SUPER DELICIOUS INGREDIENT FORCE

Need more proof that superheroes are taking America by storm -- and not just at the box office? Now, they'll be protecting all of us at the drive thru, too.  Taco Bell, our favorite purveyor of la comida rapida has launched their latest ad campaign - and the nation's newest band of superheroes:  Super Delicious Ingredient Force.   

In true team-up fashion, the 'Bell joined forces with advertising giant DraftFCB Chicago and legendary comics artist Neal Adams to develop a Taco team of Super Friends-esque heroes that would have their own online cartoon and appear on Taco Bell menus and signage - very similar to the use of the Hamburgler and Ronald for McDonalds.  The result: Super Delicious Ingredient Force (or SDIF), a nine-member team that includes heroes like the blatantly gay Fantastic Rice and Flex Tortilla - a definite in-joke and spoof on Grant Morrison's own inside spoof-ish creation, Flex Mentallo - and a buzz-worthy video that succeeds at hitching Taco Bell to the superhero choo-choo.

The first of a planned trio of videos hit the internet this month; in over three minutes, the short's more mini-cartoon than commercial, and surprisingly as subversive as it is funny - or ridiculous, depending on your point of view.  With a mission to rid the world of "minuscule meals of mediocrity," an El Camino that stands-in for the Batmobile, and a scene with a pickle that pushes into Family Guy territory, the humor and super hero shout-outs actually over-power the actual product.  But that's likely the intention anyway: establish the brand - especially if the likes of Chicken Woman and Crunch Boy will soon be filling Taco lobbies as super standees.

Super Delicious Ingredient Force -  pure awesome, for one reason or another.  But after the enchirito was invented, who really needed another reason to love Taco Bell anyway?

Panel Laughs: For Once, HELLO KITTY Isn't Completely Stupid (8)

Hello Kitty's popularity hinges on the fact that she's (it's?) a corporate symbol that symbolizes absolutely nothing. Seriously, we kid you not. The kitten's a blank slate: add meaning, and stir to your heart's content. Artist Joseph Senior apparently got that, and turned out a whole litter of the best mods we've ever seen.  Hello Wolverine cracks our crack up - and you haven't even seen a third of the felines Senior fabricated.  Normally, we'd never even think of bringing Hello Kitty home, but if we ran across one of these...we, umm..might say 'Hi'.  For a whole new bunch of Hello Hilarity and to find your pick of the litter, go [here].

Pop Psychology Perfected in Purple

Quite possibly the Best. Picture. Ever. Strawberry Shortcake, astride My Little Pony, holds high her mighty sword after victory in a great war against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  With the corpse of Leonardo at her feet, this is the warped day-dream we've always suspected put The Dabbler's sister in therapy. There's probably a deeper meaning, but we're laughing our asses off too much to care.  [via]

Pretty In Pink: Stormtrooper Drag

Not For Sale: BBW BARBIE DOLL

We said imagine all day, not eat all day. Otherwise, you might become the next "New Idol" is the latest series of sculptures by Italian artist Franceso de Molfetta.  In fact, the sculptor calls his solo exhibition at Milan's Don Gallery just that -- New Idols.  More accurately, de Molfetta offers a new look at old 80's icons- like 'Barbie The Hutt' (above).  Mattel's got a cash cow (no pun intended) right there, probably even bring home more bacon than Mad Men.

Batman, JFK, King Kong, ET, and a very well-hung Superman and more join Barbie as members of de Molfetta's odd-looking to even slightly grotesque collection. If you haven't had breakfast yet - don't. You'll get fat! Check out the artist's unique vision here - and don't say we didn't warn ya!

POOH GONE WILD

Very Fitting: ICON Dresses ICON

Figures In Action! Barbie Adding MAD MEN In July

Wondering if you're a Pop Icon? Check the toy aisle. Find a Barbie  or Ken doll in your likeness, and you'll know that not only have you arrived, but your place in the pantheon of pop culture is assured, reserved, and complete with stocked wet bar. Yes, when it comes to Mattel's infamous Barbie, there comes a point when the doll is no longer a doll, but a status symbol.

