Tag Archives: DC

#3511: Blue Beetle

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

BLUE BEETLE

CLASSIC HEROES (DC DIRECT)

“Picking up the mantle of his predecessor, and lacking the mystical blue scarab that gave Garrett super-powers, Ted Kord turned his skills as an acrobat and Olympic-level athlete to fighting crime as the new BLUE BEETLE! With the technical knowhow to create the flying Bug, his mobile crime-fighting base, Blue Beetle is a potent force against the underworld!”

One of the best things about this year’s Blue Beetle movie (which is really, really good by the way, so please check it out) was how lovingly faithful it was to the legacy of the character.  While the story is very definitely Jaime’s, the scarab’s two previous owners are both addressed.  Ted Kord may not directly appear in the film, there’s no denying that he is a very much an integral player in the overall story, and a lot of his history with the role is explored, which was so very cool.  Of course, with no Ted on-screen, there’s no Ted for the minor amount of tie-in toys, so I’ll just have to rely on my backlog of them for a while, huh?  Let’s take a jump back to early in his figure run, then!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Beetle was released in DC Direct’s Classic Heroes line-up.  He was released in June of 2002, back when they were still just kind of one long-running line with each assortment fitting a different theme.  Classic Heroes was a set specifically based on the characters DC had acquired from other companies, with Beetle and The Question showcasing Charlton Comics, and wave-mates Phantom Lady and Uncle Sam showcasing Quality Comics.  This marked Ted’s second figure, following up on his JLA figure from 1999.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  Blue Beetle got a unique sculpt for this release.  He’s definitely patterned more on his earliest DC appearances, prior to his “Bwa-ha-ha” era, but not quite going full Charlton in design.  It’s a good sculpt, very clean and concise.  It’s not super posable, but it does the basics, much like the Legion figures from the same era.  Ted’s got a fairly realistic and balanced set of proportions, so he’s not superhuman, which feels right for the character.  His lower legs do seem maybe a touch too short, but it’s pretty minor.  The goggles are a separate piece on the head, allowing you to see his eyes beneath, which is definitely a cool touch.  Beetle’s paint work is very clean and very sharp, which I really dig.  The colors are quite bold, and feel proper for the character.  I love how the black line-work turned out, and his eyes look really good beneath the goggles.  Ted is packed with his BB Gun and grapple line.  The grapple has a suction cup on the end, so you can hang him from windows and such, which is really great fun.  The only downside is that he’s only got one gripping hand, so he hand hold onto the line and his BB gun at the same time.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew of Blue Beetle more as a concept than an actual character when this figure came out, but his release actually got me more interested.  Unfortunately, my local comic shop, Cosmic Comix, sold out of him before I could actually get one back in the day, and I’ve not seen one in person since.  Well, that is, until Cosmic Comix got one traded in over the summer.  Hey, it’s a fun little roundabout way of getting the figure, I suppose.  I’m glad I finally found this guy, because I do really love him.  I’ve gotten other versions of Ted since this one’s release, but something about this one just seems so…quaint?  I don’t know, but I love it.

#3506: Mon-El

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

MON-EL

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES (DC DIRECT)

In the early days of the Legion of Super Heroes, the team had a rule about no duplication of powers between members, which seemed largely to be in place to avoid issues of members whose powers were just native abilities of everyone on their planet being outclassed by people from the same planet.  There were, however, some seeming exceptions to those rules, since Mon-El, a guy whose powers were effectively the same as Superboy and Supergirl, has been a long-term member of the team.  Maybe they just all felt sorry for the guy?  I mean, he’s fatally allergic to lead, which feels like it would really suck.  Also, his super hero name is just because he didn’t know who he was when Superboy found him, and Superboy thought he was his older brother, so he gave him the El name, coupled with “Mon” because he landed on Earth on a Monday.  Guy’s named after a day of the week.  And he’s allergic to lead.  That’s all pretty rough.  He did at least get an action figure.  So, he’s got that going for him.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mon-El was released in Series 2 of DC Direct’s Legion of Super Heroes line.  It was a small line-up, with just Mon-El and Brainiac 5, both pretty notable additions to the line-up.  The figure stands a little under 6 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  Mon-El largely shares his sculpt with Series-mate Brainiac 5.  It’s a decent sculpt, and the two of them had enough common elements to make it work well enough.  Typically, Mon-El’s a little larger than Brainy, but they were both clearly meant to be based on their early Silver Age appearances, when they were both closer in build.  Mon-El gets a unique head, a skirt/belt piece, and a cape.  They’re pretty basic pieces, but they definitely get the job done, and they fit the rest of the line’s styling very well.  Mon-El’s totally painted, like most DCD figures of the era.  It’s a pretty solid set-up.  The colors are very bright, and the application is cleanly handled.  He even gets a little bit of blue accenting on his hair, which adds a little extra to the sculpted elements.  Mon-El included no accessories, which was the norm for most of this line.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When the Legion figures were originally coming out, my Dad and I kind of had a “shared” collection of DC Direct figures, with the Legion being officially his, but on the proviso that I could borrow them pretty much whenever.  However, Ferro Lad’s addition to the line meant that I *had* to start building my own collection.  Since then, I’ve been slowly building my own set.  Mon-El’s one that’s eluded me for a good long while, since he doesn’t show up nearly as often as some of the others.  I wound up getting this one this past summer, courtesy of Cosmic Comix, who got in a decent DC collection.  He’s basic, but I like him.

