BATMAN DAY

Happy Batman Day! Four years ago, DC Entertainment organized a special day promoting their most popular comic book character's 75th anniversary with freebies and special deals from partnering retailers.  That celebration of the Caped Crusader has become an annual event, but this year's festivities have a new twist to them...everyone's favorite villainous Harley Quinn has taken it over!

2017 marks the Clown Princess of Crime's 25th birthday.  Harley Quinn's character was first introduced in 1992 when she debuted on Batman: The Animated Series.  Her role in the DC Universe has expanded since her introduction in that animated television show to include her own comic book, inclusion in video games including the Batman: Arkham series and a starring role in the Suicide Squad movie.  Harley Quinn has become a fan favorite in her own right.

FREE COMIC BOOKS

Stop by a participating comic book shop TODAY to pick up a FREE Harley Quinn Day comic book.  They are giving out 3 to choose from.  A DC Super Hero Girls comic for young readers, which I plan to take my daughter to go pick up, as well as reprints of Batman #16 and Harley Quinn #11 are also being given away.

DC Super Hero Girls Batman Day 2017 Special Edition #1 features a chapter of the upcoming all-ages original graphic novel DC Super Hero Girls: Out of the Bottle, starring Harley Quinn and written by Shea Fontana with art by Marcelo DiChiara and Agnes Garbowska and a cover by Yancey Labat.

Batman Day 2017 Special Edition #1 reprints Batman #16, the first chapter of "I Am Bane," written by Tom King with art by David Finch. This issue's cover art is by Ryan Sook and features Batman and Harley Quinn in an homage to The Dark Knight Returns #1. 

This issue also includes a new, three-page original story written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Bret Blevins.

Harley Quinn Batman Day 2017 Special Edition #1 reprints Harley Quinn #11, the first chapter of "Joker Loves Harley," written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by John Timms and a cover by Amanda Conner.

CLICK HERE to find a participating comic book shop, bookstore or library near you that is giving away these comic books.

ACTIVITY SHEETS

Enjoy Harley Quinn Day with FREE activity sheets, coloring pages and character masks you can download and print out from DC Entertainment.  Just CLICK HERE to get the 2017 Batman Day Activity Kit for yourself.

SPECIAL DEALS

Amazon.com has exclusive Harley Quinn sticker/t-shirt bundles available from Popfunk.

They also have some cool Batman sticker/t-shirt bundles available exclusively on Amazon.com from Popfunk.

In honor of Harley Quinn Day, Build-A-Bear is debuting today a plush animal based upon the character.  You can also get a Joker version to go along with your Clown Bear of Crime.

Experience the world of Batman playing the DC LEGENDS video game on your mobile device. Get exclusive Harley Quinn content today when you play the game!  DC LEGENDS  is available through Apple App Store and Android GooglePlay.

HARLEY QUINN DAY

In celebration of fan favorite villainous Harley Quinn's 25th birthday, DC Entertainment is basing their annual BATMAN DAY event on Saturday, September 23, 2017 around the Clown Princess of Crime.  Harley was introduced to the DC Universe in 1992 when the character debuted on Batman: The Animated Series.  Most recently, she played an important role in the movie Suicide Squad.  Over the last twenty-five years, Harley Quinn has also been featured in comic books, clothing, toys, and video games making her one of DC Entertainment's most popular characters.

Hot Toys is releasing some incredible Harley Quinn collectible sixth scale action figures based upon  Margot Robbie’s appearance in Suicide Squad.  Harley Quinn Day marks a nice opportunity to consider placing an order for one.  There are three varieties of these toys featuring the character's main movie costume along with versions in an orange prison jumpsuit and a dancer dress.

Hot Toys produces action figures like these in limited production runs with overall quantities based upon the preorders they receive from distributors like Sideshow Collectibles.  They fulfill the preorders received and produce a slightly higher number in which the excess are made available for retail sales.  Sometime the toys that are available through retail can sell out very quickly.  Preordering assures you of being able to get your hands on a Hot Toys products you absolutely want and not have to worry about it being sold out.

DC Comics Harley Quinn Dancer Dress Version DC Comics Sixth Scale Figure recreates the scene from Suicide Squad where the Joker introduces her as the Queen of Gotham City at a night club while she is pole dancing for the crowd.  This sixth scale figure features a hand painted head sculpted into an impressive likeness of Margot Robbie, a finely tailored fabric dancer dress, numerous pieces of jewelry, a metal chain, a dancing pole and a specially designed Suicide Squad themed figure stand with character backdrop.  The action figure has movie accurate facial expressions with detailed makeup, skin texture and tattoos.  It has over 30 points of articulation for posing and is approximately 29 cm tall with her high heals on.