After just three seasons, Lionsgate /AMC's multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning  series about Madison Avenue advertising in the 1960s, Mad Men, has attained that laudable level of popular-culture popularity.  This July, Mattel's premium-price collectors’ series for adults - the Barbie Fashion Model Collection - will add four new  versions of Barbie and Ken styled after Mad Men characters - from left:  Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling, Don Draper and Betty Draper.

In top form, the  Mad Men Barbies and Kens will be attired and accessorized in iconic costumes fans of the series will immediately recognize  as spot-on to their televised counterparts, the key players from the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency.  Our fave: Barbie Joan Holloway, who's looking mighty chic in that purple skirt suit she tops off perfectly with the styled red coif and her staple accessory - a pen necklace. 

The Mad Men  dolls are the latest additions to Mattel's high-end collectibles line that's also been responsible for immortalizing The X-Files Mulder and Scully, the cast of Twilight,  Star Trek, Wonder Woman, and I Love Lucy in Barbie fashion.   But the Mad quartet are unique in that they're the first licensed dolls to ever join Barbie's esteemed signature silkstone collection. They'll also be in limited supply; the toy manufacturer's only making 7,ooo to 10,000 of each, and the dolls will be available only in specialty stores and on the web at either
amctv.com or barbiecollector.com.   Each of the four dolls will carry the mad price of $74.95.

For an even more elaborate run down of the new Barbie and Kens, we suggest you check out AMC's Mad Men blog and their interview with Robert Best, a former Project Runway contender and the Mattel fellow who designed the dolls in question. Check it out at the [link]. 

Otherwise, we'll send you home with the news that Mad Men's fourth season is gearing up for the big debut on Sunday 25 July.  Mad Men info is [here] and [here].

SuperComputer X-Tra: SPRINGFIELD PUNX by Dean Fraser

Yesterday, we brought dauntless dabblers of every demographic some sweet Alan Moore flavored desktop adornment - and to rave reviews.  Thanks much to everyone who left us Back Issues telling us just how much they loved what Mustard cooked up! We're back at it again today, but this time bringing y'all some art that's a little closer to the Home Office - well, sorta.

Springfield PUNX is illustrator Dean Fraser fabulously funny ongoing web project.  A fellow Blogspot blogger, Fraser  skillfully takes characters from pop culture and 'Simpsons-izes' them.  It's a great take on comic book fan-art that he applies to a whole cast of characters, from Fight Club's Tyler Durden to Christopher Nolan's Batman crew.

(Right click to enlarge and save)

He pulled together greater comic-dom's superhero community for the group above, which we've got for you here in Supercomputing desktop wallpaper size. Mad fun stuff, especially as guys like a classic James Bond, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even the folks from Heroes have found their way into Fraser's artistic aggregate.

The trip to Fraser's Springfield blog was one of the best webcations we've had in the past, oh, 36 hours -- and we're sure you'd enjoy a quick stop to sight-see, too.  Where else besides Fox TV would you find the Dark Knight's denizens looking so Simpsons-y? Exactly. Visit Springfield PUNX right [here].

Comics In Comics: Bluewater's ELLEN DeGENERES Is True FEMALE FORCE, Selling Out In Less Than A Week

With the market for superhero comics cornered by DC Comics, Marvel, and Image, many smaller publishers like Dynamite Entertainment and Bluewater Productions  have turned to licensed properties for their bread and butter.  It's a task that has brought both companies success; with fantasy and science fiction titles like William Shatner Presents and Ray Harryhausen's Wrath of the Titans,  Bluewater's Founder and President Darren G. Davis has definitely scored some wins for his small Bellingham, Washington-based publishing and production company. 

But surprisingly, Bluewater's greatest successes haven't come from the traditional genres that feed many a comics fan's appetite.  Instead, the publisher's recent line of non-fiction comic book biographies, a genre that comics have rarely explored, has been their big win and earned the publisher spots on Live with Regis and Kelly, The View, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, with write-ups in The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, abbracadabbling,  and numerous other blogs and media outlets.   In addition, Bluewater's unauthorized bio-comics  earned them MTV's award as Best Buzz Generator of the comics industry for 2009.

