Bat-Week | Review > Batman (Arkham Asylum, DC Direct)

August 28, 2011 | Poe

For the aesthetic design of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios chose to walk a line between the realism of the Christopher Nolan Batman films and the comic books. While some characters, such as the Scarecrow, deviated significantly from their comic or movie incarnations, others remained fairly truthful to one form or another.

The game’s Batman design is a cross between the bulked-up Batman of the Hush era, with the black bat symbol and the pouch belt, and the survival suit of The Dark Knight, as evinced by the piping and seams on the uniform and the heavily modified gauntlets and boots.

As usual, DC Direct struck with these figures when the iron was ice-cold–they hit stores a good year and a half after the game. The second wave has already come out and there will be more, including an Asylum Killer Croc and an Arkham City Harley Quinn is due in a “few” months (read: July 2012). (more…)

Review > Captain America & Red Skull (Marvel Select, Diamond Select)

August 26, 2011 | Poe

I enjoyed the hell out of Captain America: The First Avenger. There seems to be a general consensus among geeks that Thor was a better movie, but I found Thor a bit mediocre–I walked out of the theater and forgot all about it. Captain America was a fun, funny period adventure. In a lot of ways it was a spiritual sequel to The Rocketeer, sharing a setting (WWII) and a director (Joe Johnston). Oh, and the Red Skull was ssssssmokin’.

Put another way: I had no desire to get any Thor action figures, but when I saw pics of the Marvel Select Captain America and Red Skull, I knew I had to have them. As you know, I rarely venture outside Batman for superhero-related toys these days, so clearly something about Captain America must have worked for me.

These figures arrived in comic shops this week. Diamond very kindly sent along these samples for review. And if you want to find out some behind-the-scenes info on the making of these figures, check out this featurette on Marvel.com. (more…)

Guest Review > Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden (Mortal Kombat 6″ Series 1, Jazwares)

August 18, 2011 | Doc Thomas

When Jazwares announced a new line of Mortal Kombat action figures to premiere alongside the new release, I was ecstatic. A lifetime fan of video games from the fighting genre, I love my SOTA Street Fighters to death and have always felt there was an unfilled hole in my collection where the Mortal Kombat fighters should be. With the recent revival of the fighting genre, beginning with the excellent Street Fighter, the news that Mortal Kombat was returning in a big way pleased me to no end.

When the game finally came out I was ever so pleased to find my expectations met: with a balanced and interesting new engine, sensational graphics, a fully realised story mode and some of the most despicable gore ever seen in a video game, Mortal Kombat was back! About the same time Jazwares revealed images from their first series of 6″ figures based on franchise favourites Sub Zero, Scorpion and Raiden, and subsequent images from a 3 3/4″ scale series. Fans were torn, prefering the look of the smaller figures to the seemingly less-detailed 1/12 scale toys. How do the final releases fare? Let’s find out! (more…)

Review > 4″ Tygra (Thundercats, Bandai)

August 11, 2011 | Poe

The new ThunderCats cartoon is possibly the best revamp of a 1980s property yet–better than the 2003 Masters of the Universe, better than any of the recent Transformers series, even better than G.I. Joe: Resolute. It takes the elements of the original series and remixes them into a show that is both warmly familiar, yet has its own identity.

Those of us steeped in decades of geek culture (and let’s face it, that’s most of us) might notice borrowed sights and plot devices from The Lord of the Rings movies, James Cameron’s Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender and many other shows and movies, but the strong vocal cast and artistic style overcome any weakness of storytelling. What’s more, the show isn’t afraid to offer shades of gray, making it clear that the ThunderCats, as the dominant society, may be guilty of racism and repression.

One character who was rather significantly altered in the new show is Tygra. In the 1980s ‘toon, Tygra was Lion-O’s second-in-command. He was also, well, kind of boring. In the 2011 ThunderCats, Tygra (voiced by videogame and anime veteran Matthew Mercer)  is Lion-O’s adopted older brother and rival for their father’s affection. Though more responsible and less hot-headed than Lion-O, Tygra is also more close-minded and tends to doubt Lion-O’s ability to lead (with admittedly good reason–Lion-O makes a childish misstep in the pilot episode that, handled responsibly, could have averted a terrible fate).

