DVD extras and blogsa and what not, there's no reason that work has to zip by unappreciated, is there? Let's all linger over this fine art, drawn by Lynell Forestall and Steve Jones, inked by Robert Lacko and coloured by Bill Dunn. They're all clickable for larger versions.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">First up we have the bountiful Baboushka and Romulus and Remus, both background characters from Doom Patrol v.2 #37. There's not much to say about these guys, they're just there to fill empty banner slots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPJXhCcbLByLmq5hhTWf2lxsGngL-iRu8NlrKF3IlAgV_F7xLJ7wskMFNZChKFm9ECqa0APs0qDAOjfd0aM_1xYBe-JrxRaQUCHEzHHdQyMT_1_yv6pzaM2YuSBL-fKquxcnqg/s1600/baboushka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhPJXhCcbLByLmq5hhTWf2lxsGngL-iRu8NlrKF3IlAgV_F7xLJ7wskMFNZChKFm9ECqa0APs0qDAOjfd0aM_1xYBe-JrxRaQUCHEzHHdQyMT_1_yv6pzaM2YuSBL-fKquxcnqg/s400/baboushka.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="237" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SLa_3rgFpUzus3dT9occfD0LHFQEDAwQbRwWvQzyzJFbkfQJrd-WvnfjZmpvnLO8wD0BoBPKKm8s8mzYBslbUUdVRbi_xWtKdxli4AZJRyohOmTLrxngVA_BJbA_C4TjHV4kmQ/s1600/twins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SLa_3rgFpUzus3dT9occfD0LHFQEDAwQbRwWvQzyzJFbkfQJrd-WvnfjZmpvnLO8wD0BoBPKKm8s8mzYBslbUUdVRbi_xWtKdxli4AZJRyohOmTLrxngVA_BJbA_C4TjHV4kmQ/s400/twins.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Next up we have Lodestone, also from that era and that same storyline. Lodestone was also a member of the Doom Patrol in one of its less celebrated incarnations.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOXaUahdJfz9UuowI69Bbm8S58y2yyCv36dMPuRO7M2n74Whmp3jy27ir31ybCYoNpUdaBBZB8LuoqvU6See3aYqdJYQ4BkitYdKnWVAi_k6X5yfebvGyo7mwWFp8HRzzV0wWpQ/s1600/lodestone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOXaUahdJfz9UuowI69Bbm8S58y2yyCv36dMPuRO7M2n74Whmp3jy27ir31ybCYoNpUdaBBZB8LuoqvU6See3aYqdJYQ4BkitYdKnWVAi_k6X5yfebvGyo7mwWFp8HRzzV0wWpQ/s400/lodestone.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="236" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Following that we have a strongman, because every circus sideshow needs a strongman. This one was drawn by Steve, for some reason doing his take on the style of Frank Quitely.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECJQ4gfyIb_XSNGB_41WJ0uNVPEXm_TxzyHflhoDafUw_RWDRDe6kvttE-cmf0XPed5mv-sOhLqAbalRoKYEA6tCStHURG8RN5OwdYFtdh0d4M6MidDGZD-_rzRztfxsqbXZwew/s1600/flexingman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECJQ4gfyIb_XSNGB_41WJ0uNVPEXm_TxzyHflhoDafUw_RWDRDe6kvttE-cmf0XPed5mv-sOhLqAbalRoKYEA6tCStHURG8RN5OwdYFtdh0d4M6MidDGZD-_rzRztfxsqbXZwew/s400/flexingman.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Then we have Dorothy Spinner and Shasta the Living Mountain. Both were members of the Doom Force, although Dorothy is portrayed here in her Doom Patrol version. Shasta used to have a lot more line work on his tragic self, painstakingly rendered by Steve, but James pulled us back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMYNf6mahRuPnBkLOnmsUrcsERmffJLpe4cmXIvOzg9jLqKSXoZV3UzBYD49wtiY9fxAUEqpY_RYuYz35_4Kd7IaudRqbXv8czPWN0lLsQxMAo5V4ST-Qgw4jWLfccl2GyvtAxg/s1600/spinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMYNf6mahRuPnBkLOnmsUrcsERmffJLpe4cmXIvOzg9jLqKSXoZV3UzBYD49wtiY9fxAUEqpY_RYuYz35_4Kd7IaudRqbXv8czPWN0lLsQxMAo5V4ST-Qgw4jWLfccl2GyvtAxg/s400/spinner.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="236" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOT6zCjS279n5zvksl5LdYVPNyk2ibuORIg_3-dtVqiQL3kUQFJy-5frXeOmS1XnjfIoYExQG2_4JL1Jpg5RAVLC4VwiFH94CHPdbmT9ROwv_TkKNLBS658OfbYwjzZoaGA5dXA/s1600/shasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOT6zCjS279n5zvksl5LdYVPNyk2ibuORIg_3-dtVqiQL3kUQFJy-5frXeOmS1XnjfIoYExQG2_4JL1Jpg5RAVLC4VwiFH94CHPdbmT9ROwv_TkKNLBS658OfbYwjzZoaGA5dXA/s400/shasta.