Much to the surprise of everyone, FIRESTORM FAN had been transformed overnight into B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG! Click the image above for a closer look and to see more of the page.  There were 10 new posts about B’wana Beast just waiting to confuse and befuddle the faithful readers of FIRESTORM FAN.

• Why a B’wana Beast Blog?
• B’wana Beast in Who’s Who 1985
• B’wana Beast gets animated!
• Best B’wana Beast Covers of All Time
• B’wana Beast Action Figures
• B’wana Beast Cosplay at DragonCon 2010
• POLL: B’wana Beast or Freedom Beast?
• B’wana Beast Temporary Tattoo
• Napoleon Dynamite’s Liger – B’wana Beast’s Greatest Achievement?
• B’wana Beast and Beta Ray Bill – Marvel vs DC Amalgam

I was fairly pleased with how it turned out.  The new page layout was especially cheesy-looking (as I intended), and I fell in love with my goofy B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG logo!   I thought the 1960s checkerboard topper was just the right touch.  My good friend Ravenface later suggested adding an additional apostrophe to the final title, resulting in B’WANA BEAST’S B’LOG!  That’s brilliant!  If I’d continued with the B’wana Beast site I totally would have added that extra apostrophe.

An ironic aspect of this re-branding was that I knew practically nothing about B’wana Beast before I wrote those posts.  I had seen him in Animal Man years ago, but had no recollection of those stories at all. Each post I wrote, I learned a little more about the Jungle Master.  By the end I had taken a shine to the character, especially his portrayal in Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.

Based upon some comments and message board posts, I apparently fooled a few people (or rather they were kind enough to play along).  I guess changing the focus of your blog from a C-level character to an F-level character isn’t that astonishing, so some folks didn’t give it a second thought.

THE CROSSOVER

The real “wow” factor of this April Fool’s Day joke was the number of blogs that changed their focus from low-profile characters to even lower-profile characters.  There were nine different sites participating in this re-branding crossover.  Below I identify the blogs involved and present a screen-shot of their site from April 1:

• DC BLOODLINES: A blog for lesser known DC characters transformed into a site dedicated to the independent powerhouse, Marshal Law! The five sites below are all run by our good buddy and master blogger, Frank Lee Delano!  Take some extra time to check out his April Fool’s Day posts.  He constructed them in such a way that they look like several independent posts.  The reality is that he created just one post per site last Friday, but carefully formatted each one to look like multiple posts.  Amazingly clever!

• DIANA PRINCE AS THE NEW WONDER WOMAN: This Wonder Woman blog went in a bold new direction focusing on Airboy’s supporting character, Valkyrie!  Plus it was done entirely in German!  How cool is that?!?!

• POWER OF THE ATOM: The blog for the Atom and Captain Atom metamorphosed into a site dedicated to the 80’s sci-fi classic, Dreadstar!

• JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT: The blog dedicated to the Detroit-era of the Justice League was remodeled to focus on it’s hippest member, Vibe!  Paco is one of my favorite forgotten characters, so this was a special treat!

• THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU, the Martian Manhunter blog shape-shifted into a site dedicated to the obscure supervillain, the Osprey!

• SPEED FORCE: The Flash blog changed it’s vibrational frequency and became a blog dedicated to Barry Allen’s evil twin, Blue Cobalt!   Kelson and crew did a really great job transforming their site –  redirecting to a new URL, changing the overall color from red to blue, the Twitter feed, and more!

• BOOSTERRIFIC: The blog dedicated to the king of capitalism, Booster Gold, was preempted by the comrade of communism, Red Star!  On Friday, Boosterrific redirected viewers to a new URL – RedStarFire.info.  I instantly fell in love with that gorgeous and iconic banner!   Great job, Walter!

• THE INDIGO TRIBE: This Green Lantern blog was hijacked by Roscoe Dillon, The Top!  Our pal liquidcross had some fun channeling the undead spirit of The Top.  Be sure to read the comments!  Hilarious!

• FIRESTORM FAN: And finally, it was goodbye Firestorm and hello B’wana Beast for this blog!

CONCLUSION

This crossover was a blast!  It was very loosely organized and each blogger did their own thing.  I enjoyed pulling together my B’wana Beast site and posts, but enjoyed even more reading what everyone else did for the crossover!  The folks above deserve applause!  Please visit their sites and heap praise upon them!

We’ve begun something of a tradition for April Fool’s Day blog crossovers.  It all started back in 2009 with our big “Vibe: Rebirth” crossover – ONCE UPON A GEEK, SPEED FORCE, JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT, FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE, CRIMSON LIGHTNING, and K-SQUARED RAMBLINGS!  That’s still one of my favorites!

For further 2011 April Fool’s Day recap coverage, be sure to check out Speed Force and Frank’s sites (such as The Idol-Head of Diabolu)!

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Nuclear Man programming.

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

GOOD NEWS

As many of you surmised, the B’wana Beast posts from April 1 were part of an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke. As of today, we’re reverting to FIRESTORM FAN! I hope my little joke didn’t cause you an inconvenience.