#3498: Huntress

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

HUNTRESS

BATMAN: HUSH MAFEX (MEDICOM TOY)

A year and a half ago, I took a look at my first MAFEX figure, Hush.  I ended that review noting that I was really pulled in by the announcement of Nightwing, and that he was the figure I was really after.  So, for my *second* MAFEX review, I’m looking at….still not Nightwing.  Look, I gotta be patient.  In the mean time, I do have another one, and this one’s another Hush based one.  Let’s take a look at Huntress, why don’t we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Huntress is figure No. 170 in the MAFEX line-up, the eighth Batman: Hush figure to join the line.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 38 points of articulation. Hush marked my first experience with the MAFEX set-up as a whole, and he was an interesting experience. Huntress has some similarities, but also some deviations, to work a little better with her particular design. The movement still has more of a smooth flow than a Figuarts figure, but she winds up a little bit restricted in a few spots, most notably at the neck and shoulders. The neck is pretty much unavoidable, due to the hair, but the shoulders are a bit of a bummer. Huntress has a unique sculpt which is, as expected, based on her Jim Lee-illustrated appearance from Hush…more or less.  There are some slight changes to the design to make it work a bit better in figure form, with the most evident being the change to longer shorts, so as to offset the placement of the thigh swivels.  Honestly, it’s a design change that I really don’t mind, so I can’t knock it.  As with Hush, it does a respectable job of translating Lee’s art into three dimensions.  It’s a very clean, very balanced translation.  There are two different heads, one calm and basic, the other a little angrier, with a more dynamic flow to the hair.  She gets a bit of mixed media, with a cloth cape; it’s a well tailored, and it’s even got a wire running along the bottom, so you can get some rather impressive poses out of it.  Huntress’s paint work is very sharp and very clean, with no notable slop or anything like that.  It definitely matches well with the printed colors from the book, and they even got the cape and the painted purples to match up okay.  Huntress doesn’t quite get the array of accessories that Hush did, but she still gets a fair bit.  There’s the extra head mentioned above, plus five pairs of hands (in fists, two styles of gripping, relaxed, and open gesture), her staff and a display stand.  The hands are notably a bit inconsistent on how well they stay on the wrist pegs on my copy, with some of they just falling right off.  It’s more than a little bit annoying.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m still very patiently waiting on my MAFEX Nightwing, but given how much I enjoyed Hush, I decided to explore the line just a little bit further.  While I’m a little bit hit or miss on the Helena Bertineli version of Huntress in the comics, her appearances in Justice League Unlimited really solidified my love of the character.  Back in the DCUC days, I really wanted a good 6-inch version of her in this design, and…well, the DCUC one was a 6-inch version, but I struggle to call it a “good” one.  MAFEX gave me a better option, so this was the one I jumped in on.  She’s not perfect, but she’s close.  I really like her, and I’m happy to be able to replace the DCUC one with a far superior model.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’d like to see a video of her in action, I helped out on one for their YouTube channel here.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3481: Supergirl

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SUPERGIRL

SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (KENNER)

One of the goals of DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths was to streamline not just the DC universe as a whole, but also the background of its most popular characters. For Superman, this meant cutting out much of his “Super-family.” His cousin Supergirl died during the events of the crossover, and wasn’t granted an immediate replacement, so as to keep Clark as the “Last Son of Krypton.” In the comics, there were a few other workarounds to keep the Supergirl name going, largely overhauling the whole concept of the character, but for Superman: The Animated Series, they tried to keep her as close to the original, while still playing by DC’s rules.  So, she was no longer Kal-El’s biological cousin from Argo City, a remnant of Krypton which survived.  Instead, she was the last survivor of Argo, Krypton’s sister planet, thrown into chaos by Krypton’s destruction.  Not the worst change-up in the world, right?  And she got an action figure out of the whole thing too!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Supergirl was released in Series 4 of Kenner’s Superman: The Animated Series line-up.  After Series 3 got only an international release, Series 4 was set to follow suit, but Kenner was able to make a deal with Diamond Distributors to at least get the series to comic stores on the domestic side, saving this set from the same weird delay that hit Series 3.  She would also eventually see a larger domestic release under Hasbro’s tenure, when she was re-released with some minor tweaks, alongside her series-mates Bizarro and Metello, in the “Super Heroes vs Super Villains” boxed set.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 4 points of articulation.  None of her articulation is great, honestly.  The neck is restricted by her hair, her right arm is restricted by the action feature, and she’s got no movement at all below the waist.  Pretty much, she’s just good for standing…although, with no movement on the legs at all, she’s not always so great at that either.  Her sculpt was a totally unique one, and it only got re-used for the one boxed set release later.  None of the STAS sculpts were strictly show accurate, and Kara definitely falls in line with that.  Honestly, it’s not bad.  She generally looks the part from the show, with the only major inaccuracy being the shaping of the skirt; it’s one of those odd things that was common for this line, where they added extra details that they didn’t actually need, with all the folds and flow.  The paint work on the standard release of this figure was pretty straight forward and on point for her design from the show.  For the boxed set version, however, they cut the black piping for the edges of the shirt, which makes her look sort of half finished.  Supergirl was packed with “Aerial Assault Armor,” which is essentially just a snap-on version of Superman’s space suit from the show.  She never wore any such thing, but it’s actually a pretty fun concept, and nicely executed too.  She even gets funky missile launchers!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I missed out on most of Series 4 as a kid.  I remember seeing them, but they were always back behind the counter at various comic book stores, and always over priced for what they were.  I recall picking up a loose copy of the boxed set release some time after its release, shortly after discovering All Time Toys in 2007.  That one held me over until I was able to get a proper Series 4 version, also from All Time, this past summer.  She’s not a very mobile figure, but she’s a pretty solid recreation of the show design, and at least she wasn’t just another Superman variant.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3476: Anti-Kryptonite Suit Superman

