Work with the talents that you have; embrace the person that you are. Just like Milk Man has done. Milk powers aren’t too bad, as Freddie Wong’s latest film demonstrates.

Actually, I encountered the best/worst superhero concept in a role-playing game about ten years ago. This superhero could psychically make opponents lose control of their bowels.

-via The Mary Sue

JADS International has decided to release a line of perfumes based on The Avengers, including a “Yuzu, bergamot and tarragon create clean, clear top notes along with unexpected accords of water lily and nutmeg,” scent that apparently reflects the scent of The Hulk. While the colognes probably don’t smell anything like the real heroes would smell like, you have to admit that it’s probably a lot better than the sweat, blood and testosterone scent the characters would probably have in real life.

Link via io9

Ladies Night Hinge Wallet – $14.95

Are you planning your next girls night out? Make sure your personal items are well protected with the Ladies Night hinged wallet from the NeatoShop. Your friends will Marvel at your ability to be so fashionably geek.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more super Wallets, Purses & Coin Bags!

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The folks over at ComicsAlliance have come up with a fun way to celebrate the coming of 2012-superhero inspired cocktails! So, if you’re looking for ways to spice up your New Years party, check out these delicious sounding recipes and decide who’s side you’re on.

Note: these cocktails will not give the drinker super powers, nor will they make you invulnerable in any way, so enjoy them in moderation and get home safely! Happy New Years Neatoramanauts!

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College Humor presents new superheroes for the internet. Or, internet sites as superheroes. Besides Google here, check out the powers of The Facebook, Reddit, Huffington Post, and Google Plus. Link -via reddit

Tony Stark’s life spun out of the control in the classic nine-issue Iron Man series “Demon in a Bottle.” It’s all the more striking with this cover image animated by cartoonist Kerry Callen. You can see three other animated covers at the link featuring the JLA, Batman, and Spider-Man.

Link -via The Uniblog

These 16 bit character re-designs have so much personality, and were clearly inspired by the character designs in Super Mario Bros. 3, which only adds to their charm.

They were created by Jesus Castaneda, and you can see his take on lots more pop culture icons, such as Doctor Who, Boba Fett Harry Potter and the Ghostbusters, at the link below. These guys should star in a Mario crossover game, and I like that he didn’t skimp on the belly bulge!

Link –via ComicsAlliance

Creating iconic forms out of an otherwise splattery mess is obviously Arian Noveir’s forte. Superhero silhouettes are hinted at but never fully materialize, which lends them an air of mystery.

Even though these works were created digitally, they have an outsider art edge to me, a feeling of deconstruction for the sake of naivety. And I really like when digital works look like they were created with natural mediums like ink and watercolor, because it’s hard to get a good natural look when working digitally. Do you guys like the splattery look?

Link –via Geekologie

No word on where this super bear happens to have originated from, but one thing’s for sure: criminals better not mess with him.

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These cool graphic illustrations with a cutaway look show the differences, and similarities, between superheroes and their alter egos. The simplistic character designs not only illustrate the importance of silhouette in character recognition, they’re also a pleasure to look at!

Link –via BuzzFeed

I try to refrain from posting every cosplay gallery link I come across for obvious reasons, but I thought i’d share this one because it features obscure characters and some seriously well-made costumes.

Among the characters present: a couple of creatures from They Live, Priss Asagiri from Bubblegum Crisis anime, a scary Little Sister from Bioshock, and a strangely fitting female Rule 63 Aquaman. Which costumes did you like?

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Superheroes were once ordinary people, and just like you and I they have good days and bad. Sometimes saving the world makes you feel like curling up in a little ball and crying, at least according to these watercolors by Russian artist Lora Zombie. Oh the super-humanity!

Link –via DesignTAXI

(YouTube Link)

Sometimes you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to hired entertainment for a kid’s birthday party. Enter the wackiest collection of superheroes party entertainers I’ve ever seen, getting down in ways which seem totally inappropriate to do in front of a bunch of youngsters. These kids will never look at Spider Man the same way again, and the Batdance will surely haunt their dreams.

