Check Out This Advert For The X-Titans DC/Marvel Crossover by Walt Simonson

I have always had an appreciation of Walt Simonson as a comic creator. I love his artistic ability, and he is one of the rare gems that is also an excellent writer and storyteller to go along with his cool ass graphics. Plus the guy may  very well be the most personable man I have ever met... he was so down to earth and cool, very matter of fact and even self deprecating with his 'I'm no big deal' attitude. The guy is a titan. He is also one of the coolest guys to follow on Facebook, because he posts a ton of gems for fans like me. Today he posted this wonderful print ad for the X-Men/Teen Titans (Simonson calls the book X-Titans) from 1982, and I really love it. The two company crossover was written by Chris Claremont, and the art came from Simonson and Terry Austin. I also like the play on Francis Ford Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now' movie title in the ad. Check out Simonson's Facebook for more gems like this on a daily basis (he also puts up tons of old panels) and check out the black and white ad in full size after the jump...

Here is what Simonson had to say about the ad:

A print ad for the X-Titans books I penciled back in the early 80s. Haven't seen it in years. Ferran Delgado posted it over on the Appreciation page. 

I am virtually certain (which is to say that there's about a billionth of a percent of questionable memory here) that I drew it. No idea what became of the original.

The lettering was inspired by the work of a calligrapher who had a couple of books of his examples published back then--might have been from Dover books although I'm not certain of that. Probably still have the books around somewhere, and if I find them, I'll add his name here in the credit where credit is due dept. 

I thought it was pretty cool ad. Don't know if it would fly now. ;-)

These Dexter x Look/See Sun Glasses Will Turn Some Heads... And Maybe Get You Questioned By The Police!!!

I love me some Dexter. I have watched every season of the show and I am gearing up to blow through the original novels as we speak now that they are on my tablet in a digital format (thanks for that little extra Joe Fletch!). Usually we see some cross over merchandise to help promote a brand and a show, but rarely do you run across a product as cool as these sunglasses from Look/See that are clearly Dexter related. They might not be for everyone given the fact that they are white and feature blood splatters all over... but the set is actually quite impressive for the super Dexter fan in your life! They are limited to 500 sets and each set comes with the glasses, a carry case, a blood slide storage case that actually features removable slides (wtf?) and is individually numbered (1/500, 2/500, etc). The glasses also fetaure little nods to the show like the small syringe on the inside bar of the glasses. You might get stopped and questioned for wearing these, but the only summons you will get is for being fresh to death! you can order them by clicking here and see many more detailed pics of the glasses after the jump....

Epic Misney by T Campbell & John Waltrip

A few weeks back the Internet was abuzz with news coming out of the Las Vegas Licensing Expo in regards to the plans for the Disney & The Marvel Universes to collide. The partner companies will start tying characters from both worlds in with one another, most notably starting with Phineas & Ferb crossing over with some of Marvel's finest heroes. But to celebrate the genuine idea that the two world could co-exist we get an unbelievable painting from T Campbell & John Waltrip that pairs some of the all time Disney greats with their equally important Marvel cohorts. You gotta love some of the pairings in this one. Squirrel Girl with Chip & Dale? Captain Hook with Wolverine? Fing Fang Foom with Malificent? Namor & Ariel? Donald & Howard the Ducks? Doc Strange vs Geenie? Wow... wow!!! You can order this cool ass print for just 14.99 by clicking here! Check out the full piece after the jump....

The Avengers Vs. The X-Men??? Yeah... I'm In!!!

Company wide crossovers tend to be both a gift and a curse to the world of comic books. Some have produced epic story lines that have shaped the fabric of the companies landscape (Crisis On Infinite Earths & the recent Brightest Day/Darkest Night saga for DC Comics and Secret Wars I& II and Secret Invasion for Marvel Comics). These crossovers have also produced some stinkers (Final Crisis for DC, Acts of Vengeance for Marvel Comics) throughout the years. But Marvel finally announced a crossover for next year that they have been teasing for a bit, and I couldn't be more excited. Click after the jump to hear more about the upcoming company wide crossover that will be known as AvX, Avengers vs X-Men!!!



Here is what Marvel has said so far about the event upcoming event:

The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth... and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix's return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?

All of this hinges on Hope Summers, a young mutant from the future raised by Cable as a daughter and may or may not be related to Jean Grey (the original Phoenix/Dark Phoenix). Once the Phoenix Force is identified as heading to earth to look for a host, the problems begin. the X-Men feel that they should keep hope with them and begin preparing her for what might happen if she does get chosen to be the new Phoenix. The Avengers have a different view on things and want Hope turned over to them so they can keep her from ever being infected by the Phoenix Force. Neither side seems to be wrong here, so in reality you are actually having a Good Guy vs Good Guy clash that is sure to make for some interesting books. The series launches with a #0 issue in April 2012 and will have 12 issues released bi-monthly. I can't wait!!!

 They have been hinting at Hope's importance for some time, so either she is about to become really important character or is just the Macguffin in the whole saga ... we shall soon see. Marvel is hosting a Live Stream press conference TODAY December 7th at 3:00 PM Eastern (view it by clicking here) so hopefully there will be more information soon to follow. I'm sure we will be talking more about this in the near future....

On another note, Marvel has said that if you pick up these 13 issues in the store they will come with a code to allow you to also DOWNLOAD a digital copy of the books from the Marvel App for no additional charge. As a collector but also a new owner of a Kindle fire, I look at this as a Win/Win because I can now have my collectors item in the actual issues and portability of the digital issues for ONE PRICE. Sounds good to me...