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ANTI-KRYPTONITE SUIT SUPERMAN

SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (KENNER)

Though he may be nigh-invulnerable, Superman is not without his weaknesses. Of particular note is Kryptonite, the irradiated remains of his home planet Krypton, first introduced in the Superman radio show so that Clark’s actor could be absent for a few episodes. It’s become its own thing, with all sorts of different types that do all sorts of different things. But basic green Kryptonite just makes the guy real weak. Not so great when you’ve got people to save, so, with a little bit of outside help, Clark devised a way to protect himself: the Anti-Kryptonite Suit!  The suit’s been around in some form for quite some time in the comics, but also got some pretty notable usage in Superman: The Animated Series, which also netted the concept its first proper action figure, which I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Anti-Kryptonite Superman follows in the footsteps of Fortress of Solitude Superman, being part of the intended third series of Kenner’s Superman: The Animated Series, which, despite being shown off in 1997, was not released in the United States until 2001, and as effectively as a KB Toys exclusive at that.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  This line had an interesting relationship with its source material, in that they didn’t pay *that* much attention to it.  A lot of the Superman variants were just made up entirely, so they sort of just did their best to stay on brand, while doing a new design.  In the case of this guy, he *isn’t* made up, but they kind of approached him as if he was.  Some of the more basic design elements of the animated Anti-Kryptonite suit are still present, albeit dressed up a little bit to fit the style of the toys, but it’s all filtered through a desire to tie him back into the classic Superman color scheme, as well as a general move more to the toyetic side of things.  It occupies a weird space because it’s honestly not a bad look on its own…but it’s not the source material.  The sculpt is pretty decent; he got the second best of the Superman heads for the line, and there’s some pretty nifty smaller detailing going into the suit design.  The paint work marks a notable departure for the figure; rather than using the show colors, he’s instead using the standard Superman scheme.  Admittedly, this is an area where you can really see Kenner’s reasoning, since it’s harder to sell kids on the largely grey coloring of the cartoon design.  At least the color work isn’t anything stupidly garrish or anything like that.  Anti-Kryptonite got his removable helmet, as well as a whole big articulated crane thing that goes over his shoulders, and could “capture” the piece of Kryptonite he also included.  Again, it’s a departure from the show design, but it’s also a rather fun gimmick for a toy.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was really fixated on the Anti-Kryptonite for a good chunk of my childhood.  I think I had gotten Metallo from this same line not too long before this set finally started to hit, and I had this whole internal team-up arc for him, and you can’t very well have Superman team up with Metallo if he’s not properly protected from Metallo’s Kryptonite heart, right?  Right.  I recall I got this one during one of my family’s fall weekend trips to the beach, back when there was still a KB at the outlets nearby, and I was pretty excited about it.  And then I also got a duplicate one in slightly better condition from All Time back in the spring, so now I’ve got two of them, I guess.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3467: World’s Greatest DC Comics Super Heroes Collection II

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

BATMAN, THE FLASH, GREEN ARROW, HOLOGRAM SUPERMAN, & HOLOGRAM GREEN LANTERN

JLA (KENNER)

“The mightiest heroes in the universe join forces to combat the world’s most diabolical villains – and their own evil counterparts!”

Hey, remember that JLA set I looked at yesterday, where I referenced that there was a second, complimentary set a few times?  Well, absolute shock and awe, if you can believe it, I’m gonna look at that second set today.  Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  This set also gets the extra significance of being the review that marks ten years here on the site, and it’s a more significant one, to boot.  So, let’s check this thing out.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Batman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Hologram Superman, and Hologram Green Lantern were released as “The World’s Greatest DC Comics Super Heroes Collection II” boxed set, the other half of the kick-off for Kenner’s JLA line.  As noted yesterday, both sets were Previews-exclusives, with the three standard JLA members per set also being available in the first single-carded assortment of the line.