–via BuzzFeed

Apparently Australians love their comic books so much that they’ve decided to start issuing license plates with images of DC superheroes, like Superman and Batman, printed on them. This means that the Australian motor vehicle department is officially the coolest on the planet! When are we going to get license plates that prominently display our geek love?

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These great sculptures by Calvin Ma casts an oddly frumpish light on spandex clad superfolks. They look emo, bored with life and overweight. These are what action figures must look like in the Bizarro world, with catchphrases like “why bother?” and “i’ll get to it later”. And, looking at his website, all of Calvin’s sculpts look like action figures, even the bronzes!

Link –via ComicsAlliance

Zombie Iron Man showed up at the Paris Zombie Walk 2011 looking like a billion bucks. I’m surprised he wasn’t at Occupy Wall Street supporting the 1% by eating protestor’s brains! Wouldn’t it be hilarious if this caught on as a Halloween costume?

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(YouTube Link)

Here is an animated short that is sure to delight, or fill you with fright! Watch as Marvel Comics’ M.O.D.O.K., dressed as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark tells “Strange Halloween Tales Of Suspense To Astonish!”

–via ComicsAlliance

In 1973, the government of the Northwest Territories, Canada, commissioned a comic book to address alcoholism in the indigenous population. The result was a series featuring “Captain Al Cohol”, an alien who crashed onto Earth. The Captain has a drinking problem.

You can read the entire first issue at the link. I’m not sure if alcohol gives the titular character super strength, or causes debilitation. It’s not clear whether he is a villain, a hero, or a victim. But the story, however bizarre, is certainly a product of the 1970s.

Link -via Nag on the Lake

Which is the Real First? Historians May Never Agree

If you’ve ever wondered why so many dramatic titles have all been lumped under the title of “comic books,” that’s because the whole medium started out as a way for publishers to put together compilations of their  newspaper comic strips. While historians debate what defines an actual comic book, and thus, what the earliest comic book is, one of the earliest American contenders is 1842’s The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, which was a hardcover book featuring an array of chronological stories about M. Vieux Bois.

The earliest contender for a comic book in the format we recognize was The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats, printed in 1897. The magazine was a reprint of the newspaper strip Hogan’s Alley, which starred the Yellow Kid. Hogan’s Alley was already one of the earliest weekly comic strips and when the black and white, 5×7 inch magazine was released on newsstands, it may have been the first real comic book as well and even featured the words “comic book” on the back cover.

The first monthly comic book was Comics Monthly, first printed in 1922. The magazine would reprint a variety of newspaper comic strips from that month and its success was short-lived, folding after only one year in print.

The first comic book printed in a format we’d recognize and on a monthly basis featuring some material created specifically for the magazine was 1933’s Famous Funnies, which many historians believe to be the first true comic book. The original Famous Funnies was distributed exclusively at Woolworths, but was later sold at news stands for the price of ten cents an issue.

With a number of publishers printing existing comic strips in magazine form, it was only a matter of time before someone started creating original material specifically for comic books instead of newspapers. The first comic book featuring all new material was New Fun, which was printed in 1935 by National Allied Publications, which would eventually evolve into a little company now known as DC Comics.

Making Comics Super

Once comic books got going, it wasn’t long before superheroes entered the picture. While there are tons of contenders for first comic book, practically everyone agrees that Superman, introduced in 1938’s Action Comics, was the first ever superhero. Interestingly, the character almost never made it into the public consciousness. The creators, Siegel and Shuster tried to pitch the idea to newspaper syndicates for years and had pretty much given up on it when DC editor Vin Sullivan dug their story out of a slush pile and decided to run it as a secondary story in the first issue of Action Comics. Despite the fact that he wasn’t even in the lead story, Superman was featured on the cover and he quickly outshined practically all the other comic books DC had published up until that time. In fact, the term “superhero” comes from Superman and before that, heroes were ordinarily called “mystery men” or “masked heroes.”

These days, Action Comics #1 is arguably the most valuable comic book on the market and of the four comics to ever be sold for over one million dollars, two of them were Action Comics #1 issues.