Bandai is offering the new ThunderCats in two styles: a 4″ line and a 6″ line (in addition to an 8″ collectors’ line based on the 1980s show). I haven’t found any of these figures at retail here in New England yet, but Bandai was kind enough to send along a 4″ Tygra as a review sample. (more…)

Review > Battleground Teela (Masters of the Universe Classics, Mattel)

August 5, 2011 | Poe

I’ve made no secret of the fact that my favorite bit of Masters of the Universe fiction is the three-issue DC Comics miniseries from the early 1980s. I grew up on the Filmation cartoon, and it holds a special place in my heart; many of the early minicomics were great; the Mike Young Productions cartoon in 2003 had some great storylines and characterization. But the DC Comics miniseries is an epic that tosses together the sword and science of the world of Eternia with reckless abandon. True, its version of Zodac is a thinly-veiled Metron. But the series features many fun Kirby-esque touches, from epic energy battles to phantasmagorias to over-the-top, blood-and-thunder dialogue. It’s the way I like to think of Eternia–a world where every moment is epic.

Since the miniseries was created while the toy line was still in development, a few of the characters looked a little different than the toys, none moreso than Teela. In the DC miniseries, the Sorceress looked identical to the toy version of Teela.¹ I’m not sure where the model for the DC Teela came from, but she only dressed this way in the first issue. By the second issue, Mattel must have corrected DC, because she was wearing the toy’s white one-piece (though she kept the blonde hair). This led to both Teela and the Sorceress wearing the same outfit.

I’ll admit I was a bit surprised when a campaign sprung up on He-Man.org for “blonde bikini Teela.” I still wonder to what degree this was owing entirely to the fact that she was hotter than her more modestly-clothed counterpart…but for me, the appeal of this figure, beyond its more generally sword-and-sorcery look, is that it’s the first figure to be based on my favorite bit of MOTU media. It gives me hope that we may see a figure of the evil sorcerer Damon in the future.

Of course, the way they shoehorned this look into the bios makes no sense at all, but we’ll get to that in the appropriate bio discussion post. Despite her relatively obscure place in the MOTU mythos, the figure sold out quickly. Furthermore, Mattel seems to have recognized Battleground Teela may represent the MOTU equivalent of Slave Leia, as they had a model dressed as BG Teela at San Diego Comic Con this year. (Thanks to MegaGearMax for the reminder about that.) (more…)

Guest Review > Sci-Fi Revoltech Predator

August 2, 2011 | Fengschwing

I first saw Predator at the age of 13 in 1987. I was mildly indifferent to it at first–sure, it had Schwarzenegger in it, but even as a kid I knew a B-Movie when I saw one. Yeah, they’ll go into the jungle and eventually some cheesy half-assed man in a suit alien would jump out on them and that would be it.

Man was I wrong, even though I was right. The alien was anything but cheesy. I still can’t figure out how they managed the cloaking effect without CGI to this day. Even from the earliest glimpse of the Predator, when it performs surgery on itself in a tree, I knew I was going to love this creature. Of course, it went on to become a design classic, just like its stable mate the Alien. And similar to the xenomorph, the Predator started off as a tale for adults but ended up in the hands of kids. The 1990s saw Kenner’s line of Predator action figures (very, very few of which got as far as the UK), then McFarlane brought us a more grown-up toy before Takara shrunk him again for their AVP Microman line. Hot Toys gave us incredibly intricate 1/6th versions, and just lately NECA have released a wide range of Predators capitalising on all five of the creature’s film outings.

But now a new player is at the table: Japanese company Kaiydo have released a Classic Predator through their Sc-Fi Revoltech line. How does this figure fare up against his American cousin? Let’s take a look… (more…)

Review > Catra (Masters of the Universe)

July 29, 2011 | Poe

Though mostly forgotten now, there was some mild controversy around MOTUC Catra. At the time she was shown, fans weren’t sure whether Mattel had the rights to do her “Filmation” look. It turned out they did, owing to a depiction of the character in a Mattel-created style guide from the 1980s. And thank heaven, because otherwise we might have had a figure based on her vintage look. (“Cobie Smulders is Demeter in Cirque du Soleil’s Cats!“)