BATMAN

“With a brilliantly deductive mind, expert scientific knowledge, and a master of martial arts, Batman watches over Gotham City from its gargoyles and parapets. He’s the city’s last hope against evil.”

With Superman headlining the first set, you gotta have Batman for the second, I guess.  I mean, his name wasn’t above the title of the whole line this time, so I guess he at least needed to have this concession.  He wasn’t going through the weird changes like Big Blue, so he’s just, you know, Batman.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, plus those wonky sliding wings.  He’s using the Total Justice mold again, and it’s definitely its own thing.  There are a lot of oddities to this one, with the strangest thing definitely being those wings.  Like, why the wings?  It was weird with TJ, but at least there was the armor up gimmick, but with this release, it’s just random wings.  Just one of those weird quirks.  For his Total Justice release, Batman was blue and grey, with yellow accents.  For JLA, it switched two black and grey, with gold accents.  Through all three uses of the mold, the sculpted line for his trunks gets ignored, since DC was still in a “no trunks” mode in the mid-’90s.  Batman was packed with a display stand in black, as well as a backer with JLA #9 on it.  He’s on the cover, so that works alright.

THE FLASH

“A public super hero for almost his entire life. He can reach speeds approaching that of light itself and explode solid objects by vibrating through them.”

Like Kyle as Green Lantern, Wally West as the Flash had gotten his first action figure treatment during Total Justice, and then he got a quick follow-up to that here.  Again, not one that’s incredibly different, but it was at least some coverage.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He re-uses the Total Justice mold, of course, which I looked at when it was Reverse Flash.  As far as the TJ molds go, it’s not too crazy.  The pre-posing is more of a running pose, which works pretty well.  He gets a few additional details that aren’t usually on his comics costume; the flared gloves and all the straps on the boots being the main ones.  It all works pretty well, though.  His paint work is a noted change-up from the TJ figure’s classic red and yellow coloring; instead, he’s a deeper red with gold accenting.  It’s not quite as striking, but at the same time, it really sells him as being Wally’s ’90s incarnation, in contrast to Barry’s usual coloring.  Flash is packed with a red display stand and a backer with JLA #8 on it.  He’s not really the main focus of the cover, but at least he’s on it.

GREEN ARROW

“As the only son of the original Green Lantern, Connor Hawke is a martial arts expert who fires his arrows with almost superhuman accuracy.”

Like Huntress, Connor Hawke’s Green Arrow was a later addition to the JLA line-up.  He was likewise one of the figures in the final assortment of Total Justice, and works as Huntress’s counterpart in this set, since he doesn’t get a Hologram equivalent.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  I looked at this guy’s sculpt before when I reviewed his Total Justice release.  It’s preposed to the point of essentially being a statue, but it also remains perhaps the best sculpt that either of these lines produced.  For JLA, he got a much improved color scheme for the most part, as well as getting a bunch of details that had been left out of the first release’s paint work.  The only downside is that, matching the shift in the comics, his skin tone is very light, not really matching Connor’s proper ethnicity.  Of course, it’s not really Kenner’s fault; they were just following the unfortunate shift in depiction in the source material.  Green Arrow was packed with his bow and arrow (in brown, in contrast to the original green), a green display stand, and a backer card of JLA #10….which is the issue of “Rock of Ages” that features the Hologram JLA….and not Connor.  He *is* prominently featured on the cover of #8, so, maybe that would have made more sense?

HOLOGRAM SUPERMAN & HOLOGRAM GREEN LANTERN

“Embroiled in their greatest battle ever, the legendary JLA confronts its own holographic counterparts in a fight to save Star City from mass destruction. Identically matched in power and ability to the originals, the evil holograms were engineered by the infamous Injustice Gang – a group of such sinister masterminds as The Joker, Lex Luthor, Circe, Mirror Master, Dr. Light and Ocean Master.”

As noted yesterday, these sets each got two unique Hologram JLA members (and they even did two more in the Collection IV boxed set), mirroring the standard versions in the corresponding set.  This time around, we got Superman and Green Lantern.  Both figures stand just shy of 5 inches tall and they have 5 points of articulation.  I looked at both of the molds for these figures in yesterday’s set, and they kind of are what the are.  The Superman set-up is still a real mix and match and Green Lantern is very, very intense.  Of course, it wouldn’t really make much sense for them to be different, since the match-up is kind of the whole gimmick and all.  They both get funky change-up color schemes, and I honestly think I prefer the looks on these two to the other ones.  In particular, the changed up logo on Superman is a lot of fun, and I just dig the indigo set-up on GL so much.  The figures both come with dark purple display stands and backer cards, with JLA #11 going to Superman and JLA #12 for Green Lantern.  Neither of them actually features in either issue, of course, but both issues *are* at least from the “Rock of Ages” storyline, and their corresponding counterpart is prominently featured on them, so they’re far from the worst choices.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve discussed this set a little bit before on the site, back when I looked at the TJ version of Green Arrow, but I’ll go a bit further into detail now, I suppose.  In 1998, when this set came out, I was five years old.  At the time, I would spend a lot of time at my grandparents’ house.  In particular, it was a frequent tradition that my Grandmother would come and pick me up from school on Friday afternoons, and we would go get lunch at the local mall, followed by a little bit of shopping.  My main interest was usually the KB Toys, but right across from it was the comic chain Another Universe, which was usually a good secondary.  Another Universe had both of these sets, and I really, really wanted Green Arrow, whose single carded release was still very hard to find at the time.  My Grandmother could have just asked me to be patient and wait for the single, but instead, she bought me the whole set.  They got a lot of play time when I was a kid, especially that Green Arrow.  I lost a lot of the parts, as well as the two Hologram Leaguers over the years, but I still have very pleasant memories of the whole set and the story behind them.  My Grandmother died at the end of August this year, and now all I have left are those, and other, memories of our time together.  So, when I had the chance to get a replacement of the set, and carry those memories forward, I kind of couldn’t pass it up.