BAD NEWS

I just got home from a long car trip with the wife and kids and need sleep desperately.  I’m literally falling asleep at the keyboard.  A recap of the April Fool’s hijinks and the latest Firestorm news will have to wait a day or so.  Sorry!

Thanks for all the comments and support I received since last Friday!  And thanks for reading the site!

Support Firestorm! Fan the flame!

GOODBYE FIRESTORM; HELLO B’WANA BEAST!

For the past two years, this site has been dedicated to Firestorm the Nuclear Man.  While I enjoyed writing about Firestorm, I felt it was time to move on to something new. When I started this site in January 2009, Firestorm had been reduced to a minor character.  His monthly series had been canceled for a third time, and he was a junior member of the Justice League of America.  It was easy to keep up with his appearances and I could spend lots of time focused on his history.  I liked that formula.  Nowadays Firestorm is practically mainstream, appearing in DC’s number one selling comic Brightest Day.  With rumors abound of a new Firestorm ongoing series, I felt it was time to move on before it became too difficult to keep up.

B’wana Beast has always been my favorite character and after searching around the web I haven’t been able to find an active blog dedicated to the character.  I decided it was time to bid Firestorm a fond farewell and follow my heart.  Thus was born B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG!

B’WANA BEAST’S APPEARANCES

While B’wana Beast has been around for over 40 years, he only appeared in a handful of titles.  He first appeared in Showcase #66 (January 1967), and was created by Bob Haney and Mike Sekowsky.  Below is B’wana Beast’s comic book chronology:

• Showcase #66 & #67  (Jan/Feb-Mar/Apr 1967)
• Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3  (May 1985)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #5  (Aug 1985) & #12 (Mar 1986)
• DC Challenge #2 & #3  (Dec 1985-Jan 1986)
• History of the DC Universe #2  (1986)
• Swamp Thing Annual #3  (1987)
• Animal Man #1-4  (Sept-Dec 1988)
• Animal Man #13  (July 1989)
• Animal Man #47-#50  (May-Aug 1992)
• Justice League of America: The Nail #2 & #3  (Sept-Oct 1998)
• DC Holiday Special ’09  (Feb 2010)

That’s it!  With so few appearances, we’ll be able to really sink our teeth into the character and explore his depths. From time to time we’ll also feature some related characters, such as: Freedom Beast, Djuba, Congo Bill, and Animal Man.

B’WANA BEAST’S HISTORY

In case you are unfamiliar with B’wana Beast, here is a little info on our favorite Jungle Master.  B’wana Beast’s given name was Mike Maxwell.  Maxwell possessed a helmet and elixir which conferred on him his powers. The elixir granted him super-strength and super-speed likened to the strongest and swiftest of Africa’s wildlife.  As well as granting him telepathic mastery over all wildlife, the helmet enabled him to combine beasts of two different species into one large mutated creature, which exhibited the greatest strengths of both.  These transformations were of a limited duration, and the two beasts were then separated again, unharmed.

With the help of his gorilla companion, Djuba, in a secret hideout at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, ranger Mike Maxwell drank the aforementioned elixir and donned the helmet to become B’wana Beast. Maxwell used his powers for the good of all Africa, and became the Dark Continent’s super trouble-shooter.

In Animal Man #13 (July 1989), Maxwell decided to retire and performed a ceremony to find a successor. He passed the helmet and elixir on to a South African activist named Dominic Mndawe, who assumed the name Freedom Beast.   Mike Maxwell returned in Animal Man #47 (May 1992), corrupted and possessed by the destructive force called the Antagon and transformed into the evil Shining Man. In the ensuing battle, Maxwell was killed.

Even though B’wana Beast died in the comics nearly 20 years ago, he’s recently received a new lease on life thanks to cartoons!  B’wana Beast appeared in both Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.  Thanks to those appearances, his likeness has appeared on action figures, temporary tattoos, and more!

CONCLUSION

Going forward this site will be THE source for DC Comics’ Jungle Master – B’wana Beast! You’ll find anything and everything B’wana Beast-related here. Things such as merchandise, comics, toys, apparel, cartoons, news, creator interviews, and commentary about the character will be covered.  While I’ll always enjoy Firestorm, I’m really excited about this new direction for the blog!  To help with the new launch, I’ve got several posts today.  Enjoy!

FRIENDS OF B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG

Also, don’t forget to check out these other great superhero-specific blogs:

• DC BLOODLINES: The Little Blog for the Lesser Known Universe
• DIANA PRINCE AS THE NEW WONDER WOMAN: Figuring the Amazing Amazon out one “Bold New Direction” at a time
• POWER OF THE ATOM: Sometimes the Sword of a Tiny Titan, other times saluting the Quantum Captain
• JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT: Vibe! Vixen! Gypsy! Steel! Zatanna! Men Aquatic, Elongated & Batty!
• THE IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU, a Martian Manhunter Blog
• SPEED FORCE: Following the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive
• BOOSTERRIFIC: The Web’s Number One Website of Booster Gold, the Corporate Crusader!
• THE INDIGO TRIBE: Green Lantern Reviews and Commentary

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED

B’wana Beast appeared on the Justice League Unlimited animated series (voiced by Peter Onorati) in the episode called “This Little Piggy”.  In the episode, B’wana Beast was recruited by Batman for his superior tracking skills in the search for Wonder Woman, who had been mystically transformed into a pig by Circe. In this incarnation, B’wana Beast was given a thick New York accent and blue collar personality to match, and his abilities were presented as animalistic feats of agility and the ability to communicate with animals.  Below is a clip from that episode featuring our favorite Jungle Master!