Unlike the sausage-fest that was the Evil Warriors (Evil-lyn excepted), the Evil Horde was a more equal-opportunity organization. In addition to Catra, there was Shadow Weaver, Scorpia, Entrapta and Octavia. And while Hordak was the boss, most of the other male characters were dumb grunts while the women were smarter and often held positions of authority. After Adora’s defection to the Great Rebellion, Catra became the Force Captain of the Horde. Like Shadow Weaver, Catra once teamed up with Skeletor in an attempt to overthrow Hordak. [Source] (more…)

Arkillo Collect and Connect (DC Universe Classics)

July 18, 2011 | Novelty

It’s DCUC month over at Toy a Day and I’ve opened up my second wave of figures.  Which means that there’s a new CnC figure to be put together and reviewed.  Since I did Kilowog here last week, and got a handful of positive comments (Thanks guys, much appreciated!) I thought it would be a treat for the Poesters to enjoy this next figure from the the first Wave of the Green Lantern DC Universe Classics, Arkillo.

Arkillo is a figure that was newly (and recently) created for the Sinestro Corps.  He was the first character (shown within the comic) to be recruited to the Sinestro Corps.  Supposedly, it’s his huge size that instills fear into those that crosses his path.

He hails from the same space sector that Kilowog is from, namely Space Sector 674.  However, he’s not from the same planet nor is he the same race as Kilowog.  Still there are similiarities with Kilowog.  They are both huge, they are both drill sergeants to their respective Corps.  Arkillo is also a slave-driver that drives the Qwardian weaponers to create more yellow rings for the Sinestro Corps.

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Review > Batman & Two-Face (Batman Arkham City, Mattel)

July 13, 2011 | Poe

Until Batman Arkham Asylum, most Batman videogames were at best mediocre and at worst, completely unplayable. But given the character’s popularity and the way he seems to appeal to really great creators in all media, it was just a matter of time until we got a great Batman videogame*–just as we’ve gotten a great Batman movies and a great Batman TV show alongside countless great Batman comics.

Batman in Arkham CityThe “Arkhamverse” has quickly become one of my favorite incarnations of the Batman franchise. Given the presence of Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker and (in the first game at least) Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, the game was sort of a much more brutal, darker version of Batman: The Animated Series. Given the immense popularity and critical acclaim for the first game and the massive anticipation for its upcoming sequel, it’s not surprising we’re now getting plenty of merchandise from both games.

DC Direct released their first wave of Arkham Asylum figures earlier this year, and the second wave–consisting of Bane, Poison Ivy, Mr. Zsasz and Armored Batman–hits comic ships this week (they should arrive in stores today, actually). But DCD isn’t the only manufacturer making Arkham Asylum/Arkham City figures; at this year’s Toy Fair, Mattel revealed their new Batman Legacy line, which included a two-pack of Batman and Two-Face from Arkham City. (more…)

Guest Review > Kilowog Collect and Connect (DC Universe Classics)

July 12, 2011 | Novelty

Hey y’all, welcome to the new site layout!  It’s Novelty and I’m stoked that I get to do another guest review here.  To be honest though, I also come into this review with a lot of trepidation – Poesters are a scary lot and may eat me up alive if I don’t live up to their expectations and such, so please be gentle, ‘k?
Kilowog from movie poster
Kilowog in ComicsKilowog is the trainer of the Green Lantern Corps new recruits.  He’s from Bolovax Vik, located in Space Sector 674.  He roughly resembles an anthromophic upright-standing hippotamus, towering over everyone else and is always depicted to have vast strength thanks to his physique.  Of course, as a member of the Green Lantern Corps (GLC), he also has his ring which could manifest any construct he could imagine.

His name is interesting.  Kilo, of course, is greek and means a thousand.  It’s present in the English language as part of the metric system (e.g. kilogram, kilometer, etc.).  Wog, is also an English word, although it’s a colloquial British word which has derogatory connotations.  It means a poor non-white foreigner, and survives into the modern era in such words as polliwog and golliwog.  It’s not really politically correct and is rarely used these days.  So Kilowog then, means that he’s a thousand-fold alien, an apt name.  And there ends my English lesson! (more…)