G.I. Joe Resolute: Poe’s Review

April 28, 2009 | Poe

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(Note: this review contains mild spoilers.)

While I went through most of the other major toy fads of the 1980s–Star Wars, He-Man, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–somehow I never got into G.I. Joe. I often joke that even at that young age I had a healthy distrust of the military-industrial complex, but I think the more honest truth was that I liked giant robots more than soldiers (and science fiction/fantasy more than action/adventure).

And so it was with no nostalgic investment that I took in G.I. Joe: Resolute on Adult Swim this weekend. For the five or six of you who don’t know, Resolute is an hour-long animated film commissioned by Hasbro to be geared specifically toward collectors, featuring more mature themes and–gasp!–actual combat deaths. It was written by popular comics writer Warren Ellis, who’s best known for mature-themed works such as Transmetropolitan. It was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, whose credits include Justice League Unlimited and Avatar: the Last Airbender. (more…)

Review > Mer-Man (Masters of the Universe Classics)

April 24, 2009 | Poe

Next to Beast Man (and maybe Trap-Jaw), Skeletor‘s most recognizable henchman is the creatively-named Mer-Man. The original figure was distinctive for his bizarre, vaguely cat-like head (which looked nothing like the packaging art, seen above) and the so-called “corn-sword,” which was supposed to look like an aquatic weapon of the sea, made from a sawfish’s rostrum, but instead came out looking like one of those things you use to hold corn-on-the-cob. On the 1980s cartoon, Mer-Man had a voice that sounded like Alan Oppenheimer gargled whenever he spoke a Mer-Man line. (more…)

G.I. Joe Resolute: A Sh*t Load of Awesome (Spoiler Free)

April 21, 2009 | Paul

Friday was the debut of the G.I. Joe animated project entitled, “G.I. Joe Resolute”. The premier consisted of two short episodes on Adult Swim’s website and quite frankly, they seriously rocked socks. Before I get to my impressions, I need to go on a bit of a rant. The very idea behind Resolute is one that I demand more of, that is, cartoons made for a more adult audience without sacrificing adult story elements for the sake of children. I know that anime has serious story lines and adult themes, but there’s something about 99% of anime that I can’t connect with. Inevitably when trying to watch any anime, I can’t connect with something, be it plot, characterization, or dialogue. I’ve always wanted to see the kinds of themes and stories found in anime, but with western style stories that weren’t dumbed down for kids. Shows like Justice League Unlimited have been a big step forward along with some of the direct to DVD stuff out there, but it has taken us a very long time to even get close to destroying the misconception that cartoons equal children’s entertainment. I want to thank Hasbro for at least trying something like this. (more…)

Review > T-1 (Terminator Salvation)

April 17, 2009 | Poe

I’ll freely admit Playmates’ T-R.I.P. from their Terminator Salvation line is lackluster, particularly when compared to superb specialty market versions such as NECA’s.

And yet…I can’t explain it, but there’s just something appealing about some of these. Not the human/cyborg figures–they’re inexcusably bad. But I’ve become fond of the T-R.I.P., and pretty soon I realized I had to have a T-1 too. I mean, c’mon–it’s a robot with miniguns.

I suspect the T-1s are short-packed, but I found one at Target last night. This may be one of my fastest review turnarounds ever. (more…)

Review > Atom Smasher (DC Universe Classics)

April 15, 2009 | Poe

While there are plenty of extra-large villains for Mattel to choose from as Build-a-Figures, there are far fewer super-sized heroes. One of those few, though, is Atom Smasher. Created in 1983 by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, Atom Smasher gained popularity as a founding member of DC’s current version of the Justice Society of America (as opposed to the Justice League). While the Justice League gets all the press and features high-profile heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the Justice Society has carved out its own niche in the DC Universe. (more…)

Review > Jet Jaguar (6″ Movie Monster Series)

April 14, 2009 | Poe

There’s little question Godzilla vs. Megalon is one of the worst Godzilla films Toho Studios ever made. And yet, due to its constant airings on television syndication in the late 1970s and early 1980s–to say nothing of its appearance on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000–it’s one of the most popular films among American G-fans who grew up watching the radioactive dinosaur on Creature Double Feature.

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Review > T-R.I.P. (Terminator Salvation 6″)

April 13, 2009 | Poe

I’ll always fondly remember Terminator 2: Judgment Day as the first rated-R film I saw in the theater. At the time, I went through a whole Terminator obsession, which was very much enabled by Kenner’s Terminator action figure line.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Kenner was the only game in town for action figures based on rated-R films. The T2 figures weren’t all that great, even for the time, but the notable exception was the Endoskeleton. Robots are always easier to sculpt accurately than fleshy, round humans, so the Endoskeleton came out pretty well.  Add a light-up eye feature (via a “light pipe”) and a neat head-mounted gun and you had one of the better action figures of the early nineties. At the time, my only disappointment was that the figures were over 6″ tall, meaning they didn’t look right next to my Robocop or X-Men figures. (more…)

Review > Masterpiece Grimlock (MP-08)

April 10, 2009 | Poe

When a number of you guessed Masterpiece Grimlock for my 150th review, I was actually a bit puzzled until I realized the figure would probably be shipping soon–and I think I got the shipping notice the same day. I’d forgotten all about the guy.

Before we move on, confession time. Yes, I bought Masterpiece Optimus Prime, and even reviewed him for Michael Crawford’s site. But later, I sold him. Yes! I was a fool, I admit it. In any event, that’s why you won’t see any comparison photos with MP Op. However, it’s notable that Grimlock is smaller than MP Optimus, despite generally being depicted as taller in the cartoon. This is most likely a result of having to keep his price in the realm of the not-insane, but those who like to display the MP figures next to one another will probably be disappointed.

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Review > Ocean Warrior Aquaman (DC Universe Classics)

April 9, 2009 | Poe

For some reason, DC Comics has an abundance of iconic characters they have no idea what to do with. So they subject them to reboot after retcon after reboot, never giving them a chance to build a full-fledged character and mythology before they’re off in another direction again. Hawkman is probably the best (worst?) example, but even the likes of Wonder Woman have found themselves subjected to major reboots.

In 1986, in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths (which would set DC on a course of obsessive preoccupation with continuity for more than twenty years, a process that’s still ongoing), Aquaman got a well-received four-issue limited series written by Neal Pozner and illustrated by Craig Hamilton. Hamilton’s distinctive redesign of Aquaman’s outfit, featuring a much more logical (if less iconic) color scheme of blacks, blues and whites, only lasts as long as the series’ brief run. However, it has remained a fan-favorite since, and now Mattel has given this version of Aquaman (which they’re calling “Ocean Warrior” Aquaman) his first-ever action figure. (more…)

Review > Kid Flash (DC Universe Classics)

April 8, 2009 | Poe

Marvel Comics fans have often made fun of DC Comics’s abundance of sidekicks and “kid” versions of characters. There’s a simple reason for the differing traditions, though. In the early days of superhero comics in the 1940s, child sidekicks were believed to be both a way to help kids identify with the situations and the comics as well as give them a role model (Robin’s early appearances in Batman comics featured numerous lectures about moral behavior).

It was also a simpler time, when the audience of superhero comics was entirely adolescent children. Sidekicks made sense from a business standpoint, and the simple nature of the stories–busting gangsters and petty thugs, rather than world-devouring demigods–made having a sidekick less like reckless child endangerment and more like plain old adventure. (more…)