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="237" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">And here's the much-anticipated Brave and the Bold appearance of Beast Boy - this is all the Beast Boy you get this episode. Sorry to those wanting him to be a part of the Doom Patrol, but don't be sad - if we put him on the team, we would have had to kill him. Is that what you want? Beast Boy's blood on your hands? I didn't think so.</div></span></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qncli_SOrrErOe8c9LUIzltAjooAGVVGV0wJW0F5g5JeNFkTknt00I4h0xrgJ8Irs-89KhNe_brObsEWUFa8Xt8_IApevvBtfFABU4nXlI8bxGCumVx7o4d6r6S_If2x493Seg/s1600/beastboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qncli_SOrrErOe8c9LUIzltAjooAGVVGV0wJW0F5g5JeNFkTknt00I4h0xrgJ8Irs-89KhNe_brObsEWUFa8Xt8_IApevvBtfFABU4nXlI8bxGCumVx7o4d6r6S_If2x493Seg/s400/beastboy.jpg" width="235" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For similar reasons, we kept Mento off the team - if we killed him, it wouldn't have seemed like a tragedy. That guy is such a jerk!</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next up we have Crazy Jane... wait, I didn't do a poster for Crazy Jane? What the heck is wrong with me? </span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">To finish off, here's Negative Man himself. I wrote that banner copy myself, and I am as proud of those six words as anything I have ever written.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU20sw5cneu1RNERzyS7OCTL-WnhS993xNpzGa19pEFAHrEBzRNGeU5EsVTwjZxOLTFSJx3TXcnWn8R-4BJvZjNKnp8PpIlAqQiWihL4Wwwu3dt9o2UZoi7MxuUs7fVd_kQBX_nQ/s1600/negativeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU20sw5cneu1RNERzyS7OCTL-WnhS993xNpzGa19pEFAHrEBzRNGeU5EsVTwjZxOLTFSJx3TXcnWn8R-4BJvZjNKnp8PpIlAqQiWihL4Wwwu3dt9o2UZoi7MxuUs7fVd_kQBX_nQ/s400/negativeman.jpg" width="237" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">All art and characters ™ and © DC Comics.</span></div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-70454249479972912992010-10-07T13:44:00.000-07:002010-10-07T13:48:02.082-07:00Hey, look at this!I would've plugged it sooner, but I didn't know they were putting it online - a brand new <a href="http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=7085&e=activitylanding&gcat=ix_dvds&pcat=imgnxt_super_friends">Super Friends short</a>, directed by Ciro Nieli, with boards by four of the world's top board artists and also me!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6PvisX9vp_aq6VsEUAiWBDRpk_-SIlU-CGWVIvsUUOw_l8MOV36ENgbZH2ijFx9OenLbBSCPxDIA1lLg-UQJAWc-ipRQIbYxyNeOMjzJdwSzKMZ6fRTGBQbI2mxXaXT4deCFEw/s1600/superfriends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6PvisX9vp_aq6VsEUAiWBDRpk_-SIlU-CGWVIvsUUOw_l8MOV36ENgbZH2ijFx9OenLbBSCPxDIA1lLg-UQJAWc-ipRQIbYxyNeOMjzJdwSzKMZ6fRTGBQbI2mxXaXT4deCFEw/s320/superfriends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was made (I was told) to be packaged with a Fisher-Price toy, but thanks to the magic of the internet, everyone gets to enjoy it for free!<br />
<br />
Also, the Doom Patrol is on B:TBatB tomorrow - get your piping-hot images and clips <a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php/news.php?action=fullnews&id=867">here</a> or <a href="http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/1010/07/index.htm">here</a>!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySlh1_wBVig1tOO0alBsjvfexFZbW2LNjn_gkZfwyE1NoIJ_uhMcUrEoZdv6jwxLECoFQRF71vnBxZqc4RZonWK9gvsn4DdFW2pWKhTXbUvR4EioggwLmS44jWHmhpqEb2e83VQ/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySlh1_wBVig1tOO0alBsjvfexFZbW2LNjn_gkZfwyE1NoIJ_uhMcUrEoZdv6jwxLECoFQRF71vnBxZqc4RZonWK9gvsn4DdFW2pWKhTXbUvR4EioggwLmS44jWHmhpqEb2e83VQ/s320/03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-14457298222827009622010-10-03T01:28:00.000-07:002010-10-03T01:33:42.222-07:00DOOM (Again)OK, as Brianne has reminded me, {SPOILERS FOR SIEGE OF STARRO}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Starro is dead now,</span></span> {SPOILERS OVER} so let's move on and <s>plug</s> talk about my next episode, <i>The Last Patrol!