#3466: World’s Greatest DC Comics Super Heroes Collection I

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

SUPERMAN BLUE, GREEN LANTERN, THE HUNTRESS, HOLOGRAM BATMAN, & HOLOGRAM FLASH

JLA (KENNER)

“The mightiest heroes in the universe join forces to combat the world’s most diabolical villains – and their own evil counterparts!”

In 1996, looking to expand their DC line beyond just Batman, and after the success of the more comics-based Legends of Batman, Kenner launched Total Justice.  Okay, to be more specific, they launched “Batman: Total Justice” because they still weren’t totally sold on non-Batman success.  The line did alright, but only lasted three assortments, two of them abbreviated ones at that.  Two years later, they revisited the concept, in light of the success of the relaunched JLA comic, and dubbed it, rather predictably, JLA.  The whole thing was kicked off by two boxed sets, which repurposed old TJ molds to put the characters back out before delving into new ones.  The sets re-released six JLA members, coupled with four of their holographic duplicates from “Rock of Ages.”  And hey, why don’t I look at the first of those today?

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Superman Blue, Green Lantern, Huntress, Hologram Batman, and Hologram Flash were released as “The World’s Greatest DC Comics Super Heroes Collection I” boxed set, which, along with Collection II, kicked off Kenner’s JLA line.  Both sets were Previews-exclusives, though the three JLA members per set were also available in the first single-carded assortment of the line.

SUPERMAN BLUE

“As one half of Clark Kent’s alter ego, Superman Blue is slow to anger, patient, courteous and serious in nature. He shares the powers and strategic thinking of Superman Red, but their different attitudes tend to get in each other’s way.”

While Man of Steel and Total Justice had hit firmly during Superman’s mullet phase, JLA hit right as he was spending a year with a brand-new power set, and a brand-new design to correspond.  So, rather than a classic Superman (who, to be fair, we got later down the line), our main Superman at launch was Superman Blue, who got his first of three figures in short succession right here.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He is, unsurprisingly, the exact same construction as the Superman Red from the single-card releases, meaning he’s the Total Justice Superman sans cape, with the head of the Man of Steel line’s Hunter Prey Superman.  It’s not a perfect set-up.  In fact, it’s not a great set-up, since he still keeps all of the sculpted details for the standard Superman costume, as well as the totally different head gear set-up of the Hunter Prey design.  They straight up just paint over it all and really hope you don’t notice.  And, honestly, it’s fine.  It’s not great, but it’s fine.  The colors actually look really solid; like Red, Blue is bright and vibrant, and really pops off the shelf.  I can definitely dig that.  Superman Blue gets a blue JLA display stand, and a cardstock cover of JLA #15, which does at the very least actually feature him.

GREEN LANTERN

“One of the youngest members of the JLA team, Kyle Rayner inherited a ring, which is considered to be the most powerful weapon in the universe. The ring is capable of generating solid light in the form of anything Kyle imagines”

Since Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern of the ’90s, he had gotten his first figure during Total Justice.  JLA gave him a rather quick follow-up second, albeit one that’s not incredibly different from the first.  Whatever the case, the figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Kyle’s sculpt is one that has a lot of trouble standing, due to the severe pre-posing present.  Those legs are just jutting out there.  It’s kinda crazy, really.  The best word I can think of to describe it is “intense.”  Like, he’s very angry, and very into it, and he’s not planning to stop any time soon.  Kyle was generally depicted as rather on the jovial side, but that’s not the case with this guy, who’s got a pretty angry look about him.  Presumably, he just found his girlfriend in the refrigerator.  Shame.  It’s a sculpt that I don’t think anyone can quantify as “good,” but it sure does do…something.  Look, it’s very memorable.  In terms of color scheme, Kyle’s original Total Justice figure was pretty subdued on his colors, with the greens a little on the darker side, the black more of a dark blue, and the white a sort of pearlescent shade.  For JLA, which tended to aim darker, they actually punched it up a bit.  The white and black are much starker, and the green is just a tad lighter.  During Total Justice, GL got some of the line’s crazy Fractal Armor, but in his case it was done up in translucent green plastic, so it looks like a construct, which seems less silly.  For JLA, he got a green stand and a backer with JLA #14 on it.  He’s one of the three Leaguers on the cover, so it works well enough.

