The work that caught my attention features drops of water refracting the earth, or at least part of it.

World in a Drop of Water

How about a couple of superheroes in a drop of water? Well, technically, it is not the superhero that can be seen, but the emblem. It is still one heck of a viewing experience, though. Here’s the first of the two superheroes in a drop of water: Batman.

Batman in a Drop of Water

I’ve never been a huge Spiderman fan, but this drop of water is something else.

Spiderman in a Drop of Water

The artist’s other pieces are mainly of planets – Jupiter and Mars, for example. They are no less beautiful than the others, but I am hoping that he will come up with more photos of superheroes in a drop of water.

Oh, and if you want prints of his work, you can purchase them. Even better, you can get in touch with him if you have a particular subject that you want him to take photos of. Here’s more of Marcus Reugels.

Thanks to Design Taxi, I discovered these really fun retro superhero pin-up posters. Take a look yourself.

Retro Harley Quinn

Retro Harley Quinn

Retro Poison Ivy

Retro Poison Ivy

Retro Cat Woman

Retro Cat Woman

Retro Batgirl

Retro Batgirl

Retro Wonder Woman

Retro Wonder Woman

You can get these prints – and more – from Danalakis’s Etsy shop for only $10. I think that the artist is also open to having other characters drawn if you ask her nicely.

Take note of the qualifier “significant”, as hardcore Batman fans might take one look at the infographic and complain that there are some bat-suits missing. Also, the bat-suits that you find in the infographic are based on comic books, TV, movies, video games, as well as the theater! The bat-suit gallery goes back to first ever outfit the Caped Crusader wore when he debuted in 1939.

Ben Moore describes Batman and his bat-suits best:

“…what makes Batman such an excellent comic book/movie/television/video game/theatrical character is his unique ability to comfortably exist inside of just about every kind of story. He can fight gods. He can play superhero. He can be the world’s greatest detective or just solve petty street crimes. Whether the story is gritty, ridiculous, or brimming with science-fiction – or in the case of Grant Morrison’s work on the character, all of the above – Batman is always capable of thriving creatively.

Batman’s neverending bat-suit wardrobe is a symptom of that. He can wear just about any sort of outfit, for any sort of story or scenario, and still be the most popular superhero in existence. He’s just that good, man.”

Whether Batman the superhero you like most, or you simply are interested in superheroes in general, this infographic will certainly be a delight for your eyes!

Don’t worry! This is totally safe for work!

The advertising agency has chosen the perfect subjects to use for their campaign. After all, no one can deny that most women superheroes are not only endowed with awesome powers. They are rather well-endowed in the most feminine of ways as well, aren’t they? (Calling all lovers of comics: do you agree or disagree?)

While the women superheroes are obviously a stunt to get people to notice the campaign, there is a strong underlying message as well:

“Nobody’s immune to breast cancer. When we talk about breast cancer, there’s no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against the enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor.”

If women superheroes are not immune to breast cancer, how much more the ordinary woman without superpowers? Here are the women superheroes lending their support to a very worthy cause.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman for Breast Cancer

She-Hulk

She-Hulk for Breast Cancer

Storm

Storm for Breast Cancer

Cat Woman

Cat Woman for Breast Cancer

Via Design Taxi

Superman III (1983)

A cautionary tale of studio meddling if there ever was one, the legend of Superman III is known far and wide. Let me sum it up: Richard Donner, director of the first two Superman films, was forced out late in the process of Superman II and replaced by Richard Lester who would go on to direct the third installment as well. Though he was acclaimed in his own right, Lester didn’t share Donner’s take on the character, resulting in the campy, cringe-worthy Superman III (followed by the nearly unwatchable Superman IV, directed by Sidney Furie). But the disastrous consequences didn’t end there. Margot Kidder complained to the franchise’s producers about Donner being fired from the second film, and subsequently found herself with little more than a cameo in number three. Bryan Singer chose to stay in continuity with the early films with his Superman Returns, but he snubbed Supermans III and IV entirely because of their lackluster quality and reputation. I think we can all agree that Richard Prior was a very funny comedian — but belong in a Superman movie he did not.

Batman Forever (1995)

Warner Bros. tried its best to convince us that Batman Forever was part of the same continuity as Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. But one sit-through of this candy-colored flick, as directed by Joel Schumacher, proved it was anything but. Gone was the dark pathos of the Burton films, replaced by a cheesy sensibility and a plastic aesthetic. Jim Carrey, at the height of his popularity, as the Riddler with unapologetic, manic glee, came close to saving the day but the whole thing just buckled under the weight of its over-the-top superhero costumes and their infamous nipples. Batman Forever was a box office success, but that came from riding on the coattails of the first two films. It’s become infinitely more kitschy over time (whereas many a moviegoer still thinks fondly of the Burton films). Batman & Robin, the fourth film, magnified the camp factor to unprecedented proportions and killed the franchise outright. But I suppose we can thank Schumacher for making terrible movies so that Warner Bros. would eventually green light Christopher Nolan’s triumphant reboot of the Batman universe.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Blade’s first movie wasn’t bad. The second one, directed by Guillermo del Toro, was a lot better. But the third movie was just dull. Reportedly, scribe David Goyer, who wrote all three movies and directed the third, had much bigger plans for Blade’s sendoff involving an older Blade attempting to save a world where humans have been enslaved by vampires. But he was forced to make cutbacks, resulting in this bland, styleless third and final film that even star Wesley Snipes disliked. On the other hand, it did introduce Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel as believable big-screen stars (and butt-kickers), so I guess it wasn’t a total waste.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Oy… You already know what happened. Bryan Singer dropped out to take on Superman Returns and Brett Ratner was hired to direct an X-Men three-quel that was rushed through production on an accelerated schedule and an unpolished script. The Last Stand is utterly devoid of the soul and humanity of the first two films — particularly the great storytelling and characterizations of the second. It tries to make up for this with a ginormous visual effects budget that filled the screen with eye candy in practically every shot. But I think even Ratner knew he wasn’t making a very good movie, because his solution was to introduce as many mutants as he possibly could — and radically change them from their comic book origins. X-Men 3 should have been the epic Dark Phoenix Saga; instead it was a shameless riff on Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men “mutant cure” storyline (only not nearly as good), with a black-eyed and conflicted Jean Grey on the sidelines as little more than an afterthought. (They had to give her Multiple Personality Disorder to explain the Phoenix Force? Are you frickin’ kidding me?) Lame!