</i>, which is airing this Friday for you lucky Americans with Cartoon Network. Of course, Australia has already seen it two weeks ago, so if you're the type who likes to spoil stuff for yourself, you can find info about the episode all over the internet already, including the special appearance in the teaser of {SPOILERS AGAIN}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Batgirl</span>{SPOILERS OVER}.<br />
<br />
In non-spoilery news, <i>The Last Patrol!</i> stars my favourite superhero team, the Doom Patrol. I got to direct an episode featuring them (half of a two-parter) for Teen Titans many years ago, but I was still very eager to put them in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Fortunately for me, James was too, so here they come. The story is loosely adapted from a very famous DP story, although we had to change the ending for television, but I think we did a great job capturing the tone of the Doom Patrol all the same. I'll have a post with more stuff after it airs.<br />
<br />
In other B:TBatB news, kind of mid-spoilery to non-spoilery, it seems like a lot of info is trickling out about <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!</i>, our big crossover episode. Not so much from me, I think - I've been pretty good about not leaking stuff. Here's what I didn't leak - the episode will have three stories featuring 1/ a teaser with Batboy and Rubin from the MAD Magazine parody, 2/ a story featuring a version of Batman based on Jiro Kuwata's Japanese Batman comics from the 60's, and 3/ a crossover with Scooby-Doo.<br />
<br />
Like I said, none of that got leaked by me - I've kept quiet for all these months. It hasn't been easy! So I don't think anyone will mind if I leak one frame from the show, right? So here it is - a genuine <u>exclusive</u> still from <i>Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY3f0uWujGMPu3wPhMe9CFFsFF97vAoBYd1wyAf0bu0W1nVTsq8xYRWBLVA-k934DWOK4Sp3J__46tgwV0_z-Tp4T2u_fUDsFcdLKv2CANSsWfJPERdEXwUaWoHMyelMo1BGdcA/s1600/exclusive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY3f0uWujGMPu3wPhMe9CFFsFF97vAoBYd1wyAf0bu0W1nVTsq8xYRWBLVA-k934DWOK4Sp3J__46tgwV0_z-Tp4T2u_fUDsFcdLKv2CANSsWfJPERdEXwUaWoHMyelMo1BGdcA/s400/exclusive.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
Man, I hope that doesn't get me in trouble with Warner Bros. I'm just so proud of this episode that I couldn't help but share!<br />
<br />
It's a pity it wasn't finished in time for San Diego - I mean, the episode that we did screen there, <i>Emperor Joker!</i>, was great and all, but B-MP:B'sSC (as I have decided to abbreviate it) is tailor-made to be screened at a comic convention surrounded by hundreds of the fans who would've appreciated it the most. But it'll probably air before the next San Diego Comicon (even with Cartoon Network's scheduling shenanigans), and who wants to premiere a cartoon everyone's already seen? I guess the timing just didn't work out, so that opportunity is lost.<br />
<br />
If only there were some other comic book convention between now and the theoretical airdate - one that would maybe fly me out and put me up for the night - why, then all I'd have to do is square it with the powers that be at Warner Bros and we could screen the guaranteed fan-servicingest episode of any Batman cartoon ever produced! Ah, but that's just a pipe dream, I suppose.<br />
<br />
