Ever since Scott Snyder brought the idea of the Court of Owls to Gotham City, we’ve been seeing bits about their history. The Court has supposedly existed for over a Century yet Batman was certain there was no truth to that. He discovered their true nature the hard way.

With the upcoming Night of the Owls crossover in all the Bat-Family titles, it’s not just today’s heroes of Gotham that will be dealing with them. We’ll also be seeing the Court’s existence going back to the 1880s in the pages of ALL-STAR WESTERN.

Late last week, DC’s The Source revealed some of the plans in how Jonah Hex will be dealing with the Court in his time period. ALL-STAR WESTERN co-writer, Justin Gray, said the following:

‘Plans within plans.’ That’s one of my favorite lines from Frank Herbert’s eco-sci-fi epic, Dune. It is also one of the hardest things to convey in a monthly comic where readers are often second-guessing the outcome or direction of a series. There is always a larger plan at work and things are never quite what they seem. Both Batman and Jonah Hex have been discovering this fact in their own unique ways. Having chosen Gotham City as the unlikely setting for ALL-STAR WESTERN, Jimmy and I thought long and hard about the different ways we could make the book interesting to both new readers and the Jonah Hex faithful. To do that we began our initial arc with the secret society called The Crime Bible trying to establish its roots in 1880’s Gotham. At the same time over in BATMAN, readers were introduced to The Court of Owls.

By now you know both organizations existed long before the caped crusader launched his one-man campaign to save the soul of a city. So starting in May, The Court of Owls, the Talon, the secret history of Gotham, Crime Bible, Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham…some of the most unlikely and surprising elements start falling seamlessly in to place. It has been months and months in the making, but the plans within plans are coming to fruition and even the most cynical fan has to admit this New 52 thing is pretty damn exciting.

If seeing the Court back in the 1880s wasn’t enough, DC has also shown Greg Capullo‘s designs for a ‘mid-Victorian’ era Talon that will be a threat in the pages of BIRDS OF PREY during the crossover.

Capullo commented:

Now I’m thinking Jack the Ripper. Cloaks and lots of layers. A bird’s feathers are all layered. Perfect.

Guess we’ll be finding out a little about the Court from the 1840s as well. This appears to be DC’s first major crossover since the “New 52″ started and it’s shaping up to be one of the best we’ve seen in a while.

Each week we look at some of the coolest action figures and collectibles on sale now along with some from years past. This week we’re taking a slightly different angle. We’re going to look at some statues and busts! There are so many different comic busts and statues made so we thought now was the time to take a look at some. This selections are obviously older selections but there’s always a good chance you can locate them. Some of them I picked up at very reasonable prices on ebay. There’s bound to be plenty of collectible places you can find these and possibly even at your local comic shop.

Let’s start off with a life-size bust of Spider-Man.

This was put out by Dynamic Forces and was limited to 4000 pieces. The eyes are reflective and you can even make him wear a baseball cap. I’m often reminded of that one episode of The Brady Bunch where Alice made a bust of Mr. Brady. How many know what I’m talking about? Anyway, here’s a couple more shots.

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Next is a Moon Knight bust by Randy Bowen and limited to 5000 pieces.

If you’re not aware, Randy Bowen designs was one of the first sculptors in the comic market. At least his designs were what really caught my interest and got me buying these. Here’s a Mysterio bust that was limited to 4000 pieces.

As much as I’m enjoying Dan Slott‘s run on THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, I refuse to accept that Hobgoblin is dead and Phil Urich will remain in the costume. Here’s a Hobby bust from Diamond Select Toys. Apparently this one doesn’t have a revealed number of pieces. It’s not listed on the bottom.

I’ve been a fan of Kitty Pryde since I first started reading comics. This bust from Diamond Select Toys was limited to 3000 pieces and has her in her Shadowcat outfit along with Lockheed.

I always thought Destro was one of the cooler characters in G.I. Joe (along with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, of course). I got this one off of ebay but the numbering on the bottom says it’s “#PROMO of PROMO.” Not quite sure what that means. Looking further, apparently there were to be 3000 of these made.

We all know Darth Vader is the real star of Star Wars (not that whiney Luke kid). I forget the story of where and why I got this bronze mini bust from Gentle Giant. I recall getting a really good deal on it. It might have been during the time I had a Star Wars credit card and something to do with rewards or it was only offered to those with the card. Either way, it’s limited to 4000 pieces and looks pretty cool.