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

The first two Spider-Man movies were enormous successes, so the third one should have been a sure thing. But it became a case study in “trying to please too many people.” Director Sam Raimi wanted to focus on Sandman as the villain of his third movie, but Sony Pictures pressured him into including the fan-favorite (and considerably more modern) Venom as well. When you add in a homicidal Harry Osborne, you’ve got a top-heavy movie with two too many big baddies. Spider-Man 3 fares better than most other third movies on this list, even as busy as it is. The real problem isn’t the huge budget or all those bad guys. Most viewers just weren’t down with seeing Tobey Maguire turn cruel and Saturday Night Fever his way down city streets, flirting with every woman in sight. Also, the decision to have Peter become a superstar in the eyes of New Yorkers was an interesting one with the potential to take the character in new directions, so I applaud the risk taking. But it proved to be a bad call in the end, because Spider-Man is meant to be an underdog. It’s ingrained into the DNA of the character. When Peter stopped being someone we could root for, audiences simply didn’t understand who he was anymore.

That’s the past. Will the future improve the reputation of the third superhero film? Well…

Men in Black III

Will Smith and director Barry Sonnenfeld reportedly clashed on set. Tommy Lee Jones barely appears because Smith’s character travels back in time to meet Jones’ younger self, played by Josh Brolin (who admittedly does look the part). The second movie was underwhelming, and this one has been plagued by rewrites and delays. Textbook case of disaster in the making? We’ll find out in May.

Iron Man 3

A third Iron Man movie — without director Jon Favreau? Okay, so the second movie was a little bloated, but the first one is a modern classic. Shane Black (writer & director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) is taking over, which should make for a grittier tale for what we assume will be Iron Man’s big-screen swan song. Some fans are applauding Black as an inspired choice. But I’m getting a serious deja vu back to X-Men: The Last Stand… New director for the finale of an enormously successful film series? Oh please oh please, Iron Man 3, try really hard not to suck. Currently scheduled for May 2013. [Image source.]

The Dark Knight Rises

If anything can break the Curse of the Third Movie, it’s this. Christopher Nolan is a genius who hasn’t made one bad move yet. The anticipation level is off the charts after the unprecedented success of The Dark Knight, and what little we know about Rises — Batman’s retired some eight years after the events of the last film, but he suits up again to fight a brilliant but ruthless new crime lord called Bane — suggests that Nolan is still willing to take risks if it’s what the story calls for. I have faith in Nolan. The Dark Knight Rises is the one. Releases July 2012.

Remember the grandma who was depressed? Thanks to her grandson, she was able to cope with her situation by dressing up as a granny superhero and having photo shoots. Now if that can only work for all of us!

Anyhow, we featured Mamika and her partner not long ago, and I really had fun putting that entry together. It’s not your usual superhero post, and the age of the subjects just made it more interesting.

Sacha Goldberg is back, this time with a grandpa superhero named Dark Papouka. He has a new series called “The Darks, Part II”, and he’s thrown in a bit of a treat for Star Wars fans as well: Darth Vader.

Who would have thought that Darth Vader and an aging “real-life” superhero would hit it off? If Sacha’s photos are to be believed, though, they really are good friends, going through life as a pair.

I spent a considerable amount of time just looking at the photos again and again, and I am amazed by the details that have gone into the photos. I guess the artist got really inspired by his success with Mamika, and that has overflowed into this next set of photos. Below, you can find the gallery of some of the coolest times that Dark Papouka and Darth Vader have spent together. From changing a flat tire – Darth Vader does the job, by the way – to playing video games to simply reading magazines, enjoying a moment of silence to Darth Vader in the toilet…ooops!

Isn’t that pretty cool work? For more photos, visit Design Taxi.

The book is probably going to be available by March of 2012, and if you liked the Mamika photo series, you will be pleased to know that a movie is coming out soon. Now that should be really interesting.

Just when I thought that I would not see anything new and interesting about superhero art any time soon, I discovered the work of Grégoire Guillemin, a French artist. One of his collections feature superhero posters which are inspired by art deco, the artistic/design style that has its roots in Paris. If you know next to zilch about art deco (like me), this description from Wikipedia should help.

Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as aluminium, stainless steel, lacquer, Bakelite, Chrome and inlaid wood. Exotic materials such as sharkskin (shagreen), and zebra skin were also evident. The use of stepped forms and geometric curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of Art Nouveau), chevron patterns, ziggurat-shapes, fountains, and the sunburst motif are typical of Art Deco. Some of these motifs were ubiquitous – for example, sunburst motifs were used in such varied contexts as women’s shoes, radiator grilles, radio and clock faces, the auditorium of the Radio City Music Hall, and the spire of the Chrysler Building.