Female Force, the first title in Bluewater's biographical line, is the source of that Buzz, and the popular series remains very much in the public eye. Published monthly,  the comic offers self-contained examinations of strong and influential women who are shaping modern history and culture. Past issues of Female Force have featured Michelle Obama, Princess Diana, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, and others; their second issue,  Female Force: Sarah Palin, published just after the 2009 Presidential inauguration, sold out in less than a month and has since gone on to a third and even fourth print run, the Going Rogue edition.

We get a huge comedic kick out of Ellen DeGeneres and have been loving her daytime talk-show for years (in fact, we're watching it on the Home Office LCD right now!). Being the Ellen mega-fans that we are, we were psyched when Bluewater announced their plans last year to bring Ellen into the Female Force family for the series' 13th issue.

Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres hit comic shops across the nation just over a week ago, and in a testament to the popularity of both Ellen and the Bluewater series,  Issue #13 has already sold out. That's before our favorite  comedienne has even had her chance to chat the book up on live TV, something we've been anticipating for days.  But the comic, written by Sandra C. Ruckdeschel and penciled by Pedro Ponzo, has still received plenty of national attention, being featured in such mainstream publications as MTV, People Magazine, US Weekly, and E! Entertainment Television.

Thankfully, for the scads of Ellen fans that still haven't gotten their hands on a copy, Bluewater stated just last night that a second printing of the comic is already in the works. Featuring new cover art, Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres - 2nd Printing should see a release date by mid-summer 2010.

The one week sell-out rate of Female Force #13 puts Ellen ahead of former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's Female Force #2.  We don't think that fact should cause too many Tea Party problems, but that's not to say Ellen's comic book bio hasn't already found some controversy.  At Ellen's request, Bluewater provided free advertising  - and will be donating a portion of the  comic's proceeds -  to the Humane Society of the United States, an organization Ellen publicly champions.  Earlier Female Force personalities have made similar charitable requests, but Ellen's has drawn fire from pro-hunting organizations that have threatened to boycott the issue.

We say 'whatever' to that; the comic book buying power of pro-hunting organizations in the United States isn't what we'd call, well, existent.  It's an empty threat, and kudos to Bluewater Productions for not sharing those pro-hunting peeps' concerns.

If you're thinking of picking up a copy Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres - which we strongly encourage you to do - you probably want to know what you'll find inside along with those pesky Humane Society ads.  Told from the point-of-view of the comic's writer, the comic's story follows Ellen's life from her youth in Louisiana and her days on the comedy club circuit to her  controversial sitcom and finally to her present as an Emmy-winning daytime talk show host and judge on American Idol.  

As with the series' earlier issues, Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres  is fully an all-ages read. Neither Ruckdeschel's writing nor Ponzo's art is close to stellar, but the story is thorough on the details and doesn't shy away from portraying Ellen's life as an openly lesbian performer, her support of gay rights and California's attempt to legalize gay marriage,  or the more controversial and profound points of her career.  Nothing needs to persuade us to be any stronger supporters and fans of Ellen's than we already are, but Female Force certainly reminded us why we've loved Ellen for years. And we learned a few things along the way, too. 

While the personalities selected for Female Force are important for being today's 'movers-n-shakers', their greater importance lies in the power they lend to Female Force itself.  Each issue has its own innate appeal that's different from the one before, and the potential of finding brand new readers is realized each and every month. It's a brilliant concept, actually, and to its great credit, the series has bridged the gap between comics ability to entertain with their natural potential to educate.  As much as Ellen DeGeneres has bravely broken down walls for gays and lesbian rights in this country, Bluewater's Female Force is breaking down many of the barriers that have held comic books back for over seventy years.

 * * * * * 

 Be quick! First printings of Bluewater Productions' Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres are still available from our very own Amazon shop [here]! Amazon's also taking pre-orders for the second printing of Ellen's comic [here].  Or, to find an issue today, call the Comic Shop Locator Service at  1-888-COMIC-BOOK or visit them online [here].

Female Force: Ellen DeGeneres (2nd Printing)

Stay with your favorite comicsblog for more coverage of Bluewater's breakthrough bio comics, including what they've done for Michael Jackson and what they have in store for another one of our female faves, Lady Gaga! 

