Strollerderby : superheroes

Superman Comic Sells For Over 300k

Brett Singer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, sold for $317,200. It was first published in 1938, with a cover price of 10 cents. The owner bought it in 1950 for 35 cents. Amazingly, the issue is still in mint condition, hence the high price it brought at auction. There are only 100 copies of Action Comics #1 in existence. Many of the original issues were probably thrown away by somebody's mom. Oops.

The buyer was John Dolmayan, drummer for System of a Down. He said he bought it "for a client." (That's the kind of thing guys tell their wives when they spend this kind of cash on a comic book. I kid. Sort of.) Dolmayan has a huge comics collection and is also a dealer.

When I was about 10 years old, I was in a comic book store (Dragon's Den on Central Avenue in Yonkers) and saw a copy of Incredible Hulk #181, which features the first appearance of Wolverine. (Note: technically Wolverine's first appearance is in Hulk #180, but he only appears in one panel and #181 is worth more to collectors. For a very nerdy discussion of this important topic, click here.) The price was 10 dollars. I decided that was too high and didn't bother. Today that comic book sells for between $1,000 and $2,000, depending on condition.

Save those comics, kids. Don't let mom throw them out. You never know - they could be worth big money some day. Heck, at this point, it beats the stock market, right?

Image/Source: Daily News

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Letting Kids See Watchmen

Brett Singer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Lisa Belkin wonders if her 15-year old should see "Watchmen," this weekend's number one movie. His 18-year old brother saw it and pronounced it brilliant. I won't keep you in suspense (I know, you were on the edge of your seat), but Lisa eventually capitulated and let the younger son go. Spoiler: he liked it.

Having seen the film, I can say that it is definitely not for kids. The R rating should deter parents, but really it's the subject matter that they should be looking at. For the record, I enjoyed the film version of "Watchmen"; it's very faithful to the original comics (aka "graphic novel"), has some flaws, but overall is very much worth seeing. This column at The Onion AV Club by Tasha Robinson does a great job of breaking down the differences between the two, points out some missteps, and is good reading if you're interested.

For our purposes, the question is "how do I decide whether or not a movie is appropriate for my child?" Movie ratings help, but only up to a point. A commenter at the Times' website points out that "Dark Knight" was rated PG-13, which in my opinion is absurd. Great film, one of the best I've seen, and Heath Ledger's performance was incredible and deserving of an Oscar. Part of what makes his Joker so amazing is that he is really, truly disturbing, more so than the bone-popping-out-of-an-arm style of violence on display in "Watchmen." To me, and I believe to my kids, psychological violence is more troubling than physical violence. Not that I want them to see the extreme grossness that "Watchmen" has. But a movie's rating doesn't always tell the whole story.

What I do with superhero movies is see them first. I know. I make the ultimate sacrifice, go on opening weekend with a bunch of guys wearing Captain America t-shirts, and decide whether or not the flick is kid-friendly enough. "Iron Man" was, although the opening sequence is questionable. "Hulk" was borderline, but my then 7-year-old didn't want to see that one anyway. (Although he does love my blog post written from Hulk's point of view.) I thought "Spider-Man 3" would be too scary for him (Venom), but he was unfazed; actually, I think he was a little bored (the bizarre musical number).

What makes this part of my parenting job easier is that I actually want to see superhero movies. Belkin, not so much: when asked by a commenter why she didn't just see "Watchmen" first if she was so concerned, she replied: "You are right, I should have seen it if I felt so strongly about helping to give context to the message, but, frankly, I couldnt [sic] stand the thought of sitting through it." At two and a half hours, I can't really blame her. But if she had seen it, she would have found out that along with the cartoonishly graphic violence (not a lot, but what's there includes someone having their hands cut off with a power saw) is a very violent rape scene, a moment is that is much more graphic than the one in the original comic. Do I think most fifteen year olds have seen something like that in a movie already? Probably. Does that mean I want them to see that without me telling them what's wrong with that behavior? Probably not. For me, seeing a film is the best way to determine whether or not you want your child to see it, no matter what age they are. Fifteen may be too old to be concerned about what sort of entertainment your kids consume. But even if you don't censor it, it's probably a good idea to know what they watch.

