Brown Recluse Spider-Man

I suppose you wouldn't want the powers of a Daddy Longlegs either, especially as they aren't even spiders. Who knew? (With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility by Hark! A Vagrant)

Previously on Popped Culture...

Spider-Man, You Blockhead!

Plus-Size Superheroes

Whenever There's A Hang Up...

Old Comic Strips Don't Fade Away, They Just Go On And On And On...

Chip Zdarsky's page of 75th anniversary comics from a few years back. Oddly enough, I think that is a current Garfield.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Death Of A Comic Strip
ABC — Always. Be. Cartooning.
Characters’ Favorite Musical Artists

Best 1970's Party Ever!

This image, from the January 1978 cover of Pizzazz, a Marvel pop culture mag, would have blown my mind. Even now it's hard to comprehend the awesomeness. (waxandmilk via Gamefreaks)

Previously on Popped Culture...

The Bambi Hunter & Taxi Rider

Vive La French Star Wars Différence

Enlist In The Orkan Guard

Plus-Size Superheroes

These superheroes look how I feel after the holidays. Fat Superheroes by JesusNazarenuz. (Link via Herochan)

Previously on Popped Culture...
The Avengersaurs: Dinosaurs Meet Marvel
If Superheroes Were Hipsters
Holy Gender Bender, Superhero!

Whenever There's A Hang Up...

...you'll find the Spider-Man! Joseph Lambert of SubmarineSubmarine take on Spider-Man for Covered, a blog dedicated to artists re-imagine old comic book covers in their own style. I came across this at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

Previously on Popped Culture...
Spider-Man, You Blockhead!
Pop Culture Masters
Ronald McBuddha

Ronald McBuddha

"In most people's minds, Tibet is an ancient, mysterious and exotic place," says Gade, a Tibetan artist. "The notion of 'Tibet' is a conundrum. When outsiders actually visit Tibet, especially Lhasa, they get culture shock when they see all the pop culture, fast food, rock music, Coke and beer, brand name clothing, Hollywood movies, the nightlife scene, etc. I think Lhasa ought to be renamed Lhasa Vegas."

"Paintings from his 'New Buddha Series' and his 'Diamond Series' reflect this culture shock with images of such American iconic pop figures as Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and the Hulk appearing in the centre of traditional-looking works." (A fabulous find by The Zeary Gazette)

Previously on Popped Culture...
Matthew, Mark, Luke and Optimus Prime
Creation of Homer
Suddenly Last Supper

Epic Misney

I would watch the hell out of this movie! John Waltrip and T Campbell have created the ultimate Marvel/Disney mashup, featuring over fifty characters meeting their rough counterparts. John Waltrip and T Campbell have created the ultimate Marvel/Disney mashup, featuring over fifty characters meeting their rough counterparts.

I have much love for the new Beauty and the Beast pairing as well as Mike and Sulley greeting the Hulk. Not entirely sure why Uncle Scrooge is staring so longingly at Spider-Man's ass. Perhaps he represent Disney and expects Spidey to be working it.

Get a print of this awesomeness for a mere $14.99. (Link via io9)

Previously on Popped Culture...
Disney Begins Imagineering Marvel
Super Emo Friends
The Life Of A Disney Princess

Pop Culture Masters

If Pablo Picasso were painting today would he have done portraits of superheros and villains? Ah... probably not, but it doesn't matter because Mike Esparza of WonderBros. has shown us what it would look like. Head to his site to see all 20 variations. (Link via The Daily What)


But perhaps surrealist superheros aren't your thing and you'd rather hang an abstract expressionist take on Donkey Kong or anther video game on your wall instead. Then Brock "Laser Bread" Davis is the man for you. (Link via Geekologie)

Previously on Popped Culture...
Cowabunga, Painter Dudes
The Art Is Strong With This One
Super Mario Bros: Mario's Mass Grave

Sock It To Me: World Pillow Fight Day

I just found out that it is World Pillow Fight Day, so there's still time to grab a fluffy weapon and give somebody a solid thwack, just like J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man in pop artist Brandon Bird's BAM THWOP. Loads more photos of feathery mayhem at Flickr.

(Link via Brain Rage)

Previously on Popped Culture...
Pillow Talk: 25 Strange Throw Pillows
Superheroes Don't Die, They Just Fade Away
Spider-Man, You Blockhead!