Finally, one of my favorite pieces (and I believe it was my last purchase), Marvel Zombies Spider-Man and MJ. This is just so wrong but looks so dang cool. I actually debated on getting this one when it was released but thankfully I did (and got a decent number as well). It’s from Diamond Select Toys and was limited to 2500 pieces.

I tried keeping this out of view of my daughter for as long as I could but eventually she grew tall enough to see it in my display case. I told her it was a Halloween costume for them. She still doesn’t understand how Spidey was able to make his costume look like that. Here’s a picture she drew of them a few years ago that she gave me as a wedding anniversary present.

Here are some more shots:

It’s just so romantic.

That’s it for this week. I do have some more statues and busts. If you guys dug these, perhaps I’ll showcase them later. I’m also waiting on the arrival of another piece. Let us know what you thought of these and if you have any in your own collection. We’ll switch back to an action figure selection next week.

We all love comic art. If there’s one thing artist enjoy doing, it’s drawing. Many artist don’t simply draw for the books the working on. Often they do sketches and commissions and post them on their blogs and Tumblrs. They are all way to amazing to go unnoticed and it’s our mission to make sure all of you get a chance to check them out.

It’s no secret Mike Allred is one of my absolute favorite artists. He updated his blog this week with some sweet commissions and art for a Hero Initiative auction. Check out his X-Men scene (with Edie Sawyer on the billboard!!), Fantastic Four and the one and only Madman.

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A great piece of art can speak to you without requiring text. There are some artists that can capture quite a bit through a simple expression. Check out Mike Mayhew‘s sketch of Jean Grey posted over at ComicArtFans.com.

Phil Noto is another artist whose sketches speak volumes through the look in their eyes. He posted a few pieces on his Tumblr this week (yay!). Check out his Black Widow, Superman and Supergirl, It Girl and Madman, the Wild Pack (who later changed their name to Six Pack) and Hulk and Iron Man from The Avengers trailer.

Speaking of the Avengers, here’s a sketch of Thor Todd Nauck posted on his Tumblr.

Skottie Young posted a few sketches on his site. I love how he mixes it up and comes up with a great selection of random characters. Check out his Concrete, Gran’ma Ben (from BONE), and Splinter.

Tom Raney posted a couple commissions he did recently on his Twitter. It’s about the battles for him this week. Here’s his version of Thor vs. Silver Surfer and Thanos vs. Captain Mar-Vell.

Marcus To was asked to draw a chibi Damian. How could he resist? Thankfully for us, he shared it on his Tumblr.

You have to admit that’s pretty cute. Let’s continue the cuteness with the Justice League Agnes Garbowska posted on her Tumblr on Valentine’s Day.

Gene Gonzales shared this commission of Scarlet Witch and Enchantress. I think this piece speaks for itself.

Michael Walsh posted a couple sketches on his Tumblr this week. Check out his Jack Knight and a penciled and colored version of Lobster Johnson. It’s always interesting to see both versions.

Robert Atkins posted many many pieces this week on his blog. Here’s some commissions he did.

Robert posted a bunch of sketches of the Justice League of America. Here are some of them colored by Kyle Ritter. There’s more on his blog.

Last September he posted a bunch of X-Men characters and here they are colored by Simon Gough. There are more X-Men pics on his blog as well.

And finally, Daniel HDR came up with an amazing idea and posted it on his blog. The JUSTICE LEAGUE OF HANNA-BARBERA. If only we could actually see this. Can you name all the characters?

That’s it for this week. Let us know what you thought of these picks. Be sure to check out the next installment.

Doctor Who meets Stark Trek? Sound incredibly insane. This was first brought to my attention last Friday but I couldn’t believe it. An image was brought to my attention but let’s be honest, how many creative pieces of art have we seen that could be passed off as the real thing? And then IDW sent off this following cover image to my inbox.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMALTION2 is taking fans on an adventure where no man (or woman) has gone before.

Launching in May, fans will get to see the Borg and the Cybermen create an unholy alliance that could destroy all of humanity. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will find themselves teaming up with the Doctor and his companions.

This will be an eight-issue series written by Scott and David Tipton along with long time Doctor Who writer, Tony Lee and will feature the art of J.K. Woodward. You can look for the 32-page, $3.99 first issue on sale in May.