Batman image ™ and © DC Comics.Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-39113076062017400842010-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:002010-09-17T14:21:19.349-07:00STARRO LIVES...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTOZUhIfkPEnydmQuAOnhjmfDl113GQDGzaQAJJE0Kf8wqajRPRXezvBnLdR7HHpSzj1k6bYl-lFkHmCvenfDJ-CWLAYNBTiyrzgZFjD5ryQRJOQd02MjI2IaEN-ZRF4BV-HcDQ/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTOZUhIfkPEnydmQuAOnhjmfDl113GQDGzaQAJJE0Kf8wqajRPRXezvBnLdR7HHpSzj1k6bYl-lFkHmCvenfDJ-CWLAYNBTiyrzgZFjD5ryQRJOQd02MjI2IaEN-ZRF4BV-HcDQ/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span> </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">STARRO LIVES...</span></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_i7jK3KLVStvyHgLW32hIJeX8oxEb3KB1U7noSZtgIRNEkOsHv9Wl2arOgKjdSNQVZt8bSbxpLcL0Z9Lmp2zmPGmqKLGHGgvrQcdGu17cZOaU-a6qKt-XUubenxIhfuUgpDBsQ/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_i7jK3KLVStvyHgLW32hIJeX8oxEb3KB1U7noSZtgIRNEkOsHv9Wl2arOgKjdSNQVZt8bSbxpLcL0Z9Lmp2zmPGmqKLGHGgvrQcdGu17cZOaU-a6qKt-XUubenxIhfuUgpDBsQ/s400/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-large;">STARRO LIVES...</span></span></span></span></b><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kOL5Bc5nnHbR8Zh8knNe0qaxuHp5M5p12zx2zzA-lU7DF8tsPLnJhccyXHMpn_Uud5D07CQk9IvF0tXKonmoOowIzPAtwN3vjrsuZ-MexfYMHhlvOWqMuLymcA1-8byG0PAopg/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kOL5Bc5nnHbR8Zh8knNe0qaxuHp5M5p12zx2zzA-lU7DF8tsPLnJhccyXHMpn_Uud5D07CQk9IvF0tXKonmoOowIzPAtwN3vjrsuZ-MexfYMHhlvOWqMuLymcA1-8byG0PAopg/s400/07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
...at 7:00 tonight on Cartoon Network, that is!<br />
<br />
And while I'm here, there's a bunch of spoilers for the last season and a half of B:TBatB <a href="http://tinyurl.com/batnews">here</a>.<br />
<br />
All characters in picture © and ™DC Comics.</div>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-45190363563329784892010-09-01T14:35:00.000-07:002010-10-03T01:31:59.778-07:00Bat-NewsSo much happening all of a sudden! Well, just three very tiny little tidbits of news, but enough to rouse me from my blogging slumber.<br />
<br />
Anyways, Cartoon Network is "<a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php/news.php?action=fullnews&id=835">tentatively</a>" scheduling <i>Siege of Starro! Part One</i> for September 17. That's tentatively good news for those who haven't already seen it via itunes, Amazon, On Demand or just by being in the United Kingdom 2 1/2 months ago.<br />
<br />
And in other news breaking on the internet, we're doing a <a href="http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/1008/31/index.htm">crossover</a> with Scooby-Doo! Actually it kinda got leaked at San Diego, but the Comics Continuum article has a couple extra details, so check it out.<br />
<br />
And finally, there's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/sep/01/batman-brave-and-bold-trailer">this</a>, a little promo I directed for the upcoming video game. And when I say directed, I mean "watched Michael Goguen storyboard the whole thing then sat back and waited for <a href="http://www.moianimation.com/">Moi</a> to do the animation". Either way, it turned out pretty sweet, so why not check it out? Hopefully it'll tide you over until September 17 (tentatively).Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-10774135540815419462010-07-26T18:46:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:37:25.848-07:00Post San Diego Wrapup!Mostly I spent the whole Comic Con either chasing after my 2 year old or stumbling about in a daze, but it turns out a bunch of Brave and the Bold stuff transpired over the weekend with or without me anyways.<br />
<br />
First, let me address the rumor accidentally generated at the panel - Batman: The Brave and the Bold is NOT cancelled. The show will come to an end after the third season, not after the second season, as reported on many comic news sites. So the tally will be -<br />