DC Comics Harley Quinn Prisoner Version DC Comics Sixth Scale Figure portrays the character as she is in the lockup during the film wearing her prison jumpsuit.  This action figure has a newly developed specialized body with enhanced leg articulation to assist with mimicking Harley's sitting poses in these scenes from the movie.  It also features a finely tailored prison costume, a variety of accessories representing items she enjoyed as a "privileged" inmate, and a specially designed figure stand with character backdrop and a removable prison cell mattress.  The action figure is approximately 28.5 cm tall.

DC Comics Harley Quinn DC Comics Sixth Scale Figure represents Harley Quinn as she is primarily seen throughout the movie Suicide Squad.  This figure focuses on a moment in the film when Harley's laughing with a head sculpt capturing a Jokeresque expression.  It features a number of accessories including a baseball bat and pistol along with a very detailed replication of her outfit from the movie.  Harley also has a high level articulation as Hot Toys are known for just like the other two action figures.  The toy stands approximately 29 cm tall when wearing her high heals and comes with a Suicide Squad themed display stand.

Whether you are looking for a unique decoration for a home or office or want to spoil a child with the most incredibly detailed action figures they could possibly get, these Harley Quinn toys are sure to delight any fan of DC Entertainment's universe of super heroes and villains.  Don't miss out on getting one of these Harley Quinn action figures by Hot Toys from Sideshow Collectibles.

Send some JUSTICE LEAGUE vs SUICIDE SQUAD New Years Cheer to a comic book fan

Provide your friends with some New Years cheer by sending them a Justice League vs Suicide Squad digital card to welcome 2017.  A perfect way to put a smile on the face of a fan of comic book culture and super heroes to start the new year.  Best of all it is FREE to send!  Just CLICK HERE, pick which of DC Comic's two hottest properties, Justice League or Suicide Squad, you want to feature in your card, insert the name of who you want to send it to plus his or her email address and there you go!

On comic book store shelves now is a new weekly mini-series that will be running through January which pits these two teams against one another:

The first major event storyline of DC’s Rebirth era begins with a day Amanda Waller always knew would come: the Justice League discovers the existence of the Suicide Squad! This government-sponsored black-ops team of super-villains with bombs implanted in their brains is obviously a deal-breaker for Earth’s paragons of truth and justice! But you can bet that the Wall and her Task Force X won’t go down without the fight to end all fights in this weekly mini-series! 

Visit comicshoplocator.com to find a comic book store near you.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2016

It's become an annual family tradition that we swing by the local comic book store on the first Saturday morning in May to enjoy FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  This is a special event hosted by comic book retailers and publishers to entice new customers and reward existing ones for their loyalty.  Free Comic Book Day provides a selection of specially printed issues for this event that provide a sample of a publishers work or an interesting one-shot story to promote a particular character or series.  This year there will be 50 free comic books that people can select from and pick up from participating locations on Saturday, May 7, 2016.  A nice aspect of this annual event is that there are always a variety of comics to select from that will be of interest to children, teens and adults so there is something for everyone in the family to pick up and bring home to enjoy.

Comic books catering to children this year include DC Super Hero Girls, the Pink Panther, Strawberry Shortcake, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pokemon.  Boom Studios always provides a nice comic book for youths to enjoy and this year's Summer Blast 2016, which features original stories of Dave Peterson's Mouse Guard and Jim Henson's Labyrinth, continues their streak of providing quality content on Free Comic Book Day.

Tweens and Teens will want to get their hands on Bongo Comic's Simpsons, IDW Publishing's ROM, Marvel's Avengers and Captain America Free Comic Book Day editions, and Image Comic's Camp Midnight.

Adults stopping by themselves or along with their kids should look out for Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises, Con Man! Spectrum, Dark Horse Comics' Serenity/Hellboy/Aliens compilation, Doctor Who: Four Doctors, and The Phantom 80th Anniversary Special.  For the ladies in attendance this Mothers Day Weekend, Lady Mechanika and Grump Cat are two titles that have a large female fan base you may want to check out.

Adding an educational aspect to Free Comic Book Day, March provides a historical look at the 1960s civil rights movement from Congressman and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Lewis, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund provides a social studies lesson about the First Amendment in Defend, and Science Comics contains non-fiction stories that help explain how the world works.

The highlight of Free Comic Book Day is always picking up the special issue published for the event featuring one of my all time favorite super hero characters THE TICK.  He's back again in 2016 with a 32 page full-color comic book featuring a brand new lead story that is being published for the first time in honor of Free Comic Book Day. SPOON!!!

2016 is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY'S 15th Anniversary and will be the fifth year in a row our family will be stopping by our local comic book shop to enjoy some freebies.  To participate yourself, visit FreeComicBookDay.com and use the website's Store Locator to find local participating retailers in proximity to your zip code.  Because of the increasing popularity of the event, you should contact participating locations in advance to confirm their hours, what their rules are (some stores let you take one of every available title while others limit peoples' selections to just 1 or 2 of the Free Comic Book Day publications), and if they are hosting any special events in conjunction with the comic books giveaway (artist signings, character appearances, costume contests, store discounts, etc.) to be prepared. Throw on your favorite sci-fi or super hero t-shirt, grab the kids and have some fun enjoying the comic book genre on Saturday, May 7, 2016.