What would comic books be without villains? Superheroes are defined by the supervillains they fight. Many times, the villains can become more interesting than the heroes. If this is the case, how come we don’t see many ongoing titles featuring supervillains?

Obviously there are some examples of ongoing titles with supervillains as the lead. Mark Waid (who is in the video below) has been writing IRREDEEMABLE featuring the Plutonian, the world’s greatest hero turned evil and INCORRUPTIBLE which is pretty much the opposite. There have been many miniseries featuring villains but rarely do we see a full fledge series with a villain.

We asked a few comic book writers if they think villains should have their own ongoing series. This is a question I first brought up in 2010.

What do you think? Could a villain carry a monthly title? Would the publishers start to make them ‘nice’ or would it get old after a while?

It’s that time again. Time to check out the coolest comic art you won’t see in comic books. The reason you won’t see it in comics is because artists post sketches for fun on their blogs and Tumblrs. It’s a way for them to draw characters they might not get the chance to in their regular assignments and a way for them to cut loose or practice other things. They are simply too amazing to go unnoticed.

Let’s start off with some Batman. You can never ever have too much Batman and we have a few different renditions this week. Tom Raney has become a regular part of this feature each week and when you see this Batman vs. Bane, you’ll understand perfectly why this is so.

There’s more that Tom has posted on his Twitter. Check out his Songbird (this is the version I love), Jean Grey, Emma Frost, another Batman and Wolverine.

Dustin Nguyen has been busy and hopefully you’ve caught his JUSTICE LEAGUE BEYOND. It’s available digitally and will be printed later. Check out this pic he posted on his Tumblr he called “Naughty by Nature.”

Skottie Young posted a couple more Daily Sketches on his website. When he posts these, they’re available for purchase. Because they’re one of a kind and because they rock, you can imagine they sell pretty dang quickly. Check out his version of Spawn and TMNT. Quick! Can you name which Turtle this is?

Dustin Weaver is new to this feature. I came across these sketches on his Tumblr, Here’s his version of Wolverine (inspired by Marc Silvestri‘s classic UNCANNY X-MEN #234 cover) and mohawk Storm!

Are you ready for Harley Quinn? How about the “New 52″ version of Harley Quinn? Here’s Cameron Stewart‘s take he posted on his Tumblr for fun.

Michael Walsh scored some points with me with these sketches he posted on his Tumblr. Not only did he do a great X-23 and Scott and Emma but check out his Zack Overkill from Brubaker and Phillips INCOGNITO.

I’m not the biggest Absorbing Man fan but after seeing what Philip Tan posted on his Tumblr, I might have to rethink that.

You have to love the sketch cover variants. Robert Atkins posted a few on his blog. Check out his Doctor Doom, Batman and Venom.

Joel Gomez posted some sketch covers as well on his Tumblr. Here’s his Future Foundation Spider-Man, Thing, Wolverine, Captain America and regular Spidey.

Paolo Rivera sure does get asked to draw lots of red heads. We’ve seen several pics of Mary Jane he’s been asked to do but here’s a different red head, Mephisto.

Speaking of red, how about the scarlet speedster, Flash, by Todd Nauck posted on his Tumblr?

Mike Mayhew has quite a few pieces up for sale. Bidding is just about over on his Spider-Man with Mary Jane and Black Cat.

Check out his other sketches he posted or linked to on his Twitter.

Here’s a couple Gene Gonzales posted on his blog. Check out these two commissions of the Superman Family and Harley Quinn.

Now it’s time for some Phil Noto. Here’s Armor, Big Barda, a tribute to the new Van Halen album and…something ‘Highly Illogical” all posted on his Tumblr this week.

Last but certainly not least, here is an Aquaman piece Mike Allred did “just for fun” on his blog.

That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed these picks as much as I did. Be sure to look for the next installment coming soon.

Earth Two in the New 52. It seems like a crazy idea. The New 52 was partially meant to make the DC stories and characters accessible to new readers. Now that they’re starting to become familiar with them, a completely new “universe” is being thrusted upon them. But because James Robinson is involved (and his past stories involving some of the characters), we know we’re in good hands.

To make things even better, DC has revealed the variant cover to the first issue by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.

If you weren’t convinced about the potential of this book before, you should be now.