<br />
Season 1 - 26 episodes (all have aired)<br />
Season 2 - 26 episodes (12 have aired* + 10 more in the can + 4 more in production)<br />
Season 3 - 13 episodes (all in various stages of production from being-animated-overseas to still-just-a-germ-in-James-or-Michael's-head)<br />
<br />
Anyone reporting the show's ending at 52 episodes is misinformed.<br />
<br />
Also announced at the panel is the upcoming appearance of two new characters - James dug deep into DC's Golden Age and scrounged up some Depression-era strongman and a World War Two era princess with a magic rope or something, and they'll be appearing in Season 3. The crowd seemed pretty excited about that, even though they lack the star power of, say, Ultra the Multi-Alien, who will be appearing very soon in Season 2.<br />
<br />
How soon?<br />
<br />
Tell you what - <s>go to the </s><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTVSeason?id=341840164&s=143441"><s>itunes</s></a><s> store now and you can buy both parts of "Siege of Starro", our big Season 2 two-parter</s>. Never mind, they pulled it down again. Too bad, Ultra's in there somewhere. Shoulda grabbed when you had the chance!<br />
<br />
But hey, if you're looking for more spoilers, check out this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6r1nr67FdI">promotional video</a> of a Season 3 voice recording. If you have sharp eyes, you can spot my face through the glass in the background around 0:42, looming over the proceedings like a pale giant-foreheaded ghost.<br />
<br />
To top it all off, when I got back from San Diego, I found this <a href="http://comics.ign.com/articles/110/1108154p1.html">interview</a> with none other than Grant Morrison, in which he says he's a "big fan" of our show. Wow! That's pretty gratifying, what with him being one of my favorite writers and all. Hopefully he'll appreciate our little nods to his Doom Patrol and Batman R.I.P. runs in upcoming Season 2 episodes.<br />
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*not counting either the episode that aired only in the UK or the episode that aired only in Australia.Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-72949377452424840512010-07-09T14:01:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:37:30.014-07:00Mid-Season UpdateNothing big, just a post to gather a bunch of little nuggets of news while waiting for the network to start airing new episodes again (no, I don't now when that will start happening).<br />
<br />
<b>Nugget 1</b> - Brave and the Bold got a third season! This is old news, but maybe someone out there hasn't heard it yet, so there it is. We've got 13 more episodes to follow the 14 you haven't seen yet from season 2 (unless you live in Australia or the UK), which will eventually bring us up to 65 altogether.<br />
<br />
And what news can I spill about Season 3, you may ask?<br />
<br />
Nothing.<br />
<br />
Sorry.<br />
<br />
But there may hope if you check out...<br />
<br />
<b>Nugget 2 </b>- There's going to be a B:TBATB panel at the <a href="http://sched.comic-con.org/event/074b43c5fbadb3544d50dc7e0caadbf3">San Diego Comicon</a> ! I'm not on it, but producers James Tucker and Michael Jelenic, executive producer Sam Register, voice director Andrea Romano and Batman himself, Diedrich Bader, all will be! Plus we'll be screening an as-yet-unaired (even in the UK and Australia) episode, and there will also be a preview of Young Justice!<br />
<br />
Friday! 10:30! Be there or be sad when you read about it online afterwards and realize what a swell panel you missed!<br />
<br />
And if you still have questions that weren't answered at the panel, there's always...<br />