Source: NY Times

Image: AVClub.com

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Barbie Teaches Kids About Obesity

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:30:00 GMT

A new ad campaign by an organization called the Active Life Movement is relying on the paragons of impossible beauty to teach kids about the perils of obesity. Since toys like Barbie really encourage healthy body images and lifestyles….

The goal of the Active Life Movement is laudable—to encourage kids to be active and healthy—but this ad campaign is certainly not serving that goal. As Jezebel points out, toys like Barbie and Superman hardly have body types that kids should be striving for. (Check out the superhero version of the ad here.)

And the ads’ tag line—“Keep obesity away from your child”—is unnecessarily harsh, making it sound as if being overweight is a contagious disease. Being healthy does not necessarily mean being thin, just as being thin does not necessarily mean being healthy. I would hope that the epidemic of eating disorders among increasingly young kids has taught us that by now.

This ad is the visual equivalent of shouting at kids, “Don’t be fat! Be beautiful! Or else everyone will hate you!” Active Life Movement, I suggest sending your creative directors back to the drawing board.

Photo: AdFreak.com

FOURTH Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:30:00 GMT

UPDATE 4: Yes, Virginia, Marvel did a fourth printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583. Amazing, really. To paraphrase Mary Jane Watson (no longer Parker, now that they retconned away her marriage to Peter), "Tiger, Marvel just hit the jackpot." The latest printing is now available in comic shops. (Tip: don't overpay for this thing on eBay; 4th printings are rarely, if ever, worth anything. Neither are second or thirds, frankly.)

Another thought on my kid and this comic -- he definitely wanted it, and he doesn't read the regular Spidey series. (Despite the fact that they dumbed it down when they rebooted the book, Amazing Spider-Man is still not for kids; he reads the Marvel Adventures version, however.) I think he was just curious to have it because it had Obama on the cover, and had Obama in an actual story. I would say that this proves that even kids are fascinated by our new prez, but up until now that wasn't the case for my son. While I think part of his interest of course stems from the fact that the President is in a Spider-Man comic book, I'm wondering if part of it is simply the fact that a real person showed up in the pages of a comic book. I doubt another famous person would generate the same level of excitement that Barack did but maybe Marvel should try this with other people. It's not unprecedented -- Superman fought Muhammad Ali, for example. That was REALLY gimmicky but so was the Obama/Spidey meeting.

So: Rush Limbaugh working with J. Jonah Jameson to expose Spiderman as a dirty rotten liberal? Captain Chesley of US Airways Flight 1549 fame (the one that he landed in the water) shows superheroes a thing or two about being a hero without powers? I've read worse comics, believe me. Anyone with other ideas, let us know in the comments.

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UPDATE 3: Demand for even the second printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583 was so high that Marvel is going back to press for a THIRD PRINTING of the comic book. For those of you who don't know much about comic book collecting, the third printing is rarely worth much money in the long run. (Neither is the second printing, actually.) In this case, people seem to just want this book. Because it has Obama on the cover. And inside, actually.

If anyone is curious, the 8-page story is mildly amusing and fine for kids to read. (Yes, I bought it. I even bought a second printing to give to my son. The first printing I'm saving. Yes. I'm nerdy. WhatEVER.) The main part of the book, which is part of this revamped, rebooted "Brand New Day" Spider-Man storyline, is really dumb and should not be read by anyone. Is it kid-friendly? Not really. There's nothing all that inappropriate, but it's all about Betty Brant and whether or not she really likes Peter Parker as more than a friend, and whether she sold out her principles by working at the new Daily Bugle, which is now called the DB! (yes, with the exclamation point)... I'm getting sleepy just typing this, it's so dull. So get the book for the kids if they want it, and tell them to skip to the back where the Obama story is. Trust me. That's the best part.

