Review > Booster Gold (modern) (DC Universe Classics)

April 7, 2009 | Poe

Having reviewed Blue Beetle last week, it’s only natural to review Ted’s bromance buddy next.

While the Ted Kord incarnation of Blue Beetle was created by Steve Ditko back in the 1960s for Charlton Comics and Booster Gold was created for DC Comics by Dan Jurgens twenty years later, the two became famed best friends in the pages of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’s Justice League International in the late 1980s.

Since then, Booster Gold’s popularity has waxed, waned and waxed again among DC fans. He’s currently starring in his own series, wearing the modern outfit shown in this figure. There’s also a variant “classic” Booster, featuring a slightly different paint scheme, a disco collar and non-opening Skeets (if you don’t know what that means, see below). (more…)

Review > Blue Beetle (DC Universe Classics)

April 3, 2009 | Poe

The winners of the 150th Review Contest Spectacular have been contacted, and I’ll announce them once they’ve confirmed with me. In the meantime, I present you with my 150th toy review: Blue Beetle!

Like Captain Atom, Blue Beetle was a Charlton Comics character. When Charlton’s characters were bought by DC Comics in the 1980s, DC incorporated the characters into their own universe.

As it turns out, the Blue Beetle in this review–alias Ted Kord–is actually the second Blue Beetle. The original, named Dan Garret, started out as a Fox Features Syndicate character in the late 1930s. When Charlton bought the rights to Fox’s characters in the early 1960s, they briefly used the Dan Garret version (renamed to Garrett) as a superhero empowered by a mystical scarab dug up in Egypt. (more…)

Review > Captain Cold (DC Universe Classics)

March 12, 2009 | Poe

Despite being far less famous, Captain Cold debuted in Showcase #8 two years before Mr. Freeze (then called Mr. Zero) appeared in the pages of Batman. While Captain Cold soon established himself as the Flash‘s archenemy, Mr. Zero remained one of Batman’s lesser foes until he was renamed and popularized by the 1960s Batman show. If the Flash had gotten a high-profile television series instead of Batman, it’s possible we would have been forced to sit through Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lethal puns in Flash and Kid Flash instead of Batman and Robin. (more…)

Review > The Flash (DC Universe Classics)

March 11, 2009 | Poe

A week ago, if you’d ask me who my second-favorite DC superhero was (after Batman, of course), I probably would have said Superman without hesitation. However, after receiving the DCUC7 Flash in the mail (thanks Paul!), I suddenly remembered just how much I used to love the Flash. (more…)

Review > Recovery Suit Superman (DC Universe Classics)

March 10, 2009 | Poe

In the early 1990s, the comics boom was fueled by the likes of the X-Men, Wolverine, the Punisher, Ghost Rider, and especially Cable, the time-travelling, Terminator-like cyborg superhero with a mysterious past (and future). Created by Rob Liefeld, Cable’s big robotic muscles, rectangular guns, and thigh-pouches came to represent the quintessential 1990s superhero cliche–so much so that Magog in Alex Ross’s Kingdom Come was designed as a parody of the character.

Rather than jumping on board the bandwagon, the editors at DC decided to show readers what it would be like if DC’s classic heroes were “modernized.” Batman was out of commission for a while in the Knightfall storyline, which saw the Bat-mantle taken up by a newcomer named Azrael, whose Joe Quesada-redesigned costume sent fans screaming back to their 1970s Batman trades. As for Superman, after his “death” at the hands of the very Image Comics-esque Doomsday, Superman was replaced by four heroes–a hip young teen, a Cable-like cyborg, an urban hero of the streets, and the borderline insane Eradicator. When Supes himself returned, he was initially dressed in a black “recovery suit,” and since his powers hadn’t returned to him, he equipped himself with some very Cable-style guns.

(I particularly love Steel’s little dig at Cable–you can’t tell me that’s not a deliberate reference to Marvel’s then-cash cow.) (more…)

Movie Review > Watchmen

March 9, 2009 | Poe

watchmen-babies

(WARNING: This review assumes you’ve seen the movie, so if you’re avoiding spoilers, don’t read it.)

In what context should I review Watchmen? Do I compare it to the book (which I admire, but don’t personally love)? Do I try to review it as if I weren’t familiar with the book, as a film that stands or stumbles on its own merits? Does a superhero flick like Watchmen even deserve a review that begins with such pretentious metaphysical mummery?

These are the questions that kept me up for about five or ten minutes last night, before I woke early the next morning to see an 11:30 a.m. showing of Watchmen at the Jordan’s Furniture IMAX theater in Natick. (Yes, you non-New Englanders, for some reason a regional furniture chain owns and operates not one but two IMAX theaters, built right next to the furniture showrooms.) I think Dr. Mrs. Ghostal was more excited to see it than I was, as I intimated a few days ago. (more…)

Review > Big Barda (DC Universe Classics)

March 5, 2009 | Poe

Ask anyone who the biggest female superhero in the DC Universe is and they’ll usually tell you it’s Wonder Woman. And in terms of name recognition, they’re right. But in terms of size, attitude, and general bad-ass-ness? That crown might very well go to Big Barda, a prominent member of Jack Kirby’s New Gods. (more…)

Review > Stratos (Masters of the Universe Classics)

February 27, 2009 | Poe

stratos_cardI love Stratos. Something about the design–the gray fur, the red feathered “wings,” the jet pack, the flight goggles–really appeals to me. He was one of my favorite He-Man figures as a kid.

While I liked most of the MOTU2K figures, I didn’t like the revamped Stratos much. His articulation was limited by his action feature, which probably had a lot to do with it. But ironically, I think it was the consistency and realism the Horsemen added to his design–the feathered loincloth, the jetpack handles–that made him less cool. Stratos is supposed to be a mash-up of various animal parts–it’s part of his charm.

Fortunately, the Masters of the Universe Classics version of Stratos restores him to his flying-monkey-like glory. (more…)

Review > (Return of) Superman (DC Universe Classics)

February 24, 2009 | Poe

return_supesAfter his unfortunate accident, I was forced to replace my red-and-blue Superman figure from DCUC Wave 6. Fortunately, the new one I traded for is in working order. (Thanks to anti-hero from the Fwoosh for the trade.)

A few years ago, in a rare rave review of the DC Super Heroes Superman figure, I wrote: “This is everything an action figure should be, and the Four Horsemen and Mattel should be proud.” I stand by the latter part, but it turns out I was perhaps a bit wrong on the first part. As good as DCSH Superman was, he could be even better. Unfortunately, DCUC hasn’t quite gotten there yet. (more…)

Review > Faker (Masters of the Universe Classics)

February 20, 2009 | Poe

faker-4

Last month, I wrote a list for Topless Robot of the best repaint figures of all time. Number two on the list was Faker, He-Man’s laughably un-twin-like evil twin.

fakercardbackRather than regarding Faker as an actual twin designed to fool people, I always thought of Faker as a kind of Bizarro He-Man–he’s an “evil twin,” yes, but not an identical twin. Reverse Flash, Evil Ash, Evil Jim–these are Faker’s brethren. He’s not an evil twin of the Lore or Evil Bill and Evil Ted persuasion.

However, his name is “Faker,” and in the cartoon episode he appeared in, he actually looked exactly like He-Man (except for a pair of glowing eyes and a voice heavy on the reverb, which fools the Sorceress, natch). His original packaging refers to him as “Evil Robotic He-Man Imposter,” but on the cardback art, it says, “Faker is no He-Man–he’s the evil blue robot of Skeletor!”

(more…)