The CCD Podcast: Episode #32 - The Michael Keaton Retrospective or "I'm Batm... er, um, Beetleju.... er, um.... BIRDMAN!!!!"

There are a few actors that come along in a lifetime that just engulf you with their presence on the screen. For anyone in the 35-40 year old range right now, one of those guys has to be Michael Keaton. I mean, come on... this guy has played not ONE, but TWO INSANELY important roles to the youth of the 80s: Beetlejuice & Batman! Yup, that is two monster roles... yet they only scratch the surface of the work that Keaton has done. The Dream Team, Night Shift, Mr. Mom... Clean & Sober, My Life, Jackie Brown... the list goes on and on. So for us here at CCD he was the perfect subject for our first individual based retrospective. We talk all things Keaton, big roles and small, and bring it all full circle to his current role as the title character in Birdman. We hope all you Keaton fans enjoy this just as much as we did recording it. Enjoy some great Keaton-esque art after the jump, and enjoy the podcast after the jump. Also, head over to ITunes and SUBSCRIBE, DOWNLOAD, LISTEN and then SHARE it on your favorite form of SOCIAL MEDIA. Oh yeah... I'M Batman!!!!

Batman by Diplines

Beetlejuice by Caricature 80

Keaton by Emma 178

Bettlejuice, Beetlejuice, Bettlejuice by Adam Brown

BATMAN meets Batman by Steven Ely

The Cat Meets The Bat by Fernando Magno

Beetlejuice Ponders Batman by Mad Munchkin

Birdman by 800 Pound Productions

CCD Halloween

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The CCD Podcast: Episode #13 - Our Favorite Comic Book Story Arcs or I Don't Know Much, But I Am Fairly Certain That No Rob Liefeld Stories Will Make This List !!!

Hey gang, it is that time of the week again where we check back in with The CCD Podcast for an all new episode! In lucky Episode #13 we jump to the world of comics and explore our personal favorite Top 3 story arcs of all time... not necessarily the best, but the 3 that we each individually enjoy the most. Tommy Lombardozzi revisits The Nerd Cave to sit down with Jedi Rob & Mike D. Lots of  There are some differences of opinion and style of stories, yet one thing is for sure: They are all amazing! Listen for tons of one liners, goofy humor, and good ole comic book talk!!! We are the CCD Podcast... and we are here to stay! Enjoy the podcast and some accompanying artwork after the jump....


So in honor of some of our pics, here is some pieces courtesy of Deviant Art:

Kingdom Come Tribute by Jesse Munoz

The Long Halloween Tribute by Kid Notorious (just inks)

The Long Halloween Tribute by Kid Notorious

Orion vs Beta Ray Bill by James Harren

Beta Ray Bill by Ted Kim

And here's one of the Guardians character posters referenced...

And see.....his butt totally looks like a frog!

Frog Butt!

Stream the episode here, or follow the links below to subscribe or download. Please share on your favorite form of Social Media... we need your help! Subscribe, Download, Listen, Share.... REPEAT!!!!!!!




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Super Power Beatdown: Punisher vs Red Hood Take To The Streets!!!!

Super Power Beatdown is becoming a Youtube staple for comic nerds like me, because it gives you an opportunity to see some of your favorite characters from the comics pages face off one on one. Bat In The Sun productions has come a long way from their (amazingly good) Batman fan films. The action of the clips are great, and just seeing two characters you grew up loving battle it out with their specific abilities at the center. There have been a ton of epic ones (Scorpion vs The White Ranger is one) in the series thus far, but the most recent entry is one for the ages. Who would win in a battle of street vigilantes? Red Hood is one of Batman's greatest challenges as an adversary especially because of his bloodlust and quest for revenge driving his mission. And the Punisher... well, he is the Punisher. He Punishes. Well. So if the two met in a dark alley (LOL, this is where they actually DO meet in the video) who would come out on top? I thought the action in this one was well executed, and I really like all the hand gun play. With entries like this, Super Power Beatdown certainly has a bright future ahead. Check out the full video after the jump...






Thanks for the tip off Lock...  

'Gotham' Is Coming... Who Is Ready?

'Gotham' is something that I am looking forward too, but I am very wary for. Why you ask? Simple. While it is a great idea (a cop procedural set in the early days of the Batman universe), the show is on Fox. Fox, known as the channel that often kills any genre shows they air (whether they are good or not). So while I think the show can be intriguing, the fact that it is on Fox puts a strike on it for me because even if it is good it will probably get bailed on. Lets hope Fox finally sees that genre shows are huge right now and give this show a fair shot. The trailer for the show is here, and I am intrigued. Most peoples criticism that I have encountered so far is the inclusion of young versions of Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin... but to me that is one of the cooler aspects of it. And a young Master Bruce... yup, I can get behind that. Anytime Donal Logue is involved in a project I am in. Ben McKenzie looks pretty great as a young Jim Gordon. And a mob boss that is a chick (Jada Pinkett Smith)? Yup, that is bold. The shows tone looks good, and since I am an ultimate Bat-fan I will give it a shot. But with the gauntlet being thrown down by Arrow (it has been great since episode 1 through two full seasons) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which started slow but has picked up immensely) Gotham better bring the A game. The show comes on this fall on Fox. Check out the trailer after the jump...