After Superman’s meteoric rise to fame, it wasn’t long before other superheroes entered the fray, including Wonder Woman, Batman, Captain America, Green Lantern and Aquaman. Of all these characters, Captain America was the first to be given his own book without being tested in other stories first. Strangely, while he’s one of the lesser-known of the classic heroes these days, Captain Marvel was actually the most popular character at the time, outselling even Superman.

For a short while, superheroes dominated the marketplace, creating what historians call the Golden Age of Comics, but after WWII ended, it wasn’t long before the public grew weary of the infallible characters. Comic publishers started dropping superhero titles and instead began publishing more Western, sci fi, crime and horror comics. By 1952, the superhero trend was so dead that practically all the hero books were out of print with the exception of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, this ended up being the end of the industries hey day.

Won’t Someone Think Of The Children

True crime and horror comics may have been incredibly popular with comic book readers in the fifties, but for parents, these titles were seen as a devastating attack on their children’s innocence. When Dr. Frederic Wertham released his book, Seduction of the Innocent, blaming comic books for causing “maladjustment” in the children of the day, parents became even more alarmed and more organized. Soon enough, distributors were refusing to sell comics, schools were holding comic book burnings and the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency started to take an interest in comic books. By the mid-1950’s, 75% of comic publishers had been forced out of business. It wasn’t long before industry heads realized that if they wanted to stay in business, they had to start censoring themselves.

In September 1954, the main publishers formed the Comics Magazine Association of America and their leader established a strict set of guidelines for publishers to follow, known as the Comics Code Authority. The CCA seal was affixed to all comics that met their guidelines and soon it became impossible to get a distributor to carry any title that didn’t bear the CCA mark.

CCA rules banned the use of the words “horror” or “terror” in a comic’s title. Vampires, werewolves, walking dead, ghouls, etc. were prohibited. Women had to be drawn without any exaggeration of their physical qualities. While “crime” was allowed to be in the title, it had to be in a smaller print than the rest of the title. No acts of seduction could be featured in any way. No drug use could be portrayed. And, when crime was shown, those committing the offenses could not display any gain from the act.

Interestingly, one classic comic book, Mad, was able to circumvent these rules by switching to a magazine format after the CCA was enacted.

Rules Are For Squares

As the sixties counter culture started to expand, a new movement in comic books was quickly born, eschewing the CCA in favor of sex, drugs and violence. The first underground comic was Frank Stack’s 1962 work, The Adventures of Jesus. In order to escape harassment in his bible-belt home, Stack published the title under the name Foolbert Sturgeon.

Many of the comics used the word “comix” on their covers to help identify them as being non-mainstream. The “X” was also a way to indicate that the content was made for adults. Rather than being delivered to newsstands like traditional comic books, these commix were mostly sold through head shops. Unfortunately, this also ended up putting an end to the movement in the mid-seventies as legislators started cracking down on the sale of paraphernalia and the head shops were closed. This meant mail order was one of the only ways for people to order the underground titles.

Loosening The Noose

Fortunately, mainstream publishers took notice of the success of the underground comics and in 1971, the CCA was revised to allow for sympathetic depiction of criminal behavior and corruption among public officials, the suggestion of seduction, vampires and werewolves.

It wasn’t long before Marvel started to push the boundaries of the remaining rules. The same year, the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare approached Stan Lee and asked him if he could include a few story lines that would warn kids about the dangers of drug use. Lee agreed and wrote a special three-part Spider Man story that included someone being saved by the hero after falling off a building because he was high and one of Spider Man’s friends was revealed to be a drug addict. Lee tried to get the issues approved, but the CCA administrator was sick and the acting administrator refused to let drug use be shown in the issues.

Having the U.S. government on his side, Lee published the comics anyway and despite lacking the CCA approval seal, the issues sold well and were praised by critics. The media coverage embarrassed the CCA and soon the code was revised to allow the depiction of drug use if it was present as a vicious habit.