Now on the good stuff – the art deco superhero posters. Guillemin has included the many of the usual suspects, although the absence of Superman and Spiderman cannot be ignored. That being said, the posters are, if not exactly my kind of thing, very attention grabbing. See for yourself.

So what do you think of the art deco influence? Does it take anything away from the “superhero-ness” of the characters or does it work otherwise? Which one grabs your attention the most? (It’s Silver Surfer for me.)

See more of the art deco superhero posters on Guillemin’s page.

Batman Triumphant

A fan poster for 'Batman Triumphant'

This was a proposed sequel to the godawful Batman & Robin, with George Cooney and Chris O’Donnell returning in the lead roles. The story pitted Bats against Scarecrow and Man-Bat in what director Joel Schumacher (who directed the prior two films) wanted to be a return to the darker portrayal of the title character, rather than the goofy, technicolor kiddie flicks that the series had fallen into. But when Batman & Robin failed to perform at the box office (not to mention with critics and fans), Batman Triumphant was scrapped in favor of a series reboot — a move that gave us the triumphant Christopher Nolan films. So it sort of lived up to its name.

Batman vs. Superman

Batman vs. Superman fan art

Director Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One, The Perfect Storm) came very close to making this one. It introduced a retired, haunted Bruce Wayne and a divorced Clark Kent who start off as friends. There’s a wedding in the story, where Bruce ties the knot to one Elizabeth Miller, and Clark — who has rekindled his high school romance with Lana Lang — is his best man. Things go south when Elizabeth is murdered by the Joker while the happy couple are on their honeymoon, sending Bruce back into the Bat-tights. Lex Luthor is also involved in some way, perhaps in an alliance with the Joker. Presumably, as the title suggests, the two heroes would at some point in the movie come to blows against one another, though I’m sure it all turned to hugs and puppies by the end. [Image source.]

Batman: Year One

Costume concept from 'Batman: Year One'

A collaboration between director Darren Aronofsky and writer Frank Miller, this was conceived as a complete reboot of the Batman film series after the disappointment that was Batman & Robin — but before Christopher Nolan was involved. Aronofsky and Miller’s script is described as a 70s period piece where they “threw out absolutely everything you know about Batman” and started over from scratch. Instead of a billionaire, Bruce Wayne is a street-dwelling orphan after his parents are killed, growing up into “a borderline psychotic who begins taking violent vengeance on street thugs.” And instead of using high-tech gadgets, this street-level Batman uses whatever junk he can get his hands on. His Batcave is an abandoned subway station, and his Batmobile is a Lincoln Continental with some added hardware. The idea of a “year one” take on Batman would carry on to the subsequent Batman Begins by Christopher Nolan, but no story elements from Aronofsky and Miller’s story would be used.

Justice League

Justice League fan art

George Miller wanted to make this film, which was the start of a proposed film trilogy, with a young cast of 20-somethings in the starring roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, and others. The script by Kieran and Michelle Mulroney has secret files belonging to Batman stolen by a supervillain team-up — files that describe the weaknesses of each member of the Justice League, in case of worst-case scenario where Bruce might be forced to take them down. OMACs and Brother Eye are involved, Barry Allen is murdered with Wally West taking up The Flash mantle, and there’s a big twist at the end revealing Darkseid as setup for a sequel. At first, the movie was going to be set in the same universe as Batman Begins and Superman Returns, but this was scrapped pretty early in favor of a separate continuity. [Image source.]

Spider-Man (James Cameron)

Storyboard from James Cameron's 'Spider-Man'

Cameron’s take on the web-head was similar to Sam Raimi’s first movie in broad strokes, but Cameron’s outline/script (which you can read for yourself online, or a version with storyboards here) was a darker, more nuanced origin story for Peter Parker. Peter is a repressed bully target who explodes with rage when given the opportunity, beating Flash to a bloody pulp and swinging across New York rooftops as a cathartic sort of therapy. His enemies include a new version of Sandman, who works as a sort of “mob enforcer” for Electro, a wealthy entrepreneur whose electrical powers could alter digital records, access databases, and more, and who tries to turn Peter into a fellow villain. J. Jonah Jameson owns a local TV station instead of a newspaper. Spidey’s web shooters are organic (which is where Raimi got the idea from), but manifest in a sticky wet dream one night in bed. Where Raimi’s film was candy-colored and maintained a plucky optimism, Cameron’s story is set in a world of moral greys, where doing the right thing often causes as many problems as it solves. Peter’s journey to becoming a hero is a longer one, with more mistakes along the way. He swears frequently and even has costumed sex with Mary Jane in a steamy scene atop the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s kind of hard to imagine this film in the wake of Sam Raimi’s successful trilogy, but don’t ever underestimate Cameron’s midas touch at the box office. It was an opportunity lost due to legal battles between various studios who believed they had the rights to make a Spider-Man movie. But in my opinion, despite a few odd choices, it’s ultimately a cool story, and James Cameron + Spider-Man would have made an unstoppable box office dynamic duo.

Spider-Man 4

A fan-made poster for 'Spider-Man 4'

Even though most fans were disappointed with Spider-Man 3, it was an enormous box office success, and Sony greenlit Spider-Man 4 not long after 3‘s release. Raimi wanted the villain this time out to be the Lizard, while the studio wanted John Malkovich as Vulture. Tobey Maguire and Kirstin Dunst were set to reprise their roles as well, and development was in full swing when Raimi backed out, citing creative differences with the studio. Marc Webb was brought in to restart the franchise anew, and he chose Andrew Garfield as his Spider-Man. We’ll see what they come up with next Summer.