Figures In Action! Star Wars Pops Out For A Spin

The Organic Goes Electronic in Christina Aguilera's BIONIC

Metropolis meets Madonna and we're loving the mash-up, dabblers! Christina Aguilera posted the announcement on her website yesterday that she's {Bi-on-ic}. That's the name of the 29-year-old singer's fourth studio album and the first she's released in four years,  and {Bi-on-ic} 's sweet cover art has got to be the best of the bunch.  Any album that's got Evita looking like the Borg Queen is enough to make our sale; that the singer's collaborating tracks with Sia, Tricky Stewart, Le Tigre, Hill & Switch, Ladytron (how perfect, right?), and longtime gal-pal Linda Perry (on the ballad Lift Me Up) is just icing on our Twinkie.

From Four Non-Blondes to two, we're not in it for the counting -- or the hair color. We're disco dabblers, and Christina's a girl who turns it out hot for the dance floor.  On {Bi-on-ic}, Aguilera is promising us all a unique sonic ride.  Yeah, that sounds dirty, and we'll certainly be listening for more of it. The album's lead single Not Myself Tonight goes live on Christina's site 30 March, and that track will be only the first example of the slim songstress' new, sexy sound: a combination of the electronic...with the organic. 

We usually wouldn't care if pop ate itself, dabblers, but for Miss Christina, we're energized to make an exception. On the surface, {Bi-on-ic} is a clever creation, a most definite nod to Geek culture from Trek to Tron, and an intriguing metaphor for what lies beneath.  Not all of Tina's past tunes have been our cup of tea, but the girl's got range, talent, and heart.  Where Jamie Sommers found trouble, expect Christina Aguilera to find treble - and bass and hit all her high notes while kicking ass on plenty of new ones.  The girl's gonna make good on what she's promising, and we'll be downloading it when she does. {Bi-on-ic} is due online and in stores 08 June 2010. 

Hope For A Home: TRICERACOPTER

It's quite possible that if he'd had wings, or at least a propeller, Triceratops might just have escaped that big game-ender, the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event. We thought that may have been what inspired sculptor Patricia Renick  to create her masterpiece, the Triceracopter, but instead her inspiration came from asking such questions as How far are we going to push technology? How different are machines from animals, or how different will they eventually be?

From its full title, Triceracopter:Hope for the Obsolescence of War, one can begin to understand the meaningfulness of Renick's fiberglass and metal sculpture, which merges the body of the three-horned dinosaur with the frame of a US Army OH6A/Cayuse helicopter. By fusing technology and her art seamlessly into a piece that is immediately captivating,  the messages implied in Renick's work carry as much weight today as they did when she finished the project in 1977.

Renick, who passed away in 2007, said of Triceracopter: "I had an idea for a sculpture bearing on the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Although I didn’t have a commission or promise of a show, I thought the idea might be timely for the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. I did not see the work as a celebration, but as a cautionary tale, an expression of hope for the end of war. War is a dichotomy. It seduces the dream-self through heroic fantasy while threatening the physical self with extinction".

Triceracopter, measuring 13 x 10 x 30 ft, was first shown at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati in 1977, but is now available for acquisition by a qualified museum, institution or individual.  If you've got room in your Bat-cave for one very large and very cool curiosity, inquires can be made to triceracopter@gmail.com.

Why James Cameron Won't Make A TITANIC Sequel

via [link]

Spacesick: I Can Read Movies...Can You?

Who wouldn't think they're the luckiest person on earth if they found these amazing paperbacks hidden in a dark and dusty corner of a second-hand bookshop?   Well, not us -- because if we did, it could only mean the doctor missed a brain tumor during our last physical.  These super-cool semblances of movie adaptations aren't books; they're just a few of graphic designer Spacesick's I Can Read Movies poster series.

We think they've got that minimalistic vibe going on, too -- but Spacesick kicks it up a notch. The results are hyper-real, whatever that means, but it sounds about right to us. How else can you explain the post-mod pastels and vintage iconography rendered like the cover of a 1961 Tony Burgess novel?  Yeah, we didn't think so! Plenty more of the hyper-real on Spacesick's Flickr HERE.