Justice League Brewery: Adult Beverages In Honor Of The JLA by Marcello Rizzetto

My love for comics was forged at a very early age. I remember being four or five and walking into my local neighborhood candy store, seeing a rack of comics, and falling in love with how colorful they were. From that point on I spent my life idolizing comic book characters, buying and collecting hundreds and thousands of them through the years. But now I am a grown up geek, and I have grown up needs. Enter graphic designer Marcello Rizzetto, who must be in the same boat as me and decided to do something about it. He created a six pack of beers based on the core six members of the Justice League, with each beer taking on characteristics of each hero. This is a killer idea. Superman as a super strong Pale Ale. Wonder Woman as an American Lager. The Flash as an Irish Red Ale. Aquaman as a Belgian Blonde Ale. Green Lantern as a special edition St Patrick's Day Green Beer. And finally Batman as a Dark Ale. It all works so perfect, both in reference to the heroes and to the potentially deliciousness of these beers! I can get behind this. You can see all 6 beers after the jump, and hopefully we see something like this in the future...

  

The True 'Dark Knight' Detective

I have been a bit burned out on blogging over the last few weeks, so I took a well deserved break. Not really a break since this was the busiest week of the year at my job at the bar... but a break from my nerdy pursuits. But when I saw this over on Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool I knew I had to break my silence. I am back on the blog, and happy as I could be. True Detective was a whirlwind success for HBO (shocker, right?) and was the talk of the town over the past few weeks for the way the show rapped up. But one of the many things that I always really liked about the show was the opening montage. The song is spooky as shot, and the smoky visuals set the scene for the intense show to come. But in the age of the epic mash-up, how can you not insert some of Gotham's greatest figures into that setting? Batman is the Dark Knight Detective, so he fits right in as Rust Kohle with Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson filling the slot as Marty. This is as epic a mash-up idea as I have ever seen. Well done and executed by Josh Newman. Perfect way to segue back into the daily blogging world. Check out the full video after the jump...

Batman vs The Terminator - A Fan Film For The Ages !!!

Mash-ups can be tedious at times... just cause you have two really cool characters, doesn't really mean they will necessarily work well together. Even if they seem like a born match. Usually the best mash-ups are the ones you don't really see coming... the ones you DON'T think would work so effectively. That is the case with this crazy ass fan film I found over at Comic Alliance called Batman vs The Terminator... yup, that is correct: The Caped Crusader taking on the most dangerous machines of all time. Yup, that is something I can definitely say I never thought I would see mashed up and something that was happily created by Tony Guerrero (writer) and Mitchell Hammond (animator). This is pretty fantastic, a true labor of love by two guys who really wanted to get their vision out into the world. They have a cool blog where they documented the process. I hope to see more than just this 5 minute clip in the future. But for now, this will have to do. Check it out, with the full size movie poster, after the jump...



Here is the poster:

Here is the full film:

Batman Noir by Henrik Sahlstrom

I am always on the look out for dope version of my favorite character, Batman, from talented artists around the web. I found a great set of noir styled pics over at Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool done by artist Henrik Sahlstrom. There are four so far in the series... Batman, Cat Woman, and then two of my favorite villains in the Rouge's Gallery: Joker & The Riddler. These are really dark and beautiful. Thanks for another great find Cal. You can see much more of Henrik's work over at his Deviant Art page. Check after the jump for the full set...

The Joker Eats A Snickers Bar...

I have always giggled at those stupid Snickers commercials that show a group of people with one of them being some celebrity acting nuts, like Joe Pesci or Robin Williams. Then their friends tell them to eat a Snickers cause they get nuts when they are hungry, and viola.. the person is back to their regular self as they enjoy their nuget-y goodness. But in the latest commercial from the candy company we get a visit from The Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker himself. A cool nerd twist to the commercial series. Gotta love that this Joker is in the style of Caesar Romero's Joker from the Batman '66 TV show. Enjoy it after the jump...

'Batman: The Deal' - The Greatest Indy Fan Fic Batman Story I Have Ever Read!!!!

Batman has always been my favorite character to read when it comes to comics. It is not even close. While I am very protective over my favorite character and how he is portrayed in the pages of his books, I am always open to seeing a different spin on the Dark Knight... especially if they can add something new to the mythos. Writer Gerardo Preciado and artist Daniel Bayliss have decided to do just that with Batman: The Deal. A Batman work that comes WITHOUT permission of DC Comics and obviously does not take place within typical DC Comics canon, this story delves deep into the dark, twisted relationship between Batman and the Joker. Since this is an un-authorized book, it allows Preciado & Bayless license to take the characters and stories to dark places... the darkest places I have ever seen the World's Greatest Detective go. I was floored by the visuals and the story got my blood pumping in a way that hasn't happened in a long, long time. I hope this opens the eyes of the brass over at DC Comics in relation to the talent of these guys... and if not them, then how about some of the other companies like Image & Marvel take a shot on these fellas? I want to see way more from them. You need to go over to the Blogspot page they set up and show your support, but you can find the whole comic after the jump in full. I really love this story. Check it out for yourself....