Super Max

Green Arrow was the main character in 'Super Max'

A hot script by David Goyer & Justin Marks was the talk of Hollywood a few years ago. In it, Green Arrow has been incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit, in an extremely elaborate, high-tech prison made to de-power superpowered criminals and hold them indefinitely. It was described as a big, complex heist film with lots of supervillains from DC Comics — and a superhero or two as well (in addition to Green Arrow). No Black Canary, but roles were confirmed for Riddler, Joker, and Lex Luthor. There’s no reason this one might not one day see the light of day, but nobody’s in any hurry.

Superman: Flyby

Costume concept for JJ Abrams' 'Superman: Flyby'

J.J. Abrams’ wildly bold reimagining of the Superman story is — not unlike Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel — a total reboot that leaves behind all past continuity and takes some major steps away from the comic book mythology. This script suffered from a now legendary leak to Aint It Cool News, where Abrams’ reinvention of the mythos was dragged through the mud and generated an enormous negative reaction from readers. Abrams’ screenplay is an origin story with the usual familiar elements. It’s the differences that rankled fans’ sensibilities, such as Lex Luthor being a government agent obsessed with UFOs who’s later revealed to be a Kryptonian himself, and a lot of “kung fu” style mid-air fights between Supes and a quartet of criminal Kryptonians. The story’s epic battle scenes had these super-beings throwing each other into buildings and creating maximum destruction through Metropolis. It was an undeniably geeky script, filled with loads of eye candy, and despite those early knee-jerk reactions from fans worried about an “unknown” (which Abrams was at the time) retooling their beloved mythology, had Abrams’ script been used, and he been allowed to direct it himself… Frankly, that’s something I’d like to see. Abrams is a fantastic storyteller and always has his finger on the pulse of what makes for awesomely cool storytelling. This was was intended as Part One of a new trilogy of films, but it was thrown out when Bryan Singer came onboard to direct.

Superman Lives

Concept art from Tim Burton's 'Superman Lives'

This one went through such a sordid series of drafts and directors, it’s hard to say how it may have turned out. The consensus seems to be that Tim Burton’s new take on the mythos (starring, of all people, Nicolas Cage) was largely based on a written-by-committee script that passed through the hands of Kevin Smith, Wesley Strick (Cape Fear, The Glass House), Dan Gilroy (The Fall, Real Steel), William Wisher Jr., and more. The story evolved through all these iterations but the common elements seemed to be Superman’s fight against Doomsday from the comic books’ “Death of Superman” storyline, which would be followed by Superman’s resurrection in a de-powered form. He would be fitted with ridiculous Kryptonian armor that could mimic his usual powers, until those powers eventually came back on their own. The movie spent a lot of pre-production money on ultimately nothing, and left several Hollywood careers in its wake, but we’re all better off with it never having gone before cameras. Crisis averted.

Wonder Woman

Costume concepts from Joss Whedon's 'Wonder Woman'

Joss Whedon, at one time seen as the perfect choice for building a female superhero (because he’d already done it several times) was going to make this movie, but Warner Bros. had no idea what angle they wanted to take with the character. Whedon tried more than one approach, script-wise, but they refused to approve anything he came up with despite providing him with zero direction. It ultimately fell apart, costing Whedon a two-year “waste of time.”

X-Men Origins: Magneto

A poster from 'X-Men: First Class' highlighting Magneto's tragic past

A Sheldon Turner script was planned for David Goyer to direct. The script was set from 1939 to 1955, and it follows Erik Lehnsherr trying to survive in Auschwitz where he meets young Charles Xavier, an American soldier who helps liberate the camp. While Xavier tries to befriend him, Erik has vengeance in his heart for the Nazis who tortured him, a difference in worldview which ultimately comes between the two young men. The film was delayed by the Writers Guild strike, and eventually replaced with X-Men: First Class, which retained some elements of the Xavier/Magneto friendship-cum-rivalry story.

This girl has a lot to learn when it comes to superheroes, and what better way to start than to become familiar with their colors? Colors are important, not only in the superhero world. Colors can represent how your feel, what you think, and what you stand for. And when it comes to superheroes, it seems that colors are representative of their affiliation – good or bad.

If you need a quick superhero color guide, here’s a very colorful infographic that will give you what you need to know. And trust me, when I say colorful, I mean colorful.

Let’s do a quick quiz before you go through the uber long infographic.

• What two colors are used to represent the ultimate hero?
• What color is used to represent the crazy villain?
• When a hero retires, what color represents him?
• What color is associated with poison?
• What color is used to represent the reluctant hero?

In case you are not sure about your answers, either click on the links after each question or go through the infographic below.

Superhero Color Guide

Artist Andreas Englund has put into visuals the life of an old superhero. Born in Falun, Sweden in 1974, Englund succinctly shares his story:

“Humour can be the carrier of messages that are otherwise hard to convey. For me, it liberates my thoughts and ideas from pretentiousness while at the same time it opens doors to new routes and angles.”

Indeed, looking at this “storyboard” of his work, you will see that statement showcased.

Old Superhero Flying

Old Superhero Eating

Old Superhero Choking

Old Superhero with a Bad Back

Old Superhero with Groceries

Old Superhero Sitting

For more of these pictures, visit Englund’s web site.

Don’t forget to get involved in the comic book debates at the ForeverGeek Forum!