Superheroes Don't Die, They Just Fade Away

A great collection of superheroes well past their prime from Italian artist Donald Soffritti.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I finally get football. I don’t mean I understand how the game is played – I don’t – or its appeal, but I think I know have some insight into the mindset of the fans thanks to Steve Murray’s comic strip, excerpted above.

Murray, an illustrator for the National Post, is drawing his impressions of the week-long hoopla leading up to the Grey cup – the championship game for the Canadian Football League – taking place in Toronto this week. The CFL is our version of the NFL, and there is some difference in the game. What that is, exactly, is lost on me.

Anyway, you can comics one, two and three here.

With Great Power Comes Great Bunnies

Yay, just before the Spider-Man 3 hype machine kicks into high gear comes Spider-Man 1 & 2 in 30 Seconds (and Re-Entacted By Bunnies). Great stuff as always and I love that all of Doc Oc's tentacles have bunny ears.

Spider-Man, You Blockhead!

Did you ever want to be a superhero, or a comic strip character for that matter? I don’t think I ever did but, having said that, my high school yearbook listed my destination as Bloom County.

But what if you were a comic strip character that became a superhero, which part of your personality would win? Great power or your schluby self? In one of those wonderful moments of pop culture serendipity, I came across a great Peanuts link over at Casual Slack soon after searching out the Hey Ya, Charlie Brown link. An artist named jdh has mashed together Marvel Comics characters with the Peanuts gang, to wonderful effect. Charlie Brown as Spider-Man, Linus as Thor, Lucy as The Hulk (Don’t make me crabby. You won’t like me when I’m crabby!)

Super Size Me

I never liked superhero comics as a kid. When I was eight a family friend gave me his entire comic book collection, a couple of boxes worth, a true treasure trove. I dug through the pile, separating the Archies, Richie Riches, Casper the Friendly Ghosts and Scrooge McDucks of the collection, separating them from the masked avengers, caped crusaders and their dark-panelled ilk.

I then sold all the heroes.

Their grim worlds just couldn’t compete with the bright fantasies of the poor little rich boy or the thoughts of diving through a bank vault full of coins. I wasn’t ready for their dystopian visions yet, or maybe I just liked the idea of all of that conspicuous wealth. Things sure have changed.

I later came to appreciate the heroes through cartoons, TV and movies. I watched the original Spider-Man with its jerky animation and endless scenes of web slinging off of empty flagpoles. I followed the Super Friends and still snicker at the phrase “Wonder Twins power, activate!” Campy as it was, I still enjoy the old Batman and love the fact that Adam West has pulled a Shatner-esque career revival. Watching the Incredible Hulk was a weekly ritual (he was like The Littlest Hobo, except angry, and I liked him when he got angry.) And Christopher Reeve was Superman, even if he fought Richard Pryor.

So when the comic book movies trend began in the late ‘80s, I understood where they were coming from, at least in a diluted form. I loved Tim Burton’s Batman (even though I thought Val Kilmer was a better choice than Michael Keaton) and I appreciated that Batman Begins toned down the supervillains and grounded the series. Ang Lee did an impression of placing a camera over top of a comic book and yelling action, and his Hulk failed. Whereas Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City succeeded when he filmed a comic book from the inside out, sans animation.

But the series that have captured the spirit, at least as I understand it, are Spider-Man and X-Men. Both tied emotional depth, gravitas and angst to cutting-edge special effects and making things blow up real good. Much like anyone who attempts a dinosaur movie will be compared to Jurassic Park, they have set the bar high for all those who follow.

Which brings me to X-Men: The Last Stand. With original director Bryan Singer off to helm Superman Returns (the most milquetoast of heroes), the reins fell to Brett Ratner, who appears to understand the basics, but has few tricks of his own. It’s as it he decided that everyone knows the characters already, so let’s just get on to the fighting. Which, I admit, looks fantastic. It raked in over $100 million over the weekend, so people obviously agreed, but I hope some of the newcomers go back and watch the first two films to see what they missed. There is little depth or emotional resonance and you need some of both to care. A major character is killed off early in the film and I felt nothing.

During the credits the fanboys sitting behind me in the theatre said, “I bet (Ratner’s) never even read an X-Men comic. Somebody probably just told him who they are.” I haven’t read one either, despite it’s 40 plus years of existence, but even I know this series deserves better than treading water.