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<b>Nugget 3</b> - I started up a formspring account, why not! If there's an internet bandwagon, I'll find my way onto it, usually as everyone else has grown bored and is already leaving. But come feel free to come ask me questions before I forget my password! It's right <a href="http://www.formspring.me/IdiotStyle">here</a>.Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-9096543107280764002010-04-01T01:54:00.000-07:002010-04-01T09:05:28.504-07:00Shazam!... again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Okay, <i>Power of Shazam!</i> is back on the schedule, set to air this Friday. I didn't talk much about the Captain Marvel parts in my last post, which is a shame, because this episode is stuffed to the gills with Captain Marvel.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoWJGdXSMfNF_b6MHdy_w9uD54Gg9DCJCjw1vHIwvl0Ks9VimRxjr71p4bIo_Hr2h8iufqx28LOrzT7fg6PYoSduvOIWQNKF9n-2xZZUx8mdJxJtZzqxQ0xdaPY0897oyjKugiw/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoWJGdXSMfNF_b6MHdy_w9uD54Gg9DCJCjw1vHIwvl0Ks9VimRxjr71p4bIo_Hr2h8iufqx28LOrzT7fg6PYoSduvOIWQNKF9n-2xZZUx8mdJxJtZzqxQ0xdaPY0897oyjKugiw/s400/03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, there's not really that much I can say without getting into some spoilers, so I'll just say that we worked pretty hard to capture that very specific Captain Marvel tone for this episode. If you're a Captain Marvel fan, I think you'll be pleased.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXlqrxYa1T3A0dbMAYTMJ0EIVjH2AXiSZ1q3tiNgQYGvoyV-SUyQjlAYNZL4FGtIV4tGXCjFzbWms5WV-rA499pJcxJzT7JoSZ8Lufoxe0WQjHykeL9Zopl2_Z4pfXBuBJsprgQ/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXlqrxYa1T3A0dbMAYTMJ0EIVjH2AXiSZ1q3tiNgQYGvoyV-SUyQjlAYNZL4FGtIV4tGXCjFzbWms5WV-rA499pJcxJzT7JoSZ8Lufoxe0WQjHykeL9Zopl2_Z4pfXBuBJsprgQ/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not that Batman's not in it too, but really, it's primarily a Captain Marvel story with a light Batman glaze. Plus, it's got these happy fellows-</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoxkt6vekqOz2ROpD1R-q5zK3YGS7adUwGqPGm_WaSkISuht3lhC4jGGAd4rDa6reCYbwKM2bk0JAzzHKcg_vqvX1ZZYMjxbTGKNeNBvBJzUVpIShtrOV2joO9EY_zpsmvwXRCw/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoxkt6vekqOz2ROpD1R-q5zK3YGS7adUwGqPGm_WaSkISuht3lhC4jGGAd4rDa6reCYbwKM2bk0JAzzHKcg_vqvX1ZZYMjxbTGKNeNBvBJzUVpIShtrOV2joO9EY_zpsmvwXRCw/s400/06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So check it out!<br />
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(<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">All characters ™ and © DC Comics.)</span>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-79404849725852009752010-02-21T09:03:00.000-08:002010-04-05T14:49:15.495-07:00Shazam!So here's the scoop - even though Cartoon Network has been messing around with the schedule, delaying new episodes until March, itunes has been sticking to the original schedule, meaning you can download <i>The Super-Batman of Planet X!</i> and <i>The Power of Shazam!</i> right now if you want, and presumably the much anticipated (and deservedly so) <i>Chill of the Night!</i> this upcoming Friday.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pLdRthG1WjKuOrV7WrFl6aJzOVBfTe3wd_6S_d5EyJUmzq3VhkSzUfz0lwUtzN6IbkZ1uzHaFuFtNO6EqYtaWuduP0siKggHAX8SMCtG4xQjNrmHvxtMlHcmH8arTnetkuzKNA/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pLdRthG1WjKuOrV7WrFl6aJzOVBfTe3wd_6S_d5EyJUmzq3VhkSzUfz0lwUtzN6IbkZ1uzHaFuFtNO6EqYtaWuduP0siKggHAX8SMCtG4xQjNrmHvxtMlHcmH8arTnetkuzKNA/s400/08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Now, as big a fan as I am of Captain Marvel, who guest-stars in <i>The Power of Shazam!,</i> I want to talk here about something else that happens in that episode. Something that took me five years to finally accomplish, after repeated failures. In its own way, the culmination of a lifetime's obsession. I'm talking about...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Blowing up the Red Tornado.</div><div><br />