You might be thinking that drawing superheroes is nothing to write about, but Keron Grant’s work is more than static depictions of these creatures we look up to. To make things more exciting and breathtaking, the artist has incorporated the element of motion. Indeed, he has made his superheroes look as if they are in a hurry to get somewhere – wherever that may be.

I really should just stop trying to convince you with words and show you these speeding superheroes.

Speeding Superman

Speeding Batman

The Flash

Unfortunately, it seems that there are only three of these speeding superheroes in the gallery. You can, however, see more of Keron’s work which may interest you. Go check it out?

Don’t forget to get involved in the comic book debates at the ForeverGeek Forum!

Batman

Died: Final Crisis #6 (January 2009)
Returned: Batman and Robin #8 (February 2010)
Method: Fake-out
Batman appeared to die at the climax of Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis, but later we learned that Bruce Wayne was instead sent to the past, while the body recovered in the present belonged to a clone.

Bucky

Died: never depicted in real time; flashback to his death was finally shown in The Avengers #56 (September 1968)
Returned: Captain America Vol. 5, #1 (January 2005)
Method: Fake-out
Ed Brubaker created the mother-of-all-retcons when he made Bucky a compelling character via gritty WWII flashbacks, and then reintroduced an adult Bucky as a brainwashed lethal assassin called the Winter Soldier. Cap eventually managed to undo the brainwashing, and Bucky even succeeded his mentor as Captain America. Until recently, anyway. (Yes, I’m bitter over Bucky’s recent fate in Fear Itself. What a waste of a compelling character!)

Captain America

Died: Captain America Vol. 5, #25 (April 2007)
Returned: Captain America: Reborn #1 (July 2009)
Method: Fake-out
Appearing to die via assassination following his defeat in Civil War, we later learn that he was “imprisoned in time.”

Colossus

Died: Uncanny X-Men #390 (February 2001)
Returned: Astonishing X-Men #4 (October 2004)
Method: Alien technology
Piotr Rasputin sacrificed his life to save his fellow mutants from the Legacy Virus, leaving lover Kitty Pryde to mourn. She later encountered the shock of her life when she found Piotr had been revived by Ord of the Breakworld and Dr. Kavita Rao, who were developing a “mutant cure.”

Elektra

Died: Daredevil #181 (April 1982)
Returned: Daredevil #190 (January 1983)
Method: Mysticism/Magic
Elektra’s death at the hands of Bullseye, following her love affair with Matt Murdock (Daredevil), was one of the most graphic and shocking comic books had ever produced. The mystic cult The Hand returned her to life, using a patented method they’ve used on numerous superheroes which results in brainwashing to do The Hand’s bidding.

Jean Grey

Died (the first time): Uncanny X-Men #137 (September 1980)
Returned: Fantastic Four vol. 1, #286 (January 1986)
Method: Fake-Out
The Dark Phoenix Saga saw Jean taken over by the all-powerful Phoenix Force, which threatened to destroy the entire universe. Jean appeared to sacrifice herself to prevent that from happening, but later we learn that she was in a cocoon/stasis thing the whole time, and the Jean that died was a duplicate created by the Phoenix. Or something like that. She later died again in the pages of New X-Men, under the auspices of Grant Morrison, but since the X-Men have learned that Jean is subject to the death-and-rebirth cycle of the Phoenix, they fully expect her to rise again. (It even says so on her tombstone.)

Green Lantern

Died: The Final Night #4 (November 1996)
Returned: Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 (March 2005)
Method: Soul reunited with body
Hal Jordan’s “death” is a matter of debate, since he was transformed into the Spectre, but the Spectre is in no way alive in the sense that we understand, so Jordan’s servitude as the Spectre’s human tether was a form of punishment for his succumbing to Parallax. If you didn’t understand any of that, don’t worry. All that matters is that Jordan returned to the land of the living in 2005 when a Guardan of the Universe named Ganthet guided his soul back to his mortal body.

Hawkeye

Died: The Avengers #502 (September 2004)
Returned: House of M #3 (July 2005)
Method: Altered reality
When writer Brian Michael Bendis wrote Hawkeye’s death into the pages of his “Avengers Disassembled” story arc, he had no idea the fan backlash he would face. So he restored the character to life in the pages of his House of M miniseries, which saw the Scarlet Witch alter reality with her bizarre form of mutant magic. When reality was later restored to its original state, Hawkeye hitched a ride.

Mockingbird

Died: Avengers West Coast #100 (November 1993)
Returned: Secret Invasion #8 (December 2008)
Method: Fake-out
Hawkeye’s wife was secretly kidnapped and held in captivity by the alien Skrulls, who then sent a Skrull impersonator to take on her form. So it was really the Skrull Mockingbird who died, not the real one. When all human captives were set free at the end of Secret Invasion, Mockingbird was surprised to find that her husband believed her long dead.

Superman

Died: Superman vol. 2, #75 (January 1993)
Returned: Adventures of Superman #504 (September 1993)
Method: Alien technology
Superman’s death is still one of the most talked-about and influential storylines in all of comicdom. His resurrection was a foregone conclusion, but fans lit up the sales charts for almost a full year, waiting and watching to see how he would be returned. Kal-El’s life was restored by something called a “regeneration matrix.”

Superboy

Died: Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006)
Returned: Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4 (April 2009)
Method: Alien technology
Superboy was given a noble death, saving the world at the climax of Infinite Crisis, right about the time his character was the most interesting he’d ever been. His restoration was handled by the same regeneration matrix as Superman’s, but his required 1,000 years to complete.