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UPDATE 2: This comic is sold out at MidtownComics.com, although there's a chance you can still get one if you go to the store. I already reserved my copy, so nyah-nyah. There will be a reprint. You're shocked, I know.

Original posts are below.

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UPDATE: here's a new image from the Spider-Man story that will feature an appearance by Barack Obama.

Via Marvel.com, which features an interview with Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker.

Original post, with an update about what my son said about this comic, follows below:

*-*-*-*-*

Marvel Comics will release a special story featuring President-elect Barack Obama and everyone's favorite arachnid-powered superhero. (That's Spider-Man, in case you didn't know.)

According to Huffington Post, "The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas. Parker decides 'the future president's gonna need Spider-Man,' and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor. Obama thanks him with a fist-bump." Wow. Daring.

Earlier this year, both Obama and John McCain were the subject of biographies in comic book form (reviewed by yours truly right here). And Harry S. Truman published a propaganda-style graphical rendition of his life back in 1948. Neither of those funny books featured anyone with super-powers, however.

Barack Obama's enjoyment of comics has been mentioned before. In the announcement, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada referred to the incoming President as the "nerd in chief", and said that the story was Marvel's way of giving him a "shout-out back". With all due respect to Joe, I don't think Mr. Obama was offering up a "shout-out" when it was revealed that he used to collect comic books and that Spider-Man was his favorite character, but who knows.

In further proof of his potential nerdiness, Obama joked at the Al Smith dinner that was actually sent here from the planet Krypton by his father Jor-El to "save the planet Earth."

(Jor-El is Superman's father, and Krypton is the planet that he came from. I'm not going to bother with a link, since if you needed me to explain that to you, you don't really want to know. That's OK, by the way. Just saying.)

I think it's fine that the incoming President is going to appear in a comic book, even if comics aren't as important to kids as they used to be. Kids are still into superheroes, but there is much more competition for their time then there was when I was young(er).

While this comic could be pitched as a way to get kids interested in current events, it's really a collectible that will be snatched up by adults, who will place it in a mylar bag with an acid-free backing board and hope that it goes up in value someday. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. I'll be buying a copy just to put it in a bag, since "Spider-Man" is unreadable after they wiped out 20 years of continuity via a ridiculous bit of retconning where Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane no longer existed and he never revealed his secret identity. (Again, if you don't already know what I'm talking about, you probably don't want to.) But it would be cooler if there were a kid-friendly book that featured the President-elect. Maybe something that actually discussed how government worked. "Mr. Spidey Goes To Washington." They could even do both. Since I buy comics for my son every week (and yes, for myself as well; you got a problem with that?), I wouldn't mind a book that addressed what was going on in the world – in a fun way – sneaking into the weekly stack.

HuffPo says, "The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man #583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99." It'll sell out, since kooks like me will buy it even if they don't want to read it. But if you get to your local comic shop early enough, you can probably snag a copy.

UPDATE: So my son comes home and tells me that he heard there was going to be a comic book with Barack Obama and Spider-Man. Could I please get it for him? What I said about kids not caring so much about comics, particularly this one, was clearly incorrect. I think this time that's a good thing.

Source: HuffPo

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Japanese Spiderman Video

Brett Singer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Spiderman – you know, superhero, sticks to walls, spins webs any size, etc. – is popular around the world. But sometimes the character is changed slightly for local markets. Here is – Japanese Spiderman.

Yes, we all have election on the brain. This video is so dopey that it will absolutely take your mind off of everything for about a minute. And that makes it worth watching.

If you REALLY want to zone out, here's a full episode -- 24 minutes long. I haven't watched it. But if you need this sort of thing, here you go. Perhaps it arrived just in time.

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The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Let's get one thing out of the way right now – you shouldn't bring your children. They might want to go, but unless they have a very high tolerance for a long movie (2 and half hours) and an abnormally high tolerance for what might be the most frightening performance ever (Heath Ledger's Joker), I'd get a sitter.