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I became a comic fan back in Nineteen Seventy Something<mumble>, reading </mumble><i>Justice League of America</i> comics in what has retroactively been dubbed the Satellite Era. Back then, the Justice League had anywhere from ten to fourteen members, half of whom had their own titles. So usually the writers focused on the other half for character development, and pre-eminent among these B-listers, to my young eyes at least, was the Red Tornado.<br />
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Now, the Red Tornado was an android with wind powers and a Pinocchio complex. Pretty straightforward comic book stuff. But what drew me to the character was his tenacity. In the era I was introduced to the character, he blew up at least three times, returning from the grave a few issues later each time. It was almost like his secondary superpower was dramatically sacrificing himself in that gruesomely explosive way that you can only achieve in a Comics Code Approved book with robots.<br />
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So many years later, I ended up picking up a little freelance storyboarding work from Justice League. The episode was <i>Panic in the Sky</i>, and I was boarding a little sequence where the Justice League satellite is under siege from an army of superpowered clones called the Ultimen. In the middle of the fray, taking up a solitary sentence in the script, was a showdown between Red Tornado and a bunch of Ultimen. Here, I thought, was a chance to pay homage to my favorite hero in the appropriate fashion - by killing him in a blaze of exploding glory.<br />
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So I boarded it that way - Red Tornado beats Wind Dragon but is then overloaded by Juice, and dies in a big electrical explosion. Unfortunately, <i>Panic in the Sky</i> happened after <i>The Return</i>, in which the Red Tornado also blows up, and James Tucker, producer of Justice League Unlimited, felt that blowing the Red Tornado up twice was once too many. I argued that blowing up heroically was basically Red Tornado's whole schtick, but James didn't buy it, and Reddy remained unexploded that day.<br />
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A few years pass, and I get a call from Sam Register about a new show James is developing called <i>Batman: The Brave and the Bold</i>, and am I interested in working on it? Of course I'm all for that, especially when Sam, knowing my weaknesses, mentions the prominent role that Red Tornado will be playing as one of the most frequent guest-stars. In short order, I was on the Warner Bros. ranch drawing Batman and Green Arrow dangling over a pit of acid.<br />
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Now, here's how they decide which director directs which show - it's pretty much just left to chance. But if there's a script coming up that you have a special interest in, there's no harm in letting James or Michael Jelenic know that you wouldn't mind if that script happened to fall into your slot. And when I got there, in the first batch of scripts was a perfect chance to blow up the Red Tornado in classic style. So I dropped a few hints about how I sure do like the Red Tornado, and if nobody else wanted that particular script, maybe I could have a go at it? Which everyone was fine with, so show 4 was to be <i>Invasion of the Secret Santas! </i>starring the ever-exploding android, Red Tornado. <br />