Thor

Died: Thor #85 (December 2004)
Returned: Thor Vol. 3 #1 (September 2007)
Method: Awakening from hibernation
While not technically dead, Thor might as well have been after he ended the eternal cycle of Ragnarok, destroyed Asgard, and entered a form of hibernation. He was gone for a long time, until he returned and rebuilt Asgard at the urging of his human host/friend, Donald Blake.

Don’t forget to get involved in the comic book debates at the ForeverGeek Forum!

Speaking of not-so-ordinary superhero t-shirts, I recently discovered Christopher Dooey, an artist from Warszawa, Poland. His renditions of superhero t-shirts are a refreshing sight, to say the least.

How about a mashup of Japanese character Domo-kun and your favorite superheroes?

Domo Captain America

Domo Wolverine

Dooey’s other superhero t-shirts are more conventional in the sense that the designs are not combined with other characters. But that’s basically where convention ends. I don’t know if it’s only because I haven’t seen similar designs before, but Dooey’s designs are like a breath of fresh air.

Iron Man

Rorschach

Wolverine

Superman

For more of Dooey’s work, visit his portfolio. The superhero t-shirts are available in different colors and sizes and are prized at $26.14.

Now I understand that not everyone has jumped into the Angry Birds bandwagon, but these little buggers really do offer something in terms of entertainment – not to mention the frustration that certain levels bring. Whether or not you are an Angry Birds fan, though, I am pretty sure you’ll find at least one superhero angry bird to your liking. Or at least one will amuse you.

Captain America

Captain America Angry Bird Comic Book Version

Captain America Angry Bird Movie Version

Whether you prefer the comic book version or the movie version, there is a Captain America superhero angry bird that will suit your fancy.

The Hulk

Angry Hulk

Gambit

Angry Gambit

Cyclops

Angry Cyclops

Spiderman

Angry Spiderman

Batman

Angry Batman

Thor

Angry Thor

Superman

Angry Superman

Iron Man

Angry Iron Man

Who wants these critters on your t-shirt? *Raising and waving both hands enthusiastically!*

We could argue for years about what constitutes a “superhero weapon” and what doesn’t. For the purpose of this article, I’m defining it as an object or device that exists separate from the wielder. Wolverine’s claws — despite being one the coolest superhero weapons of all — don’t qualify, because they’re part of his anatomy.

Don’t forget to get involved in the comic book debates at the ForeverGeek Forum!

Batman’s Batarangs

Batarang

Batman uses so many different tools, gadgets, and weapons, but there’s no more emblematic or remembered weapon than the Batarang. It’s part boomerang, part throwing star. Part tool, part weapon. And all awesome. [Image source.]

Captain America’s Shield

Shield

Steve Rogers is as much of a symbol as he is a hero, so nothing less than a powerfully symbolic weapon will do. Over the years, Cap‘s shield has gone through many incarnations, but the most popular and memorable one is the round model made of the fictional substance Vibranium. In Cap’s hands, it’s a potent weapon for both offense and defense. [Image source.]

Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Enchanted Chain

Hellfire Enchanted Chain

Ghost Rider’s signature weapon is this enchanted chain that literally bends to his will. And it perfectly matches his metal/biker aesthetic. Sometimes it’s depicted with a glow, while other times it appears to be merely a typical black chain. [Image source.]

Green Arrow’s Bow & Arrows

Bow & Arrows

I’d like to say I was torn between Green Arrow and Hawkeye, but I’d be lying. Green Arrow is the character that’s better known by the general public. The feisty archer is obviously modeled after Robin Hood, and his skill with his bow is unmatched. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a billionaire and can afford to create a nearly infinite array of specialty arrows. [Image source.]

Green Lantern’s Power Ring

Power Ring

The powers of Green Lantern are among the most creative on DC’s roster. What could be cooler than the ability to conjure up anything you can imagine? The mythos behind the Green Lantern rings has grown and expanded hugely over the years, and now there are a full spectrum of ring colors and corps to go with them, each one drawing power from a different primal emotion. But green remains the greatest, built on a foundation of fearlessness. [Image source.]

Iron Man’s Suit

Iron Man

For Tony Stark, his costume is his weapon. It was built out of necessity — its power source keeps dangerous shrapnel from penetrating Tony’s heart, and the first incarnation of the suit helped him escape captivity — but he’s refined and remodeled it numerous times over the years into the sleek, powerful machine it is today. [Image source.]

Spider-Man’s Web-Shooters

Web-Shooters

Peter Parker fashioned his signature wrist gadgets himself, which allow him to shoot a special web fluid that acts like strands of a spider’s web. They’re useful for all sorts of things, including Tarzaning his way through Manhattan, tying up enemies, and grabbing falling objects. Thankfully, Spidey‘s grown more adept at that last one — a lesson he learned the hard way (poor Gwen). [Image source.]

Thor’s “Mjolnir” Hammer

Mjolnir

Bestowed upon him by his father Odin, Thor‘s enchanted hammer is more than a weapon. It’s the totem that transforms human Donald Blake into the Norse god he’s bonded with: Thor, God of Thunder. Thor can throw it at enemies and will it to return to him, he can conjure thunder and lightning with it, or he can just use it to whack the snot out of just about anything. [Image source.]

Witchblade

Witchblade

In the Top Cow Comics universe, the mythology states that there are 13 mystical artifacts/weapons that together hold the universe balanced between dark and light. Of the 13, the best known is the object called the Witchblade, as bonded to Sara Pezzini. The artifact is worn as a bracelet when inert, but can grow and transform into a gauntlet, a bladed weapon, or even a full suit of body armor. It also possesses some mystical powers. [Image source.]

Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth

Lasso of Truth

Diana uses her magic, glowing lasso to bind her enemies and force the truth from them. (It literally forces them to tell the truth.) Personally, I’ve always thought the Lasso is just about the lamest “weapon” there is; her male counterparts get gadgets and power rings and arrows and maces, and she gets a rope? But it’s an inseparable part of Wonder Woman‘s image. Hey, geek war: which would win in a fight — the Lasso of Truth or Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Chain? Go! [Image source.]

Then you get depictions of superheroes which you do not see everyday. Polish designer Filip Łysyszyn is a genius for asterisk-ing superheroes. Or you can say superhero-izing asterisks. Whichever way you want to look at it, his work is super awesome, for the lack of a better term to describe it.

Forget superhero plushies. Forget superhero bed linen. Heck, forget even superhero action figures! These you can see every day. Everyone and their mom has a superhero shirt, even. Filip’s attempt at making the under appreciated asterisk into something, well, superheroical is what made my day – and is going to make yours as well.

Here they are – feast your eyes on these cute little buggers.

So what do you think? Has the designer done the superheroes any justice by compressing them into the confined mold of an asterisk? I think that Filip did an excellent job with the colors and distinctive details that give the superhero asterisks their own characteristics. I don’t think that the superheroes lose any of their powers in this form, do you? My favorite characters – Iron Man (of course), Storm, and Wolverine. I wouldn’t mind having these printed on a shirt!

Okay, I have to make a confession before I end this. Of the nine superhero asterisks in the gallery, I was only able to identify eight. For the life of me, I cannot figure out the identity of superhero asterisk 3. And it took me a while to get that superhero asterisk 2 is Cyclops – and I am not 100 percent sure. I am quite confident, though, that at least one of our ForeverGeek readers can point me in the right direction. Help?

This time, superhero grandma Mamika is back with a huge bang and a partner to boot. Mister Papika is Super Mamika’s suitor and boy, do they look awesome together!

A little background on Frederika, the real person behind Super Mamika…she was born 20 years before World War II. While she didn’t have a square inch of superhero uniform during the war, she did her own part in helping those that needed help the most. She saved the lives of 10 people, hiding Jewish people at her own risk. If that isn’t being a real life superhero, then I don’t know what is.

I love this photo of Super Mamika. The dark sky in the background combined with the playful aspect of blowing bubbles – brilliant!

And here’s another one with the duo relaxing. Isn’t that sweet?

Mister Papika “showing off”.

Even superheroes need to do mundane things such as ironing. I think Mister Papika needs a lesson or two in equality, though. ;)

Looking at those photos, it is easy to see how the “therapy” worked to Frederika’s advantage. Even a younger person would forget about depression if he underwent a similar therapy, don’t you think?

More fun photos at My Modern Met.

Then I saw this jaw-dropping poster about all the superpowers that have ever been in existence. When I say jaw-dropping, I mean jaw-dropping. This is no ordinary chart. It contains more than 100 powers and abilities – some of which you might have thought existed only in your wildest dreams. Not only that, but you will also see the names of more than 200 superheroes – and villains – to give you something to relate the powers to. Awesome? Definitely.

Still don’t get it? Click on the image to see the entire thing and to be able to decipher those squiggly lines.

The group who worked so hard to give us this chart is Pop Chart Lab, in cooperation with Bergen Street Comics. Yup, these guys know what they are talking about, and they made sure that the info in the poster are accurate. The posters are selling for $25 each. With the amount – and significance – of information contained in the poster, that is a small price to pay. You have to be quick, though, as there are only 500 of these posters – each signed by the artists and numbered. They are coming out with future editions, and even better, they are asking people for suggestions. You know, just in case they missed something/someone. If you have a suggestion, send a tweet their way @popchartlab. If your suggestion is used, you get a $10 gift card.

What happens to these superheroes when someone paints them drawing upon Senor Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (Picasso to most of us) for inspiration?

Artist Mike Esparza thought it would be fun to see what our superheroes would have looked like if the renowned Spanish painter had painted them himself. While the images may not be your run-of-the-mill characters, they certainly will catch your eye. I will not dare analyze the style – I know when to leave well enough alone – but here, take a look at some of the images.

Naturally, the rendition of Iron Man is my favorite of the lot, even if his fingers make me think of having fat little sausages for breakfast.  Superman is a bit too eerie for me, with his face looking like someone with Kryptonite rearranged it.

For more awesome artwork, visit Wonder Bros.  If you want to buy prints – anywhere from $25 to $65 – go to their Etsy Store.

Iron Man Tattoos

You will never hear me deny my obsession for this character – and Robert Downey, Jr. Naturally, he is first up on the list.

They say this tatt was spotted by someone somewhere in The Philippines.  Who knows? I just might run into this guy one of these days. Now I love Iron Man and RDJ (sometimes I can’t tell the difference) but I am not so sure about the depiction of IM’s head here.  What do you think? Mask on or mask off for this tatt?

Here’s a hand tattoo, which I think is pretty cool.  I’d be careful not to use this hand for tough jobs if I had this ink, though.

Not everyone wants a huge tattoo on their leg, but if this were the image, I wouldn’t think twice – would you?

Now this tattoo, I had a difficult time deciding whether to include or not.  On the one hand, the concept is cool.  On the other hand, it is very poorly done, don’t you think?

Wonder Woman Tattoos

Artist MeghanBeth says this took them three hours to complete, with the hair giving her the hardest time.  I think the effort was well worth it?  That cascade of black simply looks awesome, don’t you agree?