Now: this is some incredible movie. At first, I was a little bit apprehensive. Part of that feeling was the hype, which was so intense that it seemed impossible anything could live up to it. (Part of it was also that the movie didn't start until almost 1am because we had to sit through 7 commercials, none of which I remember at all – money well spent, advertisers. But I digress.) There are some slow spots, especially in the beginning, and I think the director, Christopher Nolan, could have cut 10 or 15 minutes of film and made it a tighter movie. But that's nitpicking, because there are several scenes, some just quick moments and some long, exciting action sequences, that will put your jaw on the floor.

The saddest thing about Heath Ledger's death is that his daughter will never know her father. But it's fair to say that if an actor had to go out with one performance, this is that performance. He's so good that I completely forgot I was watching an actor, which, for me, almost never happens. (It's worth pointing out that Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, do the same thing in smaller and less flashy roles.) He's frightening, but not the way a horror movie villain is frightening. It's not shock value, although there is some of that (there's a bit with a pencil that might be the best 5-second description of a character in the history of cinema.) Without giving anything away, The Joker is referred to as a "terrorist" a couple of times, but unlike the terrorists in our world, this one has no cause that he fights for. He's just… mad. Not angry-mad, just flat out crazy. And Ledger captures that in every possible way. You could teach an acting class using this movie – what he does physically, vocally, emotionally; it's all stunning to watch.

The rest of it is, for the most part, equally good. I don't care about the love story, but it's fine I suppose and does serve the story. Aaron Eckhart is a solid actor and he does a good job as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. Christian Bale is by far the best Batman yet, although Ledger is so good that he really takes over the movie. Michael Caine is a good Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine as token love interest Rachel Dawes; she's more than that, I guess, but it's not her movie. Gary Oldman is amazing; as in "Batman Begins," he somehow manages to completely capture the essence of a fictional comic book character that isn't a superhero, meaning that, as an actor, he has fewer details available to work with. I can't explain it but he IS Jim Gordon.

The nits to pick if you want to go there: some of the dialog is hokey (although the lines written for Ledger are brilliant.) There are a few slow spots. At times the action sequences are a tad frenetic, here and there. But it really doesn't matter. You'll read a lot about the surprising depth of this movie, and this is true to an extent. "The Dark Knight" is incredibly entertaining and does have some thoughtful moments amid the comic-book chaos, but there's no need to over think them. I would say just relax and enjoy it, but it's not a relaxing experience. Ledger's Joker is uncomfortable to watch, but in a good way. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to see it for yourself (but, as I said, get your tickets early; even the 12:30am showing was completely sold out.)

Now, despite the fact that there isn't much in the way of blood, this is not a film that you should take your children to see. Obviously, you know your offspring better than I, so if you think they can handle it, that's your call. And of course older kids will be fine. I hesitate to suggest an age-range, but I recommend seeing it yourself first if you're not sure. Worst-case scenario – you get to see it twice. Believe me, that's not a bad thing.

image: Reuters

Batman: get your tickets now

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Batman: get your tickets now

Brett Singer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT

So, being a guy who sees superhero movies, I wanted to see the new Batman movie. Today.

A friend wanted to come with me, so I couldn't pull my usual "go during the day when it's not busy" thing. So OK, let's see when its playing… What? Sold out? You gotta be kidding me.

Well, I'm not. If you're planning on seeing The Dark Knight this weekend, you'd better get your tickets in advance. This is unbelievably annoying. I tried at 2pm to get tickets to a 10:30pm showing, and it was already sold out. The reviews so far are over the top in their praise. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates reviews from various sources, the rating is a whopping 94% positive (the only film with a higher rating is Wall-E.). If you go to the "top critics" section (print outlets and sites like salon.com), only a couple of the reviews are negative, which is extremely unusual for a comic book flick.

A lot of the interest in this film is because of Heath Ledger's death, but I've never seen anything like this. A movie that you can't get tickets to unless you go at midnight, which is what I'm doing? Come on. (And yes, I know I'm nuts.)

I'll let you know what I think of the film, and whether or not it's appropriate for children, later tonight. But for now, if you plan on going, order those tickets early, Bat-fans. Otherwise, you ain't getting in.