Demon Lamp Is Happy Bright

Our repressed fetish for unusually curious desk lamps has resurfaced for the New Year. We were Ctrl freaks on Saturday, and now twenty-fours later, we've graduated to little red devils. Actually, make that demons.  The DEMON LAMP is one of comics illustrator Jamie Hewlett's most awesomest (yes it's a word - now) new creations. If you don't know Hewlett, and if you aren't aware he was named Graphic Artist of The Year in 2006, you've still probably met  Tank Girl.  (She's his most popular creation, a true post-Reagan child of the 80's, and the chick that got him farther into comics than he probably wanted to go.)  Hewlett's also the guy behind the virtual band (virtual....hmmm, wasn't somebody just talking about virtual?) you'd swear was real except that they're virtual - Gorillaz.  They remix songs, for cryin' out loud. We can't do that, and we're 3-D! Before we or any of you start to feel even a bit inferior, it's worth mentioning that none of the Gorillaz can become the proud owner of a DEMON LAMP -- and we can.  Sounds fair to us, and you can go shopping HERE.

Do it Yousseff: Reimagined Tarantino Poster Art

"It's mercy, compassion, and forgiveness I lack... not rationality." Uma Thurman (looking like all kinds of hell) and Vivica A Fox  squaring off just as the school bus stops outside might just be our favorite Quentin Tarantino scene ever.  Mr. Q's name might not slip off most people's tongues as easily as James Cameron or Steven Spielberg, but then again, the masses do tend to have rather bland tastes.  As far as we're concerned,  Tarantino's movies are unmistakably his  for reasons far more creative than a big budget.

Our love of Tarantino films  is just one of the reasons we got a pokey in our pants over Ibraheem Yousseff 's poster art.  Simple, clean and very retro -- we immediately thought of already-blogged designer Albert Exergian's retro-minimalistic TV poster art.   Yousseff's also an artist and designer of many talents, and his four re-imagined posters of Tarantino's best flicks certainly attest to that fact.   Our only complaint is he didn't include True Romance in the bunch; Tarantino only scripted that one, but with Christian Slater playing a homicidal comic shop employee, we can't help it if it didn't remind us of home. 

Yousseff 's website is welcome to obsession and can be found HERE. He's also got an online store HERE where you can snag yourself one or all four of these custom Tarantino one-sheets.  At under $30 each, we might just do some snagging ourselves...

Andy Warhol on Comic Books and Camp

No other artist is as much identified with Pop Art as Andy Warhol. The media called him the Prince of Pop. Warhol made his way from a Pittsburgh working class family to an American legend...In the sixties Warhol started painting daily objects of mass production like Campbell Soup cans and Coke bottles. The quintessence of Andy Warhol art was to remove the difference between fine arts and the commercial arts used for magazine illustrations, comic books, record albums or advertising campaigns. He died in 1987. - Excerpted from Gallery Warhol. [link]

Andy Warhol and Nico for Esquire Magazine photo shoot, 1967

Myths: Santa Claus -- Warhol, 1981

Myths: Superman -- Warhol, 1981

Batman logo- Warhol, circa late 196o's

Warhol's Batman logo on promo poster for

a Warhol art exhibit in Torino, Italy, 1989

I've only recently discovered that Andy Warhol loved superheroes as much as he did, but for an artist nicknamed the Prince of Pop, his affinity for Superman and Batman only makes sense. Warhol was extremely enamored with Batman comics, and in 1964 he produced and directed his homage to the character, the film Batman Dracula starring the rather appropriately named Gregory Battcock. Warhol made his movie without the permission of DC Comics, and screened it only during his art exhibits to avoid legal complication. As a result, Batman Dracula -- which is considered to be the very first depiction of a blatantly campy Batman -- from being much known beyond the art scene. In case you're wondering, Warhol's movie came two years before Adam West's Batman TV series, which first aired in January, 1966.

Warhol's Batman was actually thought completely lost until just three years ago, when several lengthy scenes from the film showed up in a 2006 documentary. Coincidentally, , Warner Bros. released their two -hour animated The Batman Vs Dracula movie in 2005.