The End of A (Censorship) Era

As the years passed, comic books began to take a dark turn and became increasingly gritty and many were intentionally printed for adult readers. As a result, fewer and fewer titles bothered to seek CCA approval. By the 2000s, advertisers no longer cared whether or not the issue was approved or not and new publishers didn’t bother to join the CCA no matter how light-hearted their material was.

In 2001, Marvel withdrew from the CCA in order to establish their own ratings system that was based on potential age groups for each comic. In 2010, Bongo Comics quit using the code and in the beginning of 2011, so did DC, opting to use a similar system as Marvel. A day after DC quit, so did Archie Comics –the last publisher still using the code, and with that, the code became defunct.

I know a lot of our readers are comic book fans, so those of you who have knowledge in the area, do you have any good trivia to add? Or even some favorite moments from your favorite comic books?

Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, Mental Floss #1, #2

Geez, Superman’s hair looks perfect even as a fetus! Tongue in cheek and encased in clear resin to complete that medical specimen look, this has to be the first time that superfolks have undergone a prenatal makeover! Take a look at more of these cool sculptures by Alexandre Nicolas at the ComicsAlliance link below.

Link -via ComicsAlliance

It’s Spidey red versus Superman blue in this infographic that shows the ways in which the two comic juggernauts use color to tell their tales. Be sure to read on and find out all about the importance of colors in comics, and how when some heroes change color it  really alters their mood.

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Every lunch period would be an adventure if kids had lunch bags that look as cool as these! Take a look at this dad’s Tumblr page and see why his son sports a great big grin to school every day.

Link -via GeeksAreSexy

This is what happen when superheroes get a little long in the tooth, and grow so old that they aren’t quite as super any more. This series of paintings by Swedish artist Andreas Englund shows the fate of all non-immortal beings-wrinkles, weight gain and a feeling that tackling mundane tasks is like performing mini feats of heroism.

Link -via ComicsAlliance

Have you ever wondered why certain superheroes don’t get as much attention, or as many fans, as the big name spandex superstars? Well, these audition videos from College Humor should help clear that up for you, and proves that even D-list superfolks have star power!

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The folks at I Can Has Cheezburger have launched a new site called Superheroes! which gathers funny stuff involving your favorite comic book heroes all in one place. See Spiderman with a baby carriage, Wolverine preparing lunch, and of course, lots about Batman. Link

These characters aren’t going to be kicking anyone’s butt in battle, unless they find a way to use their cuteness as a weapon. Illustrator Ivan Camelo has taken our favorite musclebound DC heroes and turned them into diminutive, bubbly and shiny little cuties that look like they belong an alternate DC/Sanrio Universe alongside Hello Kitty and Keroppi. It’s good to see that even though Batman and Superman have lost their muscles, their incredibly square chins weren’t lost in translation. You can see more at ComicsAlliance, but beware: drawings this sweet may rot your teeth.

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Flickr user Agan Harahap created a great series of images depicting heroes, villains and other pop icons Photoshopped into historical photographs. The result is a funny take on world history filled with icons we all recognize.

Link Via Mental Floss

You may have heard the term “the New 52″ thrown around recently and thought to yourself “the new 52 of what?” Well, your days of wondering are over, cause their coming your way this September! “The New 52″ is DC Comics unprecedented overhaul and relaunch of 52 of their most popular, and world renowned, comic book series. From Superman and Action Comics to Batman and Detective Comics, to obscure titles like Swamp Thing and Creeper, every title is starting over, and they have never looked better! Check out the DC Comics website to learn all about how your favorite costumed crimefighters are going back to square one with style.

Link -via ComicsAlliance

Superheroes are hitting the big screen hard these days, and comic books are more popular and finely illustrated than ever before. So what’s missing? How about a minimalist approach to the symbolism behind the heroes, the logos as art with a vintage poster appeal. Take a gander at these pop art inspired poster designs by Marko Manev and see if you can recognize them without reading the names at the bottom.

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All That Is Apple recently posted these delightful images of Angry Birds as superheroes and the writer is asking for help trying to identify the artist responsible for these funny pictures. If you have any idea, give him a hand by leaving a comment. If not, enjoy the silly images anyway.

