CSBG Archive
Comic Book Easter Eggs – Bizarro Sterling Gates and a Battlestar Galactica Cameo!
Every Tuesday, I will be sharing with you three comic book “easter eggs.” An easter egg is a joke/visual gag/in-joke that a comic book creator (typically the artist) has hidden in the pages of the comic for readers to find (just like an easter egg). They range from the not-so-obscure to the really obscure. So come check ‘em all out and enjoy! Also, click here for an archive of all the easter eggs featured so far! If you want to suggest an easter egg for a future column, e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com (do not post your suggestion in the comments section!).
Anj of Supergirl Comic Box Commentary, suggested these neat Easter Eggs by Jamal Igle from Supergirl #56.
Supergirl and “Bizarro Supergirl” headed to Bizarro World.
Once there, they met a couple of citizens, including on the first page, Bizarro Geoff Johns and Bizarro Jill Thompson (Johns is wearing the baseball cap, Thompson is behind him)…
and then, even more notably, Bizarro Sterling Gates (who wrote the issue) expressing his love for Supergirl…
Anj told me about the Gates cameo, and Igle pointed out the Johns and Thompson cameos on his blog here.
Reader Michael R. suggested this one from Annihilation: Silver Surfer #3, where Renato Arlem shows a bunch of ships, including Battlestar Galactica on this page…
and a Star Wars transport on the following page…
Michael suggested, and I think he is likely correct, that the other vessels are likely also Easter Eggs, but he doesn’t know what they are and neither do I. Any of you folks out there recognize the other ships?
Finally, Lyle M. suggested this cute bit from Marvel Team-Up #70, an issue during the Claremont/Byrne run, where Byrne added a little advertisement for their OTHER book in the background of a panel…
Thanks for the great suggestions, folks! Again, e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have any other nifty suggestions!
15 Comments
Clansmanone
February 1, 2012 at 1:27 am
I believe the other ships are copies of the Roger Young from the Starship Troopers movie. So’s the circular starbase in the center of the page.
akachris
February 1, 2012 at 3:36 am
I’m not sure those spaceships are Easter Eggs, as much as they’re swiped images of spaceships.
Tom Fitzpatrick
February 1, 2012 at 5:09 am
@ akachris: Aww, just enjoy them in spirit!
P. Boz
February 1, 2012 at 6:28 am
I just remembered how much I hate bizarro-speak. It makes lolcats seem professorial.
Ron
February 1, 2012 at 8:22 am
Looks like a Galactica shuttle in the foreground on the first one as well.
MarkBlack
February 1, 2012 at 10:17 am
The spaceship behind the guy with the swords in the first panel looks vaguely like the Eagle from Space 1999.
sandwich eater
February 1, 2012 at 11:00 am
Although I love space sci-fi, I don’t recognize any of the ships except the Galactica.
The Spectre
February 1, 2012 at 5:22 pm
There’s another Star Wars ship in the first image as well. On the right edge, just below mid-image is the Tantive IV (Rebel Blockade Runner).
Ian
February 1, 2012 at 7:23 pm
I agree with akachris, I see referencing rather than homages. I’m trying to remember what book I read a few weeks back that just flat out had a star destroyer as the basis for the ship. I want to say it was a Captain America or Secret Avengers book and it was the Quincarrier, but I can’t remember.
helli0n
February 2, 2012 at 1:59 am
There are actually two Battlestars in the pictures. The upper one appears to be a modified version of the newer series Battlestar Galactica while the lower one is a modified version of the original series Battlestar Galactica. Also below the Star Wars transport ship there appears to be a modified Star Destroyer.
FEoD
February 2, 2012 at 2:51 am
@Ian: I seem to recall it being the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier which has a star destroyer bridge tower
Are those insecty looking ships also possible homages to the Imparial Carriers from the Star Fleet (X Bomber) series too?
Mr. M
February 2, 2012 at 3:29 pm
It’s hard to remember that X-Men was once a single, bi-monthly, previously cancelled book.
sean
February 2, 2012 at 11:15 pm
“Bizarro Bizarrogirl” is pretty funny.
Rick
February 5, 2012 at 6:38 pm
It’s Renato Arlem. I’m sure they’re just photos with ink on top, copied and pasted onto multiple pages. Hack.
Jack
February 6, 2012 at 5:26 am
I would have guessed the circular ship in the center was from the anime Yamato: The New Voyage.
A pic here:
http://www.starblazers.com/images/dec11/images/64408.JPG
from the analysis here:
http://www.starblazers.com/html.php?page_id=644
Of course, with 35 years since Star Wars opened the floodgates of ship designs, there’s bound to be some overlap.