The second trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man hit in the early hours of the morning and everyone’s talking about it. It’s curious that Sony/Columbia chose to unleash the trailer on the internet rather than have it debut during the Superbowl. Then again, with the anticipation this movie already has, they probably felt it wasn’t necessary to pay millions for a time slot.

While Sony has released an official synopsis of the movie that lays out what the story will be about, there are still some key points unveiled in the trailer. Watching the trailer a few times, it clearly shows us how this film will differ from the previous Spider-Man movies.

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Captain George Stacy is Anti-Spider-Man

In the comics, Captain Stacy was a fan of Spider-Man. He eventually discovers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, the boy dating his daughter, Gwen. Despite the dangers of that relationship, he still approved of Spider-Man’s actions.

It’s a different story in the movie, at least in the beginning. He describes Spider-Man as wearing “a mask like an outlaw.” He even later publicly issues an arrest warrant for “the masked vigilante known as Spider-Man.” This is a big departure from the other films as this angle wasn’t fully explored.

Flash Thompson is still a Bully

Ah, the glory days of high school. No high school is complete without its share of bullies, unfortunately.

As Peter is deep in thought, he is brought back to reality when he receives a basketball to the back of the head courtesy of Flash Thompson. Thankfully I’ve never been hit by a basketball in the head but I imagine it wouldn’t be fun. It looks like this must happen after he gains his spider-powers since he finally gives him a piece of his mind. But if you look carefully, you’ll notice Peter has a different hood (how many hoodies does he own?) and Flash has a different top on as well.

Peter’s Dad Was a Geneticist

We know from the first trailer that Richard Parker was involved with genetics before his disappearance. His involvement at Oscorp allows for Peter to gain some of his research in becoming Spider-Man. We know Peter finds his old satchel which most likely has the design or formula for the web shooters and web fluid. Peter is a smart kid but to be able to create those as well as his advanced costume is a bit much to accept.

If Richard Parker was an employee of Oscorp, does that mean he and Mary weren’t SHIELD agents? That’s the assumption as to why they ‘disappeared’ when Peter was young, forcing him to be raised by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It is possible he was still an agent in the research department and maybe he was supposed to try to infiltrate Oscorp or worked there before being recruited into SHIELD.

Peter is Really Smart

Peter Parker is supposed to a really smart guy. That’s something that was often overlooked over the years. He is able to come up with and solve a crazy formula that impressed Dr. Curt Connors.

What is this equation for? We know Connors turns into the Lizard. This must be what he and Richard were working on. Peter must have come up with the finishing touch that allows Curt to become the Lizard. Peter later tells Gwen that it’s his fault, he created the Lizard.

The Lizard Unleashed

The Lizard almost seems like an odd choice for the main villain of the movie. He is a classic villain. The idea of a man-sized lizard goes along with the old urban myth of giant-sized alligators living in the sewers after being flushed down the toilet.

We do get some glimpses of the Lizard in action and he doesn’t look too bad (way better than Green Goblin‘s armor in the other first Spider-Man movie). The idea of a man mutating himself almost makes more sense than a guy gaining superpowers, wearing a goblin suit of armor and being able to fly around on an experimental glider.

Web Shooters

The missing web shooters in the first movies was a decision some loved and others hated. If Peter gains spider-powers, being able to shoot webs naturally makes sense. We can accept that a young Peter Parker was intelligent enough to design and build them himself, while still in high school in the comics but when thrown on the big screen, it could be a stretch. It’s likely that some of the idea behind them was thanks to his dad and that mysterious satchel.

What about that red light? When shooting webs, you see a little cloud of smoke pop out, as if it’s from a pressurized device built into the shooters. There’s also a red light that goes off. You would think that the light would give away his presence if he was deep in the shadows but then again, Spider-Man is able to move like lightning. It could be that the light tells him how much webbing he has left. It could start going off when he’s getting low or gets brighter when he’s swinging on “empty.”

Spider-Man Captured

You can’t have a Spider-Man movie without him losing his mask. We know Captain Stacy is out to get him. We see several police officers in heavy gear surround him. Spider-Man is captured, handcuffed and has his mask removed. It’s then that Spider-Man breaks out of the cuffs and jumps around, escaping from the police. It’s possible he moved around so fast and because of the dark, no one gets a good look at his face. Perhaps this is when Captain Stacy finds out Spider-Man is really his daughter’s boyfriend.