HUNTRESS

“In a quest for vengeance against the death of her family, Helena Bertinelli, a Gotham City high school teacher, became The Huntress. With her arsenal of weapons, she preys upon Gotham City criminals.”

Huntress was a later addition to the JLA in the comics, and also had been a late addition to Total Justice, hitting during the ill-distributed final wave of the line.  As such, she’s one of two odd-ball characters included in these sets, without a Hologram duplicate in the alternate.  She’s seen here in her mid-90s attire, which she quite fortunately kept through both Total Justice and JLA’s runs.  I’ll admit, it doesn’t quite hit the same for me as the later Jim Lee redesign, but I guess it’s not a terrible design.  The figure stands a little under 5 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation…technically.  Of course, the hair costs the neck almost all of its movement, and the hips are at an odd angle.  Like, not quite v-hip, but not straight t-hip.  So, it’s really just the arms that do anything.  That all said, her sculpt’s honestly one of the better ones from the line.  Her pose isn’t anything too crazy, she’s surprisingly stable on her feet, and her face lacks the weird intensity of most of the others.  Her cape is also pretty basic, with enough flow to prevent it from looking too stiff, but not anything that looks *too* crazy.  Huntress’s Total Justice color scheme went for the comic style shading, giving her a purple and blue outfit.  For the JLA release, that was translated to purple and black, which definitely looks a little bit sharper.  Her TJ figure got a crossbow and fractal armor (which are both missing from my figure), while the JLA figure got the crossbow, a purple display stand, and a backer with JLA #13 on it…which is interesting, because, in addition to the cover being just a close-up of Martian Manhunter’s face, Huntress is also just not in the issue.  So, you know, there it is?

HOLOGRAM BATMAN & HOLOGRAM FLASH

“Embroiled in their greatest battle ever, the legendary JLA confronts its own holographic counterparts in a fight to save Star City from mass destruction. Identically matched in power and ability to the originals, the evil holograms were engineered by the infamous Injustice Gang – a group of such sinister masterminds as The Joker, Lex Luthor, Circe, Mirror Master, Dr. Light and Ocean Master.”

Exclusive to these sets were the Hologram JLA, based on the purple-hued JLA avatars that the Injustice Gang used during the first issue of the “Rock of Ages” storyline.  They were a pretty straight forward gimmicky re-paint using the existing TJ molds of the JLA members.  This set got Batman and Flash, whose standards were included in the other set.  Both figures are just shy of 5 inches tall.  Flash has the standard 5 points of articulation, while Batman also gets the sliding glider wings of the TJ mold.  I’ve looked at both of these molds previously here and here.  They’re very much products of their time.  To sell them as the holograms that they are, both figures are molded in translucent plastic, with a big emphasis on purple hues, which honestly is a pretty fun and unique look.  They come with JLA logo stands, both in a dark purple, as well as their own backer cards.  Batman gets #16 and Flash gets #17, neither of which features these two, either on the cover or in their contents.  Also, #16 has Huntress, so, like, maybe that one should have gone to her?  I don’t know, I’m just spit-balling here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t get this set when it was new.  I had gotten the Total Justice Green Lantern as a Christmas gift from my aunt, and my cousin Rusty had traded me the Huntress for something else, and I didn’t really care for Superman Blue at the time, nor did I have any attachment to the Hologram JLA.  Over the years, I’ve grown to have more appreciation for this line overall, and I really wanted those Holo guys above all, but I haven’t seen the sets in person since.  But, a couple of weeks ago, Cosmic Comix got this one and the second one in, and I was feeling particularly nostalgic.

#3461: Superman – Fortress of Solitude

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SUPERMAN — FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (KENNER)

“Upon retreating to the distant Fortress of Solitude, Superman wears the traditional costume of his home planet Krypton, rejuvenating his immense powers and developing prototype peace-keeping weapons from centuries-old Kryptonian crystal technology.”

