The Laughing Man - A Joker Fan Film That Will Blow You Away!!!

We live in a golden age of comic book based Fan Films... the work that people like Bat In the Sun and others have done over the past 5-7 years is often BETTER than the work turned out by regular studios. So when I come across a Fan Film that is getting a lot of buzz, I am not skeptical... as a matter of fact, I am INTRIGUED. Intrigued way more than I am for more studio fare. Give me a Super Power Beat Down over another mediocre mainstream project EVERY SINGLE TIME! A pair of Mexican brothers, Diego and Julio Hallivis, are hoping to join the club of people who got it more than right with their comic fan film "The Laughing Man".

It is a dark take on the creation of the Joker... and it draws inspiration from everyone from JD Salinger (his short story The Laughing Man features a character that cuts has a damaged face) to Scott Snyder (the Batman author featured a simiar Joker in his Death of the Family storyline) along the way. With only one full movie credit under their belt, they deliver an amazing take on one of the most complex characters in comic book history.

They get one hell of a performance from actor Zach Avery, who portrays the Laughing Man, and absolutely kills it (both figuratively and literally). In an ironic twist of fate, Avery had an unaccredited role in David Ayers film Fury... and Ayers currently has the Suicide Squad out in theaters featuring his own Laughing Man Jared Leto as the Joker. We also get an appearnace from another Suicide Squader.. Harley Quinn also makes an appearance!

The short fan film was added to Youtube on August 2 and is setting the Internet ON FIRE! I for one can't wait to see what the Brothers Hallivis has in store from us in the future.

Don't believe us? Take a look for yourself!  

X-Men, Wu-Tang and Wrestlers... Oh MY! The Eclectic Artwork Of Erle Tompkins

You know that saying "never judge a book by its cover" that is always thrown around so willy nilly? Yeah, I never really subscribe to that theory. I tend to be very observant of people on purpose... and I can usually figure out people pretty well. I have an especially keen 'bullshit detector' sense as well... one that very rarely fails me. I had made the acquaintance of a very talented artist, Erle Tompkins, a few years back and I must say that in this case I was completely off in my judgement. His cousin Frank introduced us, and we hit it off right away with geek talk galore (mostly about comic book movies). He told me he did some art, and I told him to email me. He never did... and I assumed that he must not be very talented. I would see him from time to time, and always it was pleasant to see him. But every time we chatted, still no email and still no artwork. So I just chalked it up to him being not all that good and getting cold feet sending it to me. This weekend I ran into Erle, and he pulled up an X-Men movie universe piece he had just finished working on. Although I was looking at it on a 5 inch I Phone screen, I instantly realized that my man Erle had something... and I couldn't wait to see more. I told him that he needed to email me this instantly, and that I wanted to see more immediately. I made him do it right in front of me so he didn't "forget" to do it later. I forced his hand... and I am able to write this article about his awesome art because of it.

See more after the jump...

Erle has a Tumblr that highlights his unique style of art, but it his interesting array of subjects that make his blog so appealing. He jumps flawlessly from the world of comics to the world of Wu Tang Clan. But he makes his most important contributions in the world he loves the most: Professional Wrestling. He re-creates old matches, particular poses and scenes, and iconic images from WWF, WWE, WCW and NWA fame. He hits on all the regulars, and even digs deeper to include lesser popular stars. And his trademark, at least in my opinion, has to be his "bloody" stuff... the pieces where he highlights the destruction of the human body in the ring. These pieces transport me back to the days of a child watching Saturday Night's Main Event, playing with my WWF Wrestling Superstar rubber figures. Man, these are great. 

So in closing, sometime you really can't judge a book by it's cover. Er;e Tompkins is a soft spoken and nice kid, but I certainly didn't think he had the talent he actually possess. I am glad he finally shared it with me, and I am happy to share it with all of you. Make sure you hit him up at his AMA page, his Society 6 page, and check his Tumblr often for his newest works. Order up kids... and tell 'em CCD sent ya!!!!        

J.E. Mark Takes Batman' Rogues Gallery And Makes Them Real...

I love fan art, especially fan art that depicts the residents of Gotham City. But my man J. E. Marks has taken the Bats villains to a new height with his realistic illustrations of the Rogue Gallery. These versions of Poison Ivy, Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze and Harvey Dent make my skin crawl... they are so realistic and life like, and yet they highlight the comic attributes that we know and love about these characters so much. I think my fave may be the Penguin, even though she is probably my least favorite villain of the group. Mr. Freeze is pretty amazing as well. Check out more of Mark's work by clicking here, and see the best of the best after the jump...

Thanks to Tommy for the lead...

Help Bring The Web Series 'The Batman Chronicles' To Fruition

I am a big proponent of web series, because they allow real fans of properties to make some fantastic short films and TV shows on a micro budget. These fans are usually enamored with a particular character and put forth maximum effort to tell their version of the story. The Mortal Kombat web series and the City of Scars Batman series come to mind as awesome examples of what can be done with a good creative team and a little bit of money. The newest web idea to come across my path is 'The Batman Chronicles', which hopes to tell the story of a young Batman and his first encounter with the Joker & the Red Hood Gang. I am currently reading Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns (a great read and wonderful gift from my fiance Tara from Christmas), which similarly tells the story of the early days of the Bat. That book deals with The Penguin. I am eager to see what these guys do with The Joker, especially since the dude playing him seems to have a good balance of Nicholson and Ledger in his performance. But they need your help. They are running and Indie GoGo page to raise money for the feature, and you can click here to make a donation to get the series made. Take one look at this trailer and you won't think twice about sending them a few bucks. Enjoy it after the jump... and help make this wicked rendition of the Batman a reality!

Artist Spotlight: Nik Holmes

I came across artist Nike Holmes's work after Jeff sent me an email featuring the artisit's 'Super Lion-O Bros.' piece. I loved his work, so I clicked on his Deviant Art page to see more. boy am I glad I did that. He has a ton of cool mash-up inspired pieces that I found awesome and I wanted to share with you guys. Click after the jump to see the rest of my faves and get more information on where you can see Nik's awesome work.


Nik Holmes websites:

Personal Website
Red Bubble
Tumblr
Deviant Art

The Bulgarian Banksy Strikes Again!!!!

This is a military statue in Bulgaria that depicts the Russian Red Army. Statues like this litter Western Europe and harken back to the days behind the Communist curtain that Russia cast over this portion of the world. They are left as a reminder of the tough times:

Now take a look at the same statue... superhero-sized by an anonymous street artist that is being referred to as the "Bulgarian Banksy". At first glance, you can see Superman front and center. But you can also see: The Joker, Bumblebee, Santa Clause, Supes, Ronald McDonald, Captain America and Robin.

The Rocky Horror DC Comics Picture Show

This wonderful piece of artwork is entitled 'He's the Hero' by Leigh Kellogg.  Everybody knows how much I love 'Rocky Horror...', so this mash-up with some of DC Comic's mightiest heroes is a must post for me.

That's Wonder Woman as 'Janet', Superman as 'Brad', Robin as 'Columbia', Harley Quinn as 'Magenta', Joker as 'Riff Raff', and Batman as 'Dr. Frank-N-Furter'. Here is what the artist had to say about it:

Here's a piece that I did late last year for a Rocky Horror live show group. It’s an homage to the original movie poster showing the cast with a superhero twist, and was used as part of a promo for a special show. I also did the chorus line of legs, but as a separate piece so it could be moved wherever the printer wanted. “He’s the hero, oh yes, the hero."

OK... so who would you guys have play the wheelchair-bound 'Dr. Scott', greaser 'Eddie', and the monster himself 'Rocky'? Tell us in the comments section below.