This Wonder Woman tatt, I like much better.

And, for a more meaningful Wonder Woman tatt (read: woman power and all that), check this out.

X-Men Tattoos

Very very powerful image, don’t you think?  And, the fact that it is purely done in black…I was staring at this for a while.

If the first one was simple (in terms of color), this one is literally fiery HOT.

Gotta love the concept.

Sure looks like this one hurt.  I just can’t get enough of Wolverine, though.  The guys at Ink & Dagger Tattoo Parlour are the geniuses behind this tatt.

Hulk Tattoos

The best of both worlds – that’s what this guy has with this tattoo.

If I had this “baby” on my back, I wouldn’t be apprehensive going out at night – alone, in a strange place.

This tatt cracks me up. I don’t know why, but it really does. It’s not just Hulk, of course, but it’s still worth including in this group.

Batman Tattoos

I love the colors used for this tatt, and I love the quote used in the site where I found it even more: “My world is all just shades of grey, Batman. That’s why you’ll never really understand me.”

Disturbing is the word that keeps repeating in my head. Definitely wouldn’t get one – wouldn’t even dream of it – but this tattoo does catch one’s eye, doesn’t it?

Pretty sassy Batgirl, this one is.   I also like how the colors blend.  It looks like it has just been done – notice the rawness? Doesn’t matter, though – I still like how it looks.

And, lest you are thinking “Where the heck is a Batman tattoo in this group?” here is an overly muscular version.

Spiderman Tattoos

From what I see, the image of this tattoo has been going around for quite some time now, but it has to be part of this list – no question about that.

Beautiful, isn’t he?

Superman Tattoos

Death of Superman chest tattoo – a good change from the usual emblem that everyone and their mom has, isn’t it?

Here’s another nice deviation from the usual emblem. If you like your steak very rare, the chances are that you’ll appreciate this tatt as well.

And for our last tattoo, here’s one of Superman himself.

Superman himself would be happy with this rendition, I reckon.

So there you have it – 23 of the coolest superhero tattoos I could find (for now).  Watch out for another feature on tatts in the next month or so!

And I really mean reinvent. To do so they got Alan Aldridge in and he went beyond what he ever did so far: remember him from Beatles covers, collaboration with Elton John. Of course that alone could make one worry but things could not have been worse this time. Worse or mroe awesome, depending on what you’re on that would be. And how much you took. I’ll have double, thank you very much. Can you blame me?

We’ve seen some awesome Iron Man stuff here at ForeverGeek over the years but this… Seriously, wait until you see what he did. Seriously. Don’t forget your shades!

At least Genndy Tartakovsky’s variant is less psychedelic and also hits closer home to the aging Iron Man version.

In all honesty, I would even consider to send the $600, I would spend for an iPad, to Lawrence Reynolds because my new pad has a really nice and large dark red wall and his artwork would perfectly fit there. It’s about stuff we all like here at FG: Marvel, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Superheroes in general. It’s the real stuff.

Who Is Lawrence Reynolds and What Is Vivid Fury

The art master already soon was tainted by the things that really matter in life:

Vivid Fury is the explosive collision of images, color, line, light & shadow in the mind’s eye of artist Lawrence Reynolds.

The first ripples of that explosion could be felt as far back age three. “I can still remember drawing Superman on anything resembling a clean sheet of paper. I can’t tell you if it actually looked like Superman, but I was convinced. By the time I was in kindergarten, I noticed my crayon scribbles were a little different than the other kids’ Crayola masterpieces. I was the Crayon Master of pre-school—quite a feat for a five year old.”

“The next year I was introduced to two things that would change my life forever; the #2 pencil and Star Wars. Like every kid in the late 70’s, I was completely blown away by the whole experience. Soon, the red towel that tucked into my t-shirt collar during playtime was replaced by a blue broomstick complete with a duct-taped handgrip.

You can read more about Lawrence Reynolds and Vivid Fury at his bio.

While I like John T. Campbell’s Epic Misney mashup and poster, we have to be honest: that’s stuff for the kids room. What I really want is a 4′x2′ 1/2 Marvel mashup. A mashup of the 21st Century superhero movies. Against my wall. Painted by Lawrence Reynolds. I’ll let you know once I am rich enough and I ordered my wall decoration. Until then, admire some of Lawrence’s work.

Click through for some more highlights and visit Lawrence Reynold’s ‘Vivid Fury’ to order yours.

I grew up outside of Boston, Mass, and when I was little, we lived in this two-story house off of Pleasant Street. It wasn’t much, but it did have a cool patio on the second story, which was pretty neat to me at the time. I was pretty young when we lived in that house, and I was a huge fan of comic books. So my mother decided to get me these Underoos with Superman, Batman and Spider-Man on them. I’ve told this story before, but the end result was that I loved superheroes, and I’ve always wanted to become one.

I caught this on Twitter today, and I’ve spent a good portion of my day lost in the website. It’s called the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company, and they sell all sorts of products for the average superhero. Need a secret identity? Choose between mild mannered, pilot, a cranky head chef or others, and pick them up for a fair price. Maybe you need a lair for your do-good activities. Buy a matter transformer, fancy clock, or maybe just a bucket of gravity in 1-gallon sizes. This place has it all, and it all looks super cool.

I haven’t bought anything from the site yet, but I get the impression that some of it is actually for sale. If you end up buying anything from the site, let us know in the comments. In the meantime, I’m going to spend some money on an invisible phaser. I’ve got an ex-editor that I’d love to use it on.

You can find more iterations at Too Much Free Time.

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