Check out this fan-made Firestorm drawing by Ed Hernandez! The computer-generated effects (especially the hair) are pretty neat!
My thanks to @tnr105 for sending this my way!
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Jim Lee redesign of Firestorm costume from 2003
Back in November 2002, Wizard Magazine reported that Jim Lee had designed a new Firestorm costume for the Mike Carey Firestorm series in development at the time. Since then I’ve been looking for these supposed Jim Lee designs. Recently the sketches below were brought to my attention.
Personally I like all these designs! I guess if I had to pick, the top-left design would be my favorite for a Firestorm costume. The bottom-left and top-right would also work really well. The bottom-right design looks super-cool, but doesn’t seem too practical for superhero battles. Did you notice each of these have puffy sleeves? Awesome!
I can’t personally validate if these sketches were actually drawn by Jim Lee, but they sure look like his style! These sketches were posted to the Custom Justice forum by Jester back in 2008. I recently corresponded with Jester and he believes they may have appeared in the Wizard: Jim Lee, Millennium Edition book. My thanks to FIRESTORM FAN commenter “Crusader” for directing me to these sketches! If anyone can validate where these sketches were originally published, please let us know.
If you are interested in more information on the 2003 Firestorm series that never was:
- Click here to read the Wizard Magazine article mentioning Jim Lee’s Firestorm designs.
- Click here for comprehensive coverage of Mike Carey & Lewis LaRosa’s aborted Firestorm series in 2003.
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Project Rooftop Firestorm by Stefan Grambart
Check out this fan-made Firestorm redesign by Stefan Grambart! I like how he maintained the Firestorm chest emblem! This appeared on the Project Rooftop website.
If you’ve never heard of Project Rooftop, here is the description from their website:
Project: Rooftop is where cartoonists and illustrators bring their costume design skills to task in tribute to the superheroes and villains we’ve grown up with. This site is intended to promote the idea of superhero costume redesigning as a skill, specific to superhero media. We also aim to foster continued interest for these amazing characters and spotlight up-and-coming creators.
All characters are copyrights and trademarks of the respective publishers and creators. All of the designs here were created not for profit. This site is used solely for artistic enjoyment.
My thanks to Michael Kaiser for sending this my way!
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Firestorm by Ethan Van Sciver – Possible Future Cover?
Check out this gorgeous drawing of the classic Firestorm by Ethan Van Sciver! This was spotted by Warren Edward Jenkins at Armageddon Expo 2011 in Adelaide. He posted it to the Ethan Van Sciver’s Official Fan Page on Facebook.
Awesome drawing! Okay, the next question is… what was this drawing for? At first I assumed it was just a commission for a fan. Then I noticed it’s on an actual comic book page, rather than a blank sheet of paper. Also, you can see the blue pencil marks underneath the inked drawing. Does that indicate it’s for a comic book cover? He’s left enough room at the top for a logo. Perhaps a variant cover for a Firestorm ongoing? I’m just guessing, but a boy can hope!
My thanks to A.j. Chwaster for sending this my way! Come back tomorrow and every day this week through Friday for more Firestorm sketches!
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Brightest Day #23 in stores today, but no action figure
Brightest Day #23 should be hitting stores today! According to the solicit this issue features Firestorm versus Deadman, which makes SO MUCH MORE sense now then it did when originally solicited. Presumably, this will lead into Firestorm becoming a fire elemental… again. 
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Be sure to pick up your copy today!
Sadly, the DC Direct Brightest Day Series 2: Firestorm action figure, originally solicited to ship on April 6, has been postponed until June 1. I’m bummed about this delay. Just yesterday I FINALLY got my very own Justice League Unlimited Firestorm action figure. I was looking forward to completing the set today with the Brightest Day figure. Oh well, I suppose I can wait until June. Hopefully between now and then my mind won’t snap with anticipation, thus causing me to go postal. … hopefully …
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Firestorm Fan April Fool’s Day Post-Game Report
April Fool’s Day is one of my favorite “holidays”! It’s a time for harmless pranks, surprises, and laughs. Me, I’m a giver. I like to “give” on April Fool’s Day. That’s why visitors to FIRESTORM FAN this past Friday were greeted with an entirely new look for the site…
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.
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Firestorm Fan Returns – April Fool’s Hijinks!
I’ve got GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS.
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!
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Why a B’wana Beast Blog?
Welcome to B’WANA BEAST’S BLOG! You may be asking yourself, “A blog about B’wana Beast? Seriously?” Well, I say YES! I’m a huge fan of the character and think he’s deserving of the attention.
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
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B’wana Beast in Who’s Who 1985
Today’s post comes from Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 (May 1985). This was the first Who’s Who series and was the third appearance of B’wana Beast. The art in the entry below is by Chuck Patton and Rick Magyar. Such a great iconic image of the character! This particular issue of Who’s Who was published just before B’wana Beast’s appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths, so information presented was current to that point.
If you are interested in reading the text, click the image for a larger version.
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B’wana Beast gets animated!
In recent years, B’wana Beast has gone from being an obscure comic book character to a television sensation! He’s appeared in two different animated series and is now a cult favorite!
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.
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