If you can’t view the embedded clip above, please click here.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD

More recently, B’wana Beast has been featured in a reoccurring role on Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.  Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, B’wana Beast appeared in the episodes: “Enter the Outsiders”, “Gorillas in Our Midst!”, and “The Siege of Starro!” parts 1 & 2.  Sadly, B’wana Beast died saving the world in his last appearance on the show.

In “Enter the Outsiders”, B’wana Beast helps Batman in his fight with Black Manta. During the fight, B’wana Beast used his powers to merge a policeman’s horse and a spider to form a creature to catch up with Black Manta and later merged a pelican and a shark to form a creature to stop Black Manta.

In “Gorillas in our Midst!”, B’wana Beast helps defend Gotham with Vixen while Batman is gone. He shows he can merge more than two creatures as well, such as merging Batman with a lion, eagle and lizard to form a “Bat-Griffin”.

In “The Siege of Starro!”, the Faceless Hunter takes an interest in B’wana Beast’s unique powers and kidnaps him.  The Faceless Hunter uses a device to siphon B’wana Beast’s powers to merge and revive the Starro spores into an enormous-sized creature that begins destroying everything.  In the end B’wana Beast pushes his power beyond its limits, destroys the Starro construct and sacrifices his own life to save the world.

Below is a clip showing B’wana Beast’s origin on the show. Please forgive the quality, it’s the only clip of this I could find.

If you can’t view the embedded clip above, please click here.

Below is a demonstration of B’wana Beast’s powers.

If you can’t view the embedded clip above, please click here.

Below is another demonstration of B’wana Beast’s powers. This particular clip also features that guy I used to blog about, Firestorm.

If you can’t view the embedded clip above, please click here.

Finally, below is a large chunk of “The Siege of Starro! Part 2″.  You’ll find the death of B’wana Beast around 9 minute 20 second mark.

If you can’t view the embedded clip above, please click here.

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

Below is B’wana Beast’s first appearance in Showcase #66!

Below is B’wana Beast’s second appearance in Showcase #67!

Below is the great Chuck Patton/Mike DeCarlo cover to DC Challenge #2 featuring our favorite Jungle Master!

Below check out the gorgeous Brian Bolland cover to Animal Man #4.  B’wana Beast is showing Buddy who exactly is king of the beasts!

Below you have another great Brian Bolland Animal Man cover!  Technically this cover features Freedom Beast, but I figured it was worth displaying here.

So those are the greatest B’wana Beast covers of all time!  Come to think of it, those are about the only B’wana Beast covers ever (with the exception of a Crisis on Infinite Earths or Who’s Who cover).

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

Next up were two figures from the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.  One figure was made in the five-inch scale (called “Machete B’wana Beast” after his accessories and action feature) and another in a two-pack with Batman as part of the smaller Action League series (similar in size and design to the Marvel Super Hero Squad figures).

Finally, a six-inch scale DC Universe Classics figure of B’wana Beast was released in the “Justice in the Jungle” two-pack with Animal Man in December 2009 as a MattyCollector.com internet exclusive.

Hard to believe he’s got just about as many action figures as a more popular character like Power Girl!

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

Below is B’wana Beast again along with a gorgeous Goblin Queen (Madelyne Pryor)!  I didn’t take this picture, but according to Flickr it was taken at the Silver Snail Halloween party in 2010.

Great job, B’wana Beast cosplay guy!

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!

Sorry folks, this poll is closed.  For the record, B’wana Beast won.

I know.. it’s a tough decision.

Support B’wana Beast (or Freedom Beast)! Do Justice to the Jungle Master(s)!

Below is what the package looks like so you can watch your local gas stations.

Our good buddies Frank Lee Delano (of more blogs than you could possibly imagine), Rob of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, and Doug of RED TORNADO’S PATH have also featured some of these temporary tattoos on their sites!  Frank’s also featured a similar Batman: The Brave and the Bold sticker set.  Show the guys some appreciation by demonstrating you know how to click.

• Ryan Choi @ Power of the Atom
• The Big Red Cheese @ DC Bloodlines featuring Captain Marvel
• Despero @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu, a Martian Manhunter blog
• Aquaman, Batman, and others get all sticky @ Justice League Detroit
• Aquaman @ The Aquaman Shrine
• Red Tornado @ Red Tornado’s Path
• Firestorm @ Firestorm Fan
  

Support B’wana Beast! Do Justice to the Jungle Master!