See you tonight -- different Bat-time, same Bat-channel...

image: Rotten Tomatoes

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Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

New York Comic Con Photos - Part 2

Brett Singer — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Now that Iron Man has crushed all comers in the summer movie department (sorry, Speed Racer), let us all revel in the great geekiness that was this year's NY Comic Con. Here is the second set of pics from the Con; check out Part 1 here.

Let's start with the coolest item there: lightsaber. At $100, it was too rich for my blood. But oh, was I tempted.

This set of photos was also the only one that made Thing 1 mad; "Dad! Why didn't you buy that?" Now that I've had time to reflect, I kinda wish I had shelled out the cash for a couple of these. They're fun.
The sword was cool, but I preferred the lightsaber.
Geekin' ain't easy! Actually, it was really tiring walking the convention floor. I didn't realize how long I'd been standing until the end of the day when I just wanted to lie down.
Me and one of the Emotes. Not sure which one this is. I was Cranky by this point.
Back to characters I know: Boba Fett from Star Wars. This was a female version, however.
One difference this year was the higher number of female attendees, more specifically female attendees who (a) were not employed by Con exhibitors and (b) did not look like they spent the rest of the year locked in a basement somewhere as a prisoner of geekery.
Comic legend Neal Adams. I spent about an hour with him; I should have the interview ready later this week.
Indiana Jones and his dad (and some other guy.)
I believe these guys were from the NYC chapter of the Jedi Knights. No. I'm not kidding.
Once again -- no idea. Best guess is Final Fantasy or some other video game I don't play. As you can see, a lot of these costumes were very involved. Amazingly, no one seemed remotely interested in taking a break, at least not that I saw. Most of the heavily costumed folks were regular attendees who just wanted to be photographed. Again, harness that energy and you could do almost anything.
The answer to the question, "What if Spidey ate way too many donuts?"
Quick! A girl! Don't let her get away! (Just kidding guys, don't use the choke force on me!) That's a group of Jedi with Princess Lea in her slave-girl outfit.
"Honey, smile. Daddy wants to get his picture on a comic book blog." Again, just kidding. This kid was adorable and seemed to be having a great time.
Superman cheating on Lois with Princess Lea? Say it ain't so, Clark.
Princess Lea was a popular choice. This young lady appears to have answered the question, "What if Princess Lea had been played by Shelley Duvall?"
That's a different Princess Lea (we're up to four, and believe me, there were a lot more), hanging with Boba Fett. When asked why she was palling around with a bounty hunter, she said, "He works for me now."
And we finish with this guy: The King of Burgers meets Star Wars stormtrooper. Just... wrong. And yet, so right.

photos taken by Michael Messer

New York Comic Con Photos - Part 1

Brett Singer — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Now that Iron Man has crushed all comers in the summer movie department (sorry, Speed Racer), let us all revel in the great geekiness that was this year's NY Comic Con. Here are some photos; more to come tomorrow.

Me and Supes (he lets me call him "Supes")
As my wife said, "Honey? You know those statues aren't real, right?"
Hulk! I'm crushing your head! I'M CRUSHING YOUR HEAD!
Ed Norton has nothing on me. Oh wait, he's playing Bruce Banner, not Hulk. And he's an insanely successful actor. Okay, maybe he's got a little something on me.
For some reason this bothered me, I don't know why. Biggie's mom licenses these dolls, so at least she gets money for them. There's something morbid about it, though. I asked the guy at the booth about it and he said they had done lots of rappers, but he admitted that this was the only dead rapper action figure he knew about.
This is me being very confused at the rules for Chaotic, a card/bead/role-playing game. I'll be posting my experience with it soon.
Swear Bear has a filthy mouth and is not for kids. He also has the power to make anyone standing next to him supremely blurry!
Wrong convention, guys. The SCA meeting is next week.
This is what it looked like when they let the general public in (note that this means the earlier shots here are the VIP's.) It was a stampede. If you could harness the energy and excitement for something like the Presidential election, you could make the world a better place. Clearly Obama needs to start campaigning in a cape with a giant "O" on his shirt.
Anyone know what these folks are dressed up as? I don't.
Again: no idea.
This one I know: Nightwing. For the unitiated, Nightwing is who Robin grows up to become when he gets tired of being Batman's sidekick. Then Batman gets a new Robin, who gets himself killed, at which point he gets another new Robin.