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With lots of new super hero films coming out every summer it’s no wonder that some people think it’s a good idea to put on a cape and go out and try to fight crime themselves. This new documentary “Superheroes” from HBO explores the lives of real life would be crime fighters. However they may be doing more harm to themselves then any good. What do you think; should people try to fight crime themselves or are they just adults playing dress up?

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In 1999 a baby boy was born in Germany.  At first glance hospital staff knew there was something different about him.  Unlike the other babies in the nursery his muscles were bulging and well-defined, especially in his thighs and upper arms. At birth he was jittery and jerked his limbs which worried doctors. After two months the jerking stopped, but doctors were still puzzled about the ripped muscles.

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Who looks more patriotically American: Superman, Captain America, or Wonder Woman? Take a close look at a gallery of cosplay photographs of these and other heroes posted to celebrate the Fourth of July at Geeks Are Sexy and decide for yourself! Link

If superheros were to start their own nations, then these flags would be ideal ways for each of the respective heroes to display their pride in their respective countries. How many can you recognize?

This image is available as a print by creator Fabian Gonzalez.

Link Via Laughing Squid

Gregg Segal, a photographer, gained unprecedented access to several superheroes who allowed him to take pictures of their mundane, household lives. Segal writes:

I followed the super heroes home to highlight the contrast of the fantastic and mundane. Though in costume, the super heroes are unmasked by the ordinariness of their apartments and their routine chores. While I photographed Batman, a family pulled over to take his picture. He strode up to them with super hero confidence and the children approached him with awe. He was Batman because he was Batman to them. Then late, in his apartment, when he’d taken off his mask and cape and was reheating leftovers in the microwave, he was merely ordinary. I could see what it was that drew him back to Hollywood Boulevard.

Link | Artist’s Website

This parody of the song “Born This Way” was inspired by the movie X-Men: First Class. -via The Daily What Geek

It’s like you can’t walk through Manhattan without tripping over a superhero. I guess you New Yorkers are pretty lucky that way, though you do end up attracting a lot of supervillains, too.

At the link, you can view more details about the locations of eight of these heroes (not Stan Lee).

Link via Comics Alliance | Image: Owen Parsons

I’m not big into comic books, necessarily, but I love artist Fabian Gonzalez’s graphic representation of some of the most beloved superheroes of all time. I think Zorro is my favorite. The print is available in various sizes.

Link via Flavorwire

In the olden days of the World Wide Web, there were only general-purpose dating websites. Now there are countless niche websites for specific needs, from the undead to the ugly. But what does a superhero or supervillain have to do to get to know someone who’s, you know, normal. SuperHarmony is here to fill that need.

Link via Geekosystem

Why is dinner taking so long? Aren’t you supposed to be faster than this? Crafter Bethany makes, among many other projects, superhero and supervillain aprons. Featured characters include Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, and Dark Phoenix.

Link via Geek Crafts

For example, some superheroes such as Black Alice can absorb the powers of others. Would doing so expose her to liability?

One immediate consequence of viewing superpowers as property is that power-drainers like Rogue, Scrambler, or Leech may be liable for the tort of conversion and the crime of theft (or common law robbery, if you prefer) in addition to the tort and crime of battery for which they were likely already liable. This would only apply to unjustified uses of the ability, of course. Use of such powers against a willing subject or out of self-defense, defense of others, or necessity would still be justified.

But the consequences don’t stop there. If Superman uses the power of a blue sun to bestow superpowers on another person, is that a taxable asset transfer? Who would want to try to collect?

If two superheroes marry, share a power, then later divorce, could one be forced to give up the power during the division of assets? Does it matter who had the power originally? Even though the shared power may be a non-rival good, one of the two superheroes may still have a claim to exclusivity. Perhaps the power is a trademark ability of one character, or maybe they signed a superhero pre-nuptial agreement that determined the disposition of any shared abilities.

Link via Comics Alliance | Image: DC Comics

This man won the Marvel comics cosplay competition at the New York Comic Con. Speaking of which, here‘s an interesting line: “Steampunk is when goths discover brown.” (via) Do you agree?