#FreeComicBookDay #FCB2016

New Suicide Squad - Pure Insanity

Next year Warner Brothers is releasing the movie SUICIDE SQUAD which it hopes will play a big role in the studio creating a successful cinematic universe with multiple films tied together featuring a variety of DC Comics characters similar to what Disney has done with Marvel.  SUICIDE SQUAD is based on a comic book of the same name which has been an ongoing series with DC Comics since 1987.  The premise of the comic book and movie I guess could be summarized as the Dirty Dozen with super villains instead of military convicts.  Ever wonder what happens to the adversaries of Batman and Superman after the heroes have won the battle?  The U.S. government has created a secret program called Task Force X which takes incarcerated super villains and has them undertake high risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.  If anything goes wrong the U.S. government can deny any association with this team which has been given the nick name "Suicide Squad" and say these thugs were just acting out some criminal venture on their own.  So what keeps these bad guys from just escaping when they are out and about on missions?  Well each one has a bomb placed inside of them that can be detonated at anytime by their government handlers plus if someone tries to tamper or remove it will also go BOOM!

 

If you are interested in the upcoming movie and haven't read a SUICIDE SQUAD comic book before now may be a good time to jump in to check out the comic book series.  DC Comics has just released a compilation of the first eight issues of the New Suicide Squad titled New Suicide Squad Volume 1 - Pure Insanity.  You can pick up this graphic novel beginning July 21, 2015 at various local and online comic book retailers.

Here's the official synopsis for New Suicide Squad Volume 1 - Pure Insanity from DC Comics:

Setting the world’s most dangerous super-criminals against the most insidious threats to national security: that’s the idea behind the elite black-ops unit officially designated as Task Force X. It’s perfect…on paper.

But the real world rarely goes according to plan. Threats evolve. Teammates turn on each other. Blood and betrayals flow like rivers. And that’s why Task Force X is better known as the Suicide Squad.

Vic Sage aims to change the equation. Replacing Amanda Waller as the puppet-master of Suicide Squad’s motley crew, he’s introducing wild cards like Deathstroke and the Joker’s Daughter to whip the existing team-Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Black Manta-into shape. But the world’s deadliest assassin and the Clown Princess of Crime have ideas of their own…and no explosive implants to keep them in line.

Can this new Suicide Squad survive-or will it implode before it even begins?

Find out in NEW SUICIDE SQUAD: PURE INSANITY, the first action-packed chapter of an all new Suicide Squad saga by writer Sean Ryan (BATMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD) and an elite squad of artists! Collects issues #1-8.

There have been various incarnations of the team throughout the years in the DC comic book title.  The characters in the upcoming movie which is arriving at theaters in the United States on August 5, 2016 resemble the cast from the "New 52" era of the comic book which ran from 2011- 2014 and featured the characters Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, El Diablo, Harley Quinn, and Killer Croc among others.  DC Comics rebooted the series though in September 2014 and renamed it "New Suicide Squad."  The premise is pretty much the same but the cast of characters has changed and these are the ones featured in the NEW SUICIDE SQUAD: PURE INSANITY comic book compilation.

Rick Flag who was a military special operations commando who led the Suicide Squad in the field on missions to keep the team on target with getting its missions accomplished has been replaced by a mercenary named Deathstroke.  Harley Quinn and Deadshot remain as established members of Task Force X and are joined by new additions Black Manta, Joker's Daughter, and Man-Bat.  Black Manta is one of my all time DC Comics villains so I was glad to see him added to the mix and the character really plays a big part in the new dynamic of the series.  Joker's Daughter is primarily meant to play off Harley Quinn to create some comedic situations and tension in story scripts based upon the two's Joker connection.  Joker's Daughter also ups the insanity level up another notch in the stories.  Man-Bat is like the red shirt uniformed guy or gal in Star Trek in that he's the minor character to kill off in the story.  In as much as Task Force X has released a fair share of minor villains back into society it has also killed off quite a few in the DC Comics continuity as well contributing to the name Suicide Squad.

In the first story arc of the New Suicide Squad stories that are featured in this graphic novel, the team is sent to steal the blue prints from Moscow of Russia's version of Iron Man ...

... and to do recon in China of that country's experiments to create Super Soldiers that would be a match for the Justice League or any other super hero in the world.

Rated T for audiences Teen and older, New Suicide Squad - Pure Insanity is 192 pages of violent mayhem. If you have ever wondered what the action would look like from the villain's perspective, here you go!