Part 2, featuring four different versions of Princess Lea, me holding a lightsaber, and guys in stormtrooper costumes, coming tomorrow.

photos taken by Michael Messer

Free Comic Book Day

Brett Singer — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

I love me some comic books, but they are way too expensive. (Not that this stops me from buying them, mind you.) And if they cost too much for me, they definitely cost too much for the average kid.

That's one of the reasons for Free Comic Book Day, which is tomorrow (Saturday, May 3rd). Stores all over the world give away free comics in the hopes of getting more kids interested in funny books. With the "Iron Man" movie opening this weekend, stores will probably be packed, but they usually have a lot of product to give away, so stop by your local shop and see what they've got. By the way, I do mean "all over the world" -- the website lists a store in Malaysia, among other faraway places.

Kid-friendly books include Tiny Titans, Sonic the Hedgehog and The Simpsons.

Age ranges vary, although personally I can say that Tiny Titans is a true all-ages title. It helps if you are into the Teen Titans cartoon and/or the original comics, but Robin riding in the back of the Batmobile asking Alfred if they can stop for ice cream is the level of humor we're talking about. (If you have no idea what that last sentence means, don't bother picking up this one, although your kid might like it.) A nice touch is that the website has PDF previews of most of the books so you can check them out beforehand if you like. Note that not every title being given away is necessarily for young readers. Also note that some stores are even giving away Star Wars and Iron Man toys! For the kids. Not for me. For the kids...

Giveaways vary by location, check freecomicbookday.com for details.

images: freecomicbookday.com

Comic Con apologizes for happening during Passover

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Passover starts tonight, and the good folks at the New York Comic Con are sorry that their event is happening at the same time. So sorry that they moved the 2009 Con to February to avoid a conflict next year. They also compiled a list of places to go for a Seder if you are in town and want some Matzoh and Manischewitz.

When Spidey was in Egypt's land... Let my Spidey go...

Image: Diana's Desserts

New York Comic Con

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:00:00 GMT

If you're like me, you are (a) follicly challenged, and (b) once a week you go to your local comic shop to purchase the latest adventures of Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the rest of the long underwear-types. Today - right now, as I type this - I am at the New York Comic Con, which is happening all this weekend at the Javits Center in Manhattan. This is basically Geek Heaven, with thousands of comic books and comic book-related products on display. There are also artists signing merchandise, video game companies hawking the latest and greatest, and even advocacy groups dealing with issues ranging from aging comic book workers who don't have pensions to video gamers who think that parents need to stop buying Mature-rated titles for their kids.

I spent the day at the Con on Friday, interviewing people, playing games and taking pictures of people in extremely detailed Star Wars costumes. Over the next couple of days I'll post my interviews, photos and commentary on this tremendously fun (if a bit nerdy) event. Some of the things I'll be posting are: an interview with comic book legend Neal Adams, a review of the new Shakespeare Manga from Wiley and Sons, along with an interview with Romeo and Juliet illustrator Yali Lin, audio of a Stan Lee press conference, and someone showing me how to play the card game Chaotic.

If you are in the New York area and have kids who love them some Spidey (or Disney, or Manga), Sunday, April 20 is Kids Day at New York Comic Con. Children under 12 get in free with a paying adult. There are cartooning classes, special meet and greets with favorite characters such as PBS Kids' Wordgirl, and even LIGHT SABER TRAINING (for a select few). Check out nycomiccon .com for details, and check back here for my reports.