Peter’s Dad Helped Create Spider-Man

Because his dad was involved with genetics, it’s almost fate that Peter becomes Spider-Man. In a flashback scene, we see a spider in a jar. Peter’s dad was apparently very secretive and Connors mentions they were going to “change the lives of millions.” Connors also says something about a “new species in New York” and it can be aggressive if threatened. As he says this, we see glimpses of the Lizard but it would make more sense if there was a new spider species in New York rather than a lizard.

We later see Peter deep in a lab as Connor’s voice says, “If you want the truth Peter, come and get it.” Could it be possible that Richard Parker might have experimented on his own son? When Connors says that line, it’s almost as if he is aware Peter is Spider-Man. Peter’s dad experimenting on him is unlikely and could be too much. It’s better if Peter is working at the lab and is accidentally bitten by a crazy mutated spider.

Gwen Discovers Peter’s Secret?

There is a scene that looks like the Peter and Gwen are on a rooftop. They kiss and then Peter jumps off the roof, not in costume. Gwen then says, “I’m in trouble.” This would be from the fact that her boyfriend is Spider-Man and her father has issued an arrest warrant for the vigilante. The two are later seen together with Peter in costume. This could be from Spider-Man saving Gwen but she appears to be looking him with something more than simple gratitude for saving her life.

What About Uncle Ben?

Will Uncle Ben get killed in this movie? Is he the inspiration for Peter to become a hero? When Spider-Man is stopping a car thief, he cracks a joke. He doesn’t come across as witty as he is in the comics but if his uncle was recently killed, I don’t know if he’d be making jokes right away. Without his death, would Peter really learn about great power and great responsibility? Sorry Uncle Ben, you need to die.

It could be his part in helping to create the Lizard that motivates him to be a hero. This probably wouldn’t be the case unless Connors is transformed earlier in the movie. Spider-Man has to be active as a “vigilante” in order to get Captain Stacy’s attention.

Will we have another trailer before the movie is released? Will any more information be unveiled? We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled to see if anything else is revealed about the movie.

Here’s the trailer if you need to see it again.

It’s no surprise when a summer blockbuster movie is set for release and the tie-in sponsors are announced. Whether it’s fast food, soft drinks or even motorcycles, where there’s money to be made, the cross promotion will be present.

The excitement over the Superbowl spot for The Avengers (and the extended cut) hasn’t faded. We are now seeing where else the movie will be promoted.

Marvel and Harley-Davidson have joined forces again. This isn’t the first time they’ve joined forces. When Captain America: The First Avenger was released, Marvel and Harley-Davidson teamed up to give away a custom Captain America Sportster. Now they’re doing it again.

The Battle for Freedom Needs You.

That’s the cry going out. If you head over to Harley-Davidson’s website, you can check out the details. The prize is the chance to be drawn into an upcoming AVENGERS digital comic as well as winning a custom H-D motorcycle of your choice (value up to $20,000!)

If you check the rules and regulations, you do have to be a legal U.S. resident 18 years of age, etc. There is actually more than one prize that will be given. There is one specifically for those on active military duty along with three prizes in the general entrant pool making a total of four grand prizes.

It’s not as easy as simply signing up to enter. You have to include a superhero name and an essay of no more than 1000 words describing your fictional hero. I would just warn about submitting any original ideas you might want to hang onto as the entries become their property and will not be returned. In other words, be sure to read all the rules.

Good luck. It would be super cool if someone from the Comic Vine Community won this prize. Head on over to Harley-Davidson to enter.

Since the launch of the “New 52,” we’ve seen Animal Man back with a vengeance. Courtesy of writer Jeff Lemire, Animal Man is facing a whole new level of danger, one that is hitting close to home as well. For as long as Animal Man has been around (his debut was in 1965), the idea of Buddy Baker appearing on a t-shirt didn’t seem too likely.

Today, DC has revealed a new Animal Man t-shirt will actually be available through Graphitti Designs later this month (online and at your local comic shop).

The image features art by Travel Foreman based on the cover to ANIMAL MAN #1 and can be seen in issue #7, on sale March 7. The issue will feature the first part of “Animal Vs. Man.” Check out these preview pages (and the t-shirt in the comic) with art by Steve Pugh.

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