Countdown to Christmas Day 9: All I want is an Andy Suriano O.M.A.C.!

You can't go wrong with the BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD animated show.  30 minutes of action, adventure, and fun.  Batman usually teams up with 2 characters from the DC Comics Universe and the character selection can be ... diverse.

O.M.A.C. was a 1970's Jack Kirby-created science fiction comic where grey-man Buddy Blank is transformed into the powerhouse One Man Army Corps, who receives logistical support from a computer satellite, Brother Eye.  I always thought O.M.A.C. was an awesome idea.  In many ways, I dig him as a dystopian Superman.  As of December 2014, Ryan Carey is writing a great deconstruction of the series at Sequart.  In it, he reveals OMAC was Kirby's vision of a futuristic Captain America.  That kinda blows my mind and I see it.  I love this book. 

Andy Suriano is an Emmy award winning animator, who has a long-time love for Jack Kirby comics.  And Plastic Man.  He drew a few issues of the BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD comic.  I made him a Kamandi figure here.  He agrees with me that Kirby is King:

When Warner Bros released the 7-figure Justice League set in the Brave and Bold style, I took one look at that Superman figure and knew what to do:

I used a series of high gloss metallic flake paints to give OMAC the sheen that Kirby's artwork portrays.  I make his chest symbol have a gem ala ULTRA MAN, 'cuz it looks great.

Do yourself a favor this holiday- grab the OMAC comic, read Ryan's great essays, and get your mind right- KIRBY IS KING!

                                         

Enjoy!

Countdown Day 10 is here.

Countdown Day 11 is here.

Countdown Day 12 is here.

Thankful for Strange. Adam Strange.

All the cowhands here at the Flying Batmobile Ranch love settling down after a long day in the shop and watching another episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD.  They were bright, entertaining blasts of Batman awesomeness with guaranteed guest heroes and villains in each and every episode.  Among those guest team-ups, Adam Strange gets big votes.

Adam Strange was DC Comic's sci-fi answer to Buck Rogers mixed with Flash Gordon: An archeologist gets zapped to a galaxy far, far away, where he is the hero of every story.  He grabs a rocket jet pack, teams up with the local scientist and his lovely daughter, and shots things with a ray gun.  Every now and then, the zap wears off and he finds himself back on Earth.  Boom, that's the pitch.

My first memory of an Adam Strange comic was when the Justice League came to visit Adam and were dissolved by his Evil Villain, Kanjar Ro:

I liked how he could dissolve the Super Heroes, but left behind the super suits.  I was five.

As you can imagine, that's a perfect fit for Batman ha ha.  Sure enough, it really could work:

  Adam Strange never really joined a super hero team, probably because of that zap thing to the galaxy far far away thing, but he was always fun.  Hence, we had to make his Brave and Bold figure:

Adam was made from that clean-shaven Aquaman figure that is now on sale in most Target stores, along with a Black Manta holster and two resin cast Christmas light bulbs for his jet pack.  Mrs. Bosslady figured out where the caps to the toothpaste tubes went and we went looking for that zap beam to the galaxy far far away thing.  Ray gun courtesy of Captain Action.

                                                 

In Adam Strange's early appearances in MYSTERY IN SPACE, he wore a helmet.  We found some of Miss 8's gum ball trinkets and constructed accordingly.

Our favorite Batman now gets another favorite Batman toy.  That's something to be thankful for!

  

We love Brave and Bold Kamandi and Andy Suriano!

The only thing better than BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD shows are BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD comics done by the kind folks who made the animated show!

BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD was a great comic, with monthly issues that told fun and exciting adventures in the spirit of the original comic book series of my childhood and the upbeat and offbeat show.

Andy Suriano, Emmy-award winning animator, did double duty with both the show and the comic.  His pages are posted on his art blog here!

I couldn't resist and grabbed a great page, featuring the Awesome Brave and Bold Batmobile and Kid Eternity!

"Batman Brave & Bold" Andy Suriano

 
I asked Andy which character was his favorite to animate on the show.  His response?

Kamandi and Batman (2012)

Kamandi!  We always suspected Suriano had good taste, but now it's confirmed!  Santa delivered The Last Boy on Earth to the Suriano Studio and everyone was happy.  Hooray!  Andy will be appearing at the Motor City Comic Con in the Spring of 2013.  Perhaps he needs another figure...