Tag Archives: DC 75th Anniversary

How Big Is DC: The Art of Modern Mythmaking?

Just how big is 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking? Well, my first thought on opening the box was “Holy crap, this thing’s bigger than my kid!”

Granted, he’s still kind of small (just barely two months old), but the book is huge. 16 inches high, 12 inches across, 3 inches thick. 14.4 pounds. (J weighed in at 10 pounds, 4 ounces a couple of days later.) It comes with its own cardboard carrying case with a handle.

Yes, it comes with its own luggage! Robert Jordan joked about shipping the conclusion to The Wheel of Time with its own luggage cart, but Taschen actually followed through!

But these numbers are still kind of abstract. How does it stack up against other books?

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Major Discount on 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking

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Amazon is running a serious discount on Paul Levitz’ massive tome of comic-book history, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking. The 720-page coffee table book weighs in at 16 pounds and normally sells for $200. Amazon initially listed it for $126, but it’s down to $109.66 — a 45% discount cutting $90 off the price!

I finally ordered a copy.

I doubt this discount will last. If a huge, detailed art book about DC Comics’ history appeals to you but (like me) you’ve been holding out because of the price, now’s your chance!

New Flash Heroclix Releases Available Later This Month

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Some big releases on the DC side of Heroclix for their 75th Anniversary Set coming later this month including several Flash-related releases that are sure to rock the socks off of Flash and Heroclix collectors alike. First up Heroclix.com released a preview yesterday of the Monarch of Motion, Barry Allen in his first solo release in his traditional uniform. We had previously seen him in his dying form from the climax of Crisis on Infinite Earths, his Blue Lantern uniform and even in a few team ups with Wally, Green Lantern, and Superman. But this is the first time we are getting classic Barry and I’m pretty elated.

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DC 75th Anniversary Soundtrack

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DC has announced a soundtrack compilation featuring music from movie and TV adaptations of their characters. The collection goes all the way back to the 1941 Superman cartoons by Max Fleischer Studios and runs up through Green Lantern: First Flight. A lot of it is previously unavailable material, like music from the 1967 Filmation cartoons, Super Friends and Justice League Unlimited, and the live-action Swamp Thing and Shazam! TV shows. There are also familiar tracks like John Williams’ Superman theme, Danny Elfman’s Batman, and the themes from the 1960s Batman and 1970s Wonder Woman TV series.

CBR has a detailed article, and The Source has the track list. Neither article has a release date more detailed than “later this year,” but Amazon lists September 28.

I was surprised not to see anything from the 1990 Flash TV series (though they do have the Flash intro from the Filmation cartoons), but they may have decided it didn’t represent the Flash appropriately. Danny Elfman’s theme for the show does sound a lot like his Batman theme.

If you do want to pick up music from the Flash TV series, you can still get La La Land Records’ limited edition 2-CD soundtrack, featuring Elfman’s theme and Shirley Walker’s score from eight episodes.

San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Flash-related Exclusives Update!

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Back in April Speed Force posted news about the SDCC 2010 Exclusive Starro the Conqueror action figure with the original Justice League of America. In celebration of the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics the packaging is based on the milestone Silver Age cover, Brave and the Bold #28, featuring the first appearance of the Justice League. Along with an 8″ bendy Starro we get 3 ¾ classic versions of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (with a brand new construct add-on), Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and of course The Flash, all with slightly improved articulation (well at least when compared with the older Infinite Heroes figures) .

A few days ago Mattel released a video showcasing all the features and packaging of the Exclusive Starro Set including flashing lights and Kevin Conroy of various animated Batman projects lending his voice to give us individual bios of each member of the Justice League and a synopsis of Brave and the Bold #28. All of which sounds pretty nifty. I mentioned before that this may be one of the few things that I keep mint on card and this video has pretty much sealed the deal.

Mattycollector Shows off the SDCC 2010 Exclusive Starro Set

It’s obvious from the final product that Mattel’s designers put a lot of thought into this. We even get a commemorative shipping box, which I will also be hanging onto. I know a lot of people aren’t really fans of the Infinite Hero toy line, so I’m wondering if this will impact them purchasing it. Even if I weren’t already a fan of the little guys, the packaging and the fact that the Flash is included almost automatically guarantees my purchase. Mattel thrives off of people like me. Well sort of. Apparently the SDCC Exclusive Spores are for use for the full size DCUC figures instead of the included Infinite Heroes. Probably really cool for some people, not so much for me. Although if they used Papa Zero‘s idea and made a Starro sleep mask I would be all over it.

Here are a few “captures” for those who don’t have time to check out the vid…

And a picture of the Starro Spores if you haven’t seen them yet. These are only compatible with the DC Universe Classics 6″ figures.

Starro and his Justice League combatants will be available to purchase at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 this weekend (July 22-25) with the exclusive Starro Spores included. They will be available to those not attending SDCC 2010 (and those not willing to pay scalper prices on eBay) on Mattycollector.com August 2nd minus the Starro Spores.

Also for those actually attending SDCC, Mattycollector for the first time is taking presale vouchers for their exclusives. Basically you can order the item ahead of time and go to a special room during SDCC with the proper credentials and simply pick up your item free of headaches and worries. Mattel says there will be plenty of items available and I really hope they mean it. I don’t think anyone wants a repeat of the Gleek Incident from last year. I personally don’t really care for the idea of event only exclusives but it seems to be popular.

What do you think about event only exclusives? And will you pick up Starro and the JLA? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading,

–Devin “The Flash” Johnson

DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking in November

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Last month, DC announced a collaboration with TASCHEN Books: a massive history of DC Comics, written by Paul Levitz with tons of artwork from DC’s 75-year history.

At the time, I asked, “How soon can I pre-order this?”

Well, now I can…for the low, low price of $126, marked down from $200.*

Yow! That may be a little out of my budget. Admittedly, it’s a 650+ page hardcover full of glossy color printing that weighs in at 15 pounds (6.8kg). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows weighs less than three pounds, and even the slipcase edition of Comic Book Tattoo “only” weighs eight. Still, when the price gets into triple digits, I start thinking seriously about what else I could buy with that money instead.

Two other items are on the listing that I don’t recall seeing when I looked last month: a cover and a release date. I don’t know if the cover is final or preliminary. It’s on Amazon’s schedule for November 1, 2010, making this a likely Christmas gift for historically-inclined DC fans.

Amazon: 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking

*This tracks with the £135 that Acrobatic Flea spotted on Amazon UK a few weeks ago. So much for it being a placeholder price.