Link via DVICE | Photo: Judy Stephens

“I’m what people refer to as a real-life superhero,” he says.

By night, on weekends, he patrols Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood, looking for injustice and evildoers. By day? That’s a mystery.

“While most reactions to what I do are positive, there are a few negative responses,” he explains, adding that the disguise protects his family – a wife and two young sons – from any of that. “I’m the one who decided to do this, not them,” he says. “They should not have to suffer for it.”[...]

So the 6-foot, 200-pound, 30-something crime fighter patrols Riverwest in costume, with a flashlight and pepper spray on hand – and a black Motorola cell phone as his weapon of choice.

Link via Comics Alliance | Photo: Mike De Sisti

Previously: Real-Life Superhero Claims to Take Inspiration from Kick-Ass

A total of 1,580 costumed individuals showed up to the event, which was more than enough to break the record of 1,500 set by a New Hampshire children’s hospital way back in… August.[...]

Then Ferrell majestically appeared on a rising stage platform, and Guinness spokesman Stuart Claxton verified the world record, to the sound of cheers. “Everyone in a Spider-Man outfit wins a new car!” joked Ferrell.

Link via Fanboy | Photo: Valerie Macon/Getty Images

Cartoonist Caldwell Tanner created a set of panels depicting superheroes as hipsters. It features Aquaman, Iron Man, Professor Xavier, the Incredible Hulk, and Batman.

Link via Popped Culture

Previously by Caldwell Tanner: Superheroes in College

A new movie opening up this week, Kick Ass, tells the story of average citizens becoming superheroes. The New York Post has a story on New York citizens who have been real life super heroes for many years!

“We are just people who really care and try to go out and make a difference,” says Chris Pollak, 25, whose alter ego, “Dark Guardian,” strikes fear in the hearts of drug peddlers in Washington Square Park. “The idea is to be this drastic example of making change in your community.”

The Staten Islander has been patrolling city streets for the last seven years, frequently putting himself in harm’s way. A drug dealer flashed a gun at Pollak once, and he has almost come to blows with thugs.

“My fiancée is very supportive, but she gets worried if I’m doing anything that involves danger,” Dark Guardian said. “When I met my fiancée, I told her I liked to do this thing where I go out and help the homeless and patrol the streets. I didn’t get into the whole costume thing — I waited until a little bit into the relationship.”

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Geekazoid.

Superheroes from all corners of the world, who have powers you might not think useful, or who were created just to be weird! For example, Matter-Eater Lad:

Say this out loud without laughing we dare you. The true name of Matter-Eater Lad is Tenzil Kem and he’s got the ability to eat matter in any form. Hailing from planet Bismoll this strong stomached wonder first appeared in Adventure Comics as part of the DC Universe. From his story line we find that all inhabits of the planet Bismoll developed their remarkable constitutions when the food on their world became inedible. If you wondered about the fact that Bismoll sounds a lot like Pepto-Bismoll the tummy medicine we’re sure it’s just a coincidence.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by rale87.

As Clark Kent, Superman was raised as a Methodist.

While growing up in Smallville, Kansas, Clark Kent attended Sunday church services at the local Methodist church with his mother, Martha Kent, every week until he was fourteen years old. These aspects of the character are not speculative, but are canonical – established by in-continuity published DC Comics.

Batman’s religiosity is a bit more complex:

…there is some disagreement among fans as well as among writers about whether the character is a mostly lapsed Catholic or a mostly lapsed Episcopalian. There is universal agreement that the character is not an active churchgoer in any faith.

The religious affiliation of hundreds of comic book characters and superheroes has been tabulated at Adherents.com.  You can search through a list to find your favorites, or view them as groups.  Pictured above, for example, is the Legion of Baptist Superheroes.

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Super Not So Super takes a look at what Batman, Catwoman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman and the Flash do when they’re not busy fighting crime (or causing it, in Catwoman’s case). Apparently Wonder Woman does her own ironing.

Link via Geekologie.