Lots of odds and ends coming out today, and all of them insanely cool. First up, there’s this moment that all self-respecting Batman fans have been waiting years for: the first new Bruce Timm animated Batman ‘toon celebrating 75 years of Batmania around the world. Rather than the Superman montage that came out for the Man of Steel’s second diamond anniversary, this is a whole new short story called Batman: Strange Days, crafted in the inimitable Timm style that we grew to love in Batman: The Animated Series. Featuring a lost tale from Batman’s past, the Dark Knight tracks a strange giant to the mysterious lair of Dr. Hugo Strange. Enjoy, rejoice and party: because it’s the goddamn Batman.
Next up is another piece of fine art from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Art of Level 7. Jumping off from the impact of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, all of the episodes from now until the end of the season are connected, with wonderful art from some of the hottest artists in comics. This piece is from the always excellent Paolo Rivera (Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man), and is specifically for “Providence”, the 18th episode of this series. Following the latest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Rivera’s piece brings fans a special look at Coulson’s team after the discovery of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s true nature. As the Agents struggle to combat a threat unlike anything they’ve ever faced, they’re unaware that a greater one lies closer to home! Want your very own copy of this poster? You’ll have to be super quick, or head to eBay. According to Marvel, “Each poster released in this series will be available as limited edition high quality prints at http://www.marvelstore.com/ArtOfLevel7 with “Providence” scheduled to go on sale Friday, April 11th at 1:00am PST. These individually numbered prints are strictly limited to 100 copies and once they’re sold out, they won’t be available again from Marvel.”
Last, but in no way least is our first hi-res look at the assembled dirty almost-half-dozen in the form of the Guardians of the Galaxy. These bunch of a-holes are still in their prison jumpsuits, indicating more than a tip of the hat to Keith Giffen and Timonthy Green’s Annihilation Conquest: Starlord storyline. Of course, the single coolest thing in this image has to be Rocket Raccon carrying (in the words of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) an unfeasibly large cannon.