Help Baby Get Her Geek On

Brett Singer — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:45:00 GMT

Not satisfied with the plain ol' blankies? Want your kid to stand out from the playground crowd? Or are you a geeky parent who wants to dress your spawn in sci-fi/superhero goodness? Baby Leo Designs has your back. Check out the Retrobots blanket, available in sizes ranging from "Security Lovee" (around here we call them "burp cloths") to full-on blanket, or you can get the design on a bib. There's Skullfinity Blue for once and future metalheads, and also the more traditional Funky Monkey or Animal Crackers.

For some real fun, pick up a cape. Oh yes. That's right. A CAPE. "Baby Leo Designs satin capes are lined with supersoft velvet chamois and adorned with retro-cool handsewn woolfelt applique. It has a high neckline with a one-size-fits-all snap closure." No plastic junk for your Superkid, this is the real deal. They don't make them daddy-sized, but maybe that's a good thing.

Everything looks to be custom made, which is always nice. Check 'em out.

Via BoingBoing.

image: BabyLeoDesigns

Superhero Comics for Kids: A Strollerderby Guide

editors — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Remember when comic books were just for kids? Yeah, we don't either, really. But looking at our dog-eared copies of Watchmen and Ghost World — not to mention those DVDs of the Spiderman and X-Men movies — we suspect that we may be the first generation of parents to have bigger comic collections than our children. Comics publishers, of course, want to have it both ways: DC just released the kiddie superhero series Tiny Titans, which you'll feel much better handing to a six-year-old than the latest issue of Batman. What other tiny superheros are lurking on the shelves of your local comic shop? To find out, we consulted comics expert and father-to-be Gabriel Mckee. Here's his round-up:

The Mini-Marvels

"Chris Giarusso's Calvin-and-Hobbes take on the Marvel Universe cleverly transfers the grandeur of epic superhero conflict into the microcosm of a third-grade classroom."

The Tiny Titans

"In the mid-'60s, DC cashed in on the success of the Justice League by introducting the Teen Titans, a superteam that gathered together kid sidekicks and adolescent doubles of their biggest heroes. Now they're doing one better with the Tiny Titans, an entire classroom full of superpowered students at Sidekick Elementary."

The X-Babies

"Everybody likes the X-Men, right? The certainly do in the television-centric alternate dimension ruled by arch-studio mogul Mojo. But anytime he kidnaps the X-Men to appear in his programs, they fight back and escape. The solution: create infantile clones of the whole team!"

The Little Endless

"The eight symbolic deities of Neil Gaiman's Sandman have existed since the beginning of time. When they tell stories about their earliest days, "when things were still taking shape," they conceptualize themselves as superdeformed goth kids-- the Little Endless."

The Mighty Skullboy Army

"Jacob Chabot's Skullboy is the head of an evil corporation with a plan to take over the world — if his teacher will let him leave the first-grade classroom, that is. It doesn't help that his army — a mischievous monkey and a wisecracking robot — would rather play videogames than conquer his foes."

Superheroes Fall Down, Go Boom

Patti — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:09:00 GMT

Pediatric hemaologist-oncologist Sam Blackman almost didn't bother to read the British Medical Journal's Archives of Disease in Childhood when it popped up in his inbox, but something caught his eye. That something is a little case report called "Superhero-related injuries in paediatrics: A case series" (pdf), and it is one funny little case report indeed. It offers a brief overview of a case wherein a six-year-old boy in costume mistook himself for the real Spiderman and jumped out of a window, and references several other cases (three more Spidermen and a Superman) where other little boys met similar fates. All the children ended up with fairly minor injuries and a valuable lesson about reality.

The article is hilariously funny in a way that Americans almost never are and American pediatricians probably never will be: the authors note that their not-so-superheroes have all been boys, and that they have never been called to treat a "My Little Pony-related injury". And that most valuable and useful chestnut of parental advice rears its head here: just watch your freaking kids, people. It's the most effective thing you can do to keep them safe (and if they're particularly Spiderman-obsessed, keep the windows locked).

Dr. Blackman blogged about it himself, and makes a bummer of a point: if a rash of little boys thinking they can jump out of windows spreads across the USA, we can expect to see warnings plastered all over Halloween costumes this fall.