When it comes to the DC Animated Universe, Batman: The Animated Series gets a lot of love.  Deserved love, mind you; it earned its place in history.  However, for my money, the unsung hero of the DCAU is BTAS‘s follow-up, Superman: The Animated Series, which takes the success of Batman, and builds on it, creating the groundwork for the wider DCAU that would eventually spawn Justice League Unlimited, and would craft a wider appreciation for the DC universe as a whole.  It’s genuinely my favorite entry in the franchise, and holds up as one of my favorite takes on the Man of Steel.  One area where I think it really blows away every other iteration of the Superman mythos is its depiction of pre-destruction Krypton.  While the toyline missed most of it, they did at the very least throw us a bone with “Fortress of Solitude” Superman, who I’m taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Fortress of Solitude Superman was released in what was intended to be the third series of Kenner’s Superman: The Animated Series toyline.  They were shown off in 1997 and received an international release in 1998, but they wouldn’t make their way to the states until 2001, when they started showing up at KB Toys, with exactly no fanfare.  Hey, better late than never, right?  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Fortress of Solitude Superman was a largely all-new sculpt when he was released.  He’s based on Clark in traditional Kryptonian attire, as he’s briefly seen in “The Main Man Part 1.”  The look has been modified a bit, which was a pretty expected move for this line.  The biggest change is the addition of a S-logo on the front of the tabard; the look otherwise has no clear branding, I guess, and branding was definitely very big here.  In keeping with other figures from the line, he also gets extra detailing on areas that were simpler on the show, in this case the squares on his arms and legs, which now are properly raised, with further design elements added.  It’s not accurate, but it’s admittedly pretty cool.  There were a few different Superman head sculpts that ran through the line, with a range of show accuracy.  This particular assortment lands somewhere in the middle; not as bad as the first series, but not as close as the fourth.  It’s just a touch too tall and narrow for proper accuracy, but it’s not terrible.  The color work on this guy is interesting, because it *could* be a lot more basic than it is, and be more accurate.  Instead, they go a different angle.  Where his body suit should just be stark black, it’s instead semi-translucent, with metallic flecks, giving him a cool star field looking pattern.  Also, the tabard is removable, and while there’s no reason to have any detailing underneath, he’s got another Superman emblem.  Really pushing that branding, huh?  Superman is packed with a “Turbo-Spin Crystal Cannon.”  Whatever that may be.  It’s big and hard for him to hold, but, you know, there it is.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back in the day, I spent a lot of my time on Raving Toy Maniac, which had a whole bunch of figure archives run by Toy Otter.  One of those was for the Superman: The Animated Series line, which is how I knew about this figure three years before he made it to the states.  I had a printed out picture of the prototype that I’d turned into a paper figure and everything.  Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found him at KB Toys in 2001.  I don’t have a ton of memories about him, but I do recall him being the only action figure I managed to smuggle with me on the one and only camping trip I did during my very short Cub Scouts career.  My original went missing somewhere over the years, but I was able to get a complete replacement thanks to a handy trade-in that came into All Time back in the spring.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3456: Blue Beetle

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

BLUE BEETLE

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

“When the Rock of Eternity exploded, the alien scarab encased within it fell to Texas and bonded to Jamie Reyes’ spine, making him the 3rd Blue Beetle. Jaime found that with a mere thought, he could use it to generate armor, tools and weaponry. He also learned the scarab was an advance agent for an expanionist alien species, that had bonded with Jaime. Together they beat back the alien attacks and Jaime’s heroic efforts earned him a spot in the Teen Titans.”

Blue Beetle’s suddenly all topical and relevant, and I honestly really love that.  While it’s too bad that the movie didn’t do great at the box office (that’s what happens when you blow your entire marketing budget for the year on The Flash), but it was certainly well-received by all those that actually saw it, and it was just confirmed by James Gunn that Xolo Maridueña will be one of the actors carried forward in his role by the new DCU.  I consider all of that a plus, and I hope it leads to plenty more awesome Blue Beetle merch.  In the meantime, I guess I’ll just have to entertain myself with the prior awesome Blue Beetle merch.  Somehow, I think I’ll manage.  It’s been a bit since I’ve looked at anything DC Universe Classics, so let’s do that for a change!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Beetle was released in the Trigon Series of DC Universe Classics.  It was the 13th series in the line, and is honestly kind of oddball, but in the best possible way.  At this point, Mattel was trying their “All-Stars” initiative, where one figure in each set was sans CnC piece (which Hasbro would later borrow when they relaunched Marvel Legends).  It was typically the set’s heavy hitter, which in the case of this line-up wound up being Jaime.  Good for him.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  At this point in the line, Mattel had begun experimenting with the articulation a touch.  DCUC was okay, but never anything amazing, but they did try to step them up a little bit, with modifications wherever they could fit them in.  Jaime was one of the line’s best articulated figures in its entire run, largely by virtue of needing to be a totally new sculpt, giving Mattel something of a blank canvas to work with on that front.  He gets both double elbows *and* double knees, which weren’t often seen, as well as universal joints at the wrists.  He’s still somewhat plagued by the reduced mobility on the joints that was common to the line, but given what we were usually working with, he’s quite impressive.  As I noted above, Jaime is an all-new sculpt, and it’s really good.  The figure isn’t saddled with the weirdly wide or overly bulky proportions of the line’s other figures.  All of his costume details are also sculpted, rather than anything relying purely on paint, again in contrast to much of the line.  He’s also got an evergreen appearance that fits with the general aesthetic of the line, while also staying true to how he was frequently depicted in his own book.  Heck, even the articulation is worked in pretty well.  Beetle’s paint work is pretty fun; the blue is a metallic sheen, which looks very slick, and the paint application is all quite clean.  The only slight downside is that he doesn’t get pupils on his eyes, but he honestly makes it work.  Jaime was packed with a removable set of wings to plug onto his back (which don’t require removing the horns from the scarab, Todd), as well as a weapon attachment for his arm.  He doesn’t get his arm cannon, which is a slight bummer, but, again, compared to the rest of the line, he was really ahead.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I’ve stated before, I’ve been a fan of Jaime since shortly after his introduction.  I had his first DCD figure as soon as it hit, and for a lot of DCUC figures, I didn’t necessarily look to replace (at first, anyway), but this guy was a definite upgrade, who I very happily added to my collection the minute I found one at retail.  He’s hands down the best figure that DCUC spawned, and he holds up really well, even all these years later. 