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Unfortunately, the reality is that the scripts each have their own challenges, so they get done when they get done, and sometimes that means a script will get delayed or pushed forward to stay on schedule. Secret Santas wasn't going to be done in time to be show 4, but <i>Day of the Dark Knight!</i> was ready, so that became show 4, and Secret Santas got bumped to show 5.<br />
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And so it was left to Brandon Vietti to explode Red Tornado. And a bang-up job he did - it was a classic Red Tornado explosion, easily one of the character's best. As proud as I was that Red Tornado got his moment to explode in the spotlight, and as much as I enjoyed watching it, I was still left with the nagging feeling that I wanted to be the one with my finger on the detonator.<br />
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And then, 32 episodes later, purely by chance, the script to <i>Power of Shazam!</i> landed on my desk. And there in the teaser was the moment I had been waiting years for - a chance to explode my childhood hero. You can believe I boarded that part myself!<br />
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And so, after five years and two failed attempts, here it is - I have finally exploded my childhood hero, the Red Tornado.<br />
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There's also twenty-one and a half other minutes of stuff in the episode too.<br />
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So 2 measly bucks will get you early access to a full Captain Marvel episode, steeped with Captain Marvelly goodness. Or wait 'til March, whatever.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">All characters ™ and © DC Comics.</span>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21373474.post-77967145607669102012010-02-04T15:08:00.000-08:002010-04-01T09:06:45.736-07:00Oh yeah new show!Friday!<br />
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Firestorm!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DseCmJj01hvxdoJgjAz5Kvjp7e9ZErXH_xaDHI806ZF1Y5XWlqv5vme955dQNhIDH58OKkAqOPOvXi4Ok0DMa_qFVT8mhqRf62iz_ggHmbnDWzFBD9gZMi-UXXMkEYoD_pRlVw/s1600-h/firestorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DseCmJj01hvxdoJgjAz5Kvjp7e9ZErXH_xaDHI806ZF1Y5XWlqv5vme955dQNhIDH58OKkAqOPOvXi4Ok0DMa_qFVT8mhqRf62iz_ggHmbnDWzFBD9gZMi-UXXMkEYoD_pRlVw/s320/firestorm.jpg" /></a></div>Versus Double X!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQmtANn0M24lCpbiz_UPboJ3k-JVAqnJqngqroVYCd3OrMkccJvwpDn3M3i6MrLH08cdtV511-VrBGfz2vn_yk-PFz7-3PY2G4QC4TeDzwoM0mQfEF7IBLldM1sg1i9En2wCryw/s1600-h/batmanbrave15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQmtANn0M24lCpbiz_UPboJ3k-JVAqnJqngqroVYCd3OrMkccJvwpDn3M3i6MrLH08cdtV511-VrBGfz2vn_yk-PFz7-3PY2G4QC4TeDzwoM0mQfEF7IBLldM1sg1i9En2wCryw/s320/batmanbrave15.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Plus these guys!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTR24-q9FjfOzuM2Z6-EPcIETchweiphDDk5_1_iFgeJYk_EuAbhta0vgqhs9LyNsFycucMBcXirNmyAM4qPXKztefddBiNbi00R3nEO1fqfUjYaQ6SZafflKGd91qDLM2w_9jA/s1600-h/batmanbrave18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTR24-q9FjfOzuM2Z6-EPcIETchweiphDDk5_1_iFgeJYk_EuAbhta0vgqhs9LyNsFycucMBcXirNmyAM4qPXKztefddBiNbi00R3nEO1fqfUjYaQ6SZafflKGd91qDLM2w_9jA/s320/batmanbrave18.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And... this happens!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Also, surprise villain in teaser - spoil it yourself by watching the first five minutes <a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/batmanbb/index.html">here</a>!<br />
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Friday!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">All characters ™ and © DC Comics.</span>Ben Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569520905466507301noreply@blogger.com17