#3448: Battle Mode Blue Beetle

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

BATTLE MODE BLUE BEETLE

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE TOYS)

Warner Brothers really is trying to figure out how the heck to handle DC movies.  It’s crazy, because it really shouldn’t be this hard to figure out making movies about some of the best known pop culture icons on the planet, but it’s honestly pretty classic DC.  They’re really bad at understanding their own stuff.  If they were better at it, they might have not spent their entire marketing budget for the year on the dumpster fire that was The Flash, and might have saved enough to give poor Blue Beetle something more than one proper trailer.  You know, maybe put some support behind the best DC project since the Nolan trilogy.  Heck, the best DC project since Christopher Reeve’s Superman.  Yeah, I said it.  And I stand by it.  After trying desperately for years to find their Iron Man equivalent, DC finally made one in Blue Beetle…and they missed the mark by not actually getting people to see it.  That’s gotta sting.  Well, at least I got the best love letter to the Blue Beetle mythos a fan could ever hope for.  It’s a decent consolation prize.  Oh yeah, and there’s some toys, too.  Not a ton, you know, because the the flubbed marketing thing.  Also, McFarlane.  Still, Blue Beetle.  Calling it a win where I can.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Battle Mode Blue Beetle is one of two Blue Beetle figures released in the main tie-in assortment of McFarlane’s DC Multiverse.  There’s another Blue Beetle with the arm cannon and sword, as well as a deluxe Carapax MegaFig, but I’m gonna look at “Battle Mode” Blue Beetle.  You know, the one that comes with wings and no weapons of any kind.  Like a Battle Mode.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is the standard McFarlane set-up, with the addition of two swivels on the wings/horns….allegedly.  The wing/horn swivels aren’t actually good for much, but I’ll get to that in a moment.  There’s layers here.  The bulk of this figure’s sculpt is shared with the other Blue Beetle from the assortment.  It makes sense, since it’s always the same core suit in the movie, and he just cycles through different attachments.  Honestly, it’s even a pretty darn good sculpt.  It looks a lot like the movie suit, it has a lot of sharp detailing, and, apart from the arms being a touch too long, it has pretty solid proportions.  Because it’s shared with the other figure, you can also still remove the left forearm, allowing you to swap in the other figure’s cannon arm, if you so choose.  Heck, it even moves pretty well.  The core body, that is.  It’s McFarlane, though, so you’re all waiting for this to take a turn, right?  Well, here’s where that happens.  You know how this figure has Beetle’s wing attachments?  And they’re removable, even?  Yeah, well the horns, which are always visible on the back of the suit when its powered up, are attached to the wings.  So, you can’t give him the horns without the wings…you know, the way he looks for most of the movie’s runtime.  Also, because of the angle that the horns are attached to the wings, you also can’t have the wings posed in anything but a straight out angle, otherwise the horns get caught on each other and bump into his head.  This figure does at least *have* the horns, which is more than can be said for the other figure, which just lacks them outright.  If they’d just been sculpted onto the actual backpack piece, there’d be no issue.  Heck, I’d have settled for a separate set of horn pieces to swap out for the wings, since they’re easily removed.  But, nope, we just get the ones attached to the wings.  That’s annoying.  Moving back to better things, the paint work on this figure is also pretty good.  The base colors are clean, and I love that metallic blue.  Then there’s a bunch of accenting which gives him a little more wear and tear, while also still not going too overboard.  I can certainly appreciate that.  Beetle is packed with six different hands (a pair of fists, a right open gesture, a right pointing, a left thumbs up, and a left peace sign), a standard display stand, and a card.  The hands are fantastic and I love having them.  The stand is surprising because it’s not a flight stand, which seems odd, but it’s better than nothing.  And the card is infuriating because it shows Jaime with the horns but no wings.  You know, the way this figure can never be displayed.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was quite a bit of a Ted Kord fan back when Jaime was first introduced.  And, despite Jaime’s comics origin requiring Ted being shot in the head, I still really liked Jaime.  I followed his first solo series, I followed his back-ups in Booster Gold, and I even followed Generation Lost.  I drew the line at the New 52 incarnation, but that’s a whole other thing.  I love Jaime just as much as Ted, and I was very excited when this movie was announced.  In case you didn’t gather from the intro, I loved the film when I saw it in the theatre as well.  And even though it’s McFarlane, I still wanted one of the figures.  This figure is so frustrating because he’s *so* insanely close to being the best thing McFarlane’s done with DC.  He’s got a solid sculpt, good paint, the awesome extra hands….they just got the horns wrong.  And, like, doubly wrong, because the way they are, you can’t even use the wings right, either.  We’re so close!  Thankfully, there are some people out there doing kits with just the horns as a separate piece, but I really shouldn’t have to resort to third party pieces to get the standard look for a character.  But, hey, it’s Blue Beetle